2 days agoLos Angeles Clippers guard
Luke Kennard finished with a team-high 16 points during the preseason win over Israeli club Maccabi Ra'anana on Friday. Kennard picked up right where he left off from last season, sinking four of his five attempts from deep. The 26-year-old is coming off one of the best seasons of his career, averaging 11.9 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.1 assists while draining 44.9% of his tries from behind the arc. Kennard figures to have a regular, albeit limited, role in the rotation in 2022-23. However, unless someone on the roster goes down with an injury, his lack of consistent minutes will prevent him from being a routine fantasy contributor.
--Dennis Clausen - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
2 days agoPortland Trail Blazers forward
Jerami Grant has been impressing the organization early in training camp. Fellow teammate
Damian Lillard had plenty of praise for Grant. He mentioned that Grant has impressive athleticism and versatility. The Blazers are excited to have Grant on their roster. He should see a significant usage in Portland, but probably not quite as high as it was last season. Regardless, Grant should be a productive player from a fantasy standpoint in Portland.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: oregonlive.com
2 days agoWashington Wizards forward
Will Barton (back) was unable to suit up for the first preseason game on Friday. The 31-year-old sat out this contest due to lower back tightness. This doesn't sound like something that is going to sideline Barton long term. He remains the favorite to start at the three spot heading into the season. He'll need to hold off
Deni Avdija, which won't be an easy task. Barton could actually hold some fantasy value in Washington, assuming he stays healthy.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: Joel Rush
2 days agoPhiladelphia 76ers forward
Paul Reed has been playing both the four and five during training camp. Last season, Reed was exclusively the backup center to
Joel Embiid in Philly. However, the Sixers looked better whenever Embiid and Reed were on the floor together, according to head coach Doc Rivers. That being said, the Sixers want to get Reed more action at the four spot next season. That could mean more playing time and involved for Reed this upcoming season. He's worth monitoring throughout the rest of training camp.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: The Athletic
2 days agoBoston Celtics center
Luke Kornet (ankle) will be sidelined one to two weeks due to a recent injury. The 27-year-old suffered a sprained ankle, which is bad timing in the middle of training camp. The Celtics recently added Blake Griffin to the mix, so Kornet wasn't going to see major minutes anyway. The Celtics are attempting to ease the loss of
Robert Williams III (knee) with the signing of Griffin. Possibly, Kornet gets in the mix as well once he's healthy. However, it's unlikely that either Kornet or Griffin have great value in Boston.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: Jared Weiss
2 days agoSan Antonio Spurs power forward
Isaiah Roby has impressed the team's coaching staff in training camp. Head coach Gregg Popovich mentioned that Roby moves really well for a big man and has good athleticism. The 24-year-old could find himself with legitimate playing time in San Antonio. This team is rebuilding, which means Roby should have a decent role to begin the season.
Jakob Poeltl is the starter, but he could be on the trade block as well. Roby could find himself competing with
Zach Collins for backup minutes right away.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: Tom Orsborn
3 days agoThe Thunder have traded guard
Theo Maledon to the Rockets. In addition, Houston will also receive
Derrick Favors,
Ty Jerome, and
Maurice Harkless in exchange for
David Nwaba,
Sterling Brown,
Trey Burke, and
Marquese Chriss. Maledon played in 51 games with OKC last season. However, he shined during his seven appearances in the starting lineup, averaging 16.1 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 5.0 assists. The 21-year-old is young and has plenty of upside. However, unless Maledon can carve out a consistent role in Houston throughout the 2022-23 campaign, he's nothing more than a dynasty stash.
--Dennis Clausen - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
3 days agoThe Rockets acquired guard
Ty Jerome, along with
Derrick Favors,
Theo Maledon, and
Maurice Harkless, from Oklahoma City. In exchange, the Thunder received
David Nwaba,
Sterling Brown,
Trey Burke, and
Marquese Chriss. Jerome averaged 7.1 points, 2.3 assists, and 1.6 boards while shooting nearly 38% from deep in 48 games last season. With that said, he would have had trouble finding the floor in Houston, especially with Maledon,
Kevin Porter Jr., and
TyTy Washington Jr. figured to be ahead of him on the depth chart. However, the 25-year-old is expected to be waived, so that's no longer an issue. Nevertheless, while it may not take Jerome long to find a new team, he'll remain far from being relevant in any fantasy setup.
--Dennis Clausen - RotoBallerSource: Kelly Iko
3 days agoThe Rockets acquired center
Derrick Favors from OKC on Thursday. In addition, Houston is also receiving
Ty Jerome,
Theo Maledon, and
Maurice Harkless in exchange for
David Nwaba,
Sterling Brown,
Trey Burke, and
Marquese Chriss. Favors averaged 5.3 points and 4.7 rebounds in 39 games with the Thunder in 2022-23. While the veteran's career is seemingly nearing an end, he likely has some solid performances left in the tank. With that said, if
Alperen Sengun goes down with an injury this season, Favors will earn streaming appeal in deep formats.
--Dennis Clausen - RotoBallerSource: Adrian Wojnarowski
3 days agoFree-agent forward Blake Griffin agreed to a one-year, fully guaranteed deal with the Celtics on Friday. The 33-year-old is coming off the worst season of his career, averaging 6.4 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.9 assists in 56 games with Brooklyn. Although Griffin still has plenty to offer in terms of leadership, toughness, and willingness to draw charges, those traits won't make him an attractive fantasy option. Nevertheless, with the C's down
Danilo Gallinari (knee) and
Robert Williams III (knee), Griffin could receive some minutes early in the year. However, managers can't trust him to be a consistent fantasy producer.
--Dennis Clausen - RotoBallerSource: Adrian Wojnarowski
6 days agoDenver Nuggets guard
Jamal Murray (knee) reportedly feels normal and he's excited to get back on the court this season. He did not play at all last season while he recovered from an ACL tear in his left knee. The Nuggets are going to be cautious with Murray right away. He's expected to play during the preseason, but he won't be out there for every preseason game. Fantasy managers shouldn't be shocked if the Nuggets decide to have Murray on a minutes limit to begin the season. Despite that, Murray should hold top-30 value once he's able to get back to full strength.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: Joel Rush
6 days agoLos Angeles Clippers forward
Kawhi Leonard (knee) is planning on participating during training camp. The expectation is that Leonard will be good to go during Tuesday's practice. It doesn't sound like the team has any plans on limiting Leonard right away. The hope is that Leonard will be fully ready to play when the regular season begins. He has been rehabbing his knee for basically a year, so Leonard should be ready to go. Fantasy managers might finally get a full season out of Leonard, but we'll see how cautious the Clippers are with him.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: Tomer Azarly
6 days agoLos Angeles Clippers center
Ivica Zubac (ankle) should be ready for the beginning of training camp. The 25-year-old big man reportedly tweaked his ankle during a recent Eurobasket tournament. Despite that, Zubac should be ready early in training camp and isn't expected to miss much time at all. He averaged career highs in points (10.3), rebounds (8.5), assists (1.6) last season. The Clippers don't have many options at center, so Zubac should see plenty of playing time. The expectation is that
Robert Covington will cut into his minutes, but Zubac should still have low-end fantasy value.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: Farbod Esnaashari
6 days agoNew Orleans Pelicans forward
Zion Williamson (foot) reportedly feels great heading into training camp. The 22-year-old mentioned that he can moves faster and jumps higher than he could before. It appears that Williamson has fully recovered from a foot fracture that sidelined him all of last season. He also mentioned that he has learned a lot from a nutrition standpoint. The superstar forward looks to be in incredible shape heading into the season. He could be in for a huge bounce season year, so fantasy managers shouldn't sleep on Williamson.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
6 days agoBrooklyn Nets guard
Ben Simmons has been cleared for practice on Tuesday. He is reportedly ready to go, but you can never be confident when it comes to Simmons. It sounds like he has been practicing with
Kevin Durant and
Kyrie Irving. Possibly, things are finally going in the right direction for Simmons. He'll be a boom-or-bust fantasy option heading into the season. He's worth snagging towards the later rounds because his potential outweighs the risk.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: Chris Milholen
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