Christmas week is here, which means the NBA turns the day into its showcase. Ten teams will play on Wednesday, with the entire league getting Christmas Eve off, which results in a bloated Monday schedule. Twenty-eight teams will play on the 23rd, with New Orleans and Sacramento (who played three games in four days to end Week 8) getting the night off. The good news for fantasy managers is that Joel Embiid and Scotti Barnes returned toward the end of Week 8, and Kawhi Leonard is progressing in his recovery. Let’s look at the Week 9 schedule and some of its essential storylines.

Week 9 Games Played

4 Games: ATL, BKN, BOS, DAL, DEN, GSW, HOU, IND, MEM, MIA, MIN, NYK, OKC, ORL, PHO, SAS

3 Games: CHA, CHI, DET, LAL, MIL, PHI, POR, TOR, UTA, WAS

2 Games: CLE, LAC, NOR, SAC

Week 9 Storylines

– Is this the week in which Kawhi Leonard makes his season debut?

Fantasy managers stashing the Clippers star received some good news last week. He was partially cleared to participate in practices and would travel with the team for its three-game road trip. That voyage ends in Memphis on Monday, turning the attention of many to the Clippers’ December 27 home game against the Warriors. While the team has denied targeting the holiday period for a potential Leonard return, could he make his season debut then?

For managers in leagues that require lineups for the week to be set before tipoff on Monday, there’s no need to consider making Leonard active. But this will be something to keep an eye out for. The negative is the schedule. Even if Leonard does play against the Warriors, the Clippers begin Week 10 with a Monday/Tuesday back-to-back. Norman Powell’s fantasy value will hold steady while Leonard works his way back, while Kris Dunn has value in deep leagues due to his current status as a starter.

– Joining the Clippers with bad Week 9 schedules are Cleveland, New Orleans, and Sacramento.

Four teams play two games during Week 9, with the Clippers and Cavaliers having especially rough schedules regarding fantasy value. Those teams play on Monday and Friday, while the Pelicans have a Friday/Saturday back-to-back, and the Kings play on Thursday and Saturday. The schedules effectively take most streaming possibilities off the table, except for Brandon Boston Jr. due to the Pelicans’ many injuries. Also, New Orleans and Sacramento not playing on Monday gives fantasy managers even less reason to add any of their players. The one exception in shallow leagues would be Malik Monk, who has been an excellent fantasy option since moving into the starting lineup.

– Will Damian Lillard miss time during Week 9?

After winning the Emirates NBA Cup, Lillard has missed both of Milwaukee’s games, sitting out contests against the Cavaliers (Friday) and Wizards (Saturday) with a strained calf. Unfortunately, a suitable streaming option did not emerge from the loss to Cleveland. AJ Green replaced Lillard in the starting lineup but did little in 17 minutes, while Delon Wright started the second half to put a true point guard on the floor. He wasn’t particularly effective, either.

However, Ryan Rollins played well as the starter against Washington and could be worth a look if Lillard doesn’t play against the Hawks on Monday. Also, someone to watch in shallow leagues is Khris Middleton, who played both games of the back-to-back. That’s an encouraging development, given the time he’s missed due to offseason surgery on both ankles. The minutes remain low by Middleton’s standards, but the ability to play back-to-backs this soon is a step in the right direction.

– Among the teams playing on Christmas, the Lakers and 76ers have the worst Week 9 schedules for fantasy managers.

Not only do the Lakers and 76ers play three games during Week 9, but they’ll be two-thirds of the way through their slate by the end of play on Wednesday. The Lakers close their week with a home game against the Kings on Saturday, while the 76ers visit Utah the same day. Given recent injuries to LeBron James (foot) and Joel Embiid (sinus), the additional time off should serve those players well. However, fantasy managers may miss out on some value from an activity standpoint. The good news is that neither team has to navigate a back-to-back during Week 10. Hopefully, this means James and Embiid will not have any concerns about availability.

– Will Luka Doncic’s heel injury carry over into Week 9?

Doncic will head into Week 9 having missed two games with a heel injury. Dallas plays four games, beginning with Portland on Monday, and they end with a Friday/Saturday road back-to-back against the Suns and Trail Blazers. Are fantasy managers looking at a three-game week for Doncic or something worse? Kyrie Irving returned to the lineup on Saturday and will shoulder most of the playmaking workload whenever Doncic sits. The Mavericks also have Spencer Dinwiddie to pick up the slack.

Doncic’s availability impacts the entire Mavericks rotation. Starters Klay Thompson and PJ Washington tend to be more involved offensively, and Quentin Grimes takes on a more significant role (usually as a replacement in the starting lineup). If Doncic misses time, another streamer to be mindful of is Naji Marshall, who played very well when Luka missed time earlier in the season.

– Was it an illness for Jimmy Butler or the left ankle sprain that preceded it on Friday?

Butler exited Friday’s loss to the Thunder during the first quarter after spraining his left ankle in a collision with Luguentz Dort. However, when the Heat announced just before halftime that Butler would not return, the stated reason was illness. That was also the injury provided when it was announced that the Heat forward would not play in Saturday’s game against the Magic. Regardless of the issue, Miami plays four games in Week 9, beginning with the Nets on Monday. The schedule includes a Saturday/Sunday road back-to-back against the Hawks and Rockets.

If Butler misses time, who stands to benefit? Tyler Herro certainly should, but he’s already rostered in most fantasy leagues. Duncan Robinson is effective as a points/3-pointers specialist, while Haywood Highsmith, Jaime Jaquez Jr. (who started the third quarter for Butler on Friday), and Nikola Jovic have been deep-league options at best. Terry Rozier, who remains rostered in 66% of Yahoo leagues, has disappointed this season, and the bench role does him no favors from a production standpoint. Last but not least is Dru Smith, who tallied 14 points and four steals in Saturday’s loss to Orlando. He’s easier to find on waiver wires than Rozier and was Erik Spoelstra’s choice to start against the Magic.

– How much will Ja Morant help fantasy managers during Week 9?

Already dealing with a sore lower back, Morant took a hard fall during Thursday’s win over the Warriors and did not play in Saturday’s game against the Hawks. Memphis begins a four-game Week 9 at home against the Clippers, and the schedule includes a Thursday/Friday back-to-back against the Raptors (home) and Pelicans (away). Scotty Pippen Jr. immediately becomes a streaming option whenever Morant cannot play, especially with Marcus Smart suffering another injury during Saturday’s win over Atlanta. At other positions, Santi Aldama is rostered in 57% of Yahoo leagues, and it can be argued that he should not be as available, even when Morant is healthy. Providing 6th-round value in 9-cat formats, Aldama has played that well this season.

Light Game Days

Tuesday: 0 Games

Wednesday: 5 Games

SAS vs. NYK

MIN vs. DAL

PHI vs. BOS

LAL vs. GSW

DEN vs. PHO

Week 9 Back-to-backs

Sunday (Week 8)-Monday: DEN, HOU, IND, TOR

Monday-Tuesday: None

Tuesday-Wednesday: None

Wednesday-Thursday: None

Thursday-Friday: BKN, HOU, IND, MEM, NOR, ORL

Friday-Saturday: DAL, DEN, GSW, NYK, PHO

Saturday-Sunday: ATL, MIA, OKC

Sunday-Monday (Week 10): None