Fantasy Basketball Injury Updates for Week 19 - LeBron James, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, LaMelo Ball

February 28, 2023

Max Kulish's NBA injuries report for fantasy basketball in Week 19. He recommends NBA injury replacements to set optimal lineups for seasonal and DFS formats.

Welcome back  RotoBallers! I'm here to help you stay up to date on injury news, and how it impacts your teams in case you had a busy weekend and couldn't keep track of everything. It might have been a snoozer of an All-Star Game, but there was plenty on the injury front in the shortened week last week!

I'm doing this midday on Monday for release Tuesday morning, so any news that drops on Monday night won't be covered. I'll just cover what has changed since last week.

Drop me a follow on Twitter (@Maxadelphia) for all things fantasy basketball, and nightly NBA plays. Be sure to also bookmark our awesome free NBA injuries report tool for up-to-the-minute fantasy basketball injury updates.

Short-Term Injuries for Fantasy Basketball

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, PG/SG, Oklahoma City Thunder - Ankle/Abdomen

SGA tweaked something in his 41 minutes of action during the Thunder's OT loss in Utah last Friday. He's missed two games so far as a result and has been treated game-by-game so far. Isaiah Joe has been starting in his place and is a solid streaming option, but an elite option if you're specifically looking to bolster your 3's.

Colin Sexton, PG/SG, Utah Jazz - Hamstring 

The Jazz announced Monday (2/27) that Sexton will be re-evaluated in another week. He was missing time pre-ASB and has continued to sit. I guess I'm technically cheating by putting him in short-term considering he's already missed multiple weeks, but from this moment his injury is short-term, so cut me some slack, okay?

Anfernee Simons, PG/SG, Portland Trailblazers - Ankle

In the Blazers' last game before the ASB, Simons suffered a Grade 2 ankle sprain according to MRI results. The Blazers haven't made any statements about when he might return, but coach Chauncey Billups said the injury "didn't look awesome". Typically these injuries are 2-3 weeks, so I would expect Simons out until March at least. If Shaedon Sharpe is available in your league, he's worth consideration as a streamer.

Update 2/22: The Blazers say Simons is making progress in recovery but remains without a timetable to return. I'll give this one more week before moving to long term.

Jusuf Nurkic, C, Portland Trailblazers - Calf

Nurkic was injured last Wednesday night, and his follow-up MRI showed that he suffered a strain, not just soreness as the team initially reported during the game. Nurkic missed a game two weeks ago after suffering a minor injury to the same calf, so the team is exerting caution and will hold him out through the All-Star Break. I expect Nurkic to return after the ASB, but in the meantime look at Drew Eubanks and Trendon Watford as replacement options.

Update 2/25: Much like Simons, the team says Nurkic is recovering well but remains without a defined timetable to return. With the Blazers hanging on for dear life in the extremely tight West, if the Blazers slip you have to think shutdown is a possibility for the Blazers' big names.

Long-Term Injuries for Fantasy Basketball

LeBron James, PG/SF, Los Angeles Lakers - Foot

Just when the Lakers seemed to be turning their season around, LeBron is ruled out for "an indefinite period" with a foot injury. Look at Troy Brown or Rui Hachimura as a streaming replacement.

LaMelo Ball, PG, Charlotte Hornets - Ankle

Writing this article later than usual, and as a result, I'm catching this injury the night it happens. Ball suffered an injury during Monday's game in Detroit. The team announced he suffered a fractured ankle, so that's gonna be curtains for both Ball brothers this year. Dennis Smith Jr should step back into the starting PG role as he did earlier this year when LaMelo previously missed time.

Kevin Porter Jr, PG, Houston Rockets - Foot

I'm sick of the Rockets leaving us in the dark about KPJ's status. Hopefully, there's a concrete update after the ASB. If not I'm going to call my shot at a season shutdown with the Rockets limping toward another high draft pick.

Update 2/27: KPJ has apparently finally returned to practice and could return as soon as Tuesday night. Whenever he does return, expect a minutes restriction.

Stephen Curry, PG/SG, Golden State Warriors - Knee

Curry suffered partial tears on two different ligaments in his knee, and the team is treating this as a week-to-week injury. All we really know right now is that he's definitely out through the All-Star Break, potentially longer. As a result, Donte DiVincenzo should take over as the top dog off the bench with Jordan Poole shifting into the starting lineup. If you need to dig deeper, Ty Jerome should see enough minutes to make an impact of some kind.

Update 2/22: The Warriors announced Curry will be reevaluated in a week. With an official update coming Wednesday, I'd expect Steph would return no later than the start of the following week.

Steven Adams, C, Memphis Grizzlies - Knee

Adams, who currently sits 4th in the NBA in rebounding, suffered a PCL sprain last Tuesday, and his return timetable is supposed to be 3-5 weeks. I'm going to err on the side of caution here – that the Grizzlies, who are cruising toward the playoffs, don't rush Adams back to action and his absence is closer to five weeks than three. Assuming Brandon Clarke is already rostered in your league, look at Santi Aldama to pick up Adams' vacated rebounds.

Update 2/27: Adams has returned to 5v5 work in practice, but Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins said he doesn't expect Adams back until after the team's upcoming 4-game road trip. That would put his first potential return date on 3/9.

Karl-Anthony Towns, PF/C, Minnesota Timberwolves - Calf

KAT strained his calf last Monday night, and his timetable for return is 4-6 weeks. Based on usage since the injury, it looks like the Wolves starters will just take on more of the load. If you're looking for streaming options, both Jaden McDaniels and Kyle Anderson are worth evaluating.

Update 2/15: The Wolves are hopeful that KAT will be able to rejoin them for their final 10-15 games this year. Depending on when your league does playoffs, this could be the green light to drop him.

Zion Williamson, PF/C, New Orleans Pelicans -  Hamstring

Zion tweaked his hammy last Monday night in Philly, and the Pelicans initially ruled him out for three weeks. We're 1/3 of the way through their initial diagnosis but given the organization's track record with their former #1 overall pick, I'd much prefer to err on the side of a long absence.

Update 2/12: You might have missed this given the Super Bowl and all, but Zion reportedly suffered a setback in his rehab and will be out "several more weeks". It feels like this is probably curtains for Zion in terms of the season-long fantasy basketball calendar, but maybe more info will come out after the ASB.

Devin Vassel, SG, San Antonio Spurs - Knee

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said that Vassel won't return until "a little after the All-Star break" after the rookie standout got hurt and is expected to have surgery done this Wednesday. The Spurs are obviously not looking to compete for anything (besides the Victor Wembenyama sweepstakes) this year, so hopefully, this isn't the beginning of the end for the standout rookie guard. Josh Richardson looks to be a great replacement option for Vassel from a fantasy perspective.

Update 2/10: Vassel says he remains without a return date but is aiming for "a return date sometime after the ASB". Not the most convincing of responses considering the Spurs' position in the standing. I officially am placing Vassel on shutdown warning.

Aleksej Pokusevski, SF/PF/C, Oklahoma City Thunder - Leg

Pokusevski suffered some sort of tibia fracture in his left leg, which is expected to sideline him for at least 6-8 weeks. Thunder coach Mark Daigneault, said that he doesn't think the injury is "long-long term", and expects Pokusevski to return before the end of the year. But...we know the Thunder, currently 12th in the West, love a good tank, so take that with a grain of salt.

Update 2/14: Pokusevski was seen doing "light shooting", if he's actually going to return this year, this would be a good starting point.

The Tank Corner 

Closed until later in the season, we'll get here when teams start trotting out G-Leaguers none of us have ever heard of.

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