Bates-Diop will start Friday's game against the Grizzlies, Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic reports.
Bradley Beal (back) remains out and Kevin Durant will miss his first game of the season, so Bates-Diop will join Devin Booker, Grayson Allen, Eric Gordon and Jusuf Nurkic in the starting lineup. Across his previous four starts, Bates-Diop has averaged 6.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.5 blocks and 1.0 steals in 26.3 minutes per game.
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Suns' Keita Bates-Diop: Limited production off bench
Rotowire
Bates-Diop produced three points (1-2 FG, 1-1 3Pt, 0-2 FT), three rebounds and one steal across 12 minutes during Wednesday's 123-115 win over the Warriors.
Bates-Diop was held below 20 minutes for a second consecutive matchup Wednesday, and he didn't have much production in the comfortable win. He's logged single-digit scoring totals in each of his six appearances since returning to a bench role, averaging 4.2 points and 3.0 rebounds in 17.5 minutes per game.
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Suns' Keita Bates-Diop: Retreats to bench
Rotowire
Bates-Diop isn't starting Sunday's game against the Thunder.
Bates-Diop started in his last four appearances and averaged 6.5 points and 4.8 rebounds in 26.3 minutes per game. However, he'll retreat to the bench Sunday while Josh Okogie returns to the starting lineup.
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Suns' Keita Bates-Diop: Moves to starting lineup
Rotowire
Bates-Diop is in the starting five for Saturday's game versus the 76ers.
Bates-Diop will replace Josh Okogie in the starting lineup Saturday. Bates-Diop is averaging 7.5 points and 1.5 rebounds in 12.0 minutes across his previous two appearances this season but started in 42 games for the Spurs in 2022-23.
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Suns' Keita Bates-Diop: Scores in double figures
Rotowire
Bates-Diop supplied 13 points (5-7 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 2-4 FT) and two rebounds in 18 minutes during Thursday's 132-121 loss to San Antonio.
The Suns fell behind early in Thursday's matchup, and although they mounted a comeback bid in the second half, Bates-Diop saw extended run for the first time this season after appearing in just one of the team's first four games of the year. The 27-year-old was efficient with his double-digit minutes, tying for the highest scoring total among the team's bench players. While he showed what he can do with ample playing time Thursday, it seems unlikely that he'll be part of the team's rotation regularly.
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Suns' Keita Bates-Diop: Not part of rotation
Rotowire
Bates-Diop didn't play in Thursday's 100-95 loss to the Lakers.
Even with Bradley Beal (back) and Devin Booker (foot) sidelined, Bates-Diop didn't see any playing time. Instead, Jordan Goodwin, Drew Eubanks, Yuta Watanabe and Nassir Little led the Suns' bench unit. In 2022-23, Bates-Diop had a career year with the Spurs, starting 42 of 67 appearances while averaging 9.7 points (39.4 percent from beyond the arc) and 3.7 rebounds in 21.7 minutes. It was believed he'd be able to parlay his solid production into a meaningful role for a Suns squad that lacks depth, but that hasn't been the case thus far. Bates-Diop doesn't need to be rostered in standard leagues.
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Suns' Keita Bates-Diop: Quality production off bench
Rotowire
Bates-Diop recorded nine points (4-10 FG, 1-4 3Pt), five rebounds, two assists and one block in 23 minutes during Tuesday's 115-107 preseason loss to the Nuggets.
Bates-Diop has garnered a sizable bench role in each of the Suns' first two preseason games. He figures to see a similar role during the regular season, as it appears both Grayson Allen and Josh Okogie are currently ahead of Bates-Diop in the running for the final starting spot alongside Devin Booker, Bradley Beal, Kevin Durant and Jusuf Nurkic.
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Suns' Keita Bates-Diop: Joins Phoenix on two-year deal
Rotowire
Bates-Diop and the Suns agreed to a two-year, $5 million deal Friday, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.
Bates-Drop notched career highs in points per game (9.7) and three-point percentage (39.4) with the Spurs in 2022-23 and is a perfect fit for the star-laden Suns. He started 42 of his 67 appearances last year, but the 27-year-old figures to garner a reserve role for Phoenix during the 2023-24 campaign.
Bates-Diop ended with 25 points (7-11 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 9-10 FT), six rebounds, four assists and one steal in 26 minutes during Thursday's 129-127 victory over the Trail Blazers.
Bates-Diop was efficient from the field and busy at the charity stripe en route to a season- and team-high 25 points. The versatile forward has drawn nine straight starts and scored in double figures in all but one of those contests, posting 14.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 25.6 minutes during that stretch.
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Spurs' Keita Bates-Diop: Available Sunday
Rotowire
Bates-Diop (ankle) will play in Sunday's game against the Kings.
Bates-Diop has missed just one game since Jan. 23, a rare feat by a Spurs player in that stretch, and has started in six consecutive games. With Keldon Johnson (foot), Jeremy Sochan (knee) and Devin Vassell (knee) all out, Bates-Diop should handle a large offensive workload once again Sunday.
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Spurs' Keita Bates-Diop: Questionable Sunday
Rotowire
Bates-Diop is questionable for Sunday's game against the Kings due to a sprained left ankle.
Bates-Diop has been one of the most reliable Spurs lately from an availability standpoint. He's appeared in 30 of the past 31 games, and in his six consecutive starts, he's averaged 12.8 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 24.3 minutes. Dominick Barlow and Julian Champagnie could see extra minutes if Bates-Diop is ruled out.
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Spurs' Keita Bates-Diop: Scores 20 points Friday
Rotowire
Bates-Diop racked up 20 points (8-13 FG, 4-5 3Pt, 0-2 FT) and seven rebounds in 28 minutes during Friday's 136-124 loss to the Wizards.
Bates-Diop reached 20 or more points for the fourth time in his career, and fantasy managers will be glad to see his minutes and usage trend back up. Availability will be a big question mark for seemingly the entire roster going forward, but Bates-Diop has really emerged as a reliable source of points, rebounds and three-pointers for fantasy managers.
Bates-Diop produced 14 points (4-9 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 5-5 FT), three rebounds, three assists and two steals over 27 minutes during Wednesday's 130-94 loss to Milwaukee.
Bates-Diop produced 11 of his 14 points in the second half to finish second behind Devin Vassell (16) as the Spurs' scoring leader. Though he's often been one of head coach Gregg Popovich's preferred spot-starting options and hasn't been subject to rest days or getting games off for minor injuries compared to some of the Spurs' other key rotation players, Bates-Diop's fantasy upside is still fairly low. He's averaging 11.0 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.3 three-pointers and 0.8 steals in 22.0 minutes over 10 March appearances while shooting 58.1 percent from the field.
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Spurs' Keita Bates-Diop: Set to start Tuesday
Rotowire
Bates-Diop is in the starting lineup for Tuesday's game versus the Pelicans, Paul Garcia of ProjectSpurs.com reports.
Bates-Diop will replace Keldon Johnson (neck) in the starting five Tuesday. Bates-Diop is averaging 11.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 28.4 minutes across his previous 31 starts this season.
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Spurs' Keita Bates-Diop: Upgraded to available
Rotowire
Bates-Diop (Achilles) is available for Sunday's matchup against the Hawks.
Surprisingly, Bates-Diop has been upgraded from doubtful to available and will suit up for a second straight matchup following a one-game absence due to Achilles soreness. He played just 13 minutes off the bench during Friday's loss to Memphis but was still able to post 11 points (3-4 FG), three rebounds, two assists and one steal in limited action.
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Spurs' Keita Bates-Diop: Unlikely to play Sunday
Rotowire
Bates-Diop (Achilles) is doubtful for Sunday's matchup against the Hawks, Paul Garcia of ProjectSpurs.com reports.
Bates-Diop saw 13 minutes during Friday's loss to the Grizzlies, but that caused a flare-up in his Achilles soreness. In his presumed absence, more minutes should be available for Dominick Barlow and Sandro Mamukelashvili.
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Spurs' Keita Bates-Diop: Questionable Friday
Rotowire
Bates-Diop (Achilles) is questionable for Friday's game against Memphis, independent NBA writer Matthew Tynan reports.
Bates-Diop missed Wednesday's game against the Mavericks due to left Achilles soreness, and it's unclear whether he'll be able to return Friday. Keldon Johnson will suit up once again Friday, so Bates-Diop will likely see fewer minutes once he's cleared to return.
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Spurs' Keita Bates-Diop: Out Wednesday
Rotowire
Bates-Diop has been ruled out for Wednesday's game against the Mavericks due to soreness in his left Achilles.
KBD had been playing relatively well with some extended minutes over the past few games with Keldon Johnson (foot) watching from the sidelines. With Johnson cleared for Wednesday's game, Bates-Diop was set to see a reduction in minutes anyway. His next opportunity to play will come Friday versus Memphis.
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Spurs' Keita Bates-Diop: Solid production in win
Rotowire
Bates-Diop provided 14 points (5-7 FG, 4-6 3Pt), five rebounds, four assists and one steal in 27 minutes during Tuesday's 132-114 victory over the Magic.
Bates-Diop continues to be a steady force for an injury-plagued Spurs squad. The 2018 second-round pick has started 10 of San Antonio's past 11 games and is averaging 11.9 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 27.8 minutes with 50/40/81 shooting splits. Bates-Diop's role doesn't appear to be changing anytime soon, so fantasy managers can safely expect the same type of steady production from him during the stretch run.
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Spurs' Keita Bates-Diop: Efficient in return to first unit
Rotowire
Bates-Diop posted 12 points (5-7 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 1-2 FT), seven rebounds and four assists across 25 minutes during Sunday's 102-90 loss to the Thunder.
Bates-Diop returned to the starting lineup due to the absence of Jeremy Sochan (knee), and he made the most of his chances by hitting 71.4 percent of his attempts from the field. He also secured seven boards, his best mark since Jan. 30 against Washington. Bates-Diop has now scored in double figures in each of his last four starts.
