Consistency has been a hallmark for the career of LeBron James. Year in and year out, you could Sharpie him in for 27 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists. Within that consistency bubble, though, are different shades of LeBron. There’s “Deferential” LeBron, who props up his teammates and lets them shine. There’s “We’ve Lost How Many Games?” LeBron, who could probably stop a flower from blooming. There’s “Playoff” LeBron, but the shade of LeBron that I want to discuss is “You Forgetting About Me” LeBron, which is my favorite because he announces it with the force of Thor’s hammer screaming to the ground. It all started two games ago against the Portland Trail Blazers. Entering that game, LeBron was averaging 26.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 7.1 assists. Yawn, but then he exploded for 44/10/3. Last night….
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 51 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 6/8 | 19/31 | 7/10 |
….A fifty-burger usually brings out the cops, but not for LeBron. It’s just another shade. Beep. Boop. Bop. The Stocktonator knows all the different shades, as it had LeBron as the #1 player yesterday. For the season, LeBron is the #4 player according to Basketball Monster. Long live the King!
Here’s what else I saw yesterday:
Rodney McGruder
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 14 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2/6 | 6/14 | 0 |
Played 38 minutes. This Mcy G’s ain’t going anywhere, as he’s played 38 and 31 the past two games and jacked up 14 and 11 shots respectively. He also has a decent floor because he will grab some boards, dish out some dimes, and get his 211 on.
Wayne Ellington
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 19 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5/11 | 7/14 | 0 |
Received the start for Goran Dragic and played 38 minutes. In addition, Dwayne Wade also did not suit up. Ellington is the protypical 3 without the D player.
Tyler Johnson
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 17 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2/4 | 6/16 | 3/4 |
This Johnson rose up because the Heat were without Dragic and Wade.
Jaren Jackson Jr.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 13 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 1/2 | 6/10 | 0 |
Only played 19 minutes, but that was primarily due to early foul trouble. JJJ did get the start even with the return of JaMychal Green. That situation could change, but JJJ has shown that the game is not too big for him, so I see no reason why the Grizzlies would stunt his growth.
Kyle Anderson
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 4 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0/1 | 2/4 | 0 |
Mr. Anderson needs to go into the Matrix and press the x2 button.
Marc Gasol
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 26 | 13 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 4/7 | 8/13 | 6/10 |
Gasol is going to be the newest member of the 1/1/1 club, Marc my words.
Garrett Temple
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 8 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1/2 | 3/9 | 1/2 |
Played 33 minutes and is averaging 32.2 on the season. This Temple is not sacred, but is a functional member of fantasiety. Will provide a couple hands worth of points, threeecolas, and steals. Currently is the 105th player according to Basketball Monster.
JaMychal Green
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 8 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3/9 | 2/2 |
Returned from injury and played 21 minutes. Don’t think he will make too much of a fantasy impact, as the minutes could be sparse and he’s basically a points and rebounds player.
Shelvin Mack
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 12 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2/4 | 5/10 | 0 |
Played 28 minutes, which is what he’s been averaging for the month of November. Points, assists, and steals are what he delivers. What a Mack!
Taj Gibson
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1/5 | 3/4 |
Got the start but only played 19 minutes. Since Dario Saric came to town, Taj has played 28, 21, and 19 minutes. It is said that the trend is your friend. Hey, there are good friends and bad friends.
Robert Covington
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 15 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 4/8 | 5/11 | 1/2 |
Played 37 minutes. The Lord always delivers on Sundays.
Andrew Wiggins
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 14 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1/4 | 6/18 | 1/2 |
I’m so confused right now. Was yesterday a return to normal or an outlier game? For the month of November, Wiggins has been….dare I say, good? We know he can score but he was actually contributing across the board. SLAP! Ok, I’m good now. Wiggins on the other hand is not. Or is he? See how difficult this is?
Karl-Anthony Towns
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 15 | 20 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1/1 | 6/10 | 2/2 |
Second game pulling down at least 20 rebounds and ninth double-dub in 17 games. He led the league last year with 68. Now that Jimmy Butler is out of town, hear this Timberwolf roar….meow.
Jeff Teague
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 2 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0/2 | 1/9 | 0 |
Teague had strung together three great performances before yesterday’s dud. It happens, but all I keep hearing is this.
Dario Saric
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 14 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4/7 | 4/10 | 2/2 |
Played 29 minutes off the bench. Since coming to Minnesota, Mario with a D has played 20, 27, and 29 minutes. Trend is your friend.
Derrick Rose
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 18 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2/4 | 6/11 | 4/4 |
Maybe back in the 80’s and 90’s, Poison! Because 2018 Derrick Rose is refuting the statement. The one bugaboo throughout his career was the lack of an outside shot. Well….he’s shooting 47% from downtown so far! I just kiboshed him, didn’t I? Plus, if Rose succumbs to injury….I shall perform seppuku for the 100th time.
Kevin Knox
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0/3 | 2/8 | 0 |
Got the start and played 23 minutes. He should get more minutes as the season progresses, but what does he bring to the table fantasy-wise outside of points and some boards?
Mitchell Robinson
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/1 | 0 |
Only played 9 minutes due to foul trouble. He’s a rookie, so there will be ups and downs, but if you need blocks, have to grin and bear it.
Tim Hardaway Jr.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 32 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 5/10 | 9/20 | 9/10 |
Played 36 minutes off the bench. Yo, yo, yo! We got ourselves a shooter. Literally, as THJ is averaging over 18 shots per game.
Enes Kanter
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 21 | 19 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0/1 | 8/16 | 5/5 |
Played 38 minutes, as Mr. Robinson was saddled with foul trouble. Did he execute the modern day Tonya Harding by paying off the refs?
Trey Burke
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 31 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1/7 | 11/20 | 8/10 |
Played 29 minutes, as the starters got destroyed early on, so Coach Fizdale called upon the bench and stayed with them. Burke is the best offensive scoring threat out of the Mudiay, Ntilikina, and Burke trifecta, but there’s a reason why he’s not getting minutes and has a few DNPs notched on his belt. Don’t ask me the reason because I have no idea.
Aaron Gordon
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 31 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 4/8 | 13/17 | 1/2 |
It’s inexcusable that a player of Gordon’s caliber only grabs one rebound in a game. Says the guy typing on a computer in mom’s basement.
Nikola Vucevic
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 28 | 10 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 2/3 | 10/15 | 6/6 |
Aaaaaaalllmost messed around. Vucevic is a top 10 player for fantasy. That is all.
Jonathan Isaac
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 16 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1/3 | 6/9 | 3/4 |
Played 24 minutes off the bench. Now, that’s the Isaac we were expecting when Newton’s first law of motion was broken by the preseason hype train. Since returning from injury, Isaac has logged 16, 17, and 24 minutes and has 8 blocks over the three games. The answer to your question is yes.
Jusuf Nurkic
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 13 | 14 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0/1 | 3/8 | 7/9 |
Jusuf Nurkic-ked the Wizards in the proverbial nuts.
Damian Lillard
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 40 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3/10 | 12/29 | 13/15 |
A 40-burger and Lillard is buried in the post. All hail the King! With that said, y’all know what time it is….
Evan Turner
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 8 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3/8 | 2/2 |
Played 31 minutes. ET is the guy running the second unit. Would Steven Spielberg be proud or naw? Anyways, some points, boards, dimes, and steals from ET aren’t out of this world, but definitely serviceable.
Dwight Howard only played seven minutes due to tweaking his back. Shocker. Markieff Morris should suck up some of those minutes.
John Wall
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 24 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 3/6 | 10/21 | 1/5 |
The whispers of “We don’t need no stinking Wall” have cresecndoed to “WE DON’T NEED NO STINKING WALL!!!”
Kelly Oubre Jr.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 19 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2/6 | 7/14 | 3/4 |
Best player on the Wizards? Ha! Made you think, which is all you need to know about the shituation in Washington DC.
Jonas Jerebko
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 8 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3/3 | 2/2 |
Got the start because Draymond Green did not suit up and played 26 minutes. He’s grabbed at least 10 rebounds in three of the past four games. The answer to your question is JerebNO.
Kevin Durant
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 26 | 10 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1/8 | 8/25 | 9/10 |
See ya in LA, KD.
Quinn Cook
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 16 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1/4 | 7/12 | 1/2 |
Played 29 minutes, as Chef Curry remains out of the kitchen.
LaMarcus Aldridge
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 24 | 18 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0/1 | 10/16 | 4/4 |
Played 40 minutes and just gave me a wink and a smile with a…”Who’s laughing now, punk?”
Rudy Gay
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 19 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 3/3 | 6/10 | 4/5 |
Got the start and played 30 minutes. Gay can do it all: score, rebound, set up others, and play D. It’s all about injury.
DeMar DeRozan
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 20 | 6 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 8/19 | 4/6 |
Played 40 minutes. I’m sure there’s a guy out there that is not impressed by double D’s.
