Yahoo Sports Fantasy Basketball

  • Kerr: Kuminga needs to become ‘more versatile’
    During his season-ending press conference, Warriors coach Steve Kerr said Jonathan Kuminga needs to become more versatile this offseason.

    Advice: While the 2023-24 season was the best of Kuminga’s NBA career, his skill set limited where he could play within the Warriors’ rotation. According to Cleaning the Glass, 96% of his minutes were played at the power forward position, meaning he could not share the floor with Draymond Green and Trayce Jackson-Davis. That trio can be Golden State’s best defensive frontcourt, but only if Kuminga expands his offensive repertoire. “I think he sees the floor pretty well, but his fundamentals in terms of passing have to improve if he’s going to play the three,” Kerr said. “We need him to play the three if we want to have Trayce out there at the five and Draymond at the four. That ideally would be a great defensive lineup. But we’re not ready for that yet as a team.” Rotoworld Yesterday, 8:34 pm
     
  • Zach Collins (right shoulder) to undergo surgery
    Zach Collins will undergo surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder but should be ready for the start of the 2024-25 season.

    Advice: Collins injured his shoulder early in the third quarter of Sunday’s win over the Pistons and will need his fifth surgery since entering the NBA. One of the previous four was to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder back in 2019, with the other three being on his left ankle. The expectation is that Collins will be healthy for the start of next season, which is unlikely to impact his fantasy value. With Victor Wembanyama firmly entrenched as the starting center, Collins was most valuable on nights when the French phenom did not play due to injury. Rotoworld Yesterday, 4:04 pm
     
  • Considered questionable for Game 1
    Leonard (knee) is questionable for Sunday's Game 1 against the Mavericks, Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.com reports.

    Advice: The Clippers announced Thursday that Leonard received an injection in his left knee, and there's "cautious optimism" that he'll be ready for Sunday's matchup, per Shams Charania of The Athletic. While Leonard returned to practice Monday, he hasn't yet been cleared for 5-on-5 drills. Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank said Thursday that he isn't sure whether Leonard will need to participate in full-contact work before he's cleared to return to game action but added that the inflammation needs to continue to reduce. Lawrence said that he's hopeful the issue is trending in the right direction and that Leonard will play but also indicated that the 32-year-old's status remains up in the air. Rotowire.com Yesterday, 2:51 pm
     
  • Officially has sprained MCL
    The Heat announced Thursday that Butler has been diagnosed with a sprained MCL and will miss several weeks, Tim Reynolds of Associated Press reports.

    Advice: Butler suffered his right knee injury late in the first quarter of Wednesday's Play-In Game loss to the 76ers, but he remained in the game down the stretch despite a limp. However, the injury is significant enough to sideline him for multiple weeks, so even if the Heat take down the Bulls on Friday, it seems unlikely that Butler will be in the mix to return during a first-round series against Boston. Jaime Jaquez will likely take on a starting role in Butler's absence, while Haywood Highsmith and Caleb Martin could also see additional playing time. Rotowire.com Yesterday, 1:52 pm
     
  • Unable to find shot
    Hunter posted eight points (3-16 FG, 0-7 3Pt, 2-3 FT), four assists and two rebounds over 42 minutes during Wednesday's 131-116 Play-In Game loss to the Bulls.

    Advice: Despite struggling with his shot in April, when Hunter averaged 37.0 percent from the field and an abysmal 24.1 percent from deep, this season was fairly successful for the 26-year-old. Hunter was a consistent part of Atlanta's rotation, starting in 38 of his 57 appearances and averaging 15.6 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists while shooting a career-high 38.5 percent from deep. Rotowire.com Yesterday, 12:49 pm
     
  • Struggles from three in win
    Harris registered nine points (4-10 FG, 0-3 3Pt, 1-2 FT), 10 rebounds and four assists over 33 minutes during Wednesday's 105-104 Play-In Game victory over the Heat.

    Advice: Harris struggled to get his shot going Wednesday and was outperformed by Nicolas Batum, who came off the bench and added 20 points and five rebounds on 6-for-10 shooting from the perimeter. Harris' inefficiency from deep has been a constant problem this season, as his 35.8 percent three-point percentage has been his worst mark since 2016-17. Since the All-Star break, the 31-year-old has averaged 15.7 points and 7.6 rebounds on 35.4 percent from three, which could be a consequence of an uptick in playing time from Joel Embiid's (knee) absence. Rotowire.com Yesterday, 12:48 pm
     
  • Does it all in loss
    Highsmith posted nine points (4-8 FG, 0-4 3Pt, 1-2 FT), six rebounds, three assists, three steals and one block across 28 minutes in Wednesday's 105-104 Play-In Game loss to the 76ers.

    Advice: Highsmith has seen an increase in both playing time and production in April, when he averaged 7.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.1 steals in 26.7 minutes. This is a significant improvement from March, where the 27-year-old averaged 5.9 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 0.3 steals in 16.7 minutes. With Jimmy Butler (knee) out for Friday's matchup against the Bulls, Highsmith is expected to garner an uptick in playing time behind Jaime Jaquez. Rotowire.com Yesterday, 12:46 pm
     
  • Shams: Kawhi Leonard received knee injection
    Kawhi Leonard received an injection in his right knee, but there is “cautious optimism” that he will be able to suit up for Game 1 on Sunday against Dallas.

    Advice: Kawhi was sidelined for the final eight games of the regular season, but the team is expecting him to available for Game 1. However, they won’t officially say one way or another until closer to Sunday. P.J. Tucker has been starting in his place, and he will return to playing a bench role if Leonard is back. Rotoworld Yesterday, 12:45 pm
     
  • Will undergo shoulder surgery
    The Spurs announced Thursday that Collins suffered a torn labrum in the regular-season finale against the Pistons on April 14 and will undergo surgery in the offseason, Nick Moyle of The San Antonio Express News reports.

    Advice: Collins will undergo shoulder surgery in the coming days, and even though a specific date has not been determined yet, the Spurs expect the veteran big man to fully recover for the start of the 2024-25 season. He averaged 11.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 0.8 blocks per game across 69 appearances this year, which included a career-high 29 starts. Rotowire.com Yesterday, 12:45 pm