Portland Trail Blazers DVOA, Stats, & NBA Rankings

Portland Trail Blazers guard/forward Matisse Thybulle (ankle) will remain on the shelf Wednesday versus Atlanta. The team has once again downgraded him from questionable to out, meaning Thybulle will miss a fifth consecutive game. It looks like Thybulle is close to returning from an ankle issue, but it's tough to predict when he will be back. His next chance to make a comeback comes on Friday in a matchup against Miami. Portland continues to carry a lot of injuries, which will give Rayan Rupert a new opportunity to start on Wednesday. He is expected to be joined by Scoot Henderson, Kris Murray, Toumani Camara, and Duop Reath.

Portland Trail Blazers forward Jerami Grant (hamstring) will sit out a ninth consecutive game on Wednesday against the Hawks. He continues to recover from a hamstring strain, and it doesn't look like Grant is close to returning. Jabari Walker, Kris Murray, and Toumani Camara all have opportunities to fill bigger roles with Grant out. The three have played well, but all have issues with inconsistency, which makes it hard to trust them on a nightly basis in fantasy basketball.

Portland Trail Blazers center Deandre Ayton (elbow) will miss a fourth straight contest against Atlanta on Wednesday. The injury-prone big man is dealing with an elbow issue and will have his next chance to return on Friday versus Miami. Duop Reath is getting another start in Ayton's place. He tends to be a bit inconsistent with his performances, but Reath has posted solid numbers in a starting role and will find himself in a juicy matchup on Wednesday. Atlanta is a struggling defensive team, and opposing centers usually feast against the Hawks on the glass.

Portland Trail Blazers guard Anfernee Simons (knee) will remain sidelined for a third straight game on Wednesday versus Atlanta. He's hurt his left knee, and the team has zero initiative to rush him back with the season basically done and dusted. We should see Rayan Rupert get a third consecutive start while Scoot Henderson will continue to have the ball more in his hands. It's been a bumpy rookie campaign for the third-overall pick from last year, but Henderson has performed well lately and should have another productive outing against a team that has the fourth-worst defensive rating in the league. Dalano Banton is another guy who plays a larger role without Simons, and his confidence should be sky-high ahead of Wednesday's action after he had a big 28-point, 11-rebound double-double versus Houston on Monday.

Portland Trail Blazers center Deandre Ayton (elbow) is questionable for Wednesday's favorable matchup against Atlanta. A left elbow injury could keep Ayton out of the lineup for a fourth straight game. His health issues have benefited Duop Reath throughout the campaign, and the 27-year-old rookie has again put together a pair of strong performances lately as a member of the first unit. He's had 13.0 points and 5.8 rebounds in 27.2 minutes across the entire season in a starting role. The Hawks are currently missing Onyeka Okongwu (toe) from the lineup and have had a tough time against centers all season. Only three teams have given up more rebounds per 48 minutes to opposing fives, and the shooting percentage for centers has been at 59.4 percent against Atlanta.