Here’s a story of a man with two first names, who hit the age of 30, an age when most players say goodbye to their primes and buckle up for the descent below. And descend the man with two first names did, playing in 58 and 58 games the next two seasons. Many called him injury-prone and swore him off for fantasy. Father Time leaned back in the La-Z-Boy chair, grabbed the bowl of popcorn and just waited. But the man with two first names spit in the face of Father Time and proceeded to play 70, 70 and 65 games in his age 34, 35 and 36 seasons. So far this season, the man with two first names has missed five of 15 games and caused much consternation for those who drafted him. “We can squeeze one more year out of him!!!”, they said. It’s akin to having one taco left with no more freshly cut limes. You rummage through the whole table and squeeze every last drop out of what’s left. Anyways, the pain that has been felt by the Chris Paul owners has been nothing but elation for the Cameron Payne truthers. Over the last five games, he’s averaged 33.5 minutes, 15.6 field goal attempts, 20 points, 3 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 1.2 steals. On Sunday:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 21 | 7 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2/5 | 7/14 | 5/5 |
Payne has almost always balled out when given the opportunity. Paul will be re-evaluated next week so there is still some juice left to be squeezed. When Paul returns, Payne will return to a reserve role and play around 18 minutes per contest. But Paul is 37 years old and there could be many more stints on the injured list this season. Be a masochist and ask for the Payne when that scenario surfaces again.
Here’s what else I saw yesterday:
Mitchell Robinson
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1/2 | 0 |
Mr. Robinson’s Neighborhood has been closed since November 5th, a span of eight games. He played 17 minutes on Sunday off the bench. The Neighborhood should return to full capacity with full hours of operation. Isaiah Hartenstein got the start but only played 15 minutes while Jericho Sims played 16 minutes off the bench. I think Sims get cut out of the rotation but we shall see how Thibs decides to play it out.
San Quentin Grimes
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 10 | 5 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1/5 | 4/10 | 1/2 |
Grimes made his first start of the season and played 32 minutes. Evan Fournier was a DNP-CD. It was only a matter of time. I felt that Grimes was the best option but he suffered an injury during the preseason and fell behind. He’s a career 37% shooter from downtown and provides a physical presence on the defensive end that he should soak up most of the shooting guard minutes going forward.
Torrey Craig
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 14 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2/4 | 5/9 | 2/2 |
Craig has started the last seven games in place of Cameron Johnson and been serviceable. He’s a low-usage player so the points won’t be voluminous on the regular, but he has scored 14, 16, 13 and 10 over the last four games. The minutes have fluctuated as well, from 22 all the way up to 35. He will likely settle in the 28-minutes range. He can be a 1/1/1 player who will grab some boards.
Bismack Biyombo
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 5 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2/6 | 1/2 |
Played 21 minutes off the bench while Jock Landale and Dario Saric were both DNP-CDs. That’s interesting because Biyombo was inactive the prior two games. If he plays, he’s a decent source of blocks and boards.
Gordon Hayward
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 20 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3/6 | 7/16 | 3/4 |
Hayward missed eight games due to a shoulder injury, but has played 37 and 43 minutes over the last two games.
Kelly Oubre Jr.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 23 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1/7 | 10/20 | 2/2 |
I knew Oubre was having a good season but, DAYAM, I didn’t know he was having this good of a season. He’s a top 75 player on the season and, over the last eight games, he’s been top 40. He’s averaging 16.9 shots per game and 19.3 over the last eight games. The usage rate is 26.1%. He’s scored at least 20 points seven times with a high of 34. When LaMelo Ball returns to action, the volume should subside, but the efficiency could see an uptick.
Kyle Kuzma
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 28 | 10 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4/8 | 10/18 | 4/5 |
Kuuuuuuuuuuuuuuz. Kuzma will never provide the D. Maybe he’s saving that for the ladies at the after party. That makes the fellas sad but the ladies glad. We always knew that he could shoot and score but the rebounding and playmaking have developed very nicely over the years.
Corey Kispert
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 14 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2/3 | 4/7 | 4/4 |
Kispert got the start and played 32 minutes because Monte Morris did not play due to injury.
Jordan Goodwin
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1/1 | 2/4 | 0/2 |
Played 24 minutes off the bench due to Morris being out. When everyone was healthy, he was a healthy scratch.
Bradley Beal
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 26 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 3/8 | 11/22 | 1/2 |
The Beal was tender and juicy on Sunday. In fact, the Beal has been sumptuous all season long, as he’s posted top 20-ish numbers: 22.7 points, 1.9 treys, 3.7 boards, 5.8 dimes, 1.3 steals and 0.7 blocks while shooting 51% from the field and 91% from the line. He’s a career 45% shooter so that field goal percentage will come down.
Kristaps Porzingis
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 12 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 2/8 | 4/19 | 2/2 |
Deni Avdija
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 12 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0/3 | 6/11 | 0/1 |
Played 31 minutes. It’s been a strange season for Avdija. He’s played over 30 minutes four times but less than 20 seven times. He’s grabbed double-digit rebounds three times but has eight games with 2 or fewer. The shooting efficiency sucks at 40% but he can chip in some defensive stats.
Marvin Bagley III
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 15 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0/1 | 5/9 | 5/5 |
Continues to start but only played 21 minutes. He supposedly injured his finger but my tin foil hat says that the heckling from the Sacramento fans had something to do with it.
Jaden Ivey
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 24 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4/4 | 8/14 | 4/6 |
It’s amazing watching Ivey move around the court. He is on 2x while everyone is just walking around like headless chicken. There are efficiency concerns, as with most rookies, but over the last five games since Cade Cunningham has been out, the usage rate has ticked up from 24% to over 28%.
Speaking of Cade Cunningham, there is chatter that he could be out for the rest of the season. I’m picking up…..
Killian Hayes
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 9 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2/3 | 3/9 | 1/1 |
He’s shooting 31% on the season and the usage rate is 17%. He’s still only 21 years old, though, and he should play over 30 minutes a night and have every opportunity to play. Since Cade has been out, he’s averaged 31.2 minutes, 10.8 field goal attempts, 11 points, 4 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 2 steals and 0.8 blocks.
Killian me softly…
…But I’ll take the counting stats. I’m a whore.
Alec Burks
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 16 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1/5 | 4/13 | 7/8 |
In 25 minutes off the bench. Since returning to action, Burks has played 26, 17, 18 and 24 minutes, hoisting up 12, 7, 6, 10 shots and 13 shots. He won’t do much out of scoring but if scoring is what you need then scoring is what you shall receive.
Harrison Barnes
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 27 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1/2 | 8/11 | 10/11 |
A blind squirrel finds a nut from time to time. This was the third time this season that Barnes has scored at least 20 points. He has six games in single digits.
De’Aaron Fox
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 33 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2/4 | 11/18 | 9/9 |
Fox is a top 20 player on the season. He’s shooting 55% from the field and 84% from the line. Those will likely decrease. But what if they don’t? That’d be crazy like a fox from De’Aaron Fox.
Kevin Huerter
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 24 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4/11 | 10/19 | 0 |
After Huerter arrived in Sacramento….
He’s shooting 49% from the field and 51% from downtown!! Curiously, he’s only converting 66% of his free-throw attempts. This has translated to a career-high 16.1 points per game.
The Kings are leading the league with 121.4 points per game and have won six in a row!
Dillon Brooks
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 31 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3/11 | 13/30 | 2/4 |
Sauntering down to the Brooks can be an adventure. Sometimes a barrage of bricks rain down and fling mud and shit into your face. Other times, the water is serene with just buckets of points floating next to the lillipads. On Sunday, it was an enjoyable experience. With Morant and Bane out, Brooks is going to soak up a ton of usage, for better or for worse.
Steven Adams
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 15 | 10 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 7/10 | 1/8 |
Adams has been a great source of boards, defensive stats and field goal percentage. He’s shooting a laughable 23% from the line, though. Shut up! It’s not funny.
John Konchar
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 16 | 9 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2/7 | 4/11 | 6/6 |
Continues to start with Ja Morant out, and continues to ball the F out. Played 33 minutes on Sunday. Usually, he’s about the rebounds, but as displayed yesterday, isn’t a one-trick pony.
Jake LaRavia
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 11 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3/9 | 4/12 | 0 |
In 29 minutes off the bench. Many talent evaluators were high on LaRavia during the draft process and he has looked good in his time as a rookie. He may get consistent run with Morant out but things may continue to be sporadic when both Morant and Ziarie Williams return. That said, he’s getting double-digit minutes of run already.
Kyrie Irving
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 14 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2/5 | 5/12 | 2/2 |
Returned from being a menace to society and played 26 minutes in a starting role. He should get ramped up over 30 minutes real soon and return to his top 20 ways.
Ben Simmons
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 22 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 11/13 | 0/1 |
Made his first start since October 29th and played 35 minutes. I had no problems dropping him earlier for better players. My bad to the person who I recommended that to. It was going to take time physically, mentally, emotionally and chemistry-wise, being on a new team and all. I tweeted out last week about how the Warriors were 6-9 and that they needed time to gel with the new players. The Celtics were 7-8 after 15 games last season. It took them time to figure things out. They turned out alright. Translation: I’m a dumbass.
Yuta Watanabe
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 16 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4/6 | 6/9 | 0 |
In 25 minutes off the bench. You wanna, I wanna, Yuta wanna make all us fantasy nerds scream in ecstasy. He’s shooting 60% from the field and 55% from downtown! As with any orgasm, it can’t last forever. Consult a doctor if it does.
Nikola Jovic
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 7 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1/6 | 2/9 | 2/2 |
With Jimmy Butler out again, Jovic made his third consecutive start and played 32 minutes. He showed out well during preseason and the game hasn’t been too big when the lights turned on. The efficiency is a concern, as with most rookies, but you can see the potential. Plus, you can’t teach height. Jovic is 6-foot-10 and can make it rain from downtown.
Bam Adebayo
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 21 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 7/14 | 7/7 |
Returned from a two-game absence due to injury and played 27 minutes. God is good.
Cedi Osman
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 20 | 12 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4/11 | 8/17 | 0 |
In 37 minutes off the bench! Cedi is so Osman! The Cavs were up by 17 points at halftime and eventually won, 113-87, so tons of blowout run. Osman was awesome regardless. Can’t take that away.
Stephen Curry
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 33 | 6 | 15 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 7/14 | 11/20 | 4/5 |
The Curry has been especially spicy this season. How spicy you ask? He’s the #1 player for fantasy on a per-game basis. I downgraded him because I thought he would sit games and wouldn’t get a full complement of minutes. I’m a stupid, stupid man. Curry has missed one game this season, has played in both back-to-backs and is averaging 34.6 minutes per game.
Klay Thompson
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 41 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 10/13 | 14/23 | 3/4 |
The other Splash Brother hasn’t been doing too much splashing this season, as he’s shooting 36% from the field. He’s never shot under 40% from the field. He’s at 33% from downtown. Regression happened in one night! Klay has now scored at least 40 points 15 times in his career. He’s made at least 10 treys in six games. He aiight.
Jabari Smith Jr.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 22 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3/9 | 8/14 | 3/4 |
Smith is shooting 33% from the field on the season and he’s only averaging 0.3 steals per game. Smith is going to get better in both as the season progresses. Still tons of upside. He’s not a high-usage player, though, so if that’s what you’re expecting, then move along.
Kevin Porter Jr.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 30 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5/11 | 10/19 | 5/6 |
The 7th time KPJ has scored at least 3o points in a game. He has a 50-burger on his ledger! The efficiency will always be a concern, but he’s getting the volume and opportunities. The usage rate is 26.5% and he’s contributing 6.1 boards, 5.8 dimes and 1.4 steals.
Tari Eason
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 19 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1/5 | 8/14 | 2/2 |
In 23 minutes off the bench. Play the man, uh, I mean kid, uh, I mean man. Whatever. Play him!
Alperen Sengun
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 4 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1/3 | 2/2 |
I wouldn’t worry too much about this performance as he came into the game with a sore groin. The more concerning things are that he’s played over 30 minutes just twice this season and the return of Bruno Fernando at some point could push him back to a reserver role. Good times. NOT!
DeAndre Jordan
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 8 | 17 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4/5 | 0/1 |
He lives! Got the start and played 34 minutes. I miss Nikola Jokic.
Bones Hyland
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 29 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3/8 | 10/21 | 6/6 |
In 35 minutes off the bench. Jokic, Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon did not play on Sunday. With those three off the court this season, Bones has a 34.9% usage rate.
Josh Green
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 23 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6/7 | 8/9 | 1/2 |
In 30 minutes off the bench and a career-high! Green got played out of the rotation last season due to his inabillity to shoot. Well, he’s shooting 63% from the field this season and draining 44% of his treys. For fantasy, he’s a 3-and-D player with upside because he’s super athletic.
Christian Wood
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 5 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2/3 | 1/2 |
In only 17 minutes off the bench. A season-low and first time under 20 minutes. Wood has scored at least 20 points six times but now has three games with single-digit points. Yuck. Limp Wood.
The Spurs got Wembanyama’d, 123-92 on Sunday. Only one player scored more than 12 points. No blurbs for you!
Anthony Davis
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 30 | 18 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0/2 | 12/19 | 6/6 |
LeBron James missed another game so Atlas Davis carried the load once again and delivered victory. Just stay healthy my sweet Atlas. Just stay healthy. Shaq, hook up Atlas with all the Icy Hot you can muster.
Austin Reaves
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 21 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3/4 | 7/11 | 4/4 |
Hillbilly Kobe! Made his third straight start and fifth in last six games. In the prior five games, Reaves averaged 33.4 minutes, 13.8 points, 4.6 boards, 2.4 dimes and 1.2 treys. He may return to a reserve role when LeBron returns but he’s such a good connecting piece that he may remain with the starters.
Thomas Bryant
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 15 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5/5 | 5/8 |
Played 23 minutes off the bench. Since returning, TB has played 13 and 23 minutes. Damian Jones is toast and I could see Bryant becoming a big factor going forward.
