Week 24 – the last week of the NBA regular season. Guys, we made it! Unfortunately, not everyone did. What follows is a list of players who have peaced out and started their summer a week early. Is it possible to start the summer in March? Would be nice if you could.
Fantasy Basketball Injury Round-Up
Tyrese Haliburton, Indiana Pacers
Injury: Right ankle sprain, left elbow soreness
Projected Return Date: 2023-24
With the Pacers unlikely to make the play-ins, they are likely to shut Haliburton down for the rest of the season according to Rick Carlisle. With five more games to go, the point guard duties will therefore fall on Andrew Nembhard and T.J. McConnell. In the last two Pacers games, which Haliburton has also missed, Nembhard has averaged 16 points and 10 assists in 32 minutes, and McConnell 13.5 points and 6.5 assists in 24 minutes. With nothing to play for and McConnell being a veteran player himself, it can be expected Nembhard to carry most of the load.
Recommendation: Andrew Nembhard, then T.J. McConnell.
Myles Turner, Indiana Pacers
Injury: Left ankle soreness
Projected Return Date: 2023-24
Same story as with Tyrese Haliburton. With the Pacers out of play-in contention, Rick Carlisle is unlikely to play Turner for the remaining five games. Unlike with Haliburton, Turner’s replacements are unlikely to be fantasy studs. The best option is Isaiah Jackson who in the last 3 games without Turner ranks 93rd in 9-cat fantasy with 10.3 points, 6.7 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.3 blocks per game in 23 minutes. The other option is Jalen Smith, who essentially does the same without the steals and the blocks.
Recommendation: Isaiah Jackson, then Jalen Smith.
Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers
Injury: Right calf tightness
Projected Return Date: 2023-24
Coming off one of his best seasons in many ways, Lillard has been shut down for the remaining six games on the Blazers schedule. Lillard played a total of 58 games this season and ranked in the top 12 per game of 9-cat fantasy basketball. Will be interesting to see if his stock will still be high for his 12th season in 2023-24. As far as 2022-23 is concerned, Anfernee Simons, Keon Johnson, and Cam Reddish are all also injured so it’s expected to be the Shaedon Sharpe show for the rest of the way.
Recommendation: Shaedon Sharpe.
Lauri Markkanen, Utah Jazz
Injury: Left hand contusion
Projected Return Date: Day-to-day
Not necessarily out for the season, the All-Star starter from Finland will miss Friday’s matchup against Boston with a left hand contusion. After that? Who knows. What we do know is that the Jazz are 12th in the standings 1.5 games behind OKC for the last play-in spot. If they were to fall behind even more, there might not be a point in bringing Markkanen back this season. There is no obvious replacement for Markkanen’s fantasy production on the Jazz roster.
Recommendation: Keep an eye on it. Two eyes even.
Julius Randle, New York Knicks
Injury: Left ankle sprain
Projected Return Date: First round of the playoffs
Randle will miss at least two weeks with an ankle sprain, which puts him out for the rest of the regular season. The next five will be the first games he’s missed all year. Obi Toppin will likely get the starting spot for the rest of the season but is unlikely, to say the least, to come close to Randle’s fantasy output. Instead look for the Knicks guards to get a boost to their scoring numbers – Jalen Brunson, Immanuel Quickley, and Quentin Grimes.
Recommendation: Knicks guards.
Naz Reid, Minnesota Timberwolves
Injury: Left wrist fracture
Projected Return Date: Not anytime soon
A revelation this fantasy basketball season, Naz Reid filled in very nicely for the injured Karl-Anthony Towns. But, since all good things apparently come to an end, Reid is now injured himself so there you go. With Towns and Rudy Gobert filling up the Wolves frontcourt, there won’t be a fantasy pickup to be made here.
Recommendation: Have a nice off-season!