What a difference a week makes. It’s been seven days since opening night and Milwaukee’s ring ceremony, and the excitement that surged through me then has waned, even if only slightly. The fact of the matter is, we’re still talking about October basketball. There’s still a lot of ramping up to do, gel to set, and rhythm to be found. You’ll get glimpses of some pretty play during this part of the calendar, but there are more lows than highs in the early going. Any unconditional good is hard to find, just ask Dejounte Murray, who had a career night and still caught an L.
Dejounte Murray
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PM | FG | FT | TO |
| 21 | 12 | 15 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 9/24 | 1/4 | 2 |
The triple-double jumps off the page, as does the career-high in assists. The stocks look great, and the made triples are akin to unexpectedly finding cash in your pocket. Hallelujah! It’s gonna be a great day, you tell yourself. And then you see 37.5% from the field and 25% from the stripe and it cuts you down a bit. Even more wind falls out of your sails if you’re a Spurs fan too, as Murray’s efforts still weren’t enough to get past a LeBron-less Lakers team in OT. So yes, rejoice in the return of hoops, but remember that slow starts are built-in.
Here’s what else I saw on Tuesday night…
Want the best tools and projections to help dominate your league? Check out the Stocktonator, the byproduct of Rudy and machine making love. Click HERE for a FREE 3-day trial.
Tobias Harris
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PM | FG | FT | TO |
| 23 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 10/18 | 1/1 | 1 |
The Sixers got dumped by the Knicks, but Toby still showed up with flowers for fantasy managers. Chocolates, aka any defensive stats at all, were nowhere to be found, but how many other people have taken the time to learn how to spell your favorite flower? Chrysanthemum. Just be happy with what you’ve got, man! Not everyone was so lucky tonight.
Joel Embiid
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PM | FG | FT | TO |
| 14 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2/7 | 10/11 | 5 |
See what I mean about appreciating people who show up even on a bad day?
Kemba Walker
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PM | FG | FT | TO |
| 19 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 7/15 | 0/0 | 1 |
Now, this is more like it. After a handful of meh games in New York, Walker looked much more like himself tonight. It’s not an unbelievable line by any stretch, but backup point guard Derrick Rose also played well, so it was encouraging to see Kemba play close to 30 MPG after a couple of games of lower minute totals.
Julius Randle
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PM | FG | FT | TO |
| 16 | 11 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7/18 | 0/0 | 1 |
Could it be possible that he’s really getting better? After busting out last year as an All-Star and King of New York Basketball, Randle is having a massive encore in 21-22. Like, top-10 good. A lot of that value is attached to the 11 steals+blocks Randle accumulated in the three games prior, so the goose eggs here are more in line with who he’s been historically. The D stats will dictate Randle’s ceiling, but he’s definitely not going anywhere. Either way, I’m sure the Sixers probably appreciated him going easy on them, as they were out of it by half.
Evan Fournier
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PM | FG | FT | TO |
| 18 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 6/10 | 2/2 | 0 |
Back on track after a clunker against Orlando, Don’t Google pulled up an image search for “ball going in the basket” and righted the ship. He’s now drilled 4+ triples in three out of his first four games in Gotham en route to a top-35 start. You can look that up if you want to, but consider yourself warned.
RJ Barrett
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PM | FG | FT | TO |
| 10 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4/10 | 0/0 | 4 |
The usage rate (18.2) is currently below 20%, a far cry from the 23-24% range RJ’s enjoyed during his first two years in the Association. The dip in scoring, FG%, FGA, and FT% is troubling too. With Kemba, Fournier, and Randle taking up a lot of the oxygen on offense, it’s hard to see a breakthrough at this point. It is still early though.
Steph Curry
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PM | FG | FT | TO |
| 23 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 6/14 | 7/7 | 4 |
After three straight games of either achieving or flirting with a triple-double, Chef Curry trimmed down the menu for a mostly-toothless Thunder team. Maybe it wasn’t gourmet, but it’s certainly an edible line.
Andrew Wiggins
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PM | FG | FT | TO |
| 21 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 9/17 | 3/5 | 2 |
While the rest of this post is littered with guys either trying to get things corrected or failing to do so, Wigs has picked up right where he left off in 2021. Last year was a top-80 season for Maple Jordan, and there’s nothing about the early going that suggests anything different for his third year in Bay.
Draymond Green
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PM | FG | FT | TO |
| 8 | 9 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3/4 | 1/2 | 4 |
A bounce-back after logging just two total defensive stats all year, this is much closer to what you anticipated on draft day. He stuffs a lot of the stat sheet, but the holes in his contributions are conspicuous.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PM | FG | FT | TO |
| 30 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 11/19 | 4/5 | 1 |
It’s been a bit of a rough go for Shai coming out of the gates here. Scoring, dimes, trips, stocks, and percentages are all down after last year’s top-30 campaign. Tonight doesn’t address all of those concerns, or even most of them, but a 30-piece is a 30-piece.
Josh Giddey
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PM | FG | FT | TO |
| 7 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3/10 | 0/0 | 2 |
Is there a single player on the Thunder that scores efficiently? The Aussie certainly fits in with his teammates, as 3/10 is just about average in Oklahoma. Even so, Giddey has been a top-100-ish guy thus far, propelled mostly by solid contributions in rebounds, dimes, and steals.
Christian Wood
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PM | FG | FT | TO |
| 16 | 17 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6/16 | 2/4 | 3 |
How is this guy’s nickname not The Crucifix? Christian Wood. Right? C’mon! Is this thing on?
Kevin Porter Jr.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PM | FG | FT | TO |
| 13 | 5 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4/10 | 3/4 | 6 |
And five fouls. For better or worse, KPJ offers fantasy managers the whole kitchen sink in category leagues. Actually, it’s for the worse, we know this. He’s turned the ball over twenty-five times in four games. Unless you’re punting TO (and maybe FG%), he might be doing more harm than good.
Eric Gordon
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PM | FG | FT | TO |
| 22 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 7/11 | 5/6 | 0 |
Consider this a PSA reminding you that Eric Gordon is still playing ball down in Houston. I know the pandemic has skewed my sense of time and the NBA calendar but was just three years ago that Gordon and Harden were clanking 27-straight threes in Game 7 of the WCF. Think about how many things have happened since then. Life, as they say, comes at you fast.
Luka Doncic
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PM | FG | FT | TO |
| 26 | 14 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 10/25 | 5/5 | 4 |
We haven’t yet seen the breathtaking Luka Magic Show this season. Instead, we’ve been treated to the bankable counting stats and a noticeable uptick in FT% A top-30 player for now, and there’s always the potential for more.
Tim Hardaway Jr.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PM | FG | FT | TO |
| 16 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6/12 | 2/4 | 0 |
As usual, THJ has got the triples pouring in this season (now 11 makes in three games). What’s a bit different this time around is that he’s also managed to secure at least one steal in each contest. Hardaway hasn’t averaged more than 1.0 steals since his second stint with the Knicks, so enjoy the rise in crime while it lasts.
Kristaps Porzingis
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PM | FG | FT | TO |
| 9 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2/10 | 4/6 | 1 |
A great thing that NBA.com does is include video links to every FGA for every single game played, usually within a few hours after the final horn. If you’re so inclined, you too can watch Porzingis miss a bunch of 15-footers with smaller defenders on him as I did. It’s been a while since KP has comfortably shot over 40% from that range, but 1/6 is an especially poor effort. Oh, and he didn’t play the 4th because of a back issue, albeit one that Coach Kidd dismissed as minor.
Anthony Davis
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PM | FG | FT | TO |
| 35 | 17 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 15/31 | 5/6 | 2 |
LeBron sat out, leaving plenty of slack for AD and Westbrook to account for. The big man did not miss his chance to blow, as he overcame a tumble towards the end of regulation and returned to lead the Lakers past the Spurs on the road. The points, boards, and blocks were all season highs.
Russell Westbrook
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PM | FG | FT | TO |
| 33 | 10 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 15/27 | 2/4 | 3 |
Finally! Now, is it great that Russ needed LeBron to park his 28.2% usage rate in order to right the ship? Obviously not. But if you’re rostering Westy, that’s a problem for another day. Hulk Westbrook is back, even if it’s just for the night.
Jakob Poeltl
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PM | FG | FT | TO |
| 27 | 14 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 13/17 | 1/5 | 2 |
Poeltl was picked for his glass work, FG%, and swats. Those 27 points? You better believe that’s a career-best for the big man. A 30-rack was on the table, but that required competent free throw shooting. Instead, we’ll just have to settle for 27.
Devin Vassell
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PM | FG | FT | TO |
| 19 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 7/16 | 0/2 | 0 |
Lonnie Walker IV
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PM | FG | FT | TO |
| 21 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 7/10 | 2/2 | 2 |
It seems like these two have been trading off big scoring bursts from the San Antonio bench, but tonight both had it working. It’s hard to get a handle on which one will go off on any given night, but if you’re considering a pickup, I’d start with Vassell, who has an excellent steal rate. Without a shake-up to the status quo, there isn’t a ton of opportunity for either at the moment, but an injury could be a big break for either reserve.
Nikola Jokic
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PM | FG | FT | TO |
| 24 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 8/9 | 5/7 | 1 |
In just 15 minutes, as Jokic departed early after banging knees with Rudy Gobert in the second quarter. He returned from the locker room and was warming up with the team coming out of half before the Denver staff pulled the plug on his night. No official word as of writing, but it looks like the worst-case scenario has been avoided. Breathe.
Will Barton
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PM | FG | FT | TO |
| 21 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 9/16 | 2/4 | 4 |
With 16 points in the third quarter (19 points in the second half) following Joker’s departure, it was Barton — not MPJ (13 points and 9 boards on 5/18 shooting) — who stepped up for Denver. It wasn’t enough to wrestle away a win in Salt Lake, but Barton could be in line for a short-term bump if Jokic is on the sidelines. It would be nice if he got some help from Porter, but it’s been a disappointing start for the young scorer.
Aaron Gordon
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PM | FG | FT | TO |
| 20 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 9/13 | 2/4 | 4 |
Without watching the game, you might suspect that Jokic went down before halftime and AG stepped it up in the second half to keep his team in it. It’s a nice thought, but most of Gordon’s scoring took place alongside the Joker. Never been a big Gordon guy myself, but with Porter Jr. struggling, Murray on the sidelines, and a banged-up knee for Nikola, there’s certainly a need for someone to put the ball in the hoop for the Nuggets. Maybe Aaron is that somebody.
Michael Porter Jr.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PM | FG | FT | TO |
| 13 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 5/18 | 0/0 | 1 |
Not really the start to the season that we were all hoping for, is it? The shooting efficiency is frigid (34%), so patience is critical here. I woke up this morning to not one but two lowball offers for MPJ. Don’t bail just yet, there’s a lot of season yet to be played.
Donovan Mitchell
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PM | FG | FT | TO |
| 22 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 9/20 | 3/3 | 5 |
Speaking of icy shooting, Spida is also converting at a woeful clip so far (38%). The turnovers, five apiece the last two games, are also starting to pile up. Apply the same thinking to both Porter and Mitchell — both are too good to be too worried about at this juncture. Better days ahead.
Rudy Gobert
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PM | FG | FT | TO |
| 23 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7/8 | 9/16 | 4 |
Sixteen rebounds are actually his lowest total in a single game this year. The dude is a magnet for the ball coming off the iron. Now if only he could reverse polarity and make the ball go in on free throws. Maybe there’s a guy for that.
