NBA Player News

Washington supplied 18 points (7-16 FG, 2-7 3Pt, 2-2 FT), nine rebounds and one block over 27 minutes during Wednesday's 120-96 win over Oklahoma City.

The veteran forward fell one board short of his second double-double of the season. Washington has been his usual steady self through five games, scoring in double digits in all five games while averaging 16.0 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.0 threes, 1.2 assists and 1.2 blocks in 33.4 minutes.

Hartenstein accumulated 10 points (4-6 FG, 2-2 FT), 14 rebounds and three assists across 26 minutes during Wednesday's 120-96 loss to the Mavericks.

It was the third straight double-double for Hartenstein, who's been handling a bigger role in the frontcourt while Chet Holmgren (knee) is on the mend. Hartenstein produced 28 double-doubles in 57 regular-season games during his first campaign with the Thunder in 2024-25, but fell to 11 in 47 regular-season contests last season.

Gilgeous-Alexander produced 21 points (7-19 FG, 1-6 3Pt, 6-6 FT), six rebounds, two assists and one steal in 28 minutes during Wednesday's 120-96 loss to the Mavericks.

Aside from Ajay Mitchell's game-high 29 points, no other OKC player managed to score more than 10 points. Gilgeous-Alexander is struggling to find his shot for the injury-ravaged Thunder, and through five games he's delivered what would be career-low percentages, shooting just 45.9 percent from the floor and 26.5 percent from three-point range. The depleted roster around him is also costing him in other categories -- SGA has averaged more than 5.0 assists in six straight seasons, but so far in 2026-27 he's managed just 3.4 a contest.

Mitchell finished Wednesday's 120-96 loss to the Mavericks with 29 points (12-20 FG, 2-5 3Pt, 3-3 FT), four rebounds, three assists, one block and two steals across 28 minutes.

Making his second straight start for the injury-depleted Thunder, Mitchell led all scorers on the night, but only one other OKC player was able to top 10 points. The 24-year-old wing should continue to see big minutes and usage while Jalen Williams (leg), Cason Wallace (shoulder) and Alex Caruso (ankle) are all sidelined. Over his two starts, Mitchell has averaged 29.5 points, 4.0 assists, 3.0 boards, 1.5 threes, 1.0 steals and 1.0 blocks in 26.5 minutes.

Slawson registered two points (2-2 FT), one rebound, one assist, one block and one steal in 12 minutes during Wednesday's 114-109 loss to the 76ers.

Slawson played double-digit minutes for the second time this season, providing serviceable defensive contributions. Indiana is without both Tyrese Haliburton (hamstring) and Ivica Zubac (ankle), meaning there are minutes up for grabs. Should Slawson manage to carve out a 20-minute per-night role for himself, he could make sense as a defensive streamer, even in standard formats.

Huff accumulated three points (1-5 FG, 1-4 3Pt), six rebounds and two assists in 16 minutes during Wednesday's 114-109 loss to Philadelphia.

Huff remained in the starting lineup, although he saw just 16 minutes of playing time. With Ivica Zubac sidelined due to an ankle injury, Huff seemingly has the starting center spot locked up. However, as we saw Wednesday, that does not mean he is going to play starter-level minutes, much like we saw last season. He can be considered in standard leagues, although his upside is completely tied to his block numbers, something he has failed to do in three of his four games thus far.

Nesmith racked up 18 points (5-16 FG, 3-9 3Pt, 5-5 FT), two rebounds, one assist and two steals over 27 minutes during Wednesday's 114-109 loss to the 76ers.

Nesmith logged a season-high 27 minutes, an encouraging sign after being limited to roughly 20 minutes per game through his first three appearances. The additional playing time led to increased production, something he is going to have to do more of after Tyrese Haliburton was earlier ruled out for at least two weeks due to a hamstring injury. While Nesmith doesn't have the highest ceiling, he is worth considering in standard leagues, at least until Haliburton is cleared to return.

Embiid closed Wednesday's 114-109 win over the Pacers with 21 points (9-17 FG, 0-3 3Pt, 3-3 FT), 11 rebounds, two assists and one block across 39 minutes.

Embiid continued his strong start to the season, recording his third double-double in four appearances. He has been a borderline top 50 player thus far, averaging 21.5 points, 10.0 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.8 combined steals and blocks. However, while the production has been fantastic, the fact that he has averaged 35.6 minutes per game could be cause for concern moving forward. He played 39 minutes in Wednesday's win, barely leaving the floor during the second half. If you have reservations when it comes to his long-term availability, now might be a good time to try and execute a sell-high.

Bona recorded one point (0-1 FG, 1-2 FT), one rebound and one block over four minutes during Wednesday's 114-109 win over the Pacers.

Coming off his best performance of the season, Bona barely touched the floor Wednesday, logging just four minutes. With Joel Embiid back in the rotation, Bona's role basically evaporated. Outside of his 25-minute effort against the Pistons on Sunday, Bona has averaged just 0.7 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.0 blocks in four appearances. He should only be viewed as a potential streaming candidate, if and when Embiid is missing.

Simons notched 20 points (7-11 FG, 6-10 3Pt), three rebounds, one assist and one steal over 27 minutes during Wednesday's 114-109 victory over the Pacers.

Simons produced his best game of the season, scoring 20 points, including six triples. It appears as though Nick Nurse is comfortable running a shallow rotation, meaning Simons should at least be playing meaningful minutes on most nights. While this was certainly a strong performance, he had scored a total of just 11 points in his previous three games.