A holiday, as defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary, is a day marked by a general suspension of work in commemoration of an event. Outside of those that are affected by a business shut down, most love holidays. No work. All play? Probably not, but at least no work. There are 11 federal holidays. As a society, we have created a number far greater than that, though. After all, we do live in a capitalist society. Valentine’s Day. St. Patrick’s Day. Halloween. Cyber Monday. Mother’s Day. Father’s Day. There really is a “holiday” for every occassion. Law Day. Loyalty Day. National Librarian’s Day. Native American’s Day. Ha! That one makes me chuckle. Anyways, all of the above mentioned are listed as holidays, but I don’t remember ever getting a day off for them. Ok, we just making shit up now? Cool. Let’s make everyday a holiday then. This would kind of fit into our advertisement/marketing-dominated society. The concept of work will just be rebranded. Play for pay? Or has that already been trademarked by some sports agency? Anyways, Madonna put it best when she sang this. Yesterday, Jrue Holiday had himself a day.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 36 | 9 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2/5 | 16/31 | 2/2 |
34.4 usage rate!!! He’s been en fuego the past four games: 28.2 points, 5.75 boards, 9.5 assists, 0.5 blocks, 2 steals, and 1.25 3s on 21.5 shot attempts per game. See, this everyday Holiday thing may not be such a bad idea after all. But….there’s always a but….Holiday is prone to the occasional 3-of-13 shooting night and sub-20 usage rate game. The inconsistency makes him a mid-20s player, rather than a fringe top 10 one. One thing that must be mentioned is that, since Boogie went down, the Pelicans are playing at the fastest pace in the league (105.70). Holiday. Celebrate.
Here’s what else I saw last night:
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Rudy has been hard at work in the lab. His latest creation? DAILY LINEUPS PAGE. So good. So smooth. So helpful. He decided to go with the Sonny Bono red tint, while I prefer the blue tint. What say you?
Anthony Davis:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 27 | 13 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0/3 | 12/26 | 3/4 |
Played 43 minutes in the overtime game against the Bucks. So scary how good AD is. Now, what’s the O/U on when he gets hurt? If it does happen, then maybe everyday will indeed become a Holiday.
Rajon Rondo:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 16 | 8 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 2/3 | 7/11 | 0 |
He’s got to be the most unpredictable player to forecast for fantasy basketball. I’m open to any ideas for contenders. Last three games: 36, 26, and 8 minutes. 11, 8, and 5 shot attempts. 8, 3, and 3 rebounds. 12, 8, and 5 assists. 16, 4, and 4 points. Whenever I talk about range of outcomes in the future, I’m going to think of Rondo. That way, I will be able to cover almost every possible one.
Nikola Mirotic:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 14 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 1/8 | 5/15 | 3/3 |
Did not start, but played 37 minutes and, more importantly, was on the court in crunch time. He’s been solid the past few games, but I’d expect more ceiling games, like the one against BKN (21/16/1/5/2) a few weeks ago, going forward. The minutes and opportunities are there. As mentioned up top, the Pelicans are playing at the fastest pace in the league right now.
Kris Middleton:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 25 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1/4 | 8/16 | 8/8 |
I love Middleton’s game so much. So solid across the board. Can shoot the 3, bury the mid-range, post up, run pick-and-roll, etc. Doesn’t have many weaknesses to his game, for both fantasy and real life.
Eric Bledsoe:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 20 | 9 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2/5 | 7/15 | 4/4 |
Like Middleton, Bledsoe stuffs the stat sheet. Probably want more assists from him, but whatever. Not sure if he played football, but I feel like he’d be an amazing running back. So quick and powerful when he drives to the basket.
Tony Snell:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 9 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 1/3 | 4/9 | 0 |
I’m not a Snell fan. I’ve never written him up for a reason. He just stands in the corner and chills. Ok, to be fair, he’s long and plays some D. With that said, six turnovers? He literally stands in the corner and just catches and shoots. Next.
Jabari Parker:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 18 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2/3 | 7/14 | 2/2 |
Played 24 minutes. Man, Parker looks really good. I can’t wait to see what he looks like next year. He’s obviously not as explosive right now, but he’s being aggressive, bullying smaller players in the post, going around club foots on the perimeter, and driving coast-to-coast on the break. He probably won’t play more than 24 minutes a game for this season, but he still has the ability to be very productive.
Sterling Brown:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 9 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1/2 | 4/5 | 0 |
Played 20 minutes. Probably not fantasy relevant, due to the lack of minutes, but Brown looks good as well. The Bucks have so much athleticism on their team. Brown can shoot from the perimeter, take it strong to the rack, hustles, and plays D.
LaMarcus Aldridge:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 27 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 9/20 | 9/10 |
With Kawhi questionable to return this season, this is LMA’s team now. Who’s laughing now?
Kyle Anderson:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 10 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4/7 | 2/4 |
I’ve always liked Anderson, going back to his days at UCLA. With that said, he’s a frustrating player to own for fantasy. While he does contribute in almost all the categories, there’s no production from downtown and the shot attempts are often in the single digits. He’s getting minutes, but will rarely access his ceiling.
Patty Mills got the start at shooting guard and played 35 minutes.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 11 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2/6 | 3/9 | 3/3 |
He played 35 minutes while Tony Parker only received 14 minutes of run.
Dejounte Murray:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 13 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5/12 | 3/4 |
Played 34 minutes. One of the best rebounding guards in the league. Contributes across the board except for downtowners. I have a sneaky suspicion that he’s going to be developing that part of his arsenal real soon. If so, watch out.
Danny Green:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 22 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5/9 | 6/11 | 5/6 |
Came off the bench and played 23 minutes. The prototypical 3&D player.
LeBron James almost messed around.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 33 | 13 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 2/5 | 14/25 | 3/4 |
Played 40 minutes and had a 34 usage rate. And the Cavs lost 94-110. See you in LA next year. I hope.
Tristan Thompson:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 6 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3/7 | 0 |
Got the start at center and played 23 minutes. If you need boards, Mr. Kardashian is your man.
George Hill:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0/2 | 1/7 | 0 |
Received the start at point guard and played 25 minutes. Did I hear “We Want IT!” chants? Ha, yeah right. If you are willing to die on George Hill (not like literal, flesh-to-flesh contact, of course), then you have access to some fantasy goodies. I just hope you have some cat DNA in you.
Jordan Clarkson:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 17 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3/7 | 7/14 | 0 |
Played 23 minutes. Instant offense. Like Instant Ramen perhaps? Tastes good, but too much is probably bad for you. The positive, though, is that you don’t have to spend your precious time and brain cells looking at the other categories outside of points.
Rodney Hood played 28 minutes and scored 6 points. Kyle Korver played 25 minutes and played 6 minutes. Nothing to see here folks. Go home. Stop rubber necking and holding up traffic.
Jeff Green:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 14 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1/3 | 6/9 | 1/2 |
Nothing needs to be said except….it’s Jeff Green.
Larry Nance Jr.:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1/1 | 2/2 |
Only played 15 minutes. Had 4 personal fouls. 4 is an unlucky number in Chinese culture. That’s probably why the Cavs lost by 16 to a team led by LMA. LMAO!
Blake Griffin:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 20 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0/3 | 10/18 | 0 |
Lake Griffin lost his B again. 29 blocks on the season for Lake. Kevin Looney has the same number, and he only plays 11 minutes a game. Lonzo Ball and Michael Beasley both have 3 more on the season. I know I keep harping on it, but it just always sticks out to me. Anyways, Lake has been underwhelming the last week or so, but he’ll be fine going forward….health permitting. He’s playing mid-30s a game and getting a ton of opportunites. Hopefully he can find his B, but at this point, I think we know that’s probably not going to happen.
Andre Drummond:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 14 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7/13 | 0/1 |
Dre Day has become Double-Dub Day. That’s 14 in the last 15 games. He now has 43 on the season, which is 10 behind KAT for the league lead. Oh, and he can also do this:
I watched him a bit over the summer playing in the Drew League, and he was draining 3s and handling the rock like this. I should’ve known. Anyways, the increase in assists and free throw percentage have elevated him to a top 20 player.
Reggie Bullock:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 14 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1/5 | 5/14 | 3/4 |
Played 30 minutes, which seems to be the floor. Going to get the run and has put up over 10 shots in six straight games. With Dre and Lake drawing the attention from opposing defenses, Bullock will receive plenty of open looks.
Dwight Howard:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 17 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 8/10 | 1/2 |
Speaking of double-dubs, Dwight now has 37 on the season, good for 5th in the league. With that said, if I take the B away from Lake, I guess it’s only fair that the same should be done for Wight. Where’s the D? I probably shouldn’t have done that, since Dwight has been contributing D stats all season, but I haven’t written a recap in a while, so I was feeling a little frisky. Anyways, over the past month, Dwight has been a top 60 fantasy player. The double-dubs and blocks have been plentiful, but he’s been shooting 65% from the free throw line during that span.
Nicolas Batum:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 15 | 5 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 4/7 | 5/10 | 1/1 |
Viva la France! I’m still in Olympics mood. Sad that it’s over, but Batum’s performance brought those giddy feelings back to the surface. I know. My associations run very thin, but hey….don’t get on me. I didn’t create myself. If you didn’t know, Batum is from France. I’ve said it a few times over the past weeks, but Batum looks healthy and primed for a productive end to the season.
Frank Kaminsky:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 13 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3/5 | 4/9 | 2/4 |
Played 23 minutes. Usually won’t play more than 24 minutes a game, but will contribute 3s from the big position.
The Hornets defeated the Pistons 114-98. From a Detroit perspective, you know it’s bad when Michael Carter-Williams gets a blurb.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 10 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1/4 | 3/6 | 3/4 |
Played 19 minutes. First time scoring in double digits since November.
Willie Hernangomez played three minutes. “I left NYC for this?”
James Harden:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 41 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 6/10 | 11/20 | 13/16 |
One of the Nuggets broadcasters commented that, if the NBA had a Mensa society, Harden would definitely be a member. Never thought about it that before, but I’m totally with it. Dude is a savant. One thing in particular is when he drives to the basket, he extends his arms forward so that when defenders slap down, they chop his arms. Many players cradle the ball close to their body in that situation, like a running back in football. Harden’s technique guarantees two free throws. I’m getting so Harden excited right now.
Joe Johnson:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 7 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1/3 | 2/5 | 2/2 |
Played 29 minutes. Since being acquired, has played 29, 22, and 31 minutes. Eric Gordon has not played in those three games, so I wouldn’t expect much from Johnson when he returns.
Gerald Green was a DNP-CD. Looks like Johnson has overtaken him on the depth chart.
Nikola Jokic almost messed around.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 21 | 14 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0/1 | 7/18 | 7/9 |
That would’ve been four straight triple-dubs. I heart you, Nikola. Stocktonator also hearts Nikola, as it had him 4th yesterday.
Will Barton:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 25 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 3/7 | 10/15 | 2/3 |
February has been very, very good to Barton. 17.9 points, 4.6 boards, 4.4 dimes, 0.8 blocks, 0.9 steals, and 2.4 3s in 36 minutes per game! He’s been a top 25 player since the start of the month. Stocktonator liked him alot yesterday. Like alot.
Malik Beasley:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 9 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2/5 | 3/10 | 1/2 |
Played 21 minutes. I’m really impressed with his game. Plays hard and is all over the court, which translates to D stats. He can also shoot and put the ball on the floor. Looks like Malone has become smitten with him as well. Keep an eye on his minutes going forward.
Joel Embiid:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 25 | 10 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 2/6 | 9/20 | 5/6 |
Who gonna sex Embiid? What an animal. Played 32 minutes. Can’t wait for him to be fully unleashed next season. Please Injury Gods. Pulease. You can take the middle toes from each of my feet as a sacrifice.
Ben Simmons:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 16 | 8 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 6/12 | 4/6 |
Marco Belinelli:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 10 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2/7 | 3/10 | 2/3 |
Played 27 minutes. Has carved out a role in Philly. Since being acquired, has played at least 25 minutes in all four games and attempted 7, 3, 5, and 5 downtowners during that span. JJ Redick played 30 minutes and hoisted 8 downtowners, so his role seems safe. TJ McConnell, on the other hand, only played 21 minutes. Ruh roh.
Tomas Satoransky:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 7 | 7 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1/1 | 2/3 | 2/2 |
“We don’t need no stinking Wall!” chants have been heard reverberating throughout Washington DC. Wizards are 9-3 since Wall went down. <insert shrug emoji>
Otto Porter Jr.:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 23 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 3/6 | 10/16 | 0 |
Porter has indeed been Otto-matic the past month. Top 20 player for fantasy. Always contributes across the board and has usually been known for his efficiency. With Wall out, the volume has been there, so the access to his ceiling is being realized.
Bradley Beal:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 24 | 5 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 3/5 | 9/14 | 3/3 |
And we used to always be concerned about Beal’s potential for injury. Did I just jinx him? Oh dear. For all you Beal owners, I truly do apologize if Beal does go down. Remember my good deed. 7 turnovers. Yuck, but yummy if I was high in a pastry store.
Kelly Oubre Jr.:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 19 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4/7 | 6/11 | 3/4 |
Played 32 minutes. Gets minutes, shot attempts, and contributes in D stats. There’s more here, and it wouldn’t surprise me if he starts posting some really big games soon.
