NBA Player News

Wagner (knee) will not play in Saturday's preseason game versus Miami, Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel reports.

Wagner's timeline for a return from a torn left ACL remains in the air. Beede notes that Wagner has been limited to non-contact drills at practice, making it unlikely that he will see the floor at all during the preseason.

Missi produced six points (3-4 FG), eight rebounds, one assist and three blocks in 20 minutes of Friday's 107-97 preseason win over Melbourne United.

Kevon Looney started this contest at center, but he was pretty quiet in 18 minutes. Meanwhile, Missi provided a huge lift off the bench and appears ready to take that next step as a player in his second season. Preseason lineups are usually not worth reading into too heavily, but this will be a position battle to watch.

Looney logged three points (1-2 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 1-2 FT), three rebounds, two assists and one block across 18 minutes of Friday's 107-97 preseason win over Melbourne United.

Notably, Looney started over Yves Missi. However, this is the preseason, and the Pelicans are likely going to play around with some lineups. Missi absolutely outplayed Looney in this one despite coming off the bench, so the veteran will have his work cut out for him if he wants to win this position battle.

Drummond (toe) had two points (1-1 FG) and three rebounds in seven minutes during Thursday's 99-84 preseason loss to the Knicks.

Drummond missed the end of last season with a toe injury, but he's back in action for the 76ers this fall. The veteran big man should be able to crack the rotation while Joel Embiid (knee) is held out from playing, though Adem Bona, who started Thursday, appears to have a leg up in the center pecking order behind Embiid.

Hukporti racked up six points (3-4 FG) and six rebounds across six minutes during Thursday's 99-84 win over the 76ers.

Hukporti wasn't on the floor for long during the team's preseason opener, but he made his presence felt off the bench, coming four rebounds and four points shy of a double-double in only six minutes. The German import will hope for more performances like this during the preseason to merit a bench role during the regular season.

Len tallied five points (1-1 FG, 3-4 FT) and two rebounds across six minutes during Thursday's 99-84 preseason win over the 76ers.

Len made an impression during his first preseason game with his new squad. He scored five points in six minutes off the bench, hitting his only field-goal attempt and doing the rest of the work at the free-throw line. The veteran big man is trying to earn a roster spot after a disappointing short stint with the Lakers at the end of the 2024-25 campaign.

Kleber (quad) has been ruled out for Friday's game against the Suns, Thuc Nhi Nguyen of the Los Angeles Timesreports.

Kleber suffered a quad injury during Tuesday's practice, which is a concerning sign for the team after he played only one playoff game with the Lakers last year following his trade from Dallas to Los Angeles. However, it doesn't appear to be a severe injury that will keep him sidelined for long, as he received promising MRI results.

Towns racked up 11 points (2-4 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 7-8 FT), five rebounds, one assist and one steal across 17 minutes during Thursday's 99-84 preseason win over the 76ers.

As expected, Towns and Jalen Brunson played limited minutes in the team's preseason opener in Abu Dhabi. However, Towns did make his presence felt, especially from the free-throw line, missing only one of his eight attempts. New York's two superstars will likely continue to play limited minutes throughout the preseason leading up to the season opener Oct. 22 against the Cavaliers.

Robinson finished with seven points (3-6 FG, 1-2 FT), 16 rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block across 18 minutes during Thursday's 99-84 win over the 76ers.

Robinson was a monster on the boards during the team's preseason opener in Abu Dhabi, ripping down a game-high total by far in only 18 minutes on the floor. The veteran center had the most eye-popping performance during this matchup, which is a good sign for New York moving forward.

Embiid (knee) is not available for Thursday's preseason game against the Knicks, Adam Aaronson of PhillyVoice.com reports.

This is no real surprise, as Embiid did not come into camp at 100 percent health. He did get in a full practice Saturday, but the center has not committed to a timetable yet. It remains to be seen if or when he'll step on the floor for preseason action.