Each Thursday this season, we ask a series of questions to our ESPN NBA reporters to give you their inside takes on key fantasy subjects.
This week's topics:
Whether Brad Stevens will limit Kyrie Irving down the stretch
Emmanuel Mudiay's role going forward
The key to increased scoring from Andrew Wiggins
Whether Isaiah Thomas will finish the season in the Lakers' rotation
The prospects for Kawhi Leonard helping this season
This week's contributors are: Chris Forsberg, Ian Begley, Nick Friedell, Ohm Youngmisuk and Michael C. Wright.
What is the likelihood that the Boston Celtics would scale back Kyrie Irving's minutes and/or workload during the stretch run to keep him fresh for the playoffs?
Chris Forsberg: Celtics coach Brad Stevens has worked hard to manage Irving's minutes, as reflected by him ranking 42nd overall in minutes per game before the All-Star break. This despite the fact that Boston has routinely had to rally from behind this season.
To put Irving's 32.8 minutes per game in perspective, the entire Minnesota Timberwolves starting five averaged more minutes per game before the break than Irving (ease up there, Thibs!)
Last season, both Avery Bradley and Isaiah Thomas saw their minutes drastically downshift with the C's after the All-Star break (Bradley dipped more than four minutes per game), even as the Celtics worked to lock up the top seed in the East.
As long as Boston pulls itself from its February funk and stays in control of one of the East's top two seeds, it seems likely that Stevens will continue to tread carefully with Irving in hopes of preserving him for a long playoff run.
The return of Marcus Smart and the emergence of Terry Rozier give Stevens plenty of guard options to lean on in the second half of the season.
Emmanuel Mudiay came off the bench during his first three games with the New York Knicks. How likely is it that he will carve out a long-term role in the starting lineup in the coming weeks?
Ian Begley: Very likely. Mudiay might actually start as soon as Thursday against the Orlando Magic. The Knicks are planning to give more minutes to Mudiay, Frank Ntilikina, Trey Burke, Damyean Dotson and their other young players during the final 23 games. They'd like to take the time to evaluate the group, to see which players fit their long-term plans.
If he ends up playing bigger minutes, Mudiay might have to adjust his conditioning a bit; he averaged around 18 minutes per game for the Nuggets.
We also might see the rookie Ntilikina starting at some point for New York. It sounds as if the coaching staff has been hesitant to play Ntilikina big minutes because of fatigue issues and occasional knee pain, but he will play a bigger role for the remainder of the season.
Hornacek will likely use some combination of Ntilikina, Burke and Mudiay regularly in the backcourt.
After averaging 19.2 PPG, 17.4 FGA and 3.3 FTA in January, Andrew Wiggins has averaged just 12.9 PPG, 12.7 FGA and 1.4 FTA in seven games this month. What is the likelihood he returns to his January-level production?
Nick Friedell: One of Wiggins' biggest flaws is that he shows up in certain games and disappears in others -- so the answer is that there really isn't one.
If the Wolves want to solidify their playoff positioning, they need Wiggins to be more consistent, but at this point in his career he hasn't shown the ability to do that game after game.
The key for him is that Thibodeau will continue to give him every opportunity to live up to the contract extension he signed before the season.
Should we expect Isaiah Thomas to be a significant part of the Los Angeles Lakers' rotation during the final seven weeks of the season?
Ohm Youngmisuk: Yes, regardless of whether he starts or comes off the bench. Thomas provides instant scoring, perimeter shooting and a significant upgrade at point guard coming off the bench.
Thomas wants to start, though, and is looking to rebuild his value in a contract year. So if he's not happy with his role, that would be a potential issue.
Also, coach Luke Walton tends to play and finish with guys who play well and defend, so there could be a few games when Thomas doesn't finish if he struggles defensively. Otherwise, the expectation is for Thomas to play a lot.
Kawhi Leonard remains on rosters in nearly 90 percent of ESPN leagues, but at this stage of the season, managers have to consider dropping him. Is there any chance he will return to a full workload for the final month or so of the season?
Michael C. Wright: Until talking to Spurs coach Gregg Popovich recently, I would have told you absolutely. But now, I view such prospects as being slim.
Popovich recently said he'd be "surprised" if Leonard returns this season. Popovich doesn't just throw around those types of statements freely.
The Spurs cleared Leonard medically to return a long time ago, but the forward just doesn't feel comfortable or confident playing on that injured quadriceps. So the organization has put everything on Leonard, as far as when he feels like he can return. If he doesn't decide to come back soon, I could see the Spurs deciding to just go ahead and shut down Leonard, because as Popovich said, the team has to "move on."
As of right now, I can tell you that the organization is conducting itself as if Leonard won't be returning to the fold for the rest of this season. That's not to say that's what's going to happen. But with each passing day, Leonard's prospects for a return this season are diminishing significantly.