NBA Player News

Valanciunas is expected to play under 20 minutes during Tuesday's preseason opener against the Magic, Will Guillory of The Athletic reports.

Head coach Willie Green said all of the Pelicans' starters are expected to suit up and play under 20 minutes, so it should be a good opportunity for the first unit to develop some chemistry before the regular season. Valanciunas has averaged a double-double in four consecutive campaigns with two different teams (Memphis and New Orleans). The veteran big man might see a slight dropoff in production if Zion Williamson can stay healthy for an entire season, though Valanciunas should still play a key role as the team's starting center in 2023-24.

Young accounted for two points (1-2 FG), three rebounds, two assists and one steal in 15 minutes of Sunday's 112-99 preseason win over the Kings.

Precious Achiuwa (groin) sat this one out, while Chris Boucher and Jalen McDaniels each had decent roles off the bench behind Pascal Siakam and Jakob Poeltl. Young still has plenty left in the tank, but he's not guaranteed a rotation spot to begin the 2023-24 campaign.

Boucher produced 11 points (5-7 FG, 1-2 3PT, 0-2 FT), six rebounds and one block across 21 minutes of Sunday's 112-99 preseason win against the Kings.

Precious Achiuwa (groin) sat this game out, so Boucher was the primary big man off the bench. Boucher is coming off a down season in 2022-23, but with a new head coach in Toronto -- Darko Rajakovic, Boucher has a clean slate to prove his worth.

Birch (undisclosed) is cleared to play in Monday's preseason opener against the Thunder, Andrew Lopez of ESPN.com reports.

Birch didn't play in Saturday's inter-squad scrimmage due to an undisclosed issue, but it appears he's good to go for the team's first preseason matchup. The seventh-year center is competing for backup minutes with Charles Bassey, Sandro Mamukelashvili and Dominick Barlow.

Porzingis delivered 17 points (5-7 FG, 2-3 3Pt, 5-8 FT), five rebounds, an assist and a block across 25 minutes in Sunday's 114-106 preseason win over the 76ers.

Porzingis sat out the 2023 FIBA World Cup due to plantar fasciitis but was deemed healthy at the start of training camp. If the preseason opener is anything to go by, he's expected to play a significant role during his first season with the Celtics. He averaged 23.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.6 blocks per game for the Wizards during the 2022-23 campaign, but he figures to see less usage now that he's sharing the court with elite playmakers in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

Drummond tallied eight points (3-8 FG, 2-2 FT) and nine rebounds in 14 minutes during Sunday's 105-102 preseason loss to Milwaukee.

Drummond led all Bulls players in rebounds while ending Sunday's preseason loss to the Bucks one board and two points short of a double-double in just 14 minutes. Drummond, entering his second season in Chicago, played a key role off the bench for the Bulls a year ago while averaging 6.0 points and 6.6 rebounds over 12.7 minutes in 67 appearances.

Theis (rest) won't play in Sunday's preseason game against the Grizzlies, Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files reports.

Theis is sitting out for the team's preseason opener, likely as a way to ease him into the season after participating in the World Cup over the offseason. At this point, it is unclear how much work Theis will see during the preseason.

Koloko (illness) is out for Sunday's matchup against the Kings, Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports reports.

Koloko has been dealing with a respiratory issue throughout the offseason, which caused him to miss the Summer League and now the team's preseason opener. It is unknown at this point when Koloko will be able to return to action.

Nurkic finished Sunday's preseason win over Detroit with five points (2-4 FG, 1-3 FT), five rebounds and three assists in 15 minutes.

The Suns' starting five didn't see significant action, but it was nonetheless encouraging that Nurkic got the nod at center, as anticipated. All signs point to Nurkic, who came over from Portland in the Damian Lillard deal, opening the regular season as the starter. When healthy, Nurkic is a proven producer, but he's played in just 52, 56, 37 and eight games over the last four seasons, respectively.

Duren won't return to Sunday's preseason game against the Suns due to a right ankle injury, Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Duren started the contest and had six points (2-4 FG, 2-6 FT), one rebound and one assist in 15 minutes prior to his exit. It's unclear if the 19-year-old will be available for Thursday's exhibition contest in Oklahoma City.