Steve Urkel was a character on the television show, Family Matters. He was always disrespected because he looked like a nerd and spoke in a high-pitched voice. He was also clumsy and caused havoc, which often led him to saying, “Did I do that?” Well, some of the same things could be said for CJ McCollum of the Portland Trail Blazers. He’s often disrespected because he looks like a nerd compared to Damian Lillard and his game isn’t flashy, yet….
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 40 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 5/10 | 17/26 | 1/2 |
Is a 40-burger flashy enough? As the picture above shows the uncanny resemblance, there’s also video:
Seriously, has anyone ever seen Urkel and McCollum in the same room at the same time? Anyways, CJ had himself a night, as he played 36 minutes and set season-highs in field goal attempts and makes, threeecola attempts and makes, assists, steals, and points. CJ can be frustrating to own for fantasy because he is pretty meh most of the time, but he is silky smooth (enjoy the video clip at the end of the post) and does have the ceiling to go bonkers from time to time. He’s currently the #60 player according to Basketball Monster.
Here’s what else I saw last night:
Trae Young
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 18 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0/7 | 8/19 | 2/2 |
Uno. Dos. Nada Traes. That’s ok, as he dropped 10 dimes. The turnovers and inconsistency from night to night will give the Young ulcers, but the kid has skills and will only improve as the season progresses.
With Taurean Prince sitting, it was Kevin Huerter who got the start and played 32 minutes.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 7 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0/2 | 2/5 | 3/3 |
I like Huerter a lot, as he has good size, can shoot from long-range, and has the ability to finish at the rim. He is the Atlanta version of Klay Thompson, and it is GM Schlenk’s vision to have he and Trae as the Hotlanta Splash Brothers. He should continue to get more run, as the Hawks are terrible and want to give the young kids as much experience as possible.
Jeremy Lin
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 19 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1/1 | 7/9 | 4/4 |
Played 18 minutes. Don’t be Linsane.
Alex Len
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 12 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0/3 | 6/11 | 0 |
Dewayne Dedmon
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 8 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0/1 | 4/7 | 0/2 |
Len played 19 minutes, while Dedmon played 19 minutes. They both neuter each other.
Marvin Williams
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 20 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3/6 | 8/14 | 1/2 |
Only the third time Starvin’ Marvin has reached double figures this season, and the first time he’s scored 20 points. For the season, he’s averaging 7.3 shot attempts per game. You do the math.
Kemba Walker
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 29 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 4/10 | 12/22 | 1/2 |
Played 36 minutes. Is 9th in usage rate (31.9) and is currently the 11th player according to Basketball Monster. The Kemba Label is well worth the money.
Miles Bridges
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 9 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/2 | 4/9 | 1/1 |
W
O
W
Markieff Morris
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0/4 | 2/8 | 0 |
B
A
D
Otto Porter Jr.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 19 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 5/6 | 7/12 | 0 |
Oh ye of little faith. Anyways, when people ask about Otto for fantasy, just copy and paste the above stat line.
Dwight Howard
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 8 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3/5 | 2/4 |
He looks terrible to me. Guards were beating him to long rebounds and he looks like he has something stuck up his butt. Is he buddies with Richard Gere? Well, he did injure his buttocks and has had back issues in the past, so that’s probably a more reasonable explanation.
John Wall
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 24 | 4 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2/6 | 8/20 | 6/8 |
Played a team-high 41 minutes. The whispers of we don’t need no stinking Wall in the streets of DC have been replaced with chants of ZION! ZION! ZION!
Bradley Beal
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 19 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1/9 | 7/17 | 4/4 |
Someone needs to recalibrate the scope on the BB gun, as he’s gone 2-for-31 from downtown in his last two games. ZION! ZION! ZION!
Harrison Barnes
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 19 | 13 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2/5 | 6/13 | 5/5 |
Looks like Barnes is back in the groove, after playing in his sixth game of the season. Barnes played 77 games last season. He grabbed at least 10 rebounds in nine of those games. You see where I’m going with this? The points and threeecolas will come. Shoot, they better because he’s nothing without them. He’s currently shooting 35% from the field and 29% from downtown. He’s a career 45% from the field and 36% from downtown. I’ll side with history.
Luka Doncic
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 23 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2/4 | 9/16 | 3/3 |
I heart you, Luka.
Dennis Smith Jr.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 19 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2/3 | 6/14 | 5/5 |
That’s what I’m talking bout! Y’all know my love for DSJ, but I’m conflicted now because of the presence of Luka. If I move to Utah, then I’m good, right?
Wesley Matthews
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 22 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5/8 | 7/14 | 3/3 |
Threeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeecolas!!!
Dorian Finney-Smith
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 11 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 3/4 | 3/5 | 2/2 |
Played 28 minutes. Had received 27 and 25 the prior two games. It looks like the third-year player has carved out a niche for himself, as a 3 & D player off the bench. He’s shooting 41% from downtown, is grabbing 3.7 rebounds, and posting 1 steal per game. Keep in mind that he’s a 30% career shooter from beyond the arc.
JJ Barea
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 8 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1/3 | 3/7 | 1/1 |
Played 17 minutes. He is 17th in the NBA with 57 assists. He’s averaged 18.3 minutes per game. Bravo.
Caris LeVert
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 26 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3/6 | 10/16 | 3/4 |
LeAmazing. Played a team-high 32 minutes and is the alpha of this Nets squad. Beep. Boop. Bop. Stocktonator has been LeImpressed with him that it ranked LeVert high last night.
Ed Davis
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 9 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4/7 | 1/5 |
Played 24 minutes, which were a season-high. If you are in desperate need of boards, then Mr. Ed is your horse.
Jarrett Allen
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 10 | 9 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0/1 | 4/7 | 2/2 |
Played 24 minutes. The 2 blocks per game are nice, but the 26.4 minutes per game caps his ceiling. Atkinson needs to go to Jarrett!
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 5 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0/1 | 1/6 | 3/4 |
Only played 13 minutes. Makes sense when you have Jared Dudley on the roster, who continues to start and played 24 minutes. Atkinson keeps going to Jared!
Spencer Dinwiddie
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 12 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2/4 | 5/7 | 0 |
Was a plus-20 in the 30 minutes he played. Has scored 12 points in three straight games. Hey! That’s my favorite number! Anyways, Dinwiddie is averaging 27.5 minutes, 11 shots, and 3.6 dimes per game. That’s good for fantasy.
Ryan Anderson
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0/1 | 0/1 | 0 |
Played 22 minutes. I just wanted to write, DEUCES ARE WILD!!!
Deandre Ayton
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 15 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 6/17 | 3/3 |
Six double-dubs in 10 games played. Not bad rook. Not bad. Beep. Boop. Bop. Stocktonator agrees with that sentiment, as it had him as the #5 player last night.
Isaiah Canaan
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 13 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2/4 | 3/8 | 5/6 |
Played 36 minutes and continues to start at point guard. Has played 36, 31, and 32 minutes in his last three games. Won’t contribute much outside of points and threeecolas, though, but minutes are minutes.
Devin Booker
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 20 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2/8 | 6/21 | 6/6 |
Played 36 minutes. Broken record alert: I love how Booker has developed his game and contributes in the periphery categories.
TJ Warren
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/5 | 0 |
Minutes got regulated. Suns scored 82 points and lost by 22, so that may have had something to do. He also just returned from an injury. With that said, keep an eye on the minutes going forward, as the Suns have a bunch of wings that could get run.
Mikal Bridges
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2/5 | 2/7 | 0 |
Played 28 minutes after playing 26 the game before. Could be carving out a 3 & D role for himself, as he’s 6-for-1o from downtown the last two games and is averaging 1.1 steals per game on the season.
Richaun Holmes
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 13 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6/7 | 1/2 |
Played 18 minutes, which were a season-high. Could be something. Could be nothing. Keep an eye on how things transpire. Odale Holmes.
Giannis Antetokounmpo
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 23 | 9 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0/2 | 11/18 | 1/2 |
Not bad for a G, but not great either, as the Trails Blazers won 118-103. Last night was the first game in which G did not produce at least one steal or block.
Khris Middleton
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 22 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4/10 | 8/19 | 2/2 |
Not great, not poor. A line you’d expect from a Middleton.
Brook Lopez
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 22 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6/10 | 8/14 | 0 |
It’s raining threes! Hallelujah, it’s raining threes! Amen!
Eric Bledsoe
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 5 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1/7 | 2/12 | 0 |
Pack the paint and force Bledsoe to beat them. That should be the strategy for most teams playing the Bucks. For fantasy, the minutes are way down (four minutes from last season), the shot attempts are down (close to three shots), and the steals are below 1 (was at 2 last season). As a result, Bledsoe is the #70 player according to Basketball Monster.
Donte DiVincenzo
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2/5 | 2/6 | 0 |
Played 23 minutes. Is averaging 20.1 minutes per game for the season, as he’s carved out a nice little niche for himself. Is very athletic and can finish strong at the rim, DiVincenzo can provide some threeecolas and boards.
Welcome to the NBA courtesy of CJ McCollum. The post begins with CJ and ends with CJ. That’s why I get paid the micro-bucks.
