Collin Sexton is in a no-win situation. Cleveland is terrible (2-12), LeBron left, and he was selected with the big prize draft pick from the Kyrie Irving trade. He needs to be good for Cleveland to have some hope for the future. Luckily, he was this last week, putting up back-to-back solid games and carrying on the momentum from the prior week, when he was inserted into the starting lineup. He averaged 20 PTS, 3 AST, 4 REB, and 2 3PM while playing just over 30 minutes. He also had 4 TO’s in each game but, if he is going to be productive, you can find worse than a rookie point guard on a miserable team. If for some reason he is still sitting on your waiver wire, go add him now!
Usual Suspects
Luka Doncic – A quiet week with some poor shooting performances led to Luka ‘only’ averaging 16 PTS, 7 REB, 3 AST, 1 STL, and 2 3PM. The 19-year-old hasn’t missed a beat since crossing the pond, and has energized a Mavs team that is currently on a four-game win streak.
Deandre Ayton – I’m still waiting for the defensive stats to improve, but I can’t really be mad at 17.3 PTS, 8.7 REB, and 60% from the field. The Suns even managed to sandwich a win over the Kings between spankings by the Thunder.
Jaren Jackson Jr. – JJJ had another very nice week in sporadic playing time. He had another 5 BLOCK GAME and has started hitting his 3’s at a higher rate. He easily had his best game of the year against the Kings with 27 PTS, 6 REB, 4 STL, 2 BLK, and 69% FG. He’s playing an important role on a surprisingly good Memphis team, and I expect the excellent production to continue.
Keep an eye on them
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – No, I don’t think he is available in your league, but after back-to-back dud performances and a decrease in minutes, an impatient owner may have cut bait on him. Keep an eye out for that! The Clippers have been winning more than they probably should and SGA is a key rotation piece there. The numbers will be there, so be patient if you own him, and pounce if you see him made available.
Miles Bridges – Charlotte is going to realize pretty soon, if they haven’t already, that they are not a contender in the least bit. Kemba will be shopped, Batum will be given away, and Bridges should be able to earn a more important role within the offense. He has all of the tools to be a very good fantasy contributor, so don’t wait too long on getting him on your squad.
Aaron Holiday – The youngest of the Holiday brothers has yet to get much opportunity for the Pacers. He made the most of his time in his one appearance last week posting 12 PTS, 3 REB, 2 AST, and 3 3PM on 67% FG. I was a big fan of his coming out of the draft so, if he can carve a spot in the rotation, he should be productive.
Ready for the Holidays
Trae Young – Oof. Can you say streaky shooting? A nightmare week for Trae saw him shoot only 20% from the field while getting trucked by GSW, DEN, and IND. If anything, the owner with the death grip on Trae might be more willing to move him and he still has that elite fantasy PG potential. He’ll be back up top in this article in no time.
Wendell Carter Jr. – It wasn’t necessarily a bad week, but nothing too exciting either. This Bulls team is so bad at just about everything and lost games by 29, 19, and 39 points last week. WCJ still put up a solid 9.5 PTS, 6.5 REB, 2 AST, and 1.3 BLK though. The future is very bright for him and, with Lauri Markkanen set to return soon, we will finally get to see the two young big men work together.
Mohamed Bamba – You can’t really put up numbers if you don’t get minutes, and that is what has happened to Bamba over the last couple of weeks. Orlando has been winning – I know I’m as surprised as you – and Wingspan King is on the fringe of the rotation and not getting a lot of opportunities. If the winning stops or Nikola Vucevic (playing out of his mind right now) gets moved, he should be able to step in and be productive.
Not every week is going to be an exciting week for a rookie class. Hopefully, as they continue to get more acclimated with the grind of the NBA season, the Ups stay longer and the Downs don’t go as low (looking at you Trae!!). Have a great holidays, and we’ll see you here next week! Thanks for reading.
