Fantasy NBA Daily Notes: Who will shine for Grizz while Ja Morant is out?
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While we await more clarity on Morant’s recovery timeline, it’s time to assess the fantasy fallout of his potential absence. Scoring guard Dillon Brooks tallied 24 points in the overtime victory over the Brooklyn Nets and his usage rate — which is an estimate of the percentage of team possessions an individual player consumes (such as taking a shot, earning a free throw, creating an assist or a turnover) — leapt to a Morant-like 33.9% on Monday against the Nets. Brooks is a free agent in roughly 55% of ESPN leagues as of Tuesday morning.
Memphis’ Kyle Anderson went off for a career-high 28 points against the depleted Nets last night, but I’m thinking this was more of an outlier performance against a porous Brooklyn defense than a developing trend of improved production from “Slo Mo.” Going forward, combo guard De’Anthony Melton is an attractive source for playmaking duties in Morant’s absence once he’s cleared from COVID-19 protocols.
Highlights
Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets: 19 points (8-11 FG), 12 rebounds, 18 assists, 3 steals, 3 TO
Caris LeVert, Brooklyn Nets: 28 points (12-29 FG), 4 rebounds, 11 assists, 5 steals, 3 TO
Lowlights
Danuel House Jr., Houston Rockets: 3 points (1-9 FG), 4 rebounds, 6 assists
Kyle Kuzma, Los Angeles Lakers: 6 points (2-9 FG), 0 rebounds, 0 assists, 2 TO
Jokic is amazingly up to 42 assists this season, tied for the second-most in the last 25 seasons by any player through his team’s first three games. Just last night, his 18 dimes marked the third-most ever by a center in a game. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the “Joker” is just the second player in NBA history with at least 70 points and 40 assists through his team’s first three games of a season, joining Guy Rodgers in 1966-67.
Clint Capela made his debut with the Hawks last night after being acquired via trade from Houston all the way back in February of last season. The rim-running defensive center played just 20 minutes but pulled nine boards and swatted two shots. The key fantasy angle might just be continued concern over John Collins‘ statistical stock; a fantasy force in his first several seasons in the league, Collins is averaging just 14 PPG and 6.3 RPG for a suddenly crowded Atlanta frontcourt. Even with Danilo Gallinari missing time with a foot injury, Collins’ offensive workload hasn’t spiked, which proves disconcerting.
The fantasy market was well aware that Oklahoma City Thunder’s star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was going to enjoy every opportunity to post big numbers this season as the top talent on a likely lottery-bound team, and he’s responded with 47 points through two appearances. The market was less hip to investing in other areas of the roster, leaving the likes of young wings Darius Bazley (rostered in 21.7% of ESPN leagues) and Luguentz Dort (8.2%) widely available in fantasy free agency. Bazley is averaging a double-double with two combined blocks and steals while noted defensive stopper Dort, who made all but two of his 11 shots last night, is similarly averaging two “stocks” (steals plus blocks) and an impressive 20.5 PPG.
With Robert Covington enduring a pronounced cold stretch from the floor to start his career in Portland, gifted bench wing Gary Trent Jr. erupted for 28 points and seven 3-pointers against the Lakers last night. Having turned down a lucrative extension from Portland this past fall, Trent is betting on himself this season. While the minutes and shots won’t always be there for Trent to help fantasy rosters, he’s worth targeting as a potential breakout player if he earns a steadier role in the Trail Blazers’ rotation. As for Covington, he’s long been a streaky shooter and merits patience, especially as his elite defensive rates are sure to eventually surface.
Sticking with the Blazers, backup big Enes Kanter notched a double-double in just 22 minutes of play on Monday and has now scored at least 10 points and pulled at least eight boards in all three appearances this season. You won’t get many defensive stats from Kanter, and the minutes are always going to be compromised as long as Jusuf Nurkic is active, but you will find efficient rebounding and scoring rates.
Major free agent acquisition Jerami Grant is thriving thus far with the Pistons in averaging 21.3 PPG and 1.7 BPG in 37.3 MPG. With both Blake Griffin and Derrick Rose likely to regularly rest this season, Grant could enjoy heavy minutes and usage in Detroit. On such nights when Griffin rests, post-hype sleeper Josh Jackson could prove helpful as a streaming option, with the young forward impressively averaging 17.3 PPG and solid defensive rates thus far.
Another Motown target to consider is Mason Plumlee, who has flashed his deft passing skills on a team without a proven pass-first guard. The center is averaging 5.7 dimes through three games, which is notable, given how scarce assists can prove.
Brooklyn’s Spencer Dinwiddie will undergo season-ending knee surgery to repair a partially torn ACL in his right knee. While a blend of Landry Shamet, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot and Taurean Prince will help consume the minutes left by Dinwiddie in the rotation, it’s likely LeVert will see the most sizable uptick in usage, minutes, and fantasy output.
Atlanta’s Kris Dunn is scheduled to undergo arthroscopic surgery to remove loose cartilage in his right ankle on Wednesday. One of the league’s best defensive guards, it is unclear just how long Dunn will be sidelined.
The Warriors’ Draymond Green is listed as out for tonight’s matchup with the Pistons, suggesting that Eric Paschall has some streaming value.
Due to a sore ankle, Miami’s Jimmy Butler is listed as doubtful for tonight’s marquee matchup with Milwaukee, with Goran Dragic likely to see a boost in on-ball distribution duties.
The Cavaliers’ Kevin Love has again been ruled out with a calf injury for the team’s tilt against the Knicks, leaving Larry Nance Jr. with another great opportunity to provide value. Nance, like Detroit’s Plumlee, is one of the league’s best passing big men outside of the Jokic tier, and he has enjoyed a spike in usage and fantasy production whenever Love has missed time the past two seasons. You can find Nance and his stellar 18% assist percentage in free agency in more than half of ESPN leagues.
With the theme of widely available centers on the mind, keeping an eye on Chicago’s Wendell Carter Jr. and Washington’s Thomas Bryant could prove helpful for fantasy managers in need of help in the frontcourt this evening. Carter Jr. could enjoy a big night on the glass in a game that has the highest opening point total of the slate, while Bryant could enjoy solid usage as the roll man working with triple-double machine Russell Westbrook.