NBA Player News

Pelicans vice president of basketball operations David Griffin said Monday that Missi (back) will be ready for training camp, Erin Summers of Bally Sports New Orleans reports.

Missi battled some minor back soreness during Summer League, but it was never expected to linger into training camp. The 21st overall pick in this year's draft, Missi has a massive opportunity to play meaningful minutes for the Pelicans due to their lack of frontcourt depth after the departure of Jonas Valanciunas.

Williams (back) has suffered a tendon strain in his left foot and will be re-evaluated in two weeks, Tim Bontemps of ESPN.com reports.

Williams played only 19 games during the 2022-2023 season due to a back injury. He was seemingly on track for a healthy training camp before this new injury. The big man projects to start at center for Charlotte when healthy, but it now looks like he will miss most of training camp. Look for the Hornets to err on the side of caution with the big man to avoid another season of lingering injuries. Nick Richards would be primed for a large workload if Williams isn't ready to begin the campaign.

The Spurs announced Friday that Collins (shoulder) has been cleared for all basketball activities, Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News reports.

Collins underwent surgery in April to repair a torn labrum in his shoulder but appears to have fully recovered. The 26-year-old big man is expected to start the 2024-25 campaign as the backup center to Victor Wembanyama.

Bassey (knee) is expected to be limited in training camp but should be good to go for the Spurs' regular-season opener on Oct. 24 against Dallas, Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News reports.

Bassey is still recovering from surgery to repair his torn left ACL in December but is expected to be healthy by the start of the regular season. However, the 24-year-old big man is unlikely to be a significant part of San Antonio's rotation in 2024-25.

General manager Rob Pelinka said Wednesday that there's optimism and hope Koloko (illness) will be cleared to suit up for Opening Night against the Timberwolves on Oct. 22, Khobi Price of The Orange County Register reports.

After being diagnosed with blood clots last year, Koloko remains with the NBA's Fitness-to-Play Panel. This is an encouraging update, but Koloko, who signed a two-way contract with the Lakers this offseason, still has multiple hurdles to clear before he's relevant in fantasy hoops.

Sengun, who missed the final 18 games of the 2023-24 season with a Grade 3 right ankle sprain, will be ready for training camp this week, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Sengun also battled a bone bruise in his right knee at the end of last season, but he will be 100 percent heading into training camp. Feigen reports that Houston's entire roster will be ready for camp after doing full-contact scrimmages last week. Sengun is primed for a massive 2024-25 season 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 during last season's breakout campaign.

Adams (knee) will be a full participant at Houston's training camp this week, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Adams missed the entire 2023-24 NBA season due to knee surgery, but he's heading into camp with a clean bill of health. In fact, Feigen reports that Adams was able to take part in scrimmages last week and impressed those in attendance. As it stands, it appears Adams will be ready to fill in as Houston's backup center behind Alperen Sengun.

President of basketball operations Brad Stevens said Tuesday that Kornet had offseason wrist surgery, but he's 100 percent heading into training camp, Jared Weiss of The Athletic reports.

This sounds like a minor procedure for Kornet, and Stevens didn't sound concerned in the slightest. Kristaps Porzingis (foot) will miss the beginning of the season, so Kornet is a candidate to see a bump in playing time out of the gate. During 63 regular-season games in 2023-24, Kornet posted averages of 5.3 points and 4.1 rebounds in 15.6 minutes per game.

President of basketball operations Brad Stevens said Tuesday that Tillman had a knee scope during the offseason, but he will be a full go for training camp, Jared Weiss of The Athletic reports.

Stevens did not specify which knee it was, but the good news is that the issue is apparently behind Tillman. With Kristaps Porzingis (foot) sidelined to begin the season, Tillman will have an opportunity to earn some rotation minutes early on. In 20 regular-season games in 2023-24, Tillman averaged 4.0 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 13.7 minutes.

President of basketball operations Brad Stevens said Tuesday that Porzingis (foot) is making good progress since his foot surgery in June, Jared Weiss of The Athletic reports.

Stevens did not provide an updated timetable for Porzingis, but he said he's been surprised by how quickly he's improving. The Celtics originally gave Porzingis a 5-to-6-month timetable, and the center told ESPN's Ramona Shelburne that he's expecting to return in December. Currently, the big man is limited to jogging and light on-court work with minimal contact, per Tim Bontemps of ESPN.com. With Porzingis trending in the right direction, he'll offer plenty of appeal as a stash pick in fantasy drafts.