I was chatting with one of my coworkers Monday when I mentioned how excited I was to have done a bunch of my Christmas shopping that day. She asked if I was excited for what I bought or excited to be almost done. I was excited for what I had bought, because I feel like I had found some really great things the people in my life will really enjoy.
I promise I am not here to pontificate. I understand completely that people are busy and strapped for cash and that this time of year the stress can easily outweigh the joy. After all, for as excited as I was on Monday, I have not had time to get any more Christmas shopping done since then.
I am not here to judge, I just want to say, I personally do not like asking people what they want for Christmas, or even telling people what I want. My family does a secret santa every year in which we all write down what we want within a certain spending limit, and then whoever draws our name goes out and buys it. I do not see the point.
I get great joy out of finding gifts my loved ones will enjoy, and then surprising them with those gifts on Christmas. I understand why that part of the holidays often gets lost in everything else, I just wanted to take this opportunity to point out what you may be missing. Without further ado, let’s get to the latest NBA injuries.
DaMarcus Cousins will not play Saturday, making five consecutive absences due to a viral infection. The Kings have not had any one player step up with Cousins out, and that will likely be the case for as long as Cousins is out.
Taj Gibson, Joakim Noah and Doug McDermott are all questionable for Saturday’s game against the Warriors. Noah stayed in the game after rolling his ankle Wednesday, and McDermott has missed the last three games with a knee injury. Gibson has been out considerably longer, missing six games with a sprained ankle. Nikola Mirotic has averaged 26.2 minutes with Gibson out, and he could play even more if Gibson and Noah sit. Mike Dunleavy should continue to play heavy minutes if McDermott misses more time.
Nikola Vucevic was questionable heading into Friday night’s game but did not play. He should be considered questionable again Saturday. The Magic have three days off after Saturday, which could make Wednesday’s game against Washington a more reasonable target for his return. Kyle O’Quinn has averaged 13.3 points and 5.3 rebounds in the three games Vucevic has missed, and he should continue to be useful for as long as Vucevic is out.
Nene Hilario returned from a foot injury Friday with eight points and eight rebounds against the Nuggets. He is a fringe fantasy option in 12-team leagues. Perhaps more importantly, Kris Humphries's usefulness for fantasy has come to an end, at least until Nene’s next injury.
Mo Williams joined Nikola Pekovic, Ricky Rubio and Kevin Martin on the sidelines this week with a back injury. Zach LaVine had 17 points, six rebounds and four assists against a depleted Rockets team Friday. The Timberwolves have a tough matchup at San Antonio Saturday, and Williams could return after that, but LaVine’s immense upside makes him an intriguing fantasy play while Williams is out. Corey Brewer is splitting the point guard duties with LaVine, and he is while his ceiling is lower, his floor is higher. Both players are widely available.
DeMar DeRozan has no timetable for his return from a torn left adductor longus tendon, and for that reason he has been dropped in some leagues. I believe that is a mistake. There are currently no plans for surgery, and DeRozan is simply too good a player to be dropped. Even in shallow leagues you can afford to have one injured player stashed on your bench, and DeRozan is easily the best player who is out right now. Terrence Ross, Louis Williams, Greivis Vasquez and James Johnson have all produced for their fantasy owners while DeRozan has been out, and that should continue for the foreseeable future.
Tony Wroten has been dropped in a number of leagues, which is pretty surprising considering his production this season and the possibility he could return as soon as Saturday. K.J. McDaniels is averaging 13.5 points and two blocks per game with Wroten out, and he has clearly earned increased minutes when Wroten returns. McDaniels is a good pickup, especially if you need blocks.
Luol Deng was active for Friday’s game at Milwaukee, but he did not play due to a hand injury. It appears Deng truly is day-to-day, but Shawne Williams could be worth a shot in daily games if Deng cannot play Sunday at Memphis.
Ersan Ilyasova will miss at least two more games after suffering a concussion and nasal fracture Tuesday. Khris Middleton averaged 17.5 points, seven rebounds and three steals in the two games Ilyasova has missed, and he should be owned for as long as Ilyasova is out.
Mike Miller is expected to be out until at least Tuesday after suffering a concussion Thursday. James Jones played 15 minutes Friday with Miller out and made both of his three-point attempts. Jones is an interesting deep-league pickup while Miller is out.
Kostas Papanikolaou was the latest Rocket to succumb to injury, suffering a Grade 1 knee sprain Friday. With Papanikolaou, Dwight Howard, Patrick Beverley, Terrence Jones and Isaiah Canaan all out, Houston has very little left. Donatas Motiejunas has played well for the last couple of weeks, and he is a must-add right now.
Hopefully your fantasy basketball teams have managed to avoid most of these injuries. If that is not the case, at least you have the most wonderful time of the year to distract you from your fantasy misfortune.
Player News
Devin Carter accounted for 10 points (3-of-5 FGs, 3-of-4 FTs), four rebounds, two assists, one steal and one three-pointer in 22 minutes in Wednesday’s loss to the Mavericks.
Carter’s rookie season ended on a positive note individually, as he reached double figures for the fourth time. Offseason shoulder surgery delayed his NBA debut until after the New Year, with Carter playing 36 regular-season games. While he was worth stashing in dynasty league drafts before this season began, the former Providence standout did not deserve a look in redraft leagues. That will likely remain the case next season, but the Kings need to make a decision regarding their head coaching position, as Doug Christie was only the interim. Add in the need for an experienced point guard, and Carter’s fantasy outlook isn’t great.
Keegan Murray recorded nine points (3-of-9 FGs, 1-of-2 FTs), six rebounds, two assists, one steal, two blocks and two three-pointers in 36 minutes in Wednesday’s loss to the Mavericks.
Murray recorded a complete stat line on Wednesday, but the impact was muted. That was a fitting end to the season for the Kings forward, whose fantasy value took a significant hit. The signing of DeMar DeRozan during free agency did Murray no favors, and that was also true for the addition of Zach LaVine just before the trade deadline. While he did approach his Yahoo! ADP (87) in nine-cat formats, Murray failed to crack the top-100 in eight-cat. Murray is extension eligible this summer, but the Kings have many questions to answer, including who the head coach will be and the future of lead executive Monte McNair. How that impacts Murray remains to be seen, but he’s worth selecting with a top-100 pick in drafts.
Domantas Sabonis tallied 11 points (5-of-13 FGs, 1-of-2 FTs), 13 rebounds, five assists and two steals in 37 minutes in Wednesday’s loss to the Mavericks.
It’s fitting that Sabonis would finish his season with a double-double, as he recorded 61 during the regular season. However, his impact was limited, with Anthony Davis, Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford combining to control the paint for most of Wednesday’s Play-In tournament matchup. Regarding fantasy value, Sabonis was a top-25 player in eight- and nine-cat formats for the season. However, his value took a significant hit after the trade deadline, with the De’Aaron Fox deal leaving the Kings with two high-scoring wings (Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan) and no legitimate point guard. How Sacramento addresses that decision during the offseason will impact Sabonis’ fantasy value in 2025-26.
DeMar DeRozan shot 13-of-28 from the field and 5-of-6 from the foul line in Wednesday’s loss to the Mavericks, tallying 33 points, seven rebounds, two assists, two steals and two three-pointers in 43 minutes.
DeRozan went out firing on Wednesday, shooting just under 50 percent from the field and finishing a blocked shot shy of a complete stat line. Like other key Kings players, his fantasy value took a hit after De’Aaron Fox was traded to San Antonio. The lack of a point guard who can set up others consistently proved problematic for the Kings, who now have some significant decisions to make this offseason. DeRozan can approach top-50 fantasy value, but the task gets much easier when on the court with a legitimate lead guard.
Zach LaVine logged 44 minutes in Wednesday’s loss to the Mavericks, tallying 20 points (8-of-19 FGs), three rebounds, nine assists and four three-pointers.
LaVine led the Kings in assists on Wednesday, but inefficient play was an issue in the Play-In tournament defeat. The turnover count was worse than the field goal percentage, as LaVine committed five. After being traded to the Kings, the veteran guard was an eighth-round player in nine-cat formats, and a fifth-round player in eight-cat. While reuniting with DeMar DeRozan gave the Kings two high-scoring wings to pair with center Domantas Sabonis, the lack of a legitimate point guard was an issue. LaVine can approach top-50 value, but the task became more difficult when he was traded.
Keon Ellis shot 3-of-4 from the field and 1-of-1 from the foul line in Wednesday’s loss to the Mavericks, scoring nine points with one rebound, one assist and two three-pointers in 18 minutes.
Ellis’ 2024-25 season ended with a whimper, as he provided limited value as the Kings’ fifth starter. He played 80 games this season, providing slightly higher fantasy value in his 28 starts. In those outings, Ellis averaged 9.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 2.1 steals, 0.9 blocks and 2.0 three-pointers in 31.1 minutes. Regarding playing time, he benefited from the decision to trade De’Aaron Fox. However, Sacramento must address the point guard position this offseason, which would limit Ellis’ fantasy value in 2025-26.