Leading up to the 2018 NBA Draft, there was much chatter about a certain 19-year-old from Slovenia who signed a contract with one of the top teams in Europe, Real Madrid, at the tender age of 13. In 2015, at the age of 16, he made his professional debut, making him the third-youngest player to make a debut in The Liga ACB, the top division in the Spanish basketball league. Within only two years, this wizard guided Real Madrid to a EuroLeague finals victory and earned the EuroLeague MVP award. Watching the YouTube highlights, you saw the step-back tres, the amazing handles, exquisite passing, and high IQ. He was no doubt the next best thing. Beep. Boop. Bop. You know what is no doubt the best thing? The Stocktonator. The weird thing, though, was that there were some who questioned his ability to play in the League due to the lack of athleticism and the fact that he didn’t play in the States. “He’s good, but he ain’t Doncic!!”, they said. Well, Luka Doncic has been taking a s@#t on all the haters and put up what has become a daily stat line yesterday:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 41 | 6 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 5/14 | 15/29 | 6/8 |
On the season, Doncic is the number five player for fantasy. He’s averaging 33.9 minutes, 30.6 points, 3.3 tres, 10.1 boards, 9.8 dimes, 1.3 steals, and is shooting 49% from the field and 81% from the line. The only blemishes are the 4.6 turnovers and lack of blocks. In his rookie season, Doncic ended as the #100 player for fantasy, primarily due to the 42% shooting from the field and 71% from the free throw line. You do the math. Really, all we can do is bow down and sing our praises.
Shoutout to Isaac Lee and the Ringer for that all-time video.
Here’s what else I saw yesterday:
Kristaps Porzingis
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 23 | 13 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2/5 | 9/17 | 3/4 |
Luktaps Donzingis is going to be a formidable beast for many, many years. Damn….I’m scared yet so intrigued how well they will develop over the years. Frankly, I can’t wait. Anyways, for fantasy, KP provides points, tres, boards, and blocks. The dimes and steals are lacking, and the percentages aren’t great, but he’s still a top 50 player on the season. Luka improved the percentages. Why can’t KP? Maybe he can acquire that power via osmosis. My one criticism of KP is that, for how long he is, the post game is weak. If he can get that down, then O. M. G.
Dorian Finney-Smith
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 12 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2/5 | 4/11 | 2/2 |
DFS starts but only averages around 27 minutes per game. For someone who is supposed to deliver defensive stats, he doesn’t do a great job in that area (0.7 steals and 0.4 blocks on the season). Now, he’s been a top 65 player over the past four games, but is a top 200 player for the season. The difference is due to the increased scoring, which has been fueled by shooting 58% from the field. He’s a 48% shooter on the season and is a career 41% shooter from the field. So, yeah, this isn’t sustainable.
Tim Hardaway Jr.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 31 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5/11 | 10/18 | 6/7 |
Played 38 minutes, a sseason high. Prior to yesterday, Hardaway had played 18, 22, 15, and 19 minutes. I love Hardaway bets at the craps table. When it hits, it hits big, but it’s usually a waste of money.
Clint Capela
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 21 | 22 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 10/16 | 1/5 |
Capela is sixth in the League with 11 dub-dubs, with two of those 20/20 games. He has six games with at least 20 boards! He’s tied for second with 14.1 boards a game!! He’s the 21st player in fantasy right now, despite the 44% shooting from the free throw line.
James Harden
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 32 | 9 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 2/15 | 11/24 | 8/10 |
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaallllmost messed around. James usually gets me Harden excited, but on this day, it was all about Halleluka.
All five Rockets starters played at least 35 minutes. Only two players off the bench received at least 20 minutes. The rest (five players) played a total of 11 minutes!
Nemanja Bjelica
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 6 | 12 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 0/4 | 3/11 | 0 |
The Nemanja was swag yesterday, but it still got us high. He’s been a top 45 player over the past six games. The return of Marvin Bagley will be a buzzkill, though.
Harrison Barnes
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 26 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3/3 | 7/8 | 9/11 |
Meh, meh, meh meh Mehrrison Barnes.
Buddy Hield
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 18 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3/7 | 4/14 | 7/7 |
Our Buddy he was not. Before you do anything rash, though, Hield!
Bogdan Bogdanovic
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 21 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3/9 | 7/16 | 4/6 |
Returned from a hamstring injury and played 28 minutes. With De’Aaron Fox out, BogBog has been the man. Don’t believe me? He’s been the #7 player in fantasy over the past five games. Number. Seven. BogBog provides everything but blocks.
Rui Hachimura
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 7 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1/2 | 2/7 | 2/2 |
Continues to start but only played 23 minutes. You can probably say sayonara to Hachimura. He’s losing playing time and, even when he plays, Rui doesn’t contribute much outside of points and boards.
Bradley Beal
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 20 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2/6 | 8/18 | 2/2 |
Beal and Hield definitely had a duel…..to see who could suck the worst.
Davis Bertans
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 12 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4/9 | 4/10 | 0 |
Played 29 minutes off the bench. Top 65 player on the season. Top 30 player over the past six games. Top 20 player over the past three games! Bertans is providing tons of tres, but it’s been the boost in boards and dimes which have truly bumped his value. The percentages have been very good as well.
Moritz Wagner
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 12 | 11 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0/2 | 6/9 | 0 |
Played 19 minutes. He’s averaging less than 20 minutes per game, but Wagner has been very productive. He’s providing points, tres, boards, and some dimes. He’s also shooting 63% from the field!!! That’s not going to last, so enjoy it for now.
Jordan McRae
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 12 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1/2 | 4/9 | 3/3 |
Played 24 minutes off the bench. Isaiah Thomas was in foul trouble, so McRae got some extra run.
Taurean Prince
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 14 | 11 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2/7 | 6/14 | 0 |
Every once in a while, Taurean makes us think this Prince can indeed be a king. Then we are thumped back down to reality. Prince is more of a volume play because he gets plenty of run (29.9 mpg), but he’s only shooting 40% on the season from the field.
Jarrett Allen
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 18 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5/9 | 8/11 |
Top 50 player over the past seven games, as he’s been averaging 13.3 points, 10.3 boards, 0.9 steals, and 1 block. He’s been shooting 70% from the field!!! Ha! Keep in mind he only receives 25.4 minutes of run per game.
Spencer Dinwiddie
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 30 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3/8 | 7/17 | 13/14 |
Top 15 player in five starts this season!!! When Kyrie Irving and Caris LeVert return, though, the clock will strike midnight and Dinwiddie will return to being a top 100 player.
Marcus Morris Sr.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 26 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 7/8 | 9/17 | 1/2 |
And now…..Ladies and gentlemen…..Everyone in Madison Square Garden….Get out of your seats and show your support for the new King of New York…..Marcuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuussss……Mooooooooooorrrrrrrrrrriiiiiisissssssssssssss!!!!!! Lol. He has a usage rate over 26 the past seven games and is jacking up 16 shots per game! And he’s providing close to four tres per. Top 40-50 player right now. What a time to be alive.
Kevin Knox
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 5 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1/3 | 1/4 | 2/2 |
Knox got the start for R. J. Barrett (illness) and predictably sucked in 18 minutes worth of action.
Dario Saric
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 18 | 17 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4/6 | 7/11 | 0 |
Mario with the D brought….the D! Yaaaaaaaassss! Where did the boards comes from, though? Coming into last night’s game, he had two games with double digit boards. Coming into last night’s game, he had a TOTAL of 89 boards.
Devin Booker
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 12 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1/7 | 8/13 | 1/1 |
Booker saw the epic duel that Beal and Hield had, so he wanted to get in on the suckiness.
Cheick Diallo
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 22 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 10/12 | 2/2 |
Played 36 minutes off the bench. Frank Kaminsky was in foul trouble so….Waiter! Cheick please! Gratiuty is not included and I wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t pay, because how many more times will you be eating at the Diallo Diner?
Elie Okobo
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 16 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3/4 | 6/11 | 1/2 |
Played 28 minutes off the bench. With Ricky Rubio out, Okobo has logged 28, 22, 20, and 18 minutes the past four games. Not bad. Points, dimes, and tres have been produced, but is only viable with Rubio out.
Paul Millsap
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 23 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2/5 | 6/12 | 9/9 |
Top 50 player on the season! Millsap is providing points, tres, boards, good percentages, and some defensive stats. And he’s only averaging 27 minutes per game on the season, although that number has ticked up to 29 over the past three games. Is this a PM Dawn?
Nikola Jokic
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 8 | 13 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0/1 | 4/9 | 0 |
What a freaking Jokic!!! With that said, I shall buy all day, all night, all week, all month, all whatever else there is.
Jamal Murray
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 22 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4/11 | 9/21 | 0 |
Top 40 player on the year. The shooting efficiency hasn’t been great, but the steals have increased dramatically from last year. He also provides a nice amount of points, tres, boards, and dimes.
Will Barton
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 22 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4/7 | 8/18 | 2/2 |
Similar line to Murray. Awww, so cute. Barton has been so good this season. The field goal percentage, dimes, steals, boards, points, and tres have been lovely. The health has been good and he’s averaging close to 32 mpg on the season.
Brandon Ingram
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 24 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3/7 | 9/22 | 3/3 |
Still a top 20 player since returning from injury. The usage rate remains above 30 and he’s contributing across the board, especially in the defensive cats. As a Lakers fan, I’m sad but happy at the same time. I had a love/hate relationship with Ingram while he was here, but he grew on me as the years went by. It was the leap from the summer after his rookie to his second year that got me. I saw the aggressiveness on offense during the Summer League and you could see that the shot developed. With that said, he allowed the Lakers to get Anthony Davis so…..
Montrezl Harrell
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 34 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 13/18 | 8/10 |
A career high for Montrezl my Hizl Nizl Fo Shizl. It was just one of those nights. How do I know? Because the career 63% shooter from the line shot 80% from the charity stripe last night.
