With Week 3 on the horizon, we polled our experts for their biggest takeaways of the Association’s second week and what they mean for fantasy basketball. Here’s Brad Camara, Alex Burns, Aaron Larson, Adam Koffler, Dave Kluge Dan Titus, and Zak Hanshew with their takeaways and updated Rest of Season rankings.
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Nikola Jokic has been an unstoppable force thus far. And that’s putting it very lightly. Through six games, he’s averaged 22.3 points, 12/8 assists, 11.3 boards, and 1.2 steals while shooting 61/81/43 splits. I moved him to No. 1 last week, and he’s not going anywhere now. These kind of numbers may come down as the season goes on, but even small declines in most categories keep him in the discussion for fantasy’s best player for 2020-21.
?? Career-high 18 ASSISTS for Nikola Jokic.. the MOST by a center since Wilt in 1968! pic.twitter.com/brVw1r37ZL
— NBA (@NBA) December 29, 2020
Christian Wood has been huge in his short time with Houston. He was expected to have a big season, but his performances have been downright dominant. Finally unleashed with a starter’s workload, Wood has averaged 23.8 points, 10.8 boards, 3.3 combined blocks/steals, and 2.0 assists, getting it done on both ends of the court. It’s still early in the season, but this level of play is highly encouraging for his ROS outlook. I’ve moved him into my top-20. -Hanshew
LaMarcus Aldridge has been unable to stay healthy, and fantasy managers are starting to watch the decline in the 35-year-old’s play. He continues to deal with left knee soreness and has missed the last three games. The veteran PF is only averaging 4.3 rebounds (8.3 career average) and shooting a woeful 18 percent (2-for-9) from downtown. The Spurs weren’t a projected a playoff team and could lean towards rebuilding this season. If that’s the case, Aldridge’s minutes could be under 30 minutes on a nightly basis once he returns to action. Fantasy managers should move on (trade) from Aldridge if they are able to.
Darius Bazley is quickly becoming a reliable two-way threat for the Thunder and produced for fantasy managers this season. He is averaging 11.2 points, 8.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.4 blocks and 1.0 triples across 30.8 minutes. The Thunder is another team that will most likely be transitioning towards a rebuild, expect Bazley to see all the minutes he can handle. Fantasy managers should run to the waiver wire if available or try to acquire him before his trade value skyrockets. The 20-year-old’s role in the Thunder’s offense will only continue to grow and the sky is the limit for Bazley’s potential. The Hawks are (4-2) and lead the NBA in points per game (125.8).
DARIUS BAZLEY
19 PTS
12 REB
7/10 FG
2 3PTBaze is averaging 10.4 PTS & 8.6 REB this seasonpic.twitter.com/Yx7hrvHoIA
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) January 3, 2021
Led by star PG Trae Young, Atlanta’s fast paced offense is churning out fantasy production. They are becoming one of the more entertaining teams to watch and usually their games consist of highest projected point totals. Fourth and fifth options in the Hawks high-octane offense such as Cam Reddish and De’Andre Hunter can provide solid fantasy production in any given night. Atlanta is quickly becoming one of my favorite teams to watch this year and continue to produce fantasy gold early into the season. -Camara
Jusuf Nurkic has gotten off to a very slow start, currently ranked 186 in Yahoo 9-category leagues. He’s averaging just 9.0 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.8 blocks through six games. I give you that information to say he’s one of the best buy-low candidates in fantasy basketball right now. His new backup, Enes Kanter, is playing really well off the bench for the Trail Blazers this season, but he’s likely getting minutes as a result of Nurkic’s recent struggles. Think back just four short months ago when Nurkic was on fire in the Orlando Bubble. In eight regular season contests at Disney World, he was a 9-category stud, averaging 17.6 points, 10.3 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 2.0 blocks, and 1.4 steals in 32 minutes per game. Right now, he’s only playing 24 minutes per game. Don’t give up on Nurkic, and certainly try to take advantage of a disgruntled manager who isn’t pleased with his performances to-date.
James Wiseman is on a fast track to becoming a top-10 center in the NBA and one that can contribute in a multitude of ways for your fantasy team. While the plethora of counting stats haven’t been there quite yet, I can promise you they are coming. He’s shown an ability to knock down a 3-pointer and is a menace on the defensive end of the floor, averaging 1.7 blocks in just 22 minutes per game (2.8 blocks per-36 minutes). With Marquese Chriss (ankle surgery) out for the foreseeable future, Wiseman has been thrust into a more prominent role in his rookie season, and has excelled in a lot of ways thus far. The Warriors currently lead the league in pace (111.5 possessions per game) which bodes well for the future success of the 19-year old 7-footer who seems to be extremely comfortable getting up and down the floor in an uptempo offense.
This James Wiseman sequence is so, so elite. Dude is a teenager. (via @NBA) pic.twitter.com/7FNevEZMbc
— SLAM (@SLAMonline) December 30, 2020
Malcolm Brogdon has quietly snuck into my top-20 rankings. With T.J. Warren (stress fracture) now out indefinitely, Brogdon will continue to see heavy minutes and contribute in all but one category (blocks). Through six games, he’s averaging 22.2 points (53.1 FG%, 2.8 3PM), 4.0 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 1.7 steals, and just 2.0 turnovers while playing a career-high 36 minutes per game. The fact that Brogdon can be this efficient in 36 minutes per game makes him an extremely attractive option in 9-category leagues. His red-hot start isn’t a facade. -Koffler
Hard to believe we are already through two weeks of NBA basketball. Lots has taken place over the last 14 days but a few trends standout above the rest and need to be mentioned. For starters, John Wall has looked terrific in his first action in two years. Many speculated how the 30-year-old speedster would look coming off a ruptured achilles, but through two games he appears as though he has not lost a step. He’s averaged 25.0 points, 7.5 assists, 5.0 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 1.5 blocks over his first two games and looks as fast as ever. Even more noteworthy is the fact that he’s seen 37 minutes in each game, a sign that Wall has no restrictions after the long layoff. It will be interesting to see if Houston rests him throughout the season but his value is certainly trending up after his weeks worth of action.
John Wall is back in PRIME FORM:
? 28 pts
? 6 ast
? 3 stl
? 2 blk pic.twitter.com/fADL6FDO0n— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 3, 2021
Another takeaway from week two is Anthony Davis‘ lack of fantasy production. We all knew the Lakers added valuable rotational pieces in Dennis Schroder and Montrezl Harrell in the offseason but no one expected them to cut into The Brow’s workload. Unfortunately for fantasy managers, that’s exactly what’s happened through two weeks as Davis is only averaging 21.6 points, 8.8 rebounds and a mere 0.8 blocks through the Lakers’ first six games. While those numbers aren’t necessarily terrible, they are certainly disappointing for someone who was a top-five selection in fantasy drafts. There is still plenty of time left in the season for Davis to return to his normal elite numbers but I’m afraid the Lakers are more focused on team health and making sure their stars are fully rested heading into the playoffs after a short offseason. With that being said, there has never been a better time to approach his likely frustrated and panicked fantasy manager and see what it would cost to acquire the seven-time All-Star.
On the injury front, Ja Morant suffered a sprained ankle back on Monday, December 28th and will miss the next three-to-five weeks after an MRI confirmed a Grade 2 sprain. At first glance, one would think Tyus Jones is likely to receive the biggest bump in value, however, that’s not been the case. Kyle Anderson and Dillon Brooks have been the biggest beneficieries in Morant’s absence as each of them are seeing inreased usage and fantasy production as a result. Anderson has seen his usage rate on offense increse 4.2% in 94 minutes without Morant on the floor this seaon while Brooks has seen his increase 3.3% in 100 minutes with Morant on the bench. They are both averaging career-high numbers across the board and it looks to remain that way for as long as Morant remains sidelined. Anderson is only rostered in 56.8% of leagues on Yahoo and ESPN combined while Brooks has been added in 66.7% so it would behoove of you to scour your waiver wire to see if either of them are available. -Burns
We’re two weeks into the NBA season and we’re starting to get reliable data. The Phoenix Suns are one of the biggest fantasy let downs early in the season. Last year Devin Booker was a top-ten fantasy performer; so far this season he’s outside the top-50 overall. Even though he’s shooting at nearly the same clip as last season his total points and assists are down significantly. It’s a similar story for Deandre Ayton. He’s shooting better from the floor than his first two seasons while putting up comparable rebounds, assists, and blocks, but his raw points per game are down. Maybe it’s the arrival of Chris Paul, maybe it’s an overhaul of Phoenix’s overall approach, but the Suns aren’t the fantasy gold mine they were last season. They were a top-ten team in pace during the 2019-20 season but are currently the slowest-paced team in the entire NBA, averaging just 96.9 possessions/game. Not only are there stars underperforming compared to preseason expectations, but they’re also a matchup you look to avoid from a fantasy perspective. Worst of all, it’s working for them as a team. Their 5-2 record is tied for best in the West, so they aren’t likely to shake things up anytime soon. -Larson
After a solid 2019-2020 campaign where he finished the season with 15.5 points, 13.5 rebounds, and 2.9 blocks per game, Hassan Whiteside‘s move to Sacramento has left him completely useless in fantasy basketball leagues. At 11.8 minutes per game, he’s seeing less playing time than Richaun Holmes, Marvin Bagley III, and even Nemanja Bjelica. And it hasn’t been for lack of production either. When looking at Whiteside’s “Per 36” numbers he’s averaging 14.6 rebounds (eighth-best in NBA) and 3.1 block (fourth-best in NBA) to go along with a healthy 14.6 points. Unfortunately, due to his limited playing time, Whiteside is only averaging 4.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.0 block, and 0.4 assists per game. I can understand the argument for stashing him for if and when Holmes or Bagley are injured, but that’s a lot of dead weight to be carrying on your bench all season. After a great 2019-2020 season, Whiteside is droppable in most formats. -Kluge
The NBA is moving at a dizzying pace and I’m here for it. There’s been a surprising amount of parity within the league through the first two weeks, seeing unlikely teams emerge as early frontrunners within each conference. Below are a few players I’ve been impressed with and another player who I view as an ideal buy-low candidate. Paul George is exceeding expectations early on, ranking in the top-3 in H2H formats through seven games. Many experts (myself included) had George pegged as a top-15-30 player due to his ‘Playoff P’ persona in the NBA Bubble. However, he’s leveled up his efficiency this season. He’s averaging 25.1 PPG, 5.7 REB, 5.1 AST, 1.7 STL, with 3.4 3Pt per contest while shooting 50% from the field, 49% from distance, and 93% from the charity stripe. Not to mention, he’s getting the highest usage rate of his career at 30.9%. George fell into the third round in many drafts, but he’s playing like an All-NBA player. It’s no surprise that the Clippers sit at 5-2 in the Western Conference after edging out the Suns on Sunday night.
39 PTS / 15-24 FG / 7 3PM@Yg_Trece was on one. pic.twitter.com/ZqSBdpRgfV
— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) January 4, 2021
Mike Conley is another player I wrote off in most fantasy leagues and rankings, given his age (33) and not being the same from an Achilles injury that hampered him for a couple of years. I’m willing to admit, Conley looks legit and is putting up some of his best numbers since the 2018-2019 season. He’s averaging close to 21 points per game with seven assists through six games this season. The 13-year veteran has yet to register a triple-double but came very close when he delivered a 21/10/9 gem last Monday.
I’m going to take an early victory lap on Collin Sexton. Through six games, the Cavaliers shooting guard known as the “Young Bull” is flourishing in his second NBA season. I was a believer since the offseason, and he’s paid dividends early on. Not only are the Cleveland Cavaliers 4-2, but Sexton is the focal point of the offense, averaging a robust 26 points per contest, which ranks 10th in the NBA through Sunday. He’s ranked in the top-30 in H2H formats thus far, but he’s yet to crack the top-60 in our current expert consensus rankings (ranked #69). Darius Garland is dealing with a shoulder strain and is questionable for Monday night, so I expect Sexton to be carrying the offense heading into Week 3.
Collin Sexton is the first Cavaliers player with 20 points in each of his team's first 6 games of a season since LeBron James in 2004-05.
Sexton is the 4th Cavaliers player to do this in franchise history, joining LeBron, Austin Carr and Bingo Smith. pic.twitter.com/nB6fr3UoVr
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) January 3, 2021
Conley’s resurgence is coming to the detriment of Donovan Mitchell, who’s ROS ECR of 26 is overstated considering his shooting woes this season. His woeful shooting splits (37% FG, 34% 3PT, 76% FT) are tanking his value in H2H formats through six games. I’m not confident in Conley sustaining his play, long term, making Mitchell a strong buy-low candidate knowing he can go off on any given night and fill up the box score in bunches. –Titus
