Welcome to Sleeper Picks. Sleeper’s newest offering promised plenty of entertainment and action, and they delivered. We will break down our top three picks for tonight’s NBA action. Sleeper is quickly becoming one of the most popular season-long fantasy platforms, and they are expanding into other areas based on demand. Each week in this space, we’ll talk about some strategy for the new platform while providing our favorite NBA more/less picks.
NBA Sleeper Picks Player Predictions (5/21)
Tyrese Haliburton (G – IND): 2.5 threes (alt line)
By now, we all know that the Indiana Pacers only go when Haliburton is going. He should come out aggressive after being slapped in the face with proof of concept: an aggressive Haliburton is a catalyst for wins. Now, while he will never be a shoot-first on a nightly basis, especially during the regular season, taking your game to another level is what all true superstars do in the playoffs. Tyrese has drained three or more threes in each of his last two games, and he should finally understand that as the team’s best shooter when he gets going from deep, it opens things up for everyone else. Haliburton has drained three or more threes in five of his last six games. Hit the More on Haliburton for Game 1.
Pick: More
T.J. McConnell (G – IND): 3.5 assists (alt line)
I have been shying away from T.J. totals all playoffs simply because he doesn’t get the volume of minutes needed to make one comfortable. However, he has been absolutely electric in this postseason, putting up 10.8 points and 5.3 assists in just 19.4 minutes per game. McConnell has dished out four or more assists in each of his last four games and should be good for at least another four tonight. Mash the More on McConnell for Game 1.
Pick: More
Jaylen Brown (G/F – BOS): 19.5 points (alt line)
Jaylen is a decent option at his initial total at 24.5 but is a high probability play at 19.5. As alluded to here before, Jaylen Brown is, and is going to be key to the Celtics realizing their aspiration of hoisting the Larry O’B this season. Jayson Tatum is seen as the emerging superstar, but Brown is the needle mover. Brown should see a more consistent workload against the high pace Pacers, which should make 20 a night almost fait accompli for the high-efficiency wing. Jaylen scored 27 or more in two of his last three and 25 or more in four of his last six. As usual, regular season head-to-head records can be taken with a grain of salt in the playoffs, but individual scoring is still a helpful resource. Jaylen scored 16, 31, 40, and 25 against Indiana this season. He scored 30 against them during the in-season tournament. Jab the More on Jaylen for Game 1.
Pick: More
Writers note: The lines are constantly changing on Sleeper (and sometimes expiring), so there is a high probability that one or all of the numbers may no longer be the same when you open your app. There are excellent values when they are first posted, with the only catch being that they are not all released at the same time. Vigilance could provide a solid return on investment this season, literally.
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Raju Byfield is a featured writer for FantasyPros. For more from Raju, check out his profile and follow him @FantasyContext.