Each Thursday this season, we ask a series of questions to our ESPN NBA reporters to give you their inside takes on key fantasy topics.
This week's topics:
How will Isaiah Thomas impact Kevin Love?
When will D'Angelo Russell return?
Will the big minutes continue for Jimmy Butler?
What will the Lakers do with Brook Lopez, Kyle Kuzma and Julius Randle?
Is there hope for Nerlens Noel in Dallas?
This week's contributors are Dave McMenamin, Ian Begley, Nick Friedell, Ohm Youngmisuk and Tim MacMahon.
How will the eventual return of Isaiah Thomas to full speed impact the production of Kevin Love, the Cleveland Cavaliers' current No. 2 scorer?
Dave McMenamin: Love averaged
Stands to reason that he will still find a way to get his numbers -- 19.6 points on 13.6 shots per game this season -- with James and Thomas as teammates. Especially with him shooting a career-high 50.7 percent on 2-point attempts.
Thomas is more likely to dig into the shots that less reliable scorers like JR Smith and Jae Crowder get.
It's been nearly seven weeks since D'Angelo Russell underwent knee surgery. Should we expect him back on the hardwood soon?
Ian Begley: The Nets haven't given much information for a timetable on Russell's return, but it seems like he is at least a week away from coming back. We're confident in saying that because he hasn't returned to practice with the team yet and hasn't participated in full-contact scrimmages.
Nets coach Kenny Atkinson said Russell is anxious to return to the court, but Brooklyn seems to be taking a cautious approach.
It will be interesting to see how Russell's return impacts Spencer Dinwiddie and Caris LeVert's roles. Dinwiddie has thrived as a starting point guard, and LeVert is excelling with the second unit.
One potential solution? Bringing Russell back as a shooting guard, a role he filled before Jeremy Lin suffered a season-ending knee injury.
Which is more likely to happen by the trade deadline: Nerlens Noel is traded or carves out 20 minutes per game?
Tim MacMahon: It's much more likely that Noel gets traded, although the fact that he's recovering from thumb surgery certainly doesn't help his value.
Noel is a firm fourth on the Mavs' center depth chart. Dwight Powell and Salah Mejri have performed well in reserve roles, and coach Rick Carlisle isn't exactly itching to give Noel minutes.
Jimmy Butler averaged nearly 39 minutes and 18 shots per game in December. Will he maintain these rates going forward?
Nick Friedell: Absolutely. Butler loves being on the floor and getting his shots up, especially late in games. Coach Tom Thibodeau loves having Butler on the floor and brought him to Minnesota, in large part, to be the closer for his team late in games.
If Butler can stay healthy, there's no reason to believe this will change any time soon.
What will Los Angeles Lakers coach Luke Walton do moving forward with Brook Lopez, Julius Randle and Kyle Kuzma's minutes?
Ohm Youngmisuk: Lopez's return changes things slightly for Randle. Walton says Lopez will be on a minutes restriction early on, and he brought Lopez off the bench Wednesday, snapping a 198-game starting streak for Lopez.
It remains to be seen how long Walton sticks with Randle in the starting lineup. Randle should still see more consistent minutes than Lopez, the way it was before Lopez got hurt.
Walton likes Randle's ability to match up and allow the Lakers to go small. Randle's minutes have fluctuated at times this season -- he played only 21 minutes in a blowout loss to Oklahoma City. But for the most part, Randle's minutes depend on his play on the court and what Walton wants to see from Randle, rather than Lopez's presence for the most part.
While Lopez owners will be happy that the center is back, they'll still likely be frustrated with his minutes. Larry Nance Jr. will play alongside Lopez, since Walton likes how they pair up.
Kuzma owners don't need to worry about Lopez's return impacting his playing time, but the rookie will be monitored for fatigue after averaging nearly 39.1 minutes per game over a recent eight-game stretch.