Robert Williams (health and safety protocols) practiced on Tuesday and will travel for Wednesday's game vs. the Sixers.
Williams has been out nearly two weeks, so he may need a game or two to fully regain his conditioning. His return cuts into Grant Williams and Daniel Theis' workloads, but the Timelord doesn't actually need much time to make a fantasy impact. He's been a late-middle round category-league value in a mere 16.3 minutes per game this season, a number he should reach easily. The Celtics need his size and physicality around the rim, too, as demonstrated during Sunday's loss to the Knicks.
Tom Thibodeau hopes to eventually play Elfrid Payton and Immanuel Quickley together for stretches, adding, "I love both guys. They’re different and bring different things to the team."
"It gives us great flexibility and we can mix and match," Thibodeau said. "We really haven’t done a lot of that yet because of the things we’ve gone through with our injuries. Hopefully, we can get to that." He highlighted Payton's defensive abilities as a key to starting him, saying, "A lot of these guards, particularly point guards in the NBA today, they’re a load to deal with. Elfrid has a good understanding of how to defend them." There has been plenty of speculation about Quickley displacing Payton as the starting point guard, and while that's still likely at some point, it may not be as imminent as previously surmised.
Pelicans coach Stan Van Gundy said Nicolo Melli's shooting woes (20.0% shooting) aren't the result of bad shot attempts.
"His looks are good looks. They’re open looks. They’re shots with time,” Van Gundy said. "I think it’s become a little mental with [Melli] … No way he should have two airballs in a game." The Pelicans could really use a big man capable of spacing the court, which makes Melli's struggles even more troubling. Whether or not his shots start to fall, though, Melli isn't a fantasy asset while playing 10-15 minutes per game.
The Cavaliers have "had [trade] inquiries" about JaVale McGee, according to beat writer Chris Fedor.
Fedor refers to McGee as "a prime trade candidate ahead of the March 25 deadline," a reality that's been magnified by the acquisition of Jarrett Allen. “Obviously playing three centers is difficult,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. A trade is the most likely path for McGee to reclaim fantasy relevance, since he only needs 18-24 minutes to help with blocks, boards and field goal percentage.
Jae Crowder shifted to the second unit for Monday's loss vs. Memphis, but Suns coach Monty Williams intends to use Crowder to close games.
"It gives you a better chance [to win] to finish with Jae," Williams said. Cameron Johnson has taken over the starting PF spot to spark the Suns' offense, with Williams saying, "I'm hopeful that lineup with Cam out there with his cutting and spacing the floor can help that starting unit." The new starting five doesn't seem likely to change any time soon, but Crowder played 27 minutes on Monday and neither he nor Johnson see a big shift in fantasy value based on their starter/bench swap.
James Wiseman committed his fifth personal foul early in the third quarter on Monday and did not play in the final 21 minutes of the Warriors' 115-113 comeback win.
Wiseman committed five personal fouls in just 13 minutes of action, scoring four points with three rebounds, one steal and one block. This won't become a trend and his veteran teammates picked him up afterwards. "Keep giving him opportunities," Stephen Curry said. "Understand they're all learning lessons ... I used to get benched for Acie Law. You gotta be able to take those lumps in stride and learn." Personal fouls have been an issue all season, but Wiseman averaged 26.5 minutes in his previous two games and will only get better as the season progresses.
Kyle Kuzma hit 6-of-11 shots and three 3-pointers for 15 points and 10 rebounds in 25 minutes off the bench on Monday.
Kuzma has double-doubled in two straight games and in three of his last four, despite playing sub-30 minutes in all of them. He's also hit a 3-pointer in seven straight games and in all but one game this season. Kuzma is rostered in just 42 percent of Yahoo! leagues and the Lakers play four games next week. He's worth a look if you need points, boards and 3-pointers.
Andrew Wiggins was ultra-efficient on Monday, hitting 7-of-11 field goals and 3-of-5 threes to finish with 18 points.
Wiggins had it going in the third quarter when he scored 12 of his 18 points including nine in a row on three straight 3-pointers. He also chipped in three rebounds, an assist and a steal in 32 minutes in what was his second-best shooting night of the season.
Eric Paschall had his best shooting night of the season on Monday, hitting 8-of-11 shots en route to 19 points, four boards, three assists and a steal.
Paschall matched his season-high scoring mark against the LA and the eight made shots were a season best for the second-year forward. He didn't make a triple in the game, but his eight points in the final frame helped the Dubs get a win over LeBron James and the Lakers. Paschall is only rostered in 11% of Yahoo leagues and is worth a look in deep leagues.
Anthony Davis, as usual, played through his various ailments on Monday and racked up 17 points, 17 rebounds, seven assists, two steals and three blocks on 6-of-16 shooting in a 115-113 loss to the Warriors.
The triple-double watch was on early for AD after he racked up a bunch of assists in the first half, but he stopped passing the ball and finished up with seven dimes. His career high is nine and his lone triple-double of his career featured points, rebounds and blocks. Expect Davis to continue to show up on the Lakers' injury report and expect him to keep powering through it. The Lakers play Thursday, Saturday and Monday and then have a back-to-back next Wednesday and Thursday. Maybe AD sits in one of those, but it's also possible he could play in both of them.
Dennis Schroder caught fire early and hit 8-of-15 shots, a 3-pointer and 8-of-9 free throws for a season-high 25 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals in Monday's two-point loss to the Warriors.
Schroder had a great first half and has ended up being a great point-guard complement to LeBron James in L.A. He's scored in double figures in all but two games this season and is returning 12th-round fantasy value this season. However, he could be better than that going forward as long as he keeps getting 30-plus minutes a game.
Thaddeus Young just missed a double-double on Monday night, scoring 12 points with nine rebounds, three assists, a steal and a triple.
Young has scored in double figures in four of his last five games, leaving many of us wondering if he's worth grabbing off waivers. He's only 7% rostered which kind of tells you all you need to know, but if you're in a deep league and running thin on options, he's worth a look considering how he's been playing over the past week.
Lauri Markkanen had a pretty solid night on Monday, scoring 18 points on 5-of-12 shooting with four 3-pointers, seven boards and two steals.
Markkanen has scored in double-figures in all three games since returning from his quarantine period, averaging 21 points, 7.6 rebounds and three triples over that span. He's still available in 11% of Yahoo leagues and is surely worth a roster spot in standard and deep leagues.
Zach LaVine shot 11-of-16 from the field, 4-of-8 from deep and 7-of-8 from the line on Monday, finishing with 33 points, four rebounds, seven assists, two steals and a block.
LaVine and the Bulls ruined Victor Oladipo's Rockets debut with a 125-120 win. His 33 points were a game high and he bounced back nicely after scoring just 10 points on Sunday. LaVine currently has a near 30% usage rate and ranks inside the top-25 in 9-cat with season averages of 26.9 points, 4.8 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 3.4 3-pointers per game.
Mason Jones played just 14 minutes on Monday vs the Bulls, scoring 10 points with two assists and a steal in the loss.
Victor Oladipo's return resulted in a reduced role for Jones, but he still had a decent game and could end up sticking with the Rockets instead of in the G-League because he's shown he can play and shoot the rock. Keep an eye on him in deeper leagues.
Khris Middleton had a solid game, recording 25 points, four rebounds, four assists and four steals on Monday night.
Middleton shot 50% from the floor and the four swipes were a season-high, but he failed to make any threes for the second time, going 0-of-5 including two misses late in the game. It was still a good game for the Bucks shooting guard, however, as he's scored 20-plus in all but four games in 2020-21.
Goran Dragic made his first start of the season for the Heat and hit 9-of-15 shots and a 3-pointer for 22 points, three rebounds, three assists and a block in Monday's win over the Pistons.
Erik Spoelstra has used nine different starting lineups this season so there's no way to tell if Dragic will stick with the starters or not. Gabe Vincent came off the bench tonight and played just nine minutes, white Kendrick Nunn had a nice game off the bench. If Dragic sticks in the starting five he's going to worth grabbing in most formats.
Bam Adebayo hit 9-of-15 shots and 10-of-11 free throws for 28 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, two steals and a block in Monday's win over the Pistons.
He also committed an uncharacteristic seven turnovers but the good news is this game was played at all. It was delayed due to health and safety protocols and had a possibility of being postponed, but the game went off late without a hitch, unlike Bam's turnover game tonight. This marks his second straight 28-point game and he should continue to go off, especially with Jimmy Butler out for health and safety protocols.
Kendrick Nunn came off the bench behind Goran Dragic on Monday and played 34 minutes, hitting 8-of-15 shots and two 3-pointers for a season-high 18 points, five rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block in a season-high 34 minutes.
Nunn appeared to be on the verge of falling out of the rotation but Gabe Vincent got just nine minutes tonight, while Dragic got the start. Maybe this game will get Nunn back into the mix, but he's not a player you should be rushing to pick up right now, unless you're in a deeper league. Just keep him on your radar for now.
Gabe Vincent played just nine minutes off the bench on Monday, giving way to starter Goran Dragic and veteran Kendrick Nunn, who played 34 minutes.
Vincent hit a 3-pointer and had an assist, but he just wasn't part of the plan tonight. It's hard to say if it was because he's dealing with a knee issue, or if he's fallen out of favor with Erik Spoelstra. Vincent was going off briefly when his teammates were in the healthy and safety protocols but now that they're returning to full strength, it could be a rough ride if you picked him up a few days ago.