Yahoo Sports Fantasy Basketball

  • Out for FIBA Qualifying Tournament
    Markkanen (shoulder) will not play for Finland during the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in July, Evan Sidery of Forbes Sports reports.

    Advice: Markkanen is still rehabbing a right shoulder injury which forced him out of Utah's last nine games. The 27-year-old will not rush his recovery to play in the qualifier, as he is expected to return to on-court activities in August. Markkanen played in 55 games for the Jazz last season, averaging 23.2 points, 8.2 rebounds and 2.0 assists while shooting 48.0 percent from the field. Rotowire.com 46 minutes ago
     
  • Kristaps Porzingis (calf) probable for Game 1
    Kristaps Porzingis (right soleus strain) is expected to play in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania.

    Advice: Porzingis has been out since April 29, but he was reportedly ready to come back as soon as Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals against Indiana. Boston’s commanding lead in that series allowed the Celtics to rest Porzingis, but after so much time off, it’s unclear if he’ll be rusty or face a minutes restriction. Porzingis’ return presumably means Al Horford will shift back to the bench. Rotoworld Today, 7:59 am
     
  • Probable for Game 1
    Porzingis (calf) is expected to play in Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the Mavericks on Thursday, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports.

    Advice: Porzingis has managed to participate in multiple scrimmages in recent days without any setbacks. He hasn't played since Game 4 of the Celtics' opening-round series versus Miami on April 29, so it will be interesting to see how many minutes he can handle to open the series against Dallas. Rotowire.com Today, 7:44 am
     
  • Giannis (calf) commits to Olympic qual. tourney
    On Saturday, Greece national team coach Vassilis Spanoulis said that Giannis Antetokounmpo (left soleus strain) has committed to playing in next month’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament.

    Advice: Antetokounmpo missed Milwaukee’s final three regular season games and the entirety of the team’s first-round series against the Pacers due to his calf injury. The Olympic Qualifying Tournament that Greece will participate in does not begin until July 2, but the early commitment is a positive sign regarding Giannis’ health. Among the other nations in the six-team event is Slovenia, which Luka Doncic should lead. Four six-team tournaments will be played next month to round out the men’s basketball field for the Paris Olympics, with the winner of each advancing. Rotoworld Yesterday, 1:06 pm
     
  • Playoff woes amid uncertainty
    Anderson averaged 4.3 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 0.7 steals and 0.3 blocks across 15.3 minutes in 15 playoff appearances.

    Advice: Anderson will be an unrestricted free agent this season, and his future in Minnesota is currently unclear. The 30-year-old averaged 6.4 points, 4.2 assists, 3.5 rebounds, 0.9 steals and 0.6 blocks across 79 regular-season games, a slight decline from just a year before. However, the veteran wing could be useful for many contending teams and is bound to have several suitors this offseason. Rotowire.com Sunday, 8:30 am
     
  • Impresses in award-winning season
    Reid averaged 11.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 0.8 blocks and 0.5 steals across 22.6 minutes in 16 playoff appearances.

    Advice: The Sixth Man of the Year award winner did not fully live up to his regular-season standards in the playoffs. However, he did have a few great games against Denver and Dallas in the postseason as the Timberwolves put together an impressive run. The 24-year-old averaged 13.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.9 blocks and 0.8 steals across 24.2 minutes while appearing in 81 regular-season games. Reid will likely be a key part of the rotation next season as the Timberwolves aim for another strong playoff push in a stacked Western Conference. Rotowire.com Sunday, 8:12 am
     
  • Will play for Greece
    Antetokounmpo (calf) will play for Greece in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament, Evan Sidery of Forbes Sports reports.

    Advice: Antetokounmpo missed the final three games of the Bucks' regular season, followed by their six playoff games prior to being eliminated by the Pacers. The superstar forward revealed following Game 6 that he was "not close" to returning to the Bucks lineup due to his calf strain. There will be roughly a two-month gap between Milwaukee's final contest and Greece's first qualifying game, and it appears the 29-year-old will be back to full health. Barring any setbacks, he should be at full strength for the start of the 2024-25 season. The two-time MVP averaged 30.4 points, 11.5 rebounds and a career-high 6.5 assists to go along with 1.2 steals, 1.1 blocks and 0.5 triples across 35.2 minutes in 73 regular-season games last season. Rotowire.com Saturday, 12:42 pm
     
  • Kyle Anderson hopes to return to Minnesota
    During his season-ending media availability, pending free agent forward Kyle Anderson said he hopes to remain with the Timberwolves.

    Advice: A reliable option off the bench for the Timberwolves, Anderson will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. In 79 games, SloMo averaged 6.4 points, 3.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.6 blocks in 22.6 minutes, shooting 46.0% from the field and 70.8% from the foul line. Anderson hopes that he and the Timberwolves come to terms on a new deal, with the fit being good on and off the court. “My family’s here,” Anderson said on Friday. “My son is on the spectrum. He’s doing really well here in the Minnesota school system, and his development is really key. And he’s doing so well, so, you know, that plays a part into it.” While he will have value among playoff-caliber teams, Anderson’s decision is unlikely to impact fantasy basketball significantly. Rotoworld Friday, 7:05 pm
     
  • Minimal impact in loss
    Alexander-Walker recorded zero points (0-2 FG, 0-1 3Pt), one assist and two steals in 14 minutes during Thursday's 124-103 loss to the Mavericks in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals.

    Advice: Alexander-Walker averaged just 3.4 points, 1.6 assists and 1.2 rebounds in 15.4 minutes across the Western Conference. He also struggled mightily with his efficiency, shooting 28.6 percent from the field and 18.8 percent from three across the five contests. However, the 25-year-old guard converted 39.1 percent of his 4.1 three-point attempts per game during the regular season and will head into the 2024-25 campaign under the last year of his two-year, $9 million contract. Rotowire.com Friday, 1:38 pm