NBA Player News

Okongwu (toe) is out for Tuesday's preseason opener against the Pacers, Brad Rowland of the Locked On Podcast Network reports.

Okongwu still appears to be recovering from a non-surgical procedure he underwent in April to deal with inflammation in his left big toe. While Okongwu hasn't been ruled out for the preseason, his status is worth monitoring ahead of Atlanta's regular-season campaign, which begins Oct. 23 against Brooklyn.

Collins (rest/shoulder) won't play in Wednesday's preseason game against the Magic, Michael C. Wright of ESPN.com reports.

Collins is still working his way back from shoulder surgery in April. He was able to participate in 5-on-5 drills during training camp, so Collins may return to game action before the preseason ends. His next chance to do so will come Saturday versus Utah.

Bassey (knee) won't play in Wednesday's preseason game against the Magic, Michael C. Wright of ESPN.com reports.

Bassey is working his way back from a torn ACL in his left knee that he sustained last December. Coach Gregg Popovich said Monday that Bassey returned to 5-on-5 drills during training camp, so he may return to game action before the preseason ends.

Lively posted 12 points (5-5 FG, 2-4 FT), three rebounds, two assists and two steals over 14 minutes in Monday's 121-116 preseason loss to the Grizzlies.

Lively played just 14 minutes off the bench Monday, but he managed to connect on all five of his shots from the field. Lively was the Mavs' starting center for the first half of the 2023-24 regular season, but he ceded that spot to Daniel Gafford after the latter was acquired from the Wizards at the trade deadline. Lively will likely be the first big man off the bench for the Mavericks to start the 2024-25 campaign.

Clarke tallied 17 points (7-13 FG, 2-5 3Pt, 1-5 FT), four assists, one rebound, one block and one steal across 21 minutes in Monday's 121-116 preseason win over the Mavericks.

Clarke was the first big man off the bench for the Grizzlies on Monday, and he was one of three reserve players to play 20-plus minutes during the preseason opener. Clarke returned from an Achilles injury late during the 2023-24 regular season, and he missed the final three games of the campaign due to a hand contusion. The 2019 first-round pick will use the preseason to establish a consistent frontcourt reserve role behind Jaren Jackson (hamstring) and rookie first-rounder Zach Edey.

Carter is considered day-to-day after getting confirmation he suffered a sprained left ankle during Monday's preseason loss to the Pelicans, Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel reports.

Carter has struggled to stay healthy, playing more than 60 regular-season games only once during his six-year career. However, it seems he avoided a serious injury after appearing visibly frustrated while getting helped off the court Monday. The Magic have three preseason games left until they open the regular season against the Heat on Oct. 23.

Bamba (knee) will not play in Tuesday's preseason game against the Nets, Law Murray of The Athletic reports.

Bamba will miss his second straight exhibition. He's been limited at training camp, and there hasn't been much clarity on the severity of his knee issue.

During an appearance on The Wake Up Call, Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said Jackson (undisclosed) won't play in Tuesday's preseason game against the Hawks.

Jackson has been limited in practice since Oct. 4, but the Pacers have yet to clarify what injury he's dealing with. Jackson's next chance to play is Thursday against the Cavaliers.

Sengun recorded 17 points (6-8 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 4-4 FT), four rebounds, four assists, three steals and a block across 22 minutes in Monday's 122-113 preseason loss to the Jazz.

Sengun missed the final 18 games of the 2023-24 season with a Grade 3 right ankle sprain but was deemed healthy for training camp in late September. If fantasy managers needed confirmation of his status, this performance cleared every possible question mark regarding the promising big man. It's unclear who will operate as Houston's go-to player on offense this season, but there's no question Sengun has the most upside from a fantasy perspective. He's expected to take another leap in his game after posting averages of 21.1 points, 9.3 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.2 steals, 0.7 blocks and 0.5 three-pointers in 32.5 minutes per game over 63 regular-season appearances in 2023-24.

Drummond notched 11 points (5-7 FG, 1-2 3Pt), seven rebounds, an assist, a steal and a block across 14 minutes in Monday's 139-84 preseason win over the NBL Breakers.

Drummond is one of the best players in the league when it comes to racking up stats in limited minutes, so he should have fantasy upside even if he's slated to operate as Joel Embiid's backup. Drummond certainly made his presence felt in the preseason opener. He should continue to feature regularly as the 76ers manage Embiid's workload before the regular-season opener against the Bucks on Oct. 23.