NBA Player News

Smith posted 16 points (6-13 FG, 2-6 3Pt, 2-3 FT), 12 rebounds, five assists, one block and one steal over 39 minutes during Monday's 120-110 win over Atlanta.

Smith continued his impressive start to the season, recording his first double-double of the campaign. He has scored double digits in three of his four games, averaging 16.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2.3 three-pointers and 2.3 combined steals and blocks during that time. He currently sits inside the top 30 in standard, nine-category leagues, providing fantasy managers with a potential sell-high opportunity.

Eason closed Monday's 120-110 win over Atlanta with 13 points (4-8 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 4-5 FT), eight rebounds, two assists and three blocks across 33 minutes.

Eason was strong again Monday, continuing his impressive start to the season. Forgetting about his first game of the season, in which he was ejected, Eason has put up solid averages of 14.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.7 combined steals and blocks over his past three outings. However, much of his recent production has come with other players sidelined, which does raise some concerns regarding his role when the team is healthy. For now, he is a must-roster player, with a likely re-evaluation period coming in the next week.

VanVleet produced five points (2-7 FG, 0-3 3Pt, 1-1 FT), four rebounds and five assists in 29 minutes during Monday's 120-110 win over the Hawks.

VanVleet was back in the lineup after sitting out the previous game due to injury management. However, despite returning to the court, VanVleet's production left a lot to be desired. While his impact on this team is certainly obvious, it could be a situation where his real-life value usurps his fantasy value. He will almost certainly be better than this, but could be considered the fourth or even fifth option on offense, limiting his overall upside.

Ejiofor ended with no counting stats in one minute during Monday's 120-110 loss to Houston.

Ejiofor was back in the rotation, albeit for one minute during garbage time. Taken with the 23rd overall selection in the 2026 NBA Draft, it appears as though Ejiofor is going to struggle to crack the every-night rotation. Both appearances thus far this season have come in blowouts, a trend that we should expect to stick moving forward.

The Pacers don't have a timetable for Zubac's return after he suffered a left ankle injury Sunday against Brooklyn, but he was able to walk without a boot Monday, Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star reports.

Coach Rick Carlisle stated that the big man had a lot of swelling immediately following Sunday's game, but that Zubac was doing better Monday. The team will presumably continue to evaluate him over the next few days to determine when he can return to game action. In the meantime, look for Jay Huff, who drew the start at center Monday night against Milwaukee, to see opportunities with the first unit.

McCollum amassed 20 points (8-16 FG, 4-7 3Pt), one rebound, three assists and three steals in 30 minutes during Monday's 120-110 loss to the Rockets.

McCollum scored at least 20 points for the first time this season, while also tallying a season-high three steals. To this point, he has been solid enough for fantasy managers, averaging 17.3 points, 2.3 assists and 2.8 three-pointers in 26.4 minutes per game. At this stage in his career, McCollum is basically a points and threes guy, which should see him flirt with top 100 value most of the season.

Okongwu notched 11 points (5-10 FG, 1-4 3Pt), nine rebounds, one assist, one block and two steals across 29 minutes during Monday's 120-110 loss to Houston.

Okongwu finally showed signs of life after a disappointing start to the season, providing fantasy managers with a sense of relief. Through four games, Okongwu has averaged 9.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.3 combined steals and blocks in 26.5 minutes per contest. Monday's game saw him record season-high marks in points, rebounds, steals and blocks. He will look to continue his turnaround when Atlanta hosts Miami on Wednesday.

Davis finished with 29 points (11-22 FG, 3-6 3Pt, 4-4 FT), 10 rebounds and one steal in 36 minutes during Monday's 110-103 loss to Charlotte.

Davis put together a strong all-around showing, resulting in his second double-double through four matchups this season. He was spotted grabbing his right hand during the final 30 seconds of Monday's game after getting bumped on a screen, but he joked after the matchup that his hand was simply hot from making too many shots, per Greg Finberg of Wizards Central, so fantasy managers can breathe a sigh of relief.

Jones (hamstring) is progressing in his recovery and could be back with the team within the next three games, Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette reports.

Jones has yet to take the court this season after suffering a hamstring injury during the preseason and was ruled out again ahead of Monday's clash with the Warriors. The team isn't quite ready to put a firm timetable on his return, but Benedetto notes the forward could be back at some point within the next three games.

Gordon was ejected from Monday's game against the Warriors after picking up back-to-back technical fouls, Danny Emerman of SFStandard.com reports. He'll end the night with seven points (2-10 FG, 0-2 3Pt, 3-3 FT), four rebounds, two assists and one steal in 25 minutes.

The game was already well in hand for Golden State with 8:34 left in the fourth quarter when Gordon's night ended early after disagreeing with a foul call. He couldn't get his shot to fall on the offensive end Monday, and he's now been held to seven points in back-to-back appearances.