1:21 PM ET
Andre SnellingsESPN
Here are a fewer Monday greeting thoughts from the Hoops Lab, arsenic we hole for Week 5 of the phantasy hoops season. Keep successful mind, the Fantasy Basketball Rest of Season Rankings besides update connected Mondays, truthful cheque those retired arsenic your hole for this week's games. Between the rankings and this article, we'll besides assistance you place immoderate bully Buy Low/Sell precocious candidates. So, without further ado, let's excavation into it.
Nets playing defence without Nash and Kyrie
On November 1, the Nets fired Steve Nash arsenic caput manager and Kyrie Irving played his past crippled earlier opening his suspension. Through the November 1st game, the Nets were 2-5, allowing their opponents to mean 118.8 PPG connected 47.0 FG%, 14.4 3PG connected 41.2 3P%, and 19.9 FT/G with 13.9 TO/G. In the 5 games since, entering Sunday, the Nets were 4-1 portion allowing their opponents to mean 91.2 PPG connected 37.8 FG%, 11.4 3PG connected 32.0 3P%, and 16.2 FT/G with 16.2 TO. The quality is beyond noteworthy...it's downright shocking. Even with the Nets losing connected Sunday, get blown retired by the Lakers, they've been fundamentally a antithetic squad since they started playing successful this caller regime.
It is evident that caller Nets Head Coach Jacques Vaughn emphasizes defence astatine an wholly antithetic level than Nash did. Vaughn was Nash's adjunct coach, and the remainder of the unit didn't change, truthful it's improbable that the schemes are each that different. But defence is astir effort, and the Nets' effort level astatine that extremity of the tribunal has gone from sub-zero to sky-high implicit the past 2 weeks.
Personnel evidently makes a immense difference, arsenic well. While Irving is 1 of the astir talented violative players successful the NBA, helium has been a consistently mediocre defender. Per ESPN's Real Plus Minus, Irving has been a nett antagonistic power connected his team's defenses successful 4 of the past 5 seasons, backmost to his days successful Boston. Edmond Sumner has replaced him successful the starting line-up, and it's not that he's immoderate benignant of antiaircraft savant, but astatine 6-5 he's got large magnitude for the presumption and helium earned his mode connected the squad arsenic a relation player. Right now, that relation is defense.
The Nets person been starting Sumner, Joe Harris, Royce O'Neale, Kevin Durant and Nic Claxton with Seth Curry and Ben Simmons arsenic the superior producers disconnected the bench. Simmons really hasn't had a large relation successful the antiaircraft turnaround, ashe missed the archetypal 2 games of their tally with a genu injury, and helium averaged lone 18.1 MPG disconnected the seat successful the 3 games helium has played.
Som this brings up a batch of questions, immoderate of which were already connected the radar, that we're inactive waiting connected answers for. Will Irving ever play different crippled successful a Nets uniform? If so, volition helium bargain into this defensive-minded attack that has been palmy oregon volition helium privation to resume his relation arsenic an violative lieutenant to Durant for a squad that conscionable tries to outscore their opponents?
And, what volition hap with Durant if/when Irving returns? In the archetypal 7 games, Durant averaged 32.4 PPG and 4.4 APG, but successful the 5 starring into Sunday helium had yet to people 30 points successful immoderate crippled but had a overmuch larger relation arsenic a distributor, averaging 27.4 PPG with 6.4 APG including his archetypal double-double of the play (points-assists) and a 29-12-12 triple-double arsenic well. Durant's shooting percentages and 3-pointers made stayed reasonably constant, but is helium much invaluable to phantasy hoops rosters arsenic a cheat-code scorer oregon a powerfulness triple-double threat?
And what of Simmons and Curry? It was expected that Simmons would settee into a relation akin to the 1 helium utilized to play for the 76ers, arsenic the level wide and nightly triple-double menace that plays elite defense. He didn't commencement the play playing that way, but without Irving astatine the point, 1 would deliberation that would unfastened things up for Simmons to shine?
Instead, his relation has been reduced (and he's inactive dealing with his genu injury, which kept him retired of the lineup again connected Sunday), and it's been Curry (available successful 77.0% of ESPN leagues) and youngster Cam Thomas (available successful 95.8% of leagues) who've stepped up arsenic instant discourtesy types disconnected the bench. Curry averaged 22.5 PPG, 5.0 3PG and 2.5 APG successful the 2 games starring up to a load management/ankle betterment time connected Sunday, and Thomas had 3 consecutive beardown scoring games (average 19.0 PPG, 4.0 APG, 1.7 3PG successful 30.3 MPG) earlier Curry's large 2 outings and bounced backmost to people 15 points connected Sunday.
As usual, a batch hinges connected whether Irving volition beryllium disposable to play moving forward. But, successful this case, his beingness oregon lack could alteration the full absorption of the team, for some phantasy hoops and betting purposes.
Twin historical 50s with teammates out
On Sunday, Joel Embiid dropped a career-high 59 points to pb the 76ers past the pesky Jazz. He besides flirted with a quadruple-double successful an aboriginal campaigner for champion phantasy crippled of the season, supplementing those 59 points with 11 rebounds, 8 assists and 7 blocked shots. His show had each types of humanities significance...he became the archetypal subordinate with 50 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 blocks successful a crippled since blocks became an authoritative stat successful 1973-74. When added to the 42 points helium scored connected Saturday, Embiid became conscionable the 3rd subordinate since 1988 to people 100 points successful a back-to-back.
With his immense night, Embiid's MVP likelihood astatine Caesars went from 22-1 to 12-1 successful 1 day.
Earlier successful the day, Darius Garland dropped a career-high 51 points and led a furious fourth-quarter comeback against the Timberwolves that fell conscionable short. Garland became the archetypal subordinate successful the NBA to people 50 points this season, conscionable minutes earlier Embiid matched the feat.
According to ESPN Stats and Information Group, Garland (6'1" tall) and Embiid (7'0") marked the archetypal duo successful NBA past wherever a subordinate 6'1" oregon shorter and a subordinate 7'0" oregon taller each scored 50 points connected the aforesaid time successful NBA history.
Amidst each this history, though, the cardinal fantasy/betting takeaway is that some players person the endowment for this benignant of scoring upside nighttime successful them, but they are improbable to execute these types of heights unless their talented teammates are not each available. For the 76ers, James Harden and his 15.9 FGA/game is inactive retired with a ft wounded and isn't expected to instrumentality until aboriginal adjacent month. For the Cavaliers, some Donovan Mitchell (ankle) and Jarrett Allen (ankle) sat retired Sunday. Garland entered Sunday averaging 18.6 PPG successful the 5 games he's played with Mitchell this season...and Mitchell was averaging 31.0 PPG successful those games.
Embiid and Garland person these types of explosions successful them, but don't expect to spot them precise often erstwhile their afloat teams are healthy.
1:25
Darius Garland becomes the sixth subordinate successful NBA past with 50-plus points, 10-plus 3-pointers and five-plus assists successful a game.
Giannis with the knees
Veiled Megan Thee Stallion references aside, Giannis Antetokounmpo has missed 3 of the past 4 games portion nursing a genu injury. He is probable to instrumentality connected Monday, truthful this isn't expected to beryllium a large injury, but Giannis missed a career-high 15 games past season, galore of which were owed to managing genu issues.
I judge Giannis to beryllium the champion subordinate successful the NBA, and my updated phantasy points per crippled projections person Giannis connected apical but availability matters. And the accommodation I person to marque successful my projections to relationship for the likelihood that he'll miss clip keeps him retired of the No. 1 spot successful the FBA points rankings, contempt his per-game imaginable and accumulation warranting the apical spot.
The King successful waiting
LeBron James is different erstwhile multiple-time MVP that sat retired connected Sunday. LeBron suffered a thigh/adductor wounded connected Wednesday against the Clippers, and instantly near the court. No timetable has been fixed for his return, and it's imaginable helium could instrumentality arsenic soon arsenic Friday, but LeBron is besides of a definite (NBA) property and has missed large clip successful 3 of the past 4 seasons. This was ever the hazard with drafting LeBron aboriginal successful FBA drafts. He's still, amazingly, playing astatine a top-tier level connected a per-game basis, but that doesn't assistance if helium misses ample swathes of the season.
Keep an receptor unfastened for quality connected LeBron's instrumentality day If it's a champion lawsuit script and helium returns earlier nationalist sentiment (in your league) sours connected him, it could behoove you to research a commercialized if you tin determination him astatine person to his per-game worth than his season-long projected value.
Stars sitting out
When you get disconnected the multiple-time MVP tier, determination are respective different interaction players that are dealing with wounded close now. Ja Morant (ankle) and Desmond Bane (toe) joined Jaren Jackson Jr. (foot) successful being listed arsenic doubtful for, and yet having to beryllium retired of Sunday's game. No clip array has been announced for immoderate of their returns, but the content is that nary are expected to beryllium retired long-including Jackson, who was upgraded from 'out' to 'doubtful' connected Sunday was precise bully news. He could beryllium backmost soon, truthful set his commercialized worth accordingly.
Paolo Banchero has been mounting the FBA satellite connected occurrence since helium scored 27 points with 9 rebounds successful his NBA debut, and successful the past 2 games helium played successful helium averaged 31.5 PPG and 11.0 RPG. But, helium besides wounded his ankle successful that past game, and has missed the past 2 games. He's listed arsenic a game-time determination connected Monday, but that's of astir interest for those of america successful play transaction leagues wherever start/sit decisions person to beryllium made connected Monday for the full week. The Magic person 4 games this week, truthful I'd beryllium inclined to commencement him if there's a superior anticipation helium could instrumentality arsenic soon arsenic Monday...which would connote that adjacent if helium missed Monday, he'd instrumentality by Wednesday. But, that's each speculation...if you person him connected your roster, perceive retired for the astir up-to-date quality earlier rosters fastener and marque your start/sit determination then.
Bradley Beal has missed respective games with COVID-19, but connected Saturday his caput manager said that helium would beryllium retired connected Sunday owed to conditioning. This suggests that he's steadfast capable to return, helium conscionable needs a small clip to get his upwind successful bid and should beryllium returning soon.
Cade Cunningham volition miss astatine slightest the adjacent week with near shin soreness. He sat retired connected Saturday, and volition beryllium re-evaluated aboriginal successful the week. According to reports, his champion lawsuit script is simply a instrumentality connected November 20, but support your oculus retired for the latest accusation connected his return.
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