Bucks. The Pacers initially called it “right elbow soreness,” but there is more going on here. He hasn’t played since he sustained the injury, and on Monday news finally broke that there is a ligament sprain and a muscle strain. A grade 1 elbow sprain would require three weeks of recovery time, while any sort of ligament damage (partial tear) could hold Turner out for up to five weeks.
Lonzo Ball LAL: left knee sprain
Lonzo Ball was dealing with a sore left knee after putting in 43 minutes in Saturday’s game against Dallas. The Lakers opted to have him undergo a precautionary MRI on Sunday, which revealed a minor left knee sprain. The Inside Injuries algorithm is calculating a 2-3 week Optimal Recovery Time, so Ball shouldn’t be in fantasy lineups for at least the next week. Ball is at a Below Average Health Performance Factor.
Brandon Ingram tweaked his left ankle during the first quarter of Saturday’s game against the Mavericks. He tried to play through the injury after getting his ankle taped up, but he was ruled out for the rest of the game after a second trip to the locker room. X-rays on Ingram’s left ankle came back clean, which means he’s likely dealing with a grade 1 ankle sprain. We are showing a 2-3 week Optimal Recovery Time.
Tony Parker SAS: sprained right ankle
Tony Parker tweaked his right ankle in the fourth quarter of last Monday’s win over the Kings and did not return when he went back to the locker room. He missed Tuesday and Thursday’s game but was able to return to the lineup on Saturday. Parker is expected to have tight restrictions for at least the next month, so he isn’t much of a fantasy option anyways.
Steph Curry GS: right ankle sprain
Stephen Curryslipped at practice last Tuesday and rolled his troublesome right ankle. He did not have X-rays or an MRI, suggesting the Warriors’ medical staff do not think this is much more than a tweak. The biggest concern here is Curry’s history of injuries to his right ankle. This is the same ankle he rolled back in early December that held him out of 11 games. He’s also had two surgeries to strengthen the ligaments in his ankle in 2011 and 2012. Curry missed two games last week to the injury but returned to the lineup on Saturday. His repeated ankle woes have made him a High Injury Risk.
Waiver Adds
Bogdan Bogdanovic – SG SAC
Bogdan Bogdanovic was drafted last summer with the 27th overall pick. The 25 year-old rookie from Serbia has been a pleasant surprise for the Sacramento Kings. After playing 20-25 minutes per game for the first couple months of his NBA career, he has started to see his time increasing over the last few weeks. Over his last 5 games entering Monday, he had played 30.9 minutes per game. He was making the most of his newfound playing time as well, averaging 14.8 points, 4.0 assists, and 2.8 rebounds over his last 12 games before yesterday. He was them moved into the starting lineup on Monday.
Bogdanovic has played a lot more efficiently lately, as shown by his game scores. Game score is a simple metric that aims to calculate a players overall performance in one number. Four of Bogdan’s 5 best games this season came in his last nine games prior to Monday. He is shooting at a higher percentage, and he is accumulating more assists and rebounds due to his higher playing time. Bogdanovic should be a borderline starter in a lot of leagues going forward and could certainly be a solid bench piece, especially in large leagues where the pickings are slim.
Just finished Kings/Clippers. Seems more clear by the game that Bogdan Bogdanovic is currently the Kings best player. Good to see him get 30+ minutes last night.
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) January 12, 2018
Dragan Bender – PF PHO
This is a flyer pick, as Dragan Bender will likely only have a week or two of starting playing time. The only reason that he is starting is because Marquese Chriss is out with an apparent hip flexor injury. But in the meantime, Bender has played very well. In his two starts prior to Monday, he averaged 17 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 2.5 blocks.
At just 20 years old, Bender is likely to only improve from here, and if this is a true breakout, then fantasy players could get a steal. Even if it doesn’t happen, Bender should be pretty solid for the next couple weeks.
Wayne Ellington – SG MIA
Miami fans had some rough news when they found out that their starting shooting guard Dion Waiters will receive season ending surgery to repair an ankle injury he sustained several weeks ago. This is a pretty big injury on a team that is already banged up and really can’t afford to lose any more players. Regardless, whenever someone is off the court, someone has to fill in for them. And it looks like that is going to be Wayne Ellington. After averaging around 20 minutes before the Waiters injury, Ellington had 30+ minutes in each of his last 6 games prior to Monday, averaging 33.5 over that span. And not only has he played a lot, but he has played very well.
In those 6 games, Ellington averaged 14.5 points and 4.5 rebounds. Funny enough, he has been able to score that much when he hasn’t been shooting all that great. Ellington has a career shooting percentage of .413, and a career 3-point percentage of .382. Over his last 6 games before Monday, he shot .403 from the field, and .365 from 3-point range. If he gets his shooting percentage up to his career average, you are looking at a 16-18 point player, and if he gets hot, he could break into the 20s. This is a long-term play, because barring injury, Ellington will continue to get volume for the rest of the season.
Featured Image: (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
