Sorry about last week, but not really all that sorry. Thanksgiving is like a vacation for everything but my digestive system. Had a great time with family and did some fun stuff. Did pick up the box scores from the past few days, here’s some juicy chicken nuggets for ya.
Celtics: Derrick White has actual foot soreness, and Payton Pritchard has been picking up his minutes along with Sam Hauser. Both are worth picking up to see how long this lasts as they’ve picked up White and Jaylen Brown’s minutes. Ride it for a bit. Neemas Queta is done, though, if you’ve been keeping him around.
Mavs: It’s been sorta noisy lately in Dallas. Luka Doncic is back, so that’s an obvious hold. Kyrie Irving hurt his shoulder, so that’s an obvious negative if you own him. Quenton Grimes picked up 35 minutes, Jaden Hardy 23, and Spencer Dinwiddie 34 their past game against Portland. Dinwiddie is the internet’s preferred grab, but don’t sleep on Grimes and his 3 point ability. Derek Lively is out with a knee thing but it shouldn’t be too long. Anyway, there’s a lot of talent on this roster so we need to see how it shakes out.
Spurs: Stephen Castle looks like he’s going to be the starting guard for the next 10-15 years. 32 his last game, he’s the most talented guard on the roster, and he’s going to take off. I keep expecting Julien Champagne to lose minutes, but here he is last game hovering around at 30. Devin Vassel is theoretically a better player but maybe they think his name is Cassel and he should always be a backup like his dad Sam, who had a different last name but they’re confused, right?
Kings: Ooopsie! Malik Monk moved back into the starting lineup and played 34 minutes. Apologies for last time recommending Keon Ellis. Move on from Ellis, Monk is the guy.
Pacers: Tristan Newton is regularly playing 2-3 minutes per game. I just want to mention him, he was a fun watch as an East Carolina Pirate before he transferred out. First ECU guy since Blue Edwards (yes, I’m claiming him as ECU, screw you Danny Hurley!) Be on the lookout for a Tyrese Haliburton shutdown. He’s not right, and sit on TJ McConnell. Not literally, he might take that awkwardly.
Wizards: I guess we have to acknowledge they exist and can accumulate fantasy stats. Here’s their minutes from Saturday night
Malcolm Brogdon: 30
Jordan Poole: 34
Jonas Valenciunas: 30 (this is a big deal!)
Alex Sarr: 36
Bilal Coulibaly: 32
Corey Kispert: 30
Kyle Kuzma missed this one, but still you can see a clear top seven when the Kooooz gets back. They will actively look to trade Brogdon and JV, even Poole, and then develop the kids. These seven should remain safe.
Hornets: This is not a drill. Mark Williams warmed up before a game. When healthy he’s startable, but may have a minutes limit for a while. I’m not running to grab him, but you might, and that’s okay! LaMelo Ball and Tre Mann are both out in a time period labeled as “weeks.” Vasilije Misic is hard to spell, but easy to find on the wire and should be started. Nic Richards is backing up Moussa Diabite for now, and it might even last but we just don’t know because this team has injuries all the time. They have a quality starting five injured at this very moment, actually. Frustrating for fans and managers alike.
Sixers: Another hot mess. Andre Drummond messed his ankle up and is done for a long time. Just avoid all big men from Philly. Guerschon Yabusele is now starting and Jared McCain benching. Kinda weird, but I get it rotation wise. McCain still logged 29 minutes so he can now sing and dance to “Hakuna Matata” and get lots of views and likes.
