I was supposed to go to a Greta Van Fleet concert with my brother. If you don’t know Greta, definitely check them out. They’re today’s version of Led Zeppelin and are quickly rising to prominence in the rock and roll world. Anyway, I was supposed to see them. Keyword supposed.
The lead singer developed the flu and had to cancel the remainder of the shows on the tour. This came just six months after I was supposed to see a Led Zeppelin tribute concert at the House of Blues in New Orleans before it got canceled due to the band’s Boeing 747 being grounded. And that came just six months after I was supposed to see Avenged Sevenfold, a band that pushes my music fandom to the brink of heavy metal music, when their lead singer developed a rare vocal cord infection and had to cancel.
In sum, my history as a concert-goer is similar to Gordon Hayward’s career as a Celtic. Setback after setback has made it a difficult run in Boston, and the latest was just a freak accident that could keep him sidelined for over a month. It’s especially a shame, too, because he was really starting to gain momentum this season and bring his game back to days of old.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 9 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1-3 | 4-9 | 0-0 |
He’ll end his season, for the time being, as the No. 28 player in fantasy with an impressive line of 18.9 ppg, 7.1 rpg, and 4.1 apg.
Here’s what else we saw in five games of Saturday night action:
Jaylen Brown
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 30 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1-3 | 10-18 | 9-10 |
Brown stepped up his game in Hayward’s absence, and could see the biggest boost in production for the next month or so. An explosive scorer, he can become a top-50 fantasy player with improvements to his free-throw shooting, as he does a little bit of everything else.
Robert Williams III
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 11 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0-0 | 5-5 | 1-1 |
This is all the more impressive when you consider that he was going up against LaMarcus Aldridge for the bulk of the time. He’s only 8% owned, and could have some more big performances like this one while Hayward and Kanter miss some time.
Kemba Walker
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 26 | 5 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4-10 | 9-20 | 4-4 |
Kemba’s usage should only increase for the next month and he’s already been a top-20 player this season. He could show top-10 upside, especially if his shooting efficiency is improved upon.
Dejounte Murray
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 4 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0-1 | 2-8 | 0-0 |
There hasn’t been much in the way of bad things to say about Murray’s performance this year. He has been getting outplayed by Patty Mills (20 points) in a few games as of late, though, and consistency is the biggest issue I have with Murray. With that said, he’s been an exciting guy to watch and has paid off for owners who took the risky investment with him, and he should only continue to grow.
LaMarcus Aldridge
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 3 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0-0 | 1-4 | 1-2 |
This game is the antithesis of what makes Aldridge such a good fantasy asset. He’s so reliable to be part of the game plan, so chalk this one up to being a part of the six-block effort from Robert Williams and look for a bounce back.
DeMar DeRozan
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 22 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0-0 | 6-15 | 10-11 |
DeRozan was the only guy that was effective last night in a pretty shocking blowout. He’ll give you exactly what you expect most every night, which is a high scoring output and the potential for solid rebounding and assist production.
Brandon Ingram
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 25 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 3-4 | 8-12 | 6-11 |
I saw something the other day that compared Ingram’s play right now to that of Kevin Durant. I don’t know if I’d go that far, but it’s hard to deny his versatile scoring abilities. It will be interesting to see what he does when Zion returns, but I think it’s worth holding onto him as a blossoming star in this league.
Kenrich Williams
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 15 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3-5 | 6-8 | 0-2 |
Williams got the start and played 28 minutes, which didn’t necessarily mean he would produce: he played 32 minutes earlier in the season and finished with two points in that showing. This stat line is one that would help any team, but who knows what his role will be going forward, especially when Zion comes back.
Jrue Holiday
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 12 | 5 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 0-5 | 4-12 | 4-4 |
Jrue continues to be one of the more under-appreciated players in the league and he still manages to look so cool and collected out there even with a stat line that doesn’t necessarily indicate that demeanor. His numbers have been slightly disappointing on the year, but look for him to improve, and Zion’s return will likely help him as well.
See a theme, here? Williamson is going to determine a lot in New Orleans.
Devonte’ Graham
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 24 | 5 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 4-10 | 5-14 | 10-13 |
Graham continued his incredibly impressive and unexpected campaign with another tremendous effort off the bench. He played 31 minutes and outplayed Terry Rozier, though that doesn’t mean Rozier’s job is in jeopardy. As long as the woeful Hornets keep on deploying his services consistently, there’s no reason to think Graham will cool off.
PJ Washington
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 10 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0-0 | 3-9 | 4-5 |
One of the only other guys worth owning in Charlotte, Washington would like to see better efficiency from the floor but is a great source of scoring and rebounding. He’s also averaging over one steal per game.
Terry Rozier
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 18 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3-7 | 5-14 | 5-5 |
I, for one, expected Rozier to have a much more explosive role in Charlotte. I thought he’d hover somewhere in the mid-20 points per game, but it seems more likely that he’ll be in the high-teens. He’s still a solid option, and can usually be depended on for a steal as well.
James Harden
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 42 | 10 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 9-19 | 12-27 | 9-11 |
My last two recaps saw Harden go a combined 4-34 from beyond the arc, so I guess the curse is over.
Clint Capela
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 16 | 20 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0-0 | 7-10 | 2-2 |
Andre Drummond didn’t have a game tonight, but you could have fooled me with this performance. Capela is as good of a double-double threat as there is among the NBA’s centers.
Danuel House Jr.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 11 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 3-5 | 3-5 | 2-3 |
Can people realize how good House is and how consistent his playing time is and finally make a move to pick him up? He’s still only 50% owned after putting up good numbers game after game after game.
Wendell Carter Jr.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 13 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0-1 | 5-9 | 3-3 |
Speaking of nightly double-double threats…. but unfortunately, he does almost nothing in a whole four categories.
Zach Lavine
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 11 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 1-7 | 5-17 | 0-0 |
Everyone has a bad night, and LaVine couldn’t get going in a matchup that really called for the Bulls’ leading scorer. LaVine has showcased his ability to be that leader for a young and inexperienced Bulls team, but he has also shown his own inexperience in such a role.
Tomas Satoransky
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 10 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0-2 | 4-11 | 2-3 |
Satoransky has seen similar minute output, but is starting to do a lot more in that time and become a more active part of the game plan. As of now, he has the edge in the point guard competition over Coby White and Kris Dunn, with White still having the higher upside.
Luka Doncic
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 24 | 14 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2-6 | 9-16 | 4-5 |
Doncic is showing freakish growth and improvement in his sophomore campaign, which is scary. Last year, the above stat line would have been one of his stronger performance, but this is becoming the norm now.
Dwight Powell
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 11 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0-1 | 5-8 | 1-3 |
It was a really nice night for Powell, who definitely saw his usage increase in the absence of Porzingis. Deploy him as an all-around big, but don’t expect many efforts like this one. He did lead the team in minutes, though, which was a result of the blowout.
Jae Crowder
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 18 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 4-9 | 6-12 | 2-2 |
Crowder certainly can’t be the one to blame for the Grizzlies’ bad performance in this one against a Kristaps-less Mavericks. This game was pretty much a boosted showing of Crowder’s fantasy usability… in reality, he is a poor man’s version of what you see above.
Jaren Jackson Jr.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 23 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2-6 | 10-17 | 1-2 |
It’s time to buy low on Jackson (if you can still get away with that). He’s beginning to establish himself as a cornerstone of this team again after a really disappointing start to the year.
D’Angelo Russell
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 30 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 4-8 | 10-19 | 6-6 |
He can, and probably should, continue to score in the 30-point range every night. That may seem like a somewhat unreasonable expectation, but he literally is the entire Warriors offense right now.
Willie Cauley-Stein
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 10 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0-0 | 5-9 | 0-0 |
Though his stats won’t jump at you, he’s a largely available and serviceable big that will give you typical big stats.
Chris Paul
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 16 | 5 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0-3 | 5-11 | 6-6 |
Nine assists used to be nothing special for Paul, but seeing him dish the rock out like this in a win was a pleasant sight. His steals are a really valuable part to his game, and if he hits his usual pair of threes per game then you’re looking at a devastating stat line.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 12 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0-3 | 6-15 | 0-0 |
An unusually slow night for SGA saw him score below his average and usual 20-point output. He’s been a dependable scorer and gets some good production around the board.
Danilo Gallinari
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 21 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4-6 | 6-11 | 5-6 |
Gallinari is putting up Peja Stojakovic numbers this year. Just absolutely raining from deep.
