There was a time when the streets were flooded with bookstores: B. Dalton, Borders, Coles, Crown Books, and Encore Books. Then the internet came along and changed the whole paradigm. No longer did people have to get off their asses to buy books. Instead, a click here and a click there and…poof…like magic, the book would appear at their door. As a result, brick-and-mortar locations became obsolete and the aforementioned stores went kaput. But one company, Barnes & Noble, was able to rise from the carnage and remain relevant. While there was no need to have a bookstore at every corner, some people still enjoyed that walk-in experience. As a result, Barnes & Noble has remained and continues to serve the community. Which brings me to Harrison Barnes. A five-star recruit and Mr. Basketball USA in high school, All-Conference and All-American in college (North Carolina), and All-Rookie in the NBA, business was booming in the Barnes household. But then he got scared of his own shadow during the NBA playoffs (2015) , in a contract year no less, and kaput. No more Golden State. Mark Cuban, though, saw value and paid $94 million over four years to acquire his services. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ During his time in Dallas, Barnes has averaged 18.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 0.7 steals, 1.4 threeecolas, and 0.2 blocks. Not great, but serviceable. Is that worth $94 million? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ But every once in a while, Barnes does deliver:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 30 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3/9 | 11/28 | 5/5 |
Over the past six games, Barnes has been a top 60 player, but he’s more like a top 100 player. Since 2014, he’s finished as the 109th, 119th, 79th, and 90th player. Barnes doesn’t provide much of a ceiling but the floor is pretty high, as he shoots a ton of shots. Not everyone likes bookstores, but they do provide a function for some. That’s the best way to describe Harrison Barnes for fantasy.
Here’s what else I saw last night:
Trevor Ariza
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 13 | 9 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3/7 | 5/13 | 0 |
In 2014, Ariza finished as the 36th player for fantasy. Since then, he’s finished as the 38th, 41st, and 57th player. This year, he’s the 88th player. Even Father Time has noticed the trend and has plopped himself outside Ariza’s locker, but he may be waiting for some time because Ariza isn’t running on fumes just yet. He’s playing close to 35 minutes per game and is contributing 9.9 points, 2 threeecolas, 5.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.3 steals.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 11 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2/5 | 4/8 | 1/2 |
Continues to start and played 31 minutes. Bridges is a low usage player, but his athleticism and hustle on defense should keep him in the lineup.
Josh Jackson
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 13 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0/3 | 5/13 | 3/4 |
With TJ Warren regulated due to injury, Jackson got another start and played 30 minutes. There’s a reason he was only getting around 16 minutes per game this month, as he’s not particularly good. With that said, he’s still very young at 21 years of age and should see opportunity in the short term if Warren and/or Devin Booker miss some time due to injury.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 6 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0/2 | 3/8 | 0 |
Only played 17 minutes due to injuring his hamstring. Status is unknown at this time but it would make sense to rest him a few games. #SitDevin4Zion
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 10 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4/12 | 2/2 |
13th double-dub in 23 games for Ayton, good for 10th in the league. He’s been good so far (top 40 player), but there’s Ayton left to go. The increase in steals and blocks would go a long way to making that a reality, but it’s nice to get 78% free throw shooting from a big man.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 15 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 7/12 | 1/1 |
Odale Holmes! Played 23 minutes and like many commenters have stated, who else is going to play backup center in Phoenix?
Elie Okobo
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 3 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1/2 | 1/9 | 0 |
Played 30 minutes because of the Booker injury. Don’t be a bobo and leave Okobo on the wire…at least until Booker returns to the lineup.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 23 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3/8 | 8/14 | 4/4 |
Kuzma has been incrementally improving as the season has progressed, especially in the rebound and assist categories. Over the past four games, he’s been a top 75 player. Kuuuuuuuuz.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 22 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 1/5 | 9/17 | 3/4 |
LeYawn, as the LeLakers defeated the Suns, 120-96 in a LeLaugher.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 7 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0/2 | 3/10 | 1/2 |
I’m thinking LaVar punished Lonzo by putting him into a bucket as a child, which propagated this fear of putting the ball into the bucket.
Danilo Gallinari
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 21 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2/5 | 7/16 | 5/5 |
Quietly is putting up a top 25 campaign. You all know how this not-so-quietly ends.
Avery Bradley
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 12 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2/3 | 5/11 | 0 |
Continues to start and played 36 minutes. Usage is under 15, shooting percentage is under 36%….I don’t even want to continue, as it’s too depressing. If you want a top 300 player then Bradley is your guy.
Montrezl Harrell
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 23 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 11/15 | 1/6 |
Top 50 player and one of the favorites for both Most Improved Player and Sixth Man of the Year. With that said, it’s usually not a good thing when the field goal percentage is higher than the free throw percentage (65% vs 64%).
Lou Williams
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 21 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2/6 | 8/16 | 3/3 |
Sweet! Only played 26 minutes. Bah humbug! But he has a 31.5 usage rate on the year. Sweet! But he’s averaging 25.7 minutes per game. Bah humbug!
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 10 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1/2 | 4/7 | 1/2 |
Got the start due to Luka Doncic being out and played 34 minutes. It’s appropriate that his initials are DFS, as he’s only viable in DFS.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 16 | 23 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6/11 | 4/7 |
DJ is a top 60 player on the season, but has been more like a top 100 player the past six games. The decrease in blocks and free throw percentage have been the main culprits. There was a time when DJ would block 2.5 shots per game. Those were good times.
JJ Barea
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 24 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1/2 | 9/18 | 5/5 |
Played 27 minutes.
I usually reserve that for Victor Oladipo, but Barea has been ballin’ over the past five games (66th player). For the season, the 6 dimes a game are good for 23rd in the NBA.
Al-Farouq Aminu
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 20 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4/5 | 7/9 | 2/2 |
Back-to-back 20-point games for Aminu, the only two games he’s reached that mark all season. He’s a low usage guy, so don’t expect the points to flow like this every night. With that said, he plays a ton of minutes and will get you boards, if you’re into that sort of thing. For the season, he’s a top 90 player.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 37 | 2 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3/11 | 12/28 | 10/10 |
Beep. Boop. Bop. The Stocktonator knew what time it was, as it had Lillard as the #3 player last night.
LaMarcus Aldridge
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 29 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 11/15 | 7/8 |
Jokes on me, as LMA led his squad to a 131-118 victory over the Trail Blazers. Maybe I shouldn’t have posted that Lillard video. Oh wells. What’s done is done.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 36 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 13/27 | 10/10 |
After a scorching hot start to the season, DeRozan has been the #93 player over the past eight games. He will more than likely end up as a top 50 player when it’s all said and done.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 10 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1/1 | 4/7 | 1/2 |
Played 33 minutes off the bench. That’s back-to-back games playing 33 minutes. In the other game, Mr. White delivered a 11/5/9 line. That’s good enough for me.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 17 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1/4 | 5/10 | 6/6 |
Only played 23 minutes due to foul trouble. The Reverend Jackson always seems to play well on the Lord’s day.
Marc Gasol
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 12 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 2/5 | 4/14 | 2/3 |
Joel. Embiid.
Mike Muscala
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 8 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2/3 | 2/4 | 2/2 |
Got the start and played 28 minutes because Wilson Chandler was out. Only useful in blowouts or when Chandler sits.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 15 | 14 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0/2 | 4/13 | 7/8 |
Marc. Gasol.
Gasol vs Embiid was like watching an elephant battle a rhino on Animal Planet.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 19 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 8/10 | 3/8 |
Simmons has yet to attempt a threeecola and is shooting 61% from the free throw line. As a result, he’s a top 70 player for fantasy.
JJ Redick
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 24 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3/6 | 9/17 | 3/3 |
Redick-ulous markmanship.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 21 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0/4 | 7/17 | 7/8 |
Butler doing work on Sunday. No complaints here.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 19 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 3/7 | 6/15 | 4/4 |
Got the start and played 34 minutes. Sure, why not? Mainly a threeecola guy, Crowder will also grab some boards and chip in some dimes and steals.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 12 | 18 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 5/9 | 2/5 |
Rudy leads the league in field goal percentage (69%), is sixth in rebounds (12.7), sixth in blocks (2.04), and second in double-dubs (21). What’s that spell class? Top 25 player for fantasy.
Ricky Rubio
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 23 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2/4 | 9/13 | 3/3 |
The Kevin Durants and James Hardens of the world are set-it-and-forget-it players, in a good way. Ricky Rubio is a set-it-and-forget-it player, in the most horrible way imaginable. The ceiling is too high to cut, yet the lows are vomit-inducing low, with no rhyme or reason as to why. Enjoy.
Rodney McGruder only played five minutes due to an ankle injury. Justise Winslow and Dwayne Wade would probably benefit the most.
Hassan Whiteside
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 23 | 20 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 11/17 | 1/6 |
Another Mt. Whiteside eruption. And against the Steiffel Tower. Very impressive.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 16 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3/6 | 4/8 | 5/7 |
Back-to-back games scoring in double figures and shooting 4-for-8 from the field and 3-for-6 from downtown. It wouldn’t surprise me if he played 16 minutes the next game and shot 0-for-7.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 36 | 19 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2/3 | 14/19 | 6/6 |
Wake me up when he quintipule-dubs. If he gets hurt, let me sleep permanently.
Tim Frazier
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 7 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1/3 | 3/6 | 0 |
Continues to start and played 38 minutes. Frazier should continue to start for the next month or so. The usage is super low (10.2 over the past four games), but he’s dished out 31 dimes over that span and the Pelicans are playing at a top 3 pace.
