Fantasy basketball daily notes for Friday: Seth Curry making name for himself
Slashing for 17.8 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 1.9 APG, and 2.9 3PG, all while leading the entire league in effective field goal percentage, Curry’s profile looks just as impressive when diving deeper into the league’s tracking data. For instance, he’s making an absurd 59% of his pull-up shots this season and nearly 42% of his pull-up 3-pointers.
Curry ranks sixth in the NBA in points per possession as the pick-and-roll ball-handler (minimum two possessions per game) and is leading the 76ers with 0.36 points per touch, just ahead of Joel Embiid. Still a free agent in nearly 40% of ESPN leagues despite such impressive statistics and a major offensive workload for Philadelphia, Curry is making his own name.
Highlights
Jordan Clarkson, Utah Jazz: 30 points (10-19 FG), 4 rebounds, 3 assists
Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers: 29 points (11-20 FG), 18 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals
Lowlights
Tyler Herro, Miami Heat: 6 points (3-11 FG), 7 rebounds, 1 assist
DeAndre Jordan, Los Angeles Lakers: 1 point (0-2 FG), 3 rebounds, 0 assists
Detroit’s Cade Cunningham is undoubtedly struggling from the field — his 17.9% field goal clip is the worst through three career games in the shot-clock era (min. 30 FGA) — but it was impressive to see him fill the stat sheet and make all but one of his nine free throw attempts in the loss to the Sixers. I’m buying Cunningham at what is likely his nadir, especially as he’s sporting a robust 27.2% usage rate and will continue to consume a ton of plays for the Pistons.
While Davis was great for the Lakers, the team lost yet another game to the Thunder after building a big lead. Last week, the Lakers led by as many as 26 points only to see Oklahoma City take the game, while Thursday night saw Los Angeles waste a 19-point lead. The Thunder got eight dimes out of rookie point guard Josh Giddey, while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was brilliant with 28 points and a team-high plus-14 net rating. Given such a big role running the offense, find room for Giddey on your roster if you can.
It’s not just Cunningham struggling to find his shot among top rookies, as Houston’s Jalen Green sank just three of 14 shots in a loss to Phoenix and is now shooting 35.7% from the floor for the season. Unlikely to provide much fantasy value until his shot starts falling, the hope would be for Green to follow the impressive scoring trajectory Anthony Edwards established in the second half of his rookie campaign.
On this date in 1994, 10-time All-Star and fantasy hoops legend Jason Kidd made his NBA debut for the Dallas Mavericks in a win over the New Jersey Nets. Back in 2008, Tony Parker of the San Antonio Spurs dropped a career-high 55 points in a win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Create or join an ESPN Fantasy Basketball league at any time for the 2021-2022 NBA season.
Sign up for free!
Miami’s Kyle Lowry left the team’s loss to the Celtics with an ankle injury. We’ll learn more about Lowry’s injury in the coming days. If he were to miss any time, Gabe Vincent would likely see more work.
In the same game, Boston’s Jaylen Brown exited with hamstring tightness. The team plays the Mavericks on Saturday, so we’ll learn more about this injury soon.
Both Kevin Love and Lauri Markkanen will miss Friday’s matchup against the Raptors due to health and safety protocols. Isaac Okoro remains sidelined by a hamstring injury. Rookie Evan Mobley is positioned for a big line with the Cavaliers suddenly shallow in the frontcourt.
Milwaukee lists Jrue Holiday as probable to play after missing several games due to an ankle injury. Brook Lopez and Khris Middleton, however, will miss the Bucks’ contest against the Knicks.
Targeting the later West Coast games for both DFS stacks and streaming candidates in redraft leagues could prove rewarding. Charlotte is in Sacramento in a matchup that claims the night’s highest point total and the tightest point spread, offering that coveted blend of a potentially competitive and high-scoring game.
Indiana visits Portland in a game with a healthy point total to face a Trail Blazers team that ranks 20th in defensive rating. The Pacers, meanwhile, rank 22nd in defensive rating, a measure of points allowed per 100 possessions. Two porous defenses facing off often fuels a fun fantasy climate.
Patrick Beverley, Minnesota Timberwolves: With D’Angelo Russell ruled out for Friday’s matchup with the Clippers, Beverley earns another shot at his former team. Last time out, Beverley finished two dimes shy of a triple-double and topped 31 minutes, positioning him as a top bargain for Friday’s slate.
Jaren Jackson Jr., Memphis Grizzlies: Warming up from the floor and already a dynamic defensive contributor, Jackson could feast on an undersized Washington frontcourt. With a reasonable price point on both DraftKings and FanDuel, there’s real room for value here.