Fantasy basketball hot topics of the week: Knicks show more Hart, Black boosts Magic and more – The Athletic

The NBA schedule was light this week due to the NBA Cup, which makes me sad because less basketball and more time to dwell on all my crappy fantasy football teams that didn’t make the playoffs. The NBA Cup, though, is fantastic, from the aesthetically pleasing and sometimes eye-burning courts to the point-differential motivated sweep-the-leg Cobra Kai mentality. The intensity has been outstanding, even though the Oklahoma City Thunder are making a mockery of the entire landscape. Despite the lower volume, games were still played. Here’s what caught my eye.

Depth keeping the Magic alive

Last season, Paolo Banchero missed 34 games and Franz Wagner missed 20 due to oblique injuries. In 14 games, they were both out.

This year, Banchero missed 10 games in November due to a groin injury. He played two games before Wagner suffered a high-ankle sprain, which will likely sideline him until the start of the new year.

However, Orlando is better equipped to handle the loss of one of its stars this season.

First, the acquisition of Desmond Bane gives the Magic a player who can handle high usage and get buckets. Bane started the season slowly and appeared more comfortable without Banchero on the court. But in the first game without Wagner in the lineup, but with Banchero, Bane had a 29.9% usage rate and finished with 37 points, six rebounds, five assists and one steal. It will be interesting to see if Orlando can figure out the triumvirate when they are all healthy.

Jalen Suggs also looks spry and healthy this season. Last season, Suggs played only 35 games and shot 41% from the field. Suggs isn’t playing back-to-backs this season, but when he’s been on the court, he’s shooting 46% from the field and averaging 14.9 points, 3.8 rebounds, 4.7 assists and a career-high 2.0 steals.

Anthony Black’s leveling up has been huge for Orlando, too. Black was the player who replaced Wagner in the starting lineup on Tuesday. He didn’t shoot well, going 5-of-15 from the field, but stuffed the stat sheet with 10 points, three rebounds, seven assists, one steal and one block in 34 minutes. In the prior 11 games, which included two starts, Black averaged 30.8 minutes, 16.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.5 steals, 0.5 blocks and 1.2 treys while shooting 44% from the field. Black is only shooting 30% from downtown and 69% from the line, so it’s not all sunshine and unicorns, but he’s definitely been fantasy-viable.

Tristan da Silva is another contributor to monitor. When Banchero went down, da Silva was thrust into the starting lineup and averaged 36 minutes, 17.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.0 blocks over the first two games. Then his playing time was cut to 21-25 minutes, but on Tuesday, da Silva received 28 minutes off the bench, contributing 11 points, seven rebounds and two assists.

Mike Brown had a change of Hart

To begin the season, Mike Brown tinkered with a variety of lineups, including double-big and three-guard, none of which included Josh Hart, who was relegated to the bench. Over the first 10 games of the season, Hart averaged 23.7 minutes per game, a far cry from the 37.6 he averaged last season.

But on Nov. 14, OG Anunoby suffered an injury and played only 5 minutes. Hart was the primary beneficiary, playing 34 minutes and contributing 12 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists and a steal.

In the 12 games since, Hart has started nine and averaged 34.3 minutes, 15.8 points, 8.8 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 1.8 steals, 0.5 blocks and 2.1 treys while shooting 54% from the field, 42% from downtown and 84% from the line. More importantly, Hart’s usage wasn’t impacted by OG Anunoby’s return. In three games with Anunoby, Hart averaged 32.7 minutes, 15.3 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.7 steals and 2.3 treys while shooting 60% from the field, 46% from downtown and 100% from the line.

Hart managers should just be glad that Brown is not a stubborn curmudgeon.

Whack-a-Kuminga

Since the Golden State Warriors selected Jonathan Kuminga with the seventh overall pick in the 2021 draft, Steve Kerr has used his mallet to hit Kuminga every time his head has popped out from a hole.

Kuminga’s athleticism has always tantalized, but the fit has been clunky at times. Previously, the first-rounder held the ball too much and didn’t make the best reads on offense or defense.

Early this season, it seemed as if things were clicking. Kuminga started the first 12 games and was playing alongside Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green. Over that span, Kuminga averaged 14.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.0 treys while shooting 53% from the field, 33% from downtown and 77% from the line. Steve Kerr was effusive in his praise for Kuminga early on: “His passing has improved dramatically… I think he’s seeing the floor better. I just like the approach; I like the vibe that he’s bringing. He’s confident. He definitely feels like a part of the team and what we’re trying to do.”

Then Kuminga suffered a knee injury and missed seven games. Upon his return, Kuminga only averaged 19.3 minutes over four games, then was a DNP-CD in the most recent contest after shooting 1-of-10 the prior game. Kerr continues to speak publicly on Kuminga’s inefficiencies and inability to reach his potential, even stating that he wants Kuminga to improve, whether it’s with Golden State or elsewhere.

Kuminga doesn’t provide defensive stats or good shooting efficiency and won’t garner a high usage rate on a healthy Warriors team. He can’t be traded until Jan. 15, so his fantasy prospects are nonexistent unless he ends up on a team that can provide him more of a runway.

Tale of the tape: Spencer vs. Spencer

Cam Spencer has been a more accomplished player than his older brother, Pat Spencer, and has been a fixture in the Grizzlies’ rotation all season due to the injuries in the backcourt. Since Ja Morant was injured, Cam has averaged 24.9 minutes, 14.4 points, 2.3 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 1.0 steals and 2.6 treys over 10 games. That’s been good for top-100 production on a per-game basis.

Until recently, playing time has been sparse for Pat, but over the past four games, he’s averaged 25.3 minutes, 16.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.5 treys. Twice, he was in the starting lineup. Remember, Pat only played one year of college basketball and was a lacrosse player.

For the sake of fun, I decided to pit Cam and Pat against one another to see who would win in a one-on-one.

Tale of the TapePatCam

Height

6′ 2″

6′ 3″

Weight

205 lbs

205 lbs

Wingspan

N/A

6 ‘ 5″

Vert

Over 40″

30.5″

Age

29

25

Draft

Undrafted

2nd round

FG%

0.438

0.464

3PT%

0.333

0.434

Assists

1.7

2.6

Rebounds

1

1.7

FT%

0.829

0.935

Steals

0.4

0.6

Misc

Elite in collegiate lacrosse

NCAA champion (UCONN)

Cam is no doubt the better shooter. He may be one of the better shooters in the league!

Cam can navigate pick-and-roll action, find the open man and figure out ways to get his shot off.

Cam Spencer in the @memgrizz win! 👇

17 PTS | 7 AST | 5 REB pic.twitter.com/ZxxkHwqwkS

— Priority Sports (@PrioritySports) December 6, 2025

But can Cam do this?

ELECTRIC. PAT. https://t.co/sAAqxJNmdw pic.twitter.com/HfsoIEfeYG

— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) February 6, 2025

While Cam has slightly more technical skill, I’m taking Pat. I’m always a sucker for flea-like hops, but it’s the ruggedness of Pat that moves the pendulum in his favor. Pat lets the mustache and beard flow wildly while Cam has the clean-shaven look. Plus, Pat is the older brother by four years, so there’s no way Cam is getting any easy buckets.

Random thoughts

In New York, the double-big starting lineup has been shelved, so Karl-Anthony Towns has slid down to center with Mitchell Robinson off the bench. Robinson has never been a bastion of health, which has afforded Ariel Hukporti — who intrigues me — some opportunities. He’s massive at 7-foot and 246 pounds, but is quite nimble and has some passing chops. On Sunday, he played 23 minutes and produced 6 points, seven rebounds, two assists, a steal and three blocks.

I should’ve written up Jordan Walsh much earlier, especially since I picked him up when he entered the starting lineup. Walsh’s usage rate is low, but he’s been a staple of the Celtics’ rotation due to his defensive prowess. At 6-foot-7, he offers a 7-foot-3 wingspan. Walsh is converting 58% of his field goals due to all the dunks off cuts, but he’s also draining 45% of his looks from downtown. While Walsh has been doing work on the boards, the main allure is the defensive stats. Since entering the starting lineup 12 games ago, Walsh is averaging 24.8 minutes, 9.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.3 steals, 0.8 blocks and 0.8 treys while shooting 62% from the field, 45% from downtown and 84% from the line. Boston is 10-2 over that span.

Celtics center Amari Williams has appeared in only six games this season, spending most of his time in the G League, where he just notched a triple-double! On Nov. 26, against the Detroit Pistons, Williams played 15 minutes and contributed 1 point, three rebounds and two blocks, while Neemias Queta was out. The counting stats weren’t impressive, but he made an impression on the players and coaches. Williams is 6-foot-11, 250 pounds and was selected in the second round of the 2025 draft. He will likely spend most of the time in the G League, but he’s someone I have on the USB if an opportunity presents itself.

This season, James Harden has a 29.8% usage rate — the highest since 2019-20, when his usage rate was 35.6%.

Dominick Barlow is 22 years old, 6-foot-9, 215 pounds and went undrafted in the 2022 draft. He spent two seasons with the San Antonio Spurs, then one season with the Atlanta Hawks, before latching on with the Philadelphia 76ers. He has started 11 of 14 games and averaged 26.3 minutes, 7.9 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 0.8 steals and 1.1 blocks while shooting 49% from the field, 25% from downtown and 83% from the line. He’s a low-usage player who is out there due to his hustle and defensive chops.

Three intriguing centers: Kyle Filipowski, Robert Williams and Quinten Post.

• Filipowski was only playing around 20 minutes a night earlier in the season. Over the past five games, he’s started two and averaged 31.4 minutes, 14.0 points, 8.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.2 treys while shooting 54% from the field, 30% from downtown and 83% from the line. Will Hardy talked positively about his defense, and Filipowski siphoned minutes from Jusuf Nurkic, who has played 19 minutes in three of the past four contests.
• With Donovan Clingan out, Williams got the start two games ago and played 30 minutes, finishing with 8 points, 14 rebounds, one assist and five blocks. The 30 minutes are extremely encouraging for Williams, who has dealt with a bevy of injuries. Clingan is still the guy at center for Portland, but Williams can be productive in 20 minutes of action. In a three-game stretch a few weeks ago, Williams averaged 19 minutes and over three blocks a game.
• Al Horford has been dealing with an injury, allowing Post to play more. Over the past three games, Post has started two and averaged 27.7 minutes, 13.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.3 blocks and 3.0 treys. That’s been good for top-70 production on a per-game basis.