NBA Player News

Achiuwa amassed 27 points (10-21 FG, 0-3 3Pt, 7-11 FT), 11 rebounds, four assists and one block across 35 minutes during Sunday's 122-110 loss to the Trail Blazers.

Even though he's no longer a young player, it's clear that Achiuwa took advantage of his opportunity to play regular rotation minutes with the Kings, and he showed he can still be a productive player when given a big enough role. Achiuwa made a career-high 57 starts and posted personal-best numbers in points (10.1), rebounds (6.7), assists (1.4) and steals (0.9) per game while playing 23.9 minutes per game, another career-high mark.

Doncic (hamstring) is scheduled to be re-evaluated on Tuesday, Shams Charania reported on the Pat McAfee Show.

Doncic spent the past week in Spain undergoing multiple injection treatments on his Grade 2 hamstring strain. Charania notes that the expectation is that Doncic will be sidelined to start the series, which comes as no surprise, but there should be a better understanding of his timeline once the Lakers re-evaluate him.

James supplied 11 points (4-7 FG, 3-4 3Pt), one rebound, four assists and one steal in 19 minutes during Sunday's 131-107 win over the Jazz.

James took advantage of the minutes he logged off the bench and posted a decent stat line all around. His improvement compared to the rookie year has been noticeable, but he's not likely to play a big role in the Lakers' rotation throughout the playoffs, even with Luka Doncic (hamstring) and Austin Reaves (oblique) sidelined.

Ayton provided 22 points (10-14 FG, 2-2 FT), 10 rebounds, one assist and three blocks in 26 minutes during Sunday's 131-107 victory over Utah.

Ayton co-led the Lakers in scoring alongside Rui Hachimura, and the big man will need to provide this kind of output on offense in a difficult first-round series against the Rockets due to the likely absences of Luka Doncic (hamstring) and Austin Reaves (oblique) for much of the series. Ayton averaged 12.5 points and 8.0 rebounds per game across 72 starts in the regular season.

Hachimura produced 22 points (8-12 FG, 3-5 3Pt, 3-4 FT), 10 rebounds and one steal across 29 minutes during Sunday's 131-107 victory over the Jazz.

With no Luka Doncic (hamstring) or Austin Reaves (oblique) in the lineup, and with LeBron James logging only 17 minutes, Hachimura co-led the Lakers in scoring alongside Deandre Ayton. With Doncic and Reaves not expected to be a factor in the early stages of the playoff series against the Rockets, Hachimura will be tasked with playing a big role on offense as a scorer behind James. Hachimura averaged 11.5 points per game across 68 appearances (41 starts) in 2025-26, but that number increased marginally to 13.4 points per contest when he was part of the first unit.

Antetokounmpo closed Sunday's 126-106 loss to the 76ers with eight points (2-3 FG, 2-3 3Pt, 2-2 FT) and two rebounds over four minutes.

Antetokounmpo made a rare appearance in the season finale with most of the roster sidelined. He made a total of six appearances in 2025-26 for an average of 3.4 minutes per contest. Like his brother, Thanasis, Alex's future with the club will likely hinge on what happens to Giannis Antetokounmpo (knee).

Williams registered 14 points (5-15 FG, 0-2 3Pt, 4-4 FT), three rebounds, six assists and two steals across 39 minutes during Sunday's 131-107 loss to the Lakers.

Williams was one of several Utah players who experienced growth as the season went on, though his improvements after the All-Star break were noticeable. Williams averaged 8.8 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game in his sophomore year in the NBA, but when considering only the games after the All-Star break, the former Colorado standout averaged 13.6 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.9 assists per contest. There was marked progress for Williams throughout the season after a difficult rookie season in 2024-25.

Antetokounmpo contributed eight points (3-6 FG, 2-4 FT), two rebounds, six assists, one block and one steal over 27 minutes during Sunday's 126-106 loss to the 76ers.

Antetokounmpo played a major role in the season finale with so many regulars out for the Bucks. Antetokounmpo ended the campaign with 34 appearances to his name with averages of 1.4 points and 0.9 rebounds in 4.4 minutes per contest. His future will almost certainly hinge on what happens to Giannis Antetokounmpo (knee).

Bailey accumulated 15 points (7-21 FG, 1-9 3Pt, 0-2 FT), three rebounds, one assist and one block across 29 minutes during Sunday's 131-107 loss to the Lakers.

Bailey endured a rough shooting performance in his final game of the 2025-26 season, but the rookie out of Rutgers showed a marked improvement as the campaign went on. He finishes his rookie with averages of 13.8 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game across 72 appearances, but those figures improve to 18.3 points, 4.9 boards and 2.0 dimes per game in 23 contests after the All-Star break. All things considered, it was a successful season for Bailey, who's expected to be a key player for the Jazz for years to come.

Tshiebwe totaled 29 points (12-17 FG, 5-8 FT), 17 rebounds and three assists in 32 minutes during Sunday's 131-107 loss to the Lakers.

Tshiebwe was a bench player for the Jazz throughout the season, but he started in four of the team's final five games and posted encouraging numbers. He averaged 14.0 points, 11.2 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.0 steals per game over that stretch while shooting 62.3 percent from the floor. The three-year veteran ended the campaign averaging 7.8 points and 6.6 rebounds per game while starting in six of his 27 regular-season appearances.