It was a “double win” kind of night for sophomore guard Ayo Dosunmu on Wednesday, as he sent the Atlanta Hawks home crying in dramatic fashion, while simultaneously earning more playing time in the immediate future. A teammate never likes to see a fellow soldier go down, but Alex Caruso is now in concussion protocol, opening the door to a possible resurgence for Dosunmu who had recently faded into fantasy basketball anonymity. Let’s dig a little deeper into this game, as well as the rest of Wednesday’s fast-paced action in the NBA.
“Ayo” – I’m not talkin’ about the stupid Chris Brown song
With Caruso in concussion protocol, Dosunmu joined Chicago’s “regulars” on Wednesday – DeMar DeRozan (37 minutes), Patrick Williams (37), Nikola Vucevic (33) and Zach LaVine (36). The rangy sophomore guard picked up 34 minutes of his own in the process, converting that time into a modest line: Nine points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals. But the story wasn’t necessarily about this game in particular – it’s more about the opportunity it creates for Dosunmu going forward with the Bulls sitting at 13-18 in the standings.
In the grand scheme, who is head coach Billy Donovan going to turn to for a spark? The veterans – DeRozan, Vucevic and LaVine – basically just “do what they do,” and that wasn’t enough last year right? Dosunmu is just 22 years old and regardless of Caruso’s timetable for return, I think Donovan needs to commit to a bit of a youth movement. Right now, Williams and Dosunmu need to be the youngsters who take the next step up for this club.
91 points? That’s a rough night. Wait… 91 points in the 1st half??
My very own Brooklyn Nets went bananas on Wednesday night, lighting up the defending-champion Golden State Warriors for a franchise record 91 points in the first half. However, it wasn’t the best fantasy night because, well… it was too dominant a collective performance. When you are too good in fantasy basketball, that means benchings and rest down the stretch, particularly in the fourth quarter. The blowout created opportunities for others who don’t normally show out in the box score – 16 points for Edmond Sumner, 13 for Patty Mills and 12 for “The Legend of The Bubble” TJ Warren – but it also capped the statistical upside for Kevin Durant and Ben Simmons in the absence of Kyrie Irving (right calf tightness).
And I truly must say: Watch out for this in the future, too. The Nets are absolutely rolling right now – 20-12 after a disastrous 1-5 start to the season – and they have multiple rest, load management and veteran handling situations to consider: Durant (15th active season in the NBA), Kyrie (12th), Joe Harris (has battled injuries), Seth Curry (same) and Simmons (mental health considerations). So the deeper we get into the season, if the Nets’ winning persists, you may see quite a bit more rest and load management from head coach Jacque Vaughn.
“Pascal Colors” – Siakam displays his rainbow of abilities
It was a career night for all-star Pascal Siakam in The Big Apple, as he shined on his way to FIFTY-TWO points, nine rebounds and seven assists in Toronto’s seven-point victory over the smokin’ hot New York Knicks. It’s hard to talk about anyone else when we see a performance like this – Siakam got anything he wanted offensively with the Knicks playing the second leg of a back-to-back. Most of the remaining Raptors were irrelevant on the evening, with the lone exception being floor general Fred VanVleet, who went for 28 points, four assists and three steals.
What does this game say about the Raptors’ fantasy distribution going forward? Well, Gary Trent was out (left quad soreness) and Scottie Barnes continued to slog through his sophomore slump (just two points in 26 minutes of action). I had envisioned this Raptors team with even distribution between Siakam, VanVleet, Barnes, Trent and OG Anunoby, but it’s sort of reverted back to the Siakam-VanVleet two-man show. Obviously Pascal’s not gonna drop 50-plus every night, but he’s operating as a big-time fantasy alpha right now.
Tight games in Boston, Minnesota and OKC
All three games in question were decided by five points or less: The Mavs and Pacers both won by five, while the tenacious Thunder scrapped out a narrow three-point victory over a not-so-Blazin’ Portland team.
In Boston, it was a back-and-forth battle between the young superstars: 41 points, five rebounds and four assists for Jayson Tatum vs. Tyrese Haliburton‘s 33, eight and three. As I’ve said and written in the past – for now – this is a dream fantasy situation for Haliburton. The Pacers are low on statistical hogs, so the young point guard gets to control both tempo and usage rate. Bennedict Mathurin‘s the secondary guy I like in dynasty, but on a given night right now that “second guy” could also be Buddy Hield, Aaron Nesmith, Myles Turner, Andrew Nembhard, Jalen Smith or Chris Duarte. Haliburton is so clearly the No. 1 option, while everybody else sort of mixes and matches based on the night’s defensive matchups. However, I say “for now” because there’s still a chance the wheels could fall off Indiana’s season down the line. If that does occur, we could end up with a Shai Gilgeous-Alexander situation where Haliburton is resting at times – if not all the time – in our fantasy basketball playoffs.
In Minnesota, the nightmare continued for the overhyped Timberwolves. Luka Doncic was one rebound away from yet another triple double (25, 10 and nine), while Tim Hardaway and Spencer Dinwiddie provided the dribble penetration and floor spacing that Doncic requires for future playoff success. Minnesota’s stats were distributed evenly in the loss, but the Wolves absolutely have to get more than eight points out of D’Angelo Russell in 37 minutes of playing time.
Lastly in OKC, the aforementioned “SGA” just continued doing what he does: 27, six and three in a hotly-contested three-point victory over the leveling Portland Trail Blazers. The fantasy takeaway was Portland’s disastrous distribution: Not one player had over seventeen points? That’s extremely rare in today’s NBA, but something that could occasionally occur when Jerami Grant, Josh Hart, Jusuf Nurkic, Damian Lillard and Anfernee Simons are all active and touching the ball on the same night. It’s odd to see all five of a team’s best players on the court at the same time these days, right?
The injury rundown – vest up for rapid fire
Justise Winslow: Left the game Wednesday with an ankle injury and did not return. It didn’t look the best – it was definitely a bit awkward – and we’re well aware of Winslow’s extensive history of injuries. Personally, I don’t expect a rapid return to the lineup here.
Jonathan Kuminga: Had to head to the locker room with an ankle injury while my Nets were absolutely pounding his Warriors. Just at my quick glance, this didn’t appear to be as severe as Winslow’s aforementioned ankle injury.
Alex Caruso: Mentioned earlier. His possible concussion results in a why rush him back? situation. I don’t expect to see him back for at least a few games, if not more on the precautionary side.
Thanks for reading, as always! I’ll see ya right back here next week.
John Frascella is a published sports author who has been covering the NBA for 19 years. Follow him on Twitter @LegendSports7 for all things fantasy basketball, football and baseball.
