Los Angeles Lakers point guard Russell Westbrook flirted with a triple-double in the team's 95-85 victory over the Houston Rockets on Sunday. He scored 20 points to go along with nine assists and eight rebounds. He wasn't particularly efficient in the game as he shot 9-for-22 from the field and missed his only free throw attempt. Westbrook is averaging just 18.3 points per game through seven games on the year. It's not surprising to see his scoring down a bit as he's adapting to life alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis. He's still managed to compile some strong stats across the board as he's averaging 8.7 assists, 8.7 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game.

Los Angeles Lakers point guard Russell Westbrook rolled through with his first triple-double of the season in Wednesday's loss to the Thunder, but he also ended up with a quadruple-double by recording 10 turnovers. He now has six such quadruple-doubles in his career, which is by far the most among all NBA players since 1985. Russ finished with 20 points on 8-for-20 shooting and recorded 14 rebounds and 13 assists. He went 2-for-8 from downtown and also picked up one steal in 35 minutes. Putting the turnovers aside, Westbrook has produced back-to-back explosive performances without LeBron James (ankle) in the lineup, and he's picked up some good momentum after getting off to a rough start in Los Angeles.

On Tuesday night, with LeBron James (ankle) sidelined, Lakers guard Russell Westbrook finally made his presence felt in the 2021-22 NBA season with a classic Brodie stat line. While his first triple-double of the season still eludes him, Westbrook recorded 33 points on 15-of-27 shooting with 10 rebounds, eight assists, and three steals. Anthony Davis also had a monster performance, but no one is worried about him in fantasy circles. This may be the way it goes for Russ this year. He may need one of the Brow or the King to sit so he can thrive in the regular season. It's a risk worth taking as a night like tonight demonstrates just how fantasy-dominant he can still be. The Lakers play three more games in Week 2, and it'll be interesting to see how cautious they are with James' ankle injury this early in the season.

Los Angeles Lakers point guard Russell Westbrook picked up 13 points and 13 assists for his second consecutive double-double in Sunday's win over Memphis. He also had seven rebounds and four steals but hurt his fantasy line with nine turnovers and 5-for-15 shooting. He was 1-for-4 with his three-point attempts and shot 2-for-4 at the line. Westbrook had a poor debut as a Laker against Golden State with an 8-5-4 line, but he's starting to pick up momentum. The former MVP gets a perfect matchup next to improve his efficiency as well, with the Lakers facing a Spurs team that has allowed point guards to shoot a league-high 46.7 percent against them this season.

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James and guard Russell Westbrook will make their preseason debut on Friday versus the Golden State Warriors. Both superstars will suit up for this one, while Anthony Davis sits out for rest purposes. Lakers fans will have to wait a little longer before they get to see the big 3 together. Fantasy managers should feel comfortable drafting all three of them, but they should know there will be plenty of DNPs and load management along the way.

It's funny that every year at the NBA Draft, once the end of the guaranteed money and live appearances arrives at the end of the first round, everybody tunes out and refers to the 60th pick as "Mr.Irrelevant". That's not very accurate though, is it? Speaking historically, the title of "Mr.Irrelevant" could just as easily be applied to each pick in the draft, as organizations differ greatly in their evaluation of talent and their own needs, particularly in a year without the NCAA tournament. The nickname just doesn't reflect how basketball works anymore. Executives strategically stockpile second-round draft picks for the less burdensome financial obligations, and organizations in down years get super creative to field a team on a budget. With the right situation, the right under-the-radar player can be an immediate breakout.The last few seasons alone have seen scores of second-rounders and UDFAs who wasted no time in making a name for themselves, and the increasing prominence of the G-League and other alternative paths to the pros should only keep this trending upward.We are going to discuss a handful of undrafted free agent signees who, given their individual skill set and circumstances, should be on the radar of Fantasy Basketball Managers heading into the season. 

EJ Onu (C, DAL)

(Notable UDFA signings: Eugene Omoruyi)(2021 Draft Picks: N/A)The Dallas Mavericks ranked fifth-worst in the NBA last season in blocks per game (4.3), and 6'11, 240-lb. EJ Onu could be a sneaky way of bridging the gap. At NAIA Shawnee State, Onu won a national title, 2021 First Team All-American honors, the Conference POY award, and the Conference Defensive POY...three times. He blocked 529 shots in his career and averaged 5.1 blocks per game over his last two seasons when he also shot 82 for 241 from deep (34%) and 137 for 191 from the line (71.7%), complete with 16.9 points and 8.1 boards per game as a senior.Amazingly, Onu averaged about 30 minutes per game over those last two years, and as a former high school track athlete in the 4x400 meter relay (umm, wow), he seems well up to the task of playing extended minutes and blocking shots the whole time. As a highly gifted and unusual athlete for his size and skill, EJ Onu won't stay in the dark for long if the Mavs need his interior defense and floor-stretching touch. Keep an eye on Eugene Omoruyi from Oregon too, a 6'6 forward with a 7'1 wingspan, which he puts to good use with his active perimeter defense and improving touch from all over the floor. 

John Petty (SG, DET)

(Notable UDFA signings: Anthony Tarke, ... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Lakers are acquiring All-Star point guard Russell Westbrook from the Washington Wizards for three players and the rights to first-round pick Isaiah Jackson. According to two people with knowledge of the deal, the Lakers are trading Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Montrezl Harrell to Washington for Westbrook, who is a Los Angeles native and helped lead UCLA to a pair of Final Four appearances. The Lakers had the 22nd overall pick in Thursday's draft and selected Jackson, a 6-foot-11 forward from Kentucky. The people spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal can't be officially announced until Aug. 6, when the salary cap becomes official and teams can also begin making moves for the upcoming season. The Lakers will also receive second-round picks from the Wizards in 2024 and '28. The Wizards also aren't holding on to Jackson. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announced that Jackson’s rights were traded by the Lakers to... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Lakers are acquiring All-Star point guard Russell Westbrook from the Washington Wizards for three players and the rights to first-round pick Isaiah Jackson. According to two people with knowledge of the deal, the Lakers are trading Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Montrezl Harrell to Washington for Westbrook, who is a Los Angeles native and helped lead UCLA to a pair of Final Four appearances. The Lakers had the 22nd overall pick in Thursday's draft and selected Jackson, a 6-foot-11 forward from Kentucky. The people spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal can't be officially announced until Aug. 6, when the salary cap becomes official and teams can also begin making moves for the upcoming season. The Lakers will also receive second-round picks from the Wizards in 2024 and '28. This is the second time in three years that the Lakers have made a significant offseason trade. They acquired Anthony Davis from New Orleans... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Lakers are acquiring All-Star point guard Russell Westbrook from the Washington Wizards for three players and this year's first-round draft pick. According to two people with knowledge of the deal, the Lakers are trading Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Montrezl Harrell to Washington for Westbrook, who is a Los Angeles native and helped lead UCLA to a pair of Final Four appearances. The Lakers have the 22nd overall pick in Thursday's draft. The people spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal can't be officially announced until Aug. 6, when the salary cap becomes official and teams can also begin making moves for the upcoming season. The Lakers will also receive second-round picks from the Wizards in 2024 and '28. This is the second time in three years that the Lakers have made a significant offseason trade. They acquired Anthony Davis from New Orleans in 2019 for Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart and three first-round... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Lakers are acquiring All-Star point guard Russell Westbrook from the Washington Wizards for three players and this year's first-round draft pick. According to two people with knowledge of the deal, the Lakers are trading Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Montrezl Harrell to Washington for Westbrook, who is a Los Angeles native and helped lead UCLA to a pair of Final Four appearances. The Lakers have the 22nd overall pick in Thursday's draft. The people spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal can't be officially announced until Aug. 6, when the salary cap becomes official and teams can also begin making moves for the upcoming season. The Lakers will also receive second-round picks from the Wizards in 2024 and '28. Westbrook averaged a triple-double (22.2 points, 11.5 rebounds and 11.7 assists) for the fourth time in his 13-year career last season. He is the league's career leader in triple-doubles with 184 and gives... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Wes Unseld Jr.'s path to this point was a bit different than his father's. The elder Unseld led Washington to an NBA title as a player before later taking over as coach. Unseld Jr. had a more modest playing career, but his experience as an assistant with multiple teams helped him earn a shot at coaching the Wizards. “I think we both share that deep-rooted passion for the game,” Unseld Jr. said. “He was coming from a different place as a player, obviously an MVP, a champion. I think my experiences to this point have been different.” Unseld was introduced as Washington's new coach Monday, and there was understandably some nostalgia, given his father's prominent place in franchise history. But the Wizards are looking for more than a familiar name, and after six seasons as an assistant with the Denver Nuggets, Unseld arrives with a clear vision of what Washington needs. “The defensive side of the ball has been an issue here. That’s an area where I’ve been charged with for... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Russell Westbrook, Bradley Beal and the Wizards will have another coach next season after general manager Tommy Sheppard decided the organization is better off moving on from coach Scott Brooks. Washington made the playoffs three times under Brooks but has just one series victory to show for his five-year tenure. That postseason success came in his first season in 2016-17 with the Wizards. “I wouldn’t say it didn’t work out — I just think it’s time to move on,” Sheppard said in a video news conference Wednesday. “It’s about the future and where we can go and kind of looking at where the areas are that we struggled in the past with and what we’re prepared to do to get better in those areas.” The Wizards were eliminated in five games in the first round by Eastern Conference top-seeded Philadelphia. They went 183-207 overall during the regular season with Brooks as coach and struggled defensively. Washington allowed the most points in the NBA last season and the second-most... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Russell Westbrook, Bradley Beal and the Wizards will have another coach next season after general manager Tommy Sheppard decided the organization is better off moving on from coach Scott Brooks. Washington made the playoffs three times five years under Brooks but hasn't has just one series victory to show for that from his first season in 2016-17. “I wouldn’t say it didn’t work out — I just think it’s time to move on,” Sheppard said in a video news conference Wednesday. “It’s about the future and where we can go and kind of looking at where the areas are that we struggled in the past with and what we’re prepared to do to get better in those areas.” The Wizards were eliminated in five games in the first round by Eastern Conference top-seeded Philadelphia. They went 183-207 overall during the regular season with Brooks as coach and struggled defensively. Washington allowed the most points in the NBA last season and the second-most in the previous two years. They never ranked... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Scott Brooks won't be back with the Washington Wizards next season after general manager Tommy Sheppard announced Wednesday the coach's contract would not be extended. Sheppard said the Wizards will begin their coaching search immediately. “We have been committed to taking the proper steps over the last two seasons to develop our young players, bring in pieces to complement Bradley Beal and build a winning environment that will ultimately lead to sustained on-court success,” Sheppard said in a statement. “Our organization will always be grateful to Scott for his dedication and work both on the court and in the community over the past five years, and I personally admire and respect how he helped keep our team together during the unprecedented events of the last 15 months.” Brooks is out after just one playoff series victory in 2017 to show for his five seasons on the job. Washington made the playoffs three times in those five years. Sheppard skirted the issue of Brooks’... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Scott Brooks will not return as coach of the Washington Wizards after five seasons with only one playoff series victory in 2017 to show for his tenure. A person with knowledge of the situation confirmed Brooks' split with the team to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Wednesday because the team hadn’t publicly announced the decision. Brooks and the team were unable to come to an agreement on a new contract after his $35 million, five-year deal expired. Washington made the playoffs in three of Brooks’ five seasons but hadn't won a playoff round since his first season. General manager Tommy Sheppard skirted the issue of Brooks’ future after the Wizards were eliminated in five games in the first round by Eastern Conference top-seeded Philadelphia. Washington was 183-207 overall during the regular season with Brooks as coach and struggled defensively. The Wizards allowed the most points in the NBA last season and the second-most in the previous two years. They... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Scott Brooks is out as coach of the Washington Wizards, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. The person spoke to The Associated Press Wednesday on condition of anonymity because the team hadn't publicly announced the decision. Brooks and the team were unable to come to an agreement on a new contract after his current one expired. Washington made the playoffs in three of Brooks’ five seasons. The Wizards haven’t won a playoff round since his first season in 2016-17. General manager Tommy Sheppard skirted the issue of Brooks’ future after the Wizards were eliminated in five games in the first round by Eastern Conference top-seeded Philadelphia. Washington was 183-207 overall during the regular season with Brooks as coach. Brooks was brought in five years ago in hopes of luring Washington-area native Kevin Durant home to play for the Wizards. Since then, John Wall missed time with injuries and was traded to Houston for Russell Westbrook, and Bradley Beal... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — The first topic raised with Washington Wizards general manager Tommy Sheppard the day after the team's season ended was the topic that will hang over the offseason until a decision is announced: Will coach Scott Brooks be back? “We're not doing anything about that today,” Sheppard replied during a video conference with reporters on Thursday, before praising Brooks for “keeping this team together through some of the most difficult, dark moments probably in franchise history.” Not surprisingly, Brooks said he wants to return; his five-year, $35 million contract is expiring. “I wouldn’t want to move on,” he said. “I love it here. I love the city.” It was, to be sure, a trying season for the Wizards, who started 0-5 along the way to 17-32 in early April. They dealt with a COVID-19 outbreak that put them on a two-week hiatus without games or practices plus had to find replacements after season-ending injuries to starting center Thomas Bryant and first-round draft pick Deni... [More]

Philadelphia, Utah and Atlanta can reach the second round. Dallas or the Los Angeles Clippers will get to the verge of it. Yet as Russell Westbrook and Ja Morant try to save their seasons and Trae Young looks for a clinching victory, eyes will be on the action in the seats right along with the court. The games Wednesday are the first for all three of those players in the arenas where they were the subjects of ugly fan actions in Game 2 of these first-round series. The unruly fan behavior continued Monday when a spectator was tackled after running onto the court in Washington, and Young noticed. “They doing it for attention now,” he wrote on Twitter. Young was cursed at in both games and spit on in the second one at Madison Square Garden, the only game the Knicks won in the series. The Hawks went home and easily took Games 3 and 4 in Atlanta. Now they can silence the New York fans for the summer. Hawks coach Nate McMillan said he feels safe as the team returns to New York, adding that the... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — A fan was tackled after running onto the court during an NBA playoff game between the Washington Wizards and Philadelphia 76ers on Monday night, the latest example of unruly behavior as teams let more spectators in the stands during the pandemic. “You can tell those people have been in some sort of captivity for the last year, year and change, right?” Wizards center Robin Lopez said. “It’s kind of wild to see the liberties people are taking.” The players were heading toward Washington's basket in the third quarter of the home team's 122-114 victory in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference first-round series when the action was halted because of the intruder, who jumped as if pretending to try to dunk. A security guard grabbed and held down the person near the baseline as 76ers center Dwight Howard stood nearby. The fan was escorted away from the court and play resumed after a brief interruption. “I don’t know what he was trying to do,” Washington forward Rui Hachimura said.... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — A fan was tackled as he tried to get on the court during an NBA playoff game between the Wizards and 76ers on Monday night, the latest example of unruly behavior as teams increase the number of spectators they're allowing in the stands during the pandemic. The players were heading toward Washington's basket in the third quarter when the action was halted while a member of security held the person down near the baseline. The fan then was escorted away from the court and play resumed after a brief interruption. After beginning this season with zero spectators allowed at its arena, Washington has steadily increased the capacity to the point where Monday's contest — Game 4 against Philadelphia in their first-round series — had an announced attendance more than 10,000. In Game 2 at Philadelphia, Washington guard Russell Westbrook had popcorn dumped on him as he walked to the locker room after getting injured. On Sunday in the Celtics-Nets series, Brooklyn guard Kyrie Irving was nearly hit by a bottle thrown from the stands during a game in Boston. Earlier, in New York, a spectator spit at Atlanta’s Trae Young as he prepared to inbound the ball during the Knicks-Hawks series. Three fans were banned in Utah after Grizzlies guard Ja Morant said they “just went too far” with him or his family. ___ More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports