Fantasy NBA Daily Notes: Lean on tanking teams like the Pistons
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On Thursday, for instance, Motown wing Josh Jackson and rookie center Isaiah Stewart were the featured players for the Pistons in a loss to the Spurs. Jackson lofted a team-high 20 shots on his way to 29 points. While his scoring has fluctuated lately, Jackson should serve a large offensive role for Detroit down the stretch.
Stewart, meanwhile, is proving productive whenever the team rests Mason Plumlee. The bruising big man pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds while swatting two shots against the Spurs. Even those in deeper and keeper leagues might want to give young point guard Killian Hayes a look, as the raw rookie dished five dimes and took 15 shots last night.
It won’t always be pretty, but speculating on empowered young talents on rosters such as Detroit, Orlando and Oklahoma City could prove profitable for fantasy managers in the coming weeks.
Highlights
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks: 27 points (8-15 FG), 16 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals
Derrick White, San Antonio Spurs: 26 points (8-17 FG), 7 rebounds, 8 assists, 3 blocks
Lowlights
Chuma Okeke, Orlando Magic: 4 points (1-12 FG), 5 rebounds, 2 assists
Jalen McDaniels, Charlotte Hornets: 3 points (1-8 FG), 5 rebounds, 3 assists
I featured San Antonio’s White in this column earlier this week, given his run of productive play. The combo guard continued his strong play last night in downing Detroit in his first career game with at least 25 points and eight assists. With one of the best block rates among NBA guards, and now that his shot is consistently falling, White is a dynamic statistical force to target for the fantasy playoffs.
The Spurs’ Jakob Poeltl also turned in a nice line for the Spurs, as the rim protector swatted four shots and delivered a solid double-double. Poeltl is still a free agent in 48% of ESPN leagues.
Anthony Davis returned from a 30-game absence to tally four points and pull four boards for the Lakers in 17 minutes of run. Davis missed all but two of his shots, and the Lakers were outscored by 11 with him on the floor, but it was still a promising return, given he competed on the NBA floor without issue.
Last night provided the rare Mo Bamba sighting. The Texas product started and produced a double-double with two blocks in 28 minutes of action. With Orlando turning the roster over to its younger talents, Bamba, Okeke, and Cole Anthony could prove helpful for fantasy investors.
Kristaps Porzingis left the game against the Lakers in the third quarter on Thursday due to a sprained ankle and didn’t return. We’ll learn more about his injury in the coming days.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander remains sidelined for Friday night by a foot injury for the Thunder, while Luguentz Dort is listed as questionable due to a hip injury. It could be another good window to stream Svi Mykhailiuk, who tallied 20 points in a start earlier this week.
Kawhi Leonard, Patrick Beverley, and Serge Ibaka will miss the Clippers’ game against the Rockets this evening. Terance Mann and Luke Kennard could play bigger roles, given these absences.
Jaren Jackson Jr. is slated to play his second game of the season this evening. The gifted stretch big is still a free agent in more than 30% of ESPN leagues and yet consumed a robust usage rate of 34.1% in his debut earlier this week to go with an elite 18.8% block rate while on the floor.
If Jackson is already scooped up in your league, maybe try streaming with Xavier Tillman. The rookie big man is slated to start with Jonas Valanciunas ruled out due to a concussion. Tillman has sported a stellar 30.2% defensive rebounding percentage and an offensive rating of 131 points per 100 possessions starting in place of Valanciunas the past two games.
Atlanta’s Trae Young will miss this evening’s matchup against the Heat due to an ankle injury suffered in the team’s last game. Young’s absence means combo guard Bogdan Bogdanovic becomes the team’s offensive engine. I’ll be watching how Bogdanovic battles Jimmy Butler & Co. on the perimeter in what is a critical matchup for playoff seeding for both teams.