NBA Player News

Looney will sit out Wednesday's preseason game versus the Kings for rest purposes, Shayna Rubin of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Looney hasn't suffered any injury but will sit out Wednesday's contest. His next chance to suit up will be Friday's preseason finale with the Spurs.

Roby was waived by the Knicks on Wednesday, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports.

Roby was sidelined to close out last season due to an ankle injury, but he returned to action during Summer League play. He averaged 8.0 points and 2.5 rebounds in 13.5 minutes per game over two preseason appearances but wasn't able to secure a spot on the Knicks' final roster. He's played in at least 42 NBA games in three consecutive seasons, so it's possible he finds work elsewhere ahead of the 2023-24 campaign.

Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups said Wednesday that he expects Williams (knee) to be available for the team's regular-season opener against the Clippers on Oct. 25, Casey Holdahl of the Trail Blazers' official site reports.

Williams has missed Portland's last three preseason contests while dealing with a knee injury. However, it appears his absence was merely precautionary, and he should be good to go for the start of the regular season.

Coach Mark Daigneault said Wednesday that Pokusevski's (ankle) rehab is "accelerating better than we thought," Rylan Stiles of FanSided.com reports.

Pokusevski sprained his right ankle during an offseason workout in September and was slated to be re-evaluated in six weeks. While his rehab appears to be going well, the fourth-year forward will likely still miss the start of the regular season. When healthy, he'll presumably be outside of the rotation now that Chet Holmgren is back in the picture, but Pokusevski could quickly carve out a reserve role if the Thunder's frontcourt suffers an injury or two. Pokusevski has averaged at least 20 minutes per game in each of his first three NBA seasons.

Embiid (illness) will play in Friday's preseason finale against the Hawks on Friday, according to Ky Carlin of USA Today.

Embiid said he was supposed to play Monday, but he was a little under the weather. The bad news is that it doesn't sound like James Harden will be joining Embiid on the floor, as he skipped practice Wednesday and has been away from the team since Sunday.

Sims tallied two points (1-2 FG), 10 rebounds, three assists, three blocks and one steal over 32 minutes in Tuesday's 123-110 preseason loss to Boston.

Sims got the starting nod with the Knicks resting a handful of regulars and finished as the only player in the contest to reach double figures in rebounds. Sims set a preseason high in rebounds Tuesday and is now averaging 1.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.3 blocks over three preseason contests.

Landale (ankle) said he expects to play in Wednesday's preseason contest against the Spurs, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Landale was also expected to play Monday, but he never saw any action. Regardless, it appears the backup big man is getting closer to full strength after dealing with a minor ankle injury to start training camp and should be good to go for the regular season.

Vucevic tallied 20 points (8-13 FG, 1-1 3Pt, 3-4 FT), 10 rebounds and one assist in 28 minutes during Tuesday's 106-102 preseason loss to the Raptors.

Vucevic rested during Sunday's preseason game but took on a key role in his return to action Tuesday. Although the Bulls were unable to pick up the win, Vucevic was one of two players on the team to score 20-plus points while also finishing second in rebounds. The 32-year-old has averaged a double-double in five consecutive seasons and should maintain a prominent role during the 2023-24 campaign.

Boucher recorded three points (1-5 FG, 0-2 3Pt, 1-2 FT), three rebounds, two blocks and one steal in 13 minutes before fouling out of Tuesday's 106-102 preseason win over the Bulls.

Boucher continues to draw starts with Jakob Poeltl (illness) sidelined, a sign that he's slated to be the top frontcourt reserve during the regular season. Boucher showed off his defensive prowess in his limited action but was also a little too aggressive at times. Boucher has an extremely unique skill set, but it remains to be seen if he can handle more than 20 minutes per game and still be effective.

Jordan logged eight points (4-5 FG, 0-1 FT), nine rebounds, four assists and two steals across 21 minutes during Tuesday's 116-103 loss to the Clippers.

Jordan became a star with the Clippers, so there was a small revenge element against his former team in Tuesday's loss. Jordan will compete with Zeke Nnaji and Peyton Watson as the backup to Nikola Jokic, and his veteran presence should be valuable. Even at 35 years old, the 6-foot-11 center has retained his trademark aggressiveness and rebounding ability. Although he's not a draft target, he'll be a solid waiver wire pickup if Jokic suffers an injury at some point during the season.