I’ve always been fascinated with how humans can control other objects. The Shaolin monks are able to access the energy of the universe and light things on fire from a distance. Think Ryu’s Hadoken from Street Fighter. Random people can spin a 10-pound ball down a lane and knock down pins. Others can use a stick and make a ball spin like planets in an orbit around a table. For hoops, the ultimate joy is making the net dance after launching the ball into the air with the perfect amount of backspin. I always appreciated the chain-linked nets. There was nothing better than that sound. In the NBA, there’s no need to ghettofy things as they can supply the finest nylon for their nets. On Sunday, Julius Randle was the conductor of a nylon ballet, putting on a show for the Detroit crowd.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 42 | 15 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4/7 | 15/24 | 8/8 |
His career high in points is 46 points for you inquiring minds. Randle has now topped 40 points twice this season. And what a season he’s having, averaging 24.5 points, 2.7 treys, 10.5 boards, and 3.8 dimes. The defensive stats will always be on the lighter side but that triumvirate of points, boards and dimes is heavenly. Randle is a top 55 player on the season. It may be tough to replicate that top 40 season from two seasons ago, since he won’t match the dimes due to the presence of Jalen Brunson, but it’s a possibility if he contributes more in the defensive cats, especially since he takes care of the ball better now.
Here’s what else I saw yesterday:
Mitchell Robinson
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 4 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2/6 | 0 |
It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood. A beautiful day in the neighborhood. Won’t you be mine? Mr. Rogers always bugged me as a kid because I thought his act was lame. As I’ve gotten older, my respect and appreciation for him has grown immensely. Some of his stories about how he treats others are fantastic. So, I’m all about Mr. Rogers’ neighborhood. Mr. Robinson’s neighborhood? Ehhh, not so much. The lights go out permaturely at times and too much time spent repairing the roads. That said, it’s a neighborhood that provides plenty of goodies at times, especially in the steals and blocks departments. Sunday was one of those days. We are blessed.
RJ Barrett
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 13 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1/4 | 4/10 | 4/8 |
Since returning from injury, Barrett has now played 41, 32 and now 27 minutes on Sunday. That’s not a good trend. The usage rate has been 28.5%, 19.7%, and 23.5%. On the season, that number has been 26%. I don’t think this is the NWO but it’s something to monitor, especially since Brunson and Randle have been absolutely balling as of late.
Saddiq Bey
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 21 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5/10 | 6/14 | 4/4 |
Bey started the prior four games and averaged 32.9 minutes, 17.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.8 dimes, 0.8 steals, 0.8 blocks and 1.3 treys. Oh, Bey Bey! I wanna get witchu. And take your picture. Bey has been starting due to injuries, though. He will likely revert back to playing in the low-20s when everyone is healthy, but you never know. He may be building some equity with Dwayne Casey now. As Bruce Lee said, be like water.
Eric Gordon
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 24 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1/5 | 8/16 | 7/8 |
There are only four players older than 25 on the Rockets: Garrison Mathews (26), Jae’Sean Tate (27), Boban Marjanovic (34), and Gordon (34). The eldest stateman is still averaging 29.6 minutes and hoisting up 5.3 treys per game. He can still get buckets but this was the first time eclipsing the 20-point barrier this season. He also does not contribute much in any other category. So, the answer to your question is NO.
Kenyon Martin Jr.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 22 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1/3 | 9/14 | 3/4 |
With Kevin Porter Jr. out the last two games, Martin has entered the starting lineup and played 34 and 33 minutes. He went for 6 points and 4 rebounds in the other contest, shooting only 1-of-6 from the field, so the range of outcomes is wide. When KPJ returns, KMJ will return to a reserve role and play around 20 minutes.
Kawhi Leonard
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 30 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 3/5 | 12/24 | 3/3 |
Kawhi played 39, 36 and 38 minutes prior to Sunday’s game. The Clippers lost two of the contests as Paul George has been unable to play. On Sunday morning, he unplugged himself from the charging station, downloaded the newest operating system and guidance chips, copied the scouting reports then switched to ALL BUSINESS mode.
Terance Mann
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 31 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5/8 | 12/16 | 2/3 |
Terance was THE Mann on Sunday, playing a team-high 41 minutes. He has been starting for George. Mann has shown the capacity to get buckets and has a career-high of 39 points. That said, he has been inconsistent this season, scoring in double figures just 16 times. It’s not all on him, though, as he hasn’t always been given the minutes, which is tough when everyone is healthy.
Stephen Curry
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 20 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 3/10 | 8/15 | 1/2 |
Since returning from a shoulder injury, Curry has played 31, 23 and 34 minutes. Curry has scored 24, 15 and 20 points. The sky is falling! The sky is falling! Interestingly, all three games were decided by double-digits, as the Warriors lost by 12 points to the Suns, beat down the Spurs by 31 and lost to the Bulls by 14 on Sunday. Golden State is currently sitting at 8th in the Western Conference, so the playoffs are still within reach. Curry will starting cooking again, and when things start to boil, the Curry is going to be extra spicy.
Anthony Lamb
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 14 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2/3 | 4/5 | 4/5 |
In 22 minutes off the bench. There is no silencing this Lamb! He’s played double-digit minutes in each of the last 22 games with nine of those over 20 minutes. He’s scored at least 10 points in eight of those contests.
Klay Thompson
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 26 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8/15 | 9/21 | 0 |
Nikola Vucevic
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 43 | 13 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 5/10 | 18/31 | 2/2 |
Tied a career-high! Vucevic has now scored over 40 points four times in his career. Surprisingly, this is the 11th time he’s racked up at least 4 steals and his career-high is 6.
Zach LaVine
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 27 | 9 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1/8 | 7/18 | 12/14 |
LaVine has been on quite the tear recently. Over the last eight games, he’s been a top 15 player, averaging 29.1 points, 3.9 treys, 5.9 boards, 4.6 dimes, 0.8 steals and 0.8 blocks. LaVine has never averaged more than 0.5 blocks in a season so don’t get too excited about those. The most important thing is that he looks healthy and explosive and has played in the last four back-to-backs.
Josh Giddey
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 28 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1/4 | 12/21 | 3/4 |
Over the last four games, Giddey has averaged 22.8 points, 0.8 treys, 9.5 boards, 8.3 dimes, and 0.8 blocks while shooting 53% from the field and 92% from the line. The usage rate has been 27.8%. That’s translated to top 25 production. Chip Engelland has done wonders for Giddey’s J, which has unlocked his game. Last season, Giddey shot 41% from the field. He’s at 47% this season.
Royce O’Neale
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 11 | 10 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2/6 | 4/10 | 1/2 |
Royce has messed around once in his career. He came oh so close on Sunday to notching his second. He’s a top 100 player on the season and has been contributing a little something something in every category. He’s oh so close to being a 1/1/1 player. What a time to be alive.
Nic Claxton
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 17 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 7/10 | 3/6 |
We knew Claxton was going to see an increase in playing time this season but…..
Claxton is a top 30 player on the season, grabbing 8.5 boards and blocking 2.7 shots per game. He’s also converting 73% of his 7.3 field goal attempts. The 2.7 blocks per game are tops in the league. Only Brook Lopez, Myles Turner and Walker Kessler are averaging over 2 blocks per contest.
Seth Curry
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 23 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3/8 | 9/15 | 2/2 |
The Universe cannot handle too much Curry, so it decided to split up the goodness on Sunday.
Domantas Sabonis
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 18 | 18 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0/1 | 7/14 | 4/4 |
What. A. Freaking. Beast. The Chinese fans will be ecstatic about his stat line as well. While the defensive stats will likely never be there, he’s averaging 18.9 points, 12.5 boards and 7.1 dimes. Walmart Jokic? The usage rate is only 20.6%!!! Sabonis is leading the league with 32 dub-dubs, three more than Jokic. Walmart Sabonis?
HarriSON Barnes
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 29 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4/6 | 8/11 | 9/11 |
Mehrrison Barnes has been meh for much of the season. Over the last six games, though, there’s been a disturbance in the Mehriverse, as Barnes has been a top 25 player! What the?! Like Haley’s Comet, this too shall disappear into the black void of the universe.
Jakob Poeltl
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 23 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 10/12 | 3/6 |
Just trade him already so we can see what his role is going to be.
Tre Jones
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 16 | 7 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0/1 | 7/13 | 2/2 |
Jones is a top 80 player on the season but he’s had bouts of being a top 50 player. He’s not the boyfriend that rides a Harley, smokes and has tatoos on his arms. No, Jones wears the Izod shirts and checks his 401k every night. Despite garnering a usage rate over 20%, Jones is turning the ball over fewer than 2 times a game while dishing out 6 dimes. He’s shooting 48% from the field over the last month and converts 89% of his free throw attempts on the season. Since Devin Vassell was lost, he’s upped the scoring from 13.8 to 18 points per game while grabbing around 4 rebounds. That ain’t bad, yo. By the way, Better Call Saul is excellent.
Josh RichardSON
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 21 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4/6 | 8/13 | 1/1 |
In 30 minutes off the bench. Richardson has now scored at least 20 points five times this season. Over the last four five games, he’s played 29, 25, 23, 21 and 30 minutes.
Markelle Fultz
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 20 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 1/1 | 8/10 | 3/6 |
I should call Fultz Six Flags because of how tumultuous his career arc has been. He was an unstoppable force in college, was selected as the number one pick in the NBA Draft, then couldn’t shoot after he tweaked his mechanics. More injuries after that but he’s back baby! Fultz is driving, dishing, scoring and stealing en route to a top 100-ish season for fantasy. The free throw shooting is the big bugaboo along with the lack of treys but whatever. The rest of the package is good and he’s only 24 years old, so we likely haven’t seen the ceiling yet.
Bol Bol
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 17 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0/1 | 8/12 | 1/1 |
Since returning from health and safety protocols, Bol Bol has played 18 minutes in each contest. The Magic are now healthy so it looks like the 25 to 30 minutes of run he was getting earlier are kaput. Bol Bol is actually pretty bad for the real-life Magic because his defense is not good. Sure, he can block the occassional shot (0 in the last two games) but his awareness and agility are subpar.
Aaron Gordon
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 25 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2/3 | 9/13 | 5/11 |
If only Gordon could shoot free throws!!! He’s at 59% on the season on a healthy 4.7 attempts. The rest of the package is sweet, though. Only 0.2 blocks and 0.2 steals from being a 1/1/1 player.
Nikola Jokic
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 17 | 10 | 14 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 1/4 | 8/11 | 0 |
Hit the game-winner with a step-back from the top of the arc. It truly is a Jokic how ridiculously good Nikola is. He leads the league with 12 trip-dubs and is second in dub-dubs with 24.
Christian Wood
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 23 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1/8 | 8/22 | 6/7 |
With no Luka Doncic in this one, Wood was expected to rise up to the challenge, and he delivered a rock solid performance. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough as the Trail Blazers gave the Mavericks blue balls with the 140-123 beat down. It’s still kind of crazy that Jason Kidd had Wood coming off the bench for much of the early season. I get it but still. Anyways, Wood has been a top 10 player for fantasy over the last 16 games. Yummy.
Spencer Dinwiddie
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 28 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2/6 | 7/15 | 12/14 |
Dinwiddie scores and dishes out dimes. He’s lacking in the other categories, so it’s fitting that he provided plenty of bagels on Sunday.
Jaden Hardy
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 25 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3/10 | 8/17 | 6/9 |
The Mavericks traded up for Hardy for a reason: they love his potential. The shooting efficiency was the main knock on him in the predraft process, and he’s shooting 41% on the season. But, but, but….Over the last seven games, he’s converted 47% of his attempts. When he’s on the court, he’s garnering a robust usage rate (28% on the season). Over the last three games, it’s been over 30% in each contest. He’s benefitted from injuries but he may become a bigger part of the rotation as the season progresses.
Damian Lillard
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 40 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4/9 | 10/17 | 16/16 |
Just another cool 40-piece for Dame $, the 45th time he’s scored at least 40 in a game. For you inquiring minds, his highs are 60, 61 and 61.
Josh Hart
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 8 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1/6 | 3/11 | 1/2 |
Hart is averaging 8.3 boards per game, good for 28th in the league. He is the only guard in the top 30.
Joel Embiid
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 35 | 11 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2/5 | 12/21 | 9/12 |
The number 3 player for fantasy on a per-game basis. Embiid has missed 11 games this season. He’s such a beast that he’s still the number 6 player from a totals perspective.
James Harden
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 24 | 7 | 13 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4/7 | 9/15 | 2/2 |
I’ve never been crazy about Harden. Maybe it’s the beard. Are there birds living in there? How often does he clean it? Especially after all those trips to the strip club? I’ve got questions. Over time, though, I’ve garnered a greater appreciation for him from both a real-life and fantasy viewpoint. I think he gets a bad rap. The dude can do it all and play in any environment. He’s such a professional getter of buckets that he literally had an offense designed around him just ISO’ing all game. I’m not sure how many players could handle that responsibility season after season and be productive. Ok, I’m done slobbering over Harden.
Tyrese Maxey
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 16 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1/5 | 6/13 | 3/4 |
Played 33 minutes off the bench, while De’Anthony Melton remained in the starting lineup. I think this is the right thing for the 76ers. Have Melton in the starting lineup because the defense is much better with him. Maxey fits perfectly as the microwave off the bench. With Harden and Embiid in the starting lineup, they don’t need another scorer.
LeBron James
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 35 | 8 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1/5 | 15/23 | 4/5 |
James eclipsed the 38,000 point club on Sunday. He and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar are the only two players in NBA history to accomplish the feat. So crazy. James has around 300 more points to surpass Kareem. I’ve seen Magic. I’ve seen MJ. I’ve seen Kareem. LeBron is the GOAT. The combination of size, athleticism, skill, IQ, and longevity is unrivaled.
Russell Westbrook
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 20 | 14 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2/5 | 7/14 | 4/5 |
Westbrook has now messed around 211 times. Wilt is getting jealous while Deshaun Watson is asking for pointers. With his most recent trip-dub on Sunday, he has the most off the bench. Such meaningless stats! That said, he has been providing an orgy of counting stats lately. The crazy thing is that he’s still barely a top 200 player for fantasy. The 41% FG% on 13.7 attempts, 67% FT% on 4.3 attempts and 3.7 turnovers are killers.
