Fantasy Basketball News

Brandon Ingram has been a full participant in voluntary offseason workouts, Andrew Lopez of ESPN.com reports. (Source: Andrew Lopez of ESPN.com)

Fantasy Impact: Ingram missed the final five weeks of the 2018-19 season while dealing with deep vein thrombosis in his shoulder, but he hasn’t had any limitations in recent voluntary workouts with the Pelicans. Much like teammate Lonzo Ball, Ingram has been plagued with health issues over his last two seasons, averaging just 56 games in that span. If he can stay healthy, a productive first season in New Orleans is certainly attainable, as the 22-year-old forward figures to slot in as the starter at small forward.

Lonzo Ball hasn’t been limited in voluntary offseason workouts, Andrew Lopez of ESPN.com reports. (Source: Andrew Lopez of ESPN.com)

Fantasy Impact: Ball missed 35 games last season due to an ankle injury, closing out his second season on a sour note. Now in a new locale, the 2017 No. 2 overall pick will have a chance to showcase his skills in an uptempo offense loaded with offensive talent. Health remains a concern, but if he can stay on the court, Ball could enjoy a career year with the Pelicans.

Isaiah Thomas underwent successful thumb surgery Wednesday and will miss 6-8 weeks, Washington Wizards official Twitter account reports. (Source: Washington Wizards on Twitter )

Fantasy Impact: The official diagnosis is a “rupture of the radial collateral ligament of his left thumb.” The 6-8 week timeframe means Thomas will miss all of Wizards’ training camp, with recovery likely spilling over into the regular season, which begins October 22. Ish Smith makes a sneaky late-round selection in fantasy drafts, as he won’t have to compete with Thomas for minutes at point guard to open the season. Smith could be an even bigger value if Thomas’ injury lingers.

Marcus Smart has reportedly been shut down for Team USA's final two games at the FIBA World Cup. He underwent X-rays on a left knuckle injury that came back negative. However, Smart is dealing with hand soreness as well as a calf strain, which effectively led to him ending his participation for Team USA. (Source: NESN.com)

Fantasy Impact: This is most likely the right path for Smart to take, as he should be fully prepared for training camp in a few weeks.

According to the Associated Press, Boston Celtics and Team USA forward Jayson Tatum returned to practice on Monday for the first time since spraining his left ankle in Team USA's win last week against Turkey in the FIBA World Cup. (Source: Associated Press)

Fantasy Impact: Tatum was injured with one-tenth of a second left in regulation in the win against Turkey. Luckily, it appears as though he avoided a major injury. He even has a chance to play in Team USA's upcoming game against France on Wednesday in the FIBA World Cup quarterfinals. While this appears to be a minor, passing injury, those who own Tatum in a dynasty or keeper league will have to hope that there is no re-injury as he returns to action for Team USA.

In a statement released yesterday by the Japanese Basketball Association, through the Washington Wizards, it was announced that Rui Hachimura would miss the final two games of the FIBA World Cup. The statement cited, “knee discomfort and general fatigue,” as the reason for the decision (in light of NBA training camp beginning in a few weeks). (Source: ESPN)

Fantasy Impact: Hachimura is quickly becoming the face of Japanese basketball since being chosen by the Wizards in the first round of the 2019 NBA Draft. Although there have been conflicting reports regarding Hachimura’s role at the start of the season, there is little doubt that he is being groomed for a starting role (and could seize it sooner rather than later). He is a worthy sleeper pick in the later rounds of redraft leagues and even more so in dynasty and keeper leagues.

Paul George tweeted an image of himself playing basketball on Thursday. While it is currently unknown as to what the on-court work was, this is still positive news nonetheless. (Source: Paul George on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: PG13 could still miss the beginning of the season after surgeries to both shoulders, so there should be more and more updates as we drift closer to October. He is locked in as a top two round pick, and offers mid-first round upside provided he can stay on the court.

Darius Miller underwent surgery Thursday to repair a ruptured right Achilles tendon. The forward is expected to be sidelined for 7-to-8 months. (Source: Malika Andrews on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Miller presumably suffered the injury during a recent workout. There's a chance Miller misses the entire 2019-2020 season. His injury opens up more minutes for Brandon Ingram, Nicolo Melli and Josh Hart.

Blake Griffin will have his workload monitored and expects to rest more in 2019-2020. (Source: Keith Langlois of Pistons.com)

Fantasy Impact: Griffin is coming off of a productive season in which he appeared in 75 games, but it came at a cost, as the veteran's body began to break down late in the year. The Pistons are expected to be more cautious with Griffin, especially in back-to-back situations. Griffin could ultimately end up being limited to fewer than 70 total games. The Pistons added Markieff Morris to provide reliable depth behind Griffin, which something they didn't have last season.

Victor Oladipo (knee) resumed one-court work in June but his full recovery timetable remains murky. (Source: Scott Agness of the Athletic)

Fantasy Impact: Oladipo returned to Indianapolis last week to host his annual basketball camp, but he didn't offer much in terms of details on his rehab from a torn quad tendon. "I'm getting there," Oladipo told Agness. "I'm working my way there. You can't rush these things, you just got to take your time. At the end of the day, Rome wasn't built in one day." The expectation is that he will return sometime in December or January, but the team may handle his workload with caution. Oladipo averaged 18.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, 5.2 assists, and 1.7 steals in 36 games last season.

Kyle Kuzma sustained a left ankle injury that will cause him to miss the FIBA World Cup. He was ruled out of the exhibition loss to Australia on Saturday due to ankle soreness. It was unfortunately deemed serious enough for him to no longer participate for Team USA. Derrick White will take his place, and should have a solid chance to get minutes. (Source: CBS Sports)

Fantasy Impact: While there should be another update on the details of the injury in the near future, Kuzma should be fully expected to be ready for training camp.

According to President of Basketball Operations Gersson Rosas, Robert Covington is "on course" for training camp. He underwent surgery in the last two weeks of the season, and was set to miss 4-6 weeks. Covington has had a tough history with knee problems, and Minnesota likely wants to be very cautious bringing him back into action. (Source: CBS Sports)

Fantasy Impact: Rosas additionally discussed that the Timberwolves intend to play Covington at power forward more often, where he will be tasked with guarding 1-4. His previous knee issues are concerning for his fantasy outlook, but with strong upside, Covington is a high-risk, high-reward pick in drafts.

Zach Collins was recently cleared for contact workouts, after sustaining an ankle injury last month. He is expected to be 100% for training camp. Collins has spent the off-season bulking up to 250 pounds, from 230 last season. (Source: The Athletic)

Fantasy Impact: Expected to be the starting power forward for Portland, Collins could be a sneaky late-round pick on draft day.

Ja Morant (knee) said he's back to 100 percent after undergoing minor knee surgery in June. (Source: Peter Edmiston on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Morant underwent a procedure on June 3rd to clean up his knee. The time recovery entailed only a three-to-four-week recovery period, but the Grizzlies opted to hold him out of summer league as a precaution. Morant is back at full strength and won't face any limitations when camp opens next month. Morant will be one of the top options for the Grizzlies, and could be in the mix as a top-50 overall pick in fantasy.

J.J. Barea (Achilles) said he expects to be ready for full participation in training camp. (Source: Tim MacMahon on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Barea tore his Achilles back in January, but he's apparently making strong progress, as training camp will mark roughly nine months since he underwent surgery. He figures to fill a reduced role off the bench after re-signing with the Mavs on a one-year, veteran's minimum deal. Barea averaged 10.9 points, 2.5 rebounds, 5.6 assists, and 0.6 steals in 38 games last season.

Bol Bol recently confirmed that he is now fully recovered from the navicular bone fracture. He also stated that he has been working out twice a day. Despite the good news, the Nuggets are strongly expected to be cautious with the big man this season. (Source: Yahoo! Sports)

Fantasy Impact: Bol Bol is on the verge of signing a two-way deal, meaning that he would mostly play in the G-League to start his professional career. As a result, he should not be considered on draft day.

P.J. Tucker apparently rolled his ankle during Thursday's practice, and decided to drop out of the FIBA World Cup in order to focus on getting ready for training camp. He should have sufficient time to heal up, as the Rockets training camp does not open until September 28th at the earliest. (Source: CBS Sports)

Fantasy Impact: P.J. Tucker is generally more useful in real life than he is in fantasy basketball. Especially with Russell Westbrook now in the picture, Tucker should mostly be relied on for his grittiness and defense.

DeMarcus Cousins has been diagnosed with a torn ACL, Shams Charania reports. (Source: Shams Charania on Twitter )

Fantasy Impact: Updating a prior note, Cousins’ knee injury is a torn ACL — a worst case scenario. Given the lengthy recovery time and his recent injury history, he’s unlikely to play in the regular season. Signed to a one-year deal, he may never take the court for the Lakers.

Kyle Lowry has withdrawn from team USA and will not compete in the 2019 FIBA World Cup. He is still recovering from surgery to repair a tendon in his left thumb. (Source: Adrian Wojnarowski on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Lowry had the procedure back in July on the same thumb that had nagged him in the latter half of the 2019 NBA season. The hope was that he would be ready to suit up for the World Cup but he had yet to be cleared for basketball activities. Lowry will take the rest of the summer to rehab and prepare for the 2020 season.

Klay Thompson has been reported to be targeting a return from his ACL injury sometime after the 2020 All-Star break, Arash Markazi of the LA Times reports. (Source: Arash Markazi on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: The five-time All-Star has been recovering this offseason after sustaining a torn ACL injury during game six of the NBA Finals. Thompson finished the 2019 season averaging 21.5 points per game with a field goal percentage of 46.7 and three-point percentage of 40.2, the second-lowest mark of his career. Despite this slight decline in his three-point shot, Klay figures to be a key contributor to an offensively depleted Golden State squad when activated. The arrival of guard D'Angelo Russell should also provide more scoring opportunities for Klay, but owners should remain cautious as an ACL injury is no easy feat to overcome.