NBA Minutes Report: Fallout from Giannis Antetokounmpo, Ja Morant sidelined again

Welcome to the Fantasy Basketball Minutes Report. Every week, I will review each team’s updated minutes per game to see which players are seeing the court more or less than in previous weeks. With this information in hand, I’ll try to discuss any relevant fantasy risers or fallers; players who we should be adding off waivers or removing from our teams.

The charts below are also great for exploring on your own. You can track the minutes over the last three, five, and ten games, and for the entire season, to see which trends stand out to you.

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All of this data was made accessible by Kyle Bland, who is incredibly talented and also extremely generous. Be sure to follow him to check out all of his baseball data as well.

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Atlanta Hawks

The Hawks have been without Kristaps Porziņģis and Zaccharie Risacher since January 7th. Of course, the team is 6-4 in that stretch and has won its last four games. Nickeil Alexander-Walker continues to be one of the best signings of the offseason and is a top 35 player in fantasy over the last two weeks. CJ McCollom has stepped into a bigger role with those two out and has also produced top 75 value over that stretch. Corey Kispert has seemingly taken Vít Krejčí’s role as shooter off the bench, but this is a solid squad.

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Boston Celtics

The big news for the Celtics is that Jayson Tatum is now talking about not returning until next season. It’s understandable, given the nature of his injury, but a big blow to a team that is having a surprisingly great season. This may remain a three-headed monster for the remainder of the year. Jaylen Brown is also having a tremendous season, and I broke it down in a video recently.

Brooklyn Nets

The Nets play so many people consistently. Only Nic Claxton and Michael Porter Jr. are even inside the top 160 in fantasy basketball over the last two weeks. Noah Clowney and Egor Dëmin are both battling minor injuries, but this team is just not very interesting apart from discussing where they’ll trade Porter Jr.

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Charlotte Hornets

The Hornets have been really good in January. I know they are only a few games over .500 in the month, but they have the best net rating in the sport and have six road wins by 15 or more points this month, which ties the 2001-02 Lakers and the 2011-12 Heat for the most in a month in NBA history. Both of those teams won the NBA championship. I’m not saying the Hornets will do that, but this team is playing at a high level, and Brandon Miller has been electric, which I covered in a video this week.

Chicago Bulls

Josh Giddey returned last week and has immediately returned to a top 60 player in fantasy basketball. We should see his production continue to tick up. Tre Jone has still been sidelined for the last three games with a hamstring injury, but with Coby White also back and producing top-60 value over the last two weeks, the Bulls don’t miss Jones as much.

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Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cavaliers were just entering a strong stretch of play, and Donovan Mitchell has been a top 10 player in the sport, which I discussed in a video. However, now they will be without Evan Mobley for 1-3 weeks with a calf strain. I covered that and the injury fallout in a video this week.

Dallas Mavericks

Cooper Flagg is still managing his ankle injury, which has caused him to miss a few games in the last week, and trade rumors continue to swirl around Anthony Davis. There are also trade rumors around Naji Marshall, who has been tremendous over the last month, averaging 18.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 1.1 steals per game, which is a top 70 player. He and Flagg are the only two players that can be relied on for consistent production; although, Max Christie has enjoyed a nice five-game stretch recently.

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Denver Nuggets

Denver has played surprisingly well with Nikola Jokic out, with Peyton Watson emerging as a legitimate threat. Jonas Valančiūnas has also filled in admirably as a top 100 player, and this team looks as deep and talented as the Thunder. The big question surrounds Aaron Gordon, who continues to deal with a hamstring injury, which I discussed in a video this week.

Detroit Pistons

The Pistons are pretty healthy right now, so their rotation has gotten incredibly deep. That said, the production really revolved around Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren. Ausar Thompson has played well over the last two weeks, but his value really remains on the defensive end. This is still a team that feels like it needs to make a consoliation trade.

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Golden State Warriors

We’ve now seen a week without Jimmy Butler, so we have a little better sense of how the Warriors are going to handle their rotation. Brandin Podziemski has seen a bump in minutes and usage and has been a top 65 player over the last four games. De’Anthony Melton and Moses Moody have also been fringe top 100 players, as they get a bit more usage. I think Melton could produce even more if he were given a bit more run.

Houston Rockets

The Rockets announced that Steven Adams is going to miss the rest of the season with his ankle injury. That’s a pretty big loss for a team that has a really narrow rotation. Dorian Finney-Smith and Clint Capela will step into bigger roles, but this still figures to be a team that’s all about Kevin Durant, Alperen Sengun, and Amen Thompson, all of whom have been top 25 players over the last two weeks.

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Indiana Pacers

Not much has changed with the Pacers over the last few weeks. They remain in “wait for next year” mode, so there is little of value in their lineup as currently constructed. Jarace Walker has been playing better of late and should continue to get big minutes as the team focuses on development.

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Los Angeles Clippers

Man, the Clippers have been playing really strong basketball lately, and Kawhi Leonard looks like a legit MVP candidate. Jordan Miller has also been a fringe top 100 player over the last two weeks, averaging 14.7 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 2.0 steals. He’s become a nice wing option for this team, and they all seem to be gelling right now.

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Los Angeles Lakers

Austin Reaves has been out for way longer than many people expected, and the Lakers are 5-7 in their last 12 games. Maybe Deandre Ayton is still bothered by his eye injury, but Luka Dončić and LeBron James have been the only players in the top 170 over the last two weeks. They are just not getting any help.

Memphis Grizzlies

Ja Morant returned from his calf injury last week and is now out for multiple weeks with an elbow injury. I broke down the consequences of that in a video this week.

Miami Heat

The injury-plagued season for Tyler Herro continues. He has missed the last seven games with a rib injury, and Davion Mitchell has also missed the last four with a shoulder injury. That has led to more minutes and usage for Dru Smith, who has been a top 125 player over the four games that Mitchell has missed, and more usage for Andrew Wiggins, who continues to be up a quietly solid season.

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Milwaukee Bucks

Is the season over for the Bucks? Kevin Porter Jr. is sidelined with an oblique injury, and now Giannis Antetokounmpo is out for 4-6 weeks with a calf strain. I discussed the fallout from that in a video this week, and my colleague Kurt Helin wrote about all the Giannis trade possibilities as well.

Minnesota Timberwolves

The Timberwolves are pretty healthy right now, and have been for a while, so there’s not much to say here.

New Orleans Pelicans

The Pelicans have also been pretty healthy over the last couple of weeks, but Dejounte Murray is still likely a month away from returning. A fully healthy Pelicans team has meant less usage for Derik Queen, who is averaging 9.2 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 3.8 assists over the last two weeks. Could the trade deadline mean a departure for Yves Missi and Jose Alvarado, who returned from injury this week? That would open up bigger roles for Jeremiah Fears and Queen.

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New York Knicks

The Knicks hit a rough stretch where they lost nine of 11 games and seemed to be in a tailspin. Now, they’ve won four in a row, and the defense seems to be clicking. It may not be a coincidence that Karl-Anthony Towns has seen his minutes dip in that time. The Knicks have closed many games with him on the bench, turning to Mitchell Robinson for defensive value. The Knicks are no longer forcing offense through Towns, who is also shooting worse than he has ever in his career. It’s a situation to monitor.

Oklahoma City Thunder

Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell are both hurt, but Isaiah Hartenstein looks set to return on Thursday. That could help a team that is 3-3 in their last six games and recently lost to Indiana. They need a third option on offense right now behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren, who have both been top 35 players since Williams and Mitchell got hurt.

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Orlando Magic

Jalen Suggs is back, but Franz Wagner is now back on the sideline as he has experienced some soreness in his previously injured ankle and has missed the last four games. That has allowed Anthony Black to continue his breakout season and Paolo Banchero to remain the focus of the offense. There remain questions about how Banchero and Wagner fit together, but the Magic’s starting five has rarely played together this season due to injuries. Tyus Jones is also giving them nothing recently and could likely be moved at the deadline.

Philadelphia 76ers

Quentin Grimes is dealing with an ankle injury, and the 76ers are continuing to monitor minutes for Joel Embiid and Paul George as the two veterans recover from knee injuries, which has led to more minutes for Jared McCain in the last week. It feels unlikely that those minutes remain when this team is healthy, but George wil continue to sit out games here and there as the season goes on, so you never know.

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Phoenix Suns

The Suns got Jalen Green back last week, but he reaggravated his hamstring injury, and Devin Booker also hurt his hamstring. I covered the consequences of both of those injuries in a video this week.

Portland Trail Blazers

Kris Murray and Scoot Henderson remain sidelined for the Trail Blazers, but the rest of the team is pretty healthy. Robert Williams III is still doing some injury management with his left knee, so he is going to sit out games throughout the season, but he’s just a backup center anyway with this team healthy. We have seen Caleb Love‘s minutes and usage decrease with Jrue Holiday back, but Holiday is at the center of trade rumors, so this remains a situation to monitor. Shaedon Sharpe has been a top 60 player over the last month, averaging 21.2 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 1.5 steals per game.

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Sacramento Kings

The Kings are trying to shake things up at the trade deadline, but it’s unclear if any teams are willing to take on the veterans they’re trying to trade away. Domantas Sabonis returned, which is a nice boost for the team, and DeMar DeRozan is playing really well, which I covered in a video this week. Dylan Cardwell has also emerged as a high-energy rebounder and defender off the bench, and I interviewed him this week.

San Antonio Spurs

With Devin Vassell (thigh) returning, Julian Champagnie has seen his minutes and usage tick down even before he suffered an eye injury. We’ve also seen the Spurs continue to increase Victor Wembanyama‘s playing time, and he has been the dominant force that many expected, producing as a top 5 overall player in the last two weeks.

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Toronto Raptors

The Raptors are coming up in all times of trade rumors, with RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley being the names mentioned the most. Quickley would be a nice get for somebody because he has had a solid season, but perhaps the fit isn’t there in Toronto. Sandro Mamukelashvili filled in for Collin Murray-Boyles admirably, but Murray-Boyles is back now and figures to take back over most of the usage and minutes.

Utah Jazz

The Jazz got Lauri Markannen back this week, but they continue to find ways to rest their players on an alternating schedule as they try not to win too many games and lose their first-round pick, which is top-8 protected. It’s incredibly frustrating, and I covered all of that in a video this week.

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Washington Wizards

Bilal Coulibaly returned this week, but it remains to be seen how long he can stay healthy. That will cut into Tre Johnson‘s minutes as usage, though, so it’s something to be mindful of. Bub Carrington continues to play pretty well and has been a top 100 player over the last month, averaging 11.6 points, 5.1 assists, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.0 steals per game.