The alerts on Channing’s phone have been going bonkers since I wrote this article. “Honey, I’m getting Google alerts for Step Up!” Jenna rolled her eyes, then placed her hand on her husband’s back, and slowly moved it in a circular motion that Miyagi would be proud of. “It’s been almost 15 years, hon. Are you sure you’re ready for this?” The reviews were not kind: This hokey, formulaic romantic drama is every bit as appalling as it sounds. Ouch. As Channing clicked on the alert, he responded with “That f@#!er Son is writing about Jayson Tatum again!”
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 24 | 8 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4/8 | 10/22 | 0 |
Soooooo close to getting his first career trip-dub. On the season, Tatum is garnering a usage rate of 31.1 and hoisting up 20.7 shots per game. He’s contributing in every cat, even 0.7 blocks per game. He’s currently the 32nd player on a per-game basis and could finish in the top 15. I’m sure this won’t be the last time I write up Tatum on the season. Hi Channing. See you next time.
Here’s what else I saw yesterday:
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Steph Curry
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 62 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 8/16 | 18/31 | 18/19 |
A career-high!!! I know, I know. I should’ve made Curry the lede. It’s a career-high for goodness sakes. I just couldn’t do Channing like that. Anyways, the hate on Steph was getting crazy recently on the Twitter machine. I was reading stuff that he was overrated and what not, but Curry came out and cooked something extra spicy for the haters on Sunday. Despite the “struggles” early on, Curry is the number three player on a per-game basis. L.O.L.
James Wiseman
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 12 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0/1 | 6/9 | 0/2 |
In 22 minutes. There was some foul trouble, but he’s only been averaging 22.4 minutes per game on the season. He looks legit as a player, as he can shoot and score from all three levels and contribute on defense. With that said, the percentages are great. He’s currently a top 150 player and could end up in the top 100. I wouldn’t expect anything higher than that, though.
Derrick Jones Jr.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0/1 | 1/2 | 1/2 |
Only played 17 minutes due to foul trouble. Airplane Mode is averaging 30.6 minutes per game on the season, but his only contributions are in steals and blocks. Fine, he will grab some boards and drain the occasional tres but he’s shooting 32% from the field and 57% from the line. Yuck. Those will likely improve to high-40s and low 70s respectively.
Jusuf Nurkic
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 7 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0/1 | 3/10 | 1/2 |
Nurkic is a top 200 player right now. Woo hoo! At least he’s not top 300, the glass is half full crowd shouts out. He’s only averaging 24.4 minutes per game and shooting 47% from the field on 8.2 attempts. Last season, he was hoisting up 13.7 shots and converting 50% of them. We know what he can do. It’s just a matter of time before he gets back into the groove. Maybe he should consult Stella.
Enes Kanter
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 24 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8/12 | 8/10 |
In 24 minutes off the bench. Kanter always provides points and boards, but he’s only averaging 21.1 minutes per game. I assume that once Nurkic gets going, his minutes will be sub-20.
Damian Lillard
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 32 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 6/15 | 10/24 | 6/7 |
Shooting 42% from the field. Once he starts spitting fire on the court as he does off it, Lillard will resume the regularly scheduled top 10 performance like we’ve become accustomed to. Not this bootleg top 30 show we are currently watching.
CJ McCollum
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 28 | 9 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2/8 | 10/23 | 6/8 |
The number four player!!! Yeah, that’s not going to continue all year. If you can find a sucker, then do it. PSA: a sucker is born every minute.
Gary Trent
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1/6 | 3/11 | 0 |
Terrible shooting night, but he was returning from injury after missing the past two games. He played 32 minutes so….class? Yo, Joe!!
Tristan Thompson
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 12 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5/10 | 2/4 |
In 27 minutes. If you need rebounds and nude pics of a Kardashian, then Tristan is your guy.
Marcus Smart
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 17 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1/5 | 5/10 | 6/6 |
Continues to start and played 34 minutes. He’s shooting 38% from the field. In his career, Smart has finished below 40% in five of six years, and the highest finish was 42%. Now, it would be Smart to not completely dismiss him because he provides those precious dimes and could be a 1/1/1 player. Guess how many 1/1/1 players there were last season?
3: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Robert Covington, and Anthony Davis.
Jaylen Brown
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 31 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 5/8 | 13/16 | 0 |
What can Brown do for you? How about average 28 points per game, which is top 5 in the NBA? Dayam. He’s currently a top 15 player on a per-game basis, as he’s shooting 59% from the field and contributing 1.7 steals, 0.7 blocks, 4.6 boards, 3.1 dimes, and 2.4 tres. To the person who chided me in the offseason for my low ranking on Brown, you were right. I was wrong. I will now perform seppuku. See you in the next life.
Jeff Teague only played 17 minutes due to an ankle injury.
Payton Pritchard
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 5 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1/3 | 2/6 | 0 |
In 28 minutes, a season-high, as he soaked up the Teague minutes. The hype has been steady for the past few months. Is he this year’s Tyler Herro? Probably not, as he’d need a ton of injuries, but he could be a viable rotation piece all season long. The front office, coaching staff, and players all love him.
Blake Griffin
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 13 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3/10 | 4/14 | 2/4 |
Returned, started, and played 29 minutes. I don’t care he doesn’t block shots anymore. It’s an event when he just plays. Yeah!
Jerami Grant
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 22 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2/6 | 8/15 | 4/4 |
I did not apply for this Grant in the offseason and it’s making me sad. The cost wasn’t free, but at an ADP of 101, it pretty much was. He’s a top 30 player on a per-game basis and is functioning in his role well. The efficiency from the field decreased as expected, but he’s a 1/1/1 player to go along with 22.8 points per game.
Josh Jackson
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 13 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2/4 | 5/10 | 1/1 |
Got the start but only played 14 minutes due to suffering an ankle injury. Svi Mykhailiuk came in for him and scored 15 points in 15 minutes.
Anthony Davis
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 17 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0/2 | 6/15 | 5/6 |
It wasn’t quite the Holy Trifecta, but it was a trifecta of trifectas nonetheless. Remember that song, 99 bottles of beer on the wall, 99 bottles of beer…..You think it will never end, but slowly and surely, the number counts down to 1. We are on 42 bottles of beer for Davis.
Kyle Kuzma got the start because of the injury to Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. He played 30 minutes and scored 11 points with 3 boards, 1 dime, and 2 blocks. Playing on the second unit is better for Kuzma, as the usage rate is 25.6, compared to 16.5 as a starter. The Lakers have this AD guy and LeBron fella. The most encouraging aspect of Kuzma’s season so far is the one block per game.
LeBron James
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 22 | 13 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3/6 | 9/16 | 1/3 |
I have a sneaky suspicion that he has a place in this league.
Here are the all-time ranks for LeBron:
- 3rd in points
- 3rd in win shares
- 24th in assists
- 32nd in games
- 8th in minutes played
- 4th in field goals
- 15th in tres
- 5th in free throws made
- 14th in steals
- 5th in trip-dubs
Wesley Matthews
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 14 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4/6 | 5/7 | 0 |
Played 27 minutes off the bench. After opening up the season with four straight games under 20 mpg, Matthews has now received 22, 25, and 27 the past three. If you need tres, a viable option. Don’t expect much of anything else.
Kyle Anderson
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 18 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1/8 | 7/19 | 3/3 |
In two games with Ja Morant on the floor, Mr. Anderson had usage rates of 14 and 18. Since he went down, the usage rate has been 27, 28, 23, and 31 last night. It’s Mr. Anderson’s matrix, and we are just living in it.
Dillon Brooks
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 9 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1/6 | 3/15 | 2/2 |
Sometimes the sauntering down by the Brooks is a pleasant, happy affair. Other times? It gets flooded by bricks. Brooks is shooting 38% on the season and he probably won’t see much improvement.
Desmond Bane
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 13 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3/4 | 5/8 | 0/1 |
In 21 minutes off the bench. Bane has seen added run recently due to the rash of injuries. When Allen returned to action, the minutes came back down to 21 minutes. He looks good out there, but need to see him move up the depth chart or get more minutes.
Bojan Bogdanovic
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 28 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6/7 | 10/13 | 2/3 |
Bojan was shooting 37% on the season, so this performance was a welcome sight. He shot 44% last season and 49% the season before that, so expect more good times ahead. For fantasy, points, tres, excellent free throw shooting, and boards are delivered by BoBo. Don’t expect much in the defensive cats.
Royce O’Neale
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 11 | 11 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3/4 | 3/4 | 2/4 |
A Rolls Royce he is not. More like a Honda Royce. Nothing luxurious but gets the job done. He plays 32 minutes per game but has a laughable usage rate of 8.4. Royce is mainly a boards contributor but will luck into some other stats by the simple virtue of being on the court.
Rudy Gobert
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 7 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2/7 | 3/6 |
One day in the future, the phrase, Hang it in the Louvre, will be replaced by, Hang it in Gobert. And there will literally be a seven-foot statue upon which to hang things from. No?
Jordan Clarkson
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 18 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2/6 | 8/13 | 0 |
In 23 minutes off the bench. Clarkson is one of the preminent microwaves off the bench. The usage rate is 27 and he’s chucking up 11.7 shots in only 22.5 minutes per game. 15.5 points, 2.2 tres, 4.5 boards, and 1 steal are good for top 80 production.
Dejounte Murray
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 4 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0/2 | 1/13 | 2/4 |
The Spurs lost 109-130. Utah is the second-best at limiting fantasy points per minute to the point guard position. Sometimes this analysis thing is EZ PZ.
Keldon Johnson
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 22 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 10/16 | 2/2 |
Got the start and played 28 minutes. The answer to all your questions is yes.
Derrick White missed the game as he stubbed the toe that he had surgery on. It sounds like White will miss the five-game road trip starting on Monday.
Nikola Jokic
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 19 | 12 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0/1 | 8/12 | 3/3 |
The 45th time Jokic has messed around. As a parent, I’d be furious. As a fantasy manager, it’s nothing but good times. Jokic is currently the number five player on a per-game basis. He’s averaging a trip-dub and shooting 61% from the field! Ha! The efficiency is obviously going to come down but he’s still a low-to-mid 50s shooter.
Jamal Murray
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 36 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3/7 | 13/20 | 7/9 |
Murray was getting overdrafted due to the Bubble. Then he was getting undervalued due to his poor start. Now, the porridge is juuuuuust right.
Will Barton shot 3-for-11 while Gary Harris went 1-of-8 from the field. The game was a blowout so Barton played 22 minutes while Harris only played 25 minutes. With that said, Barton is only shooting 35% from the field. He’s a career 43% shooter. It’s going to get better. Right? Buehler? Harris is shooting 40% from the field this season. Now, while he’s a career 45% over his career, the last three years he’s been at 42%.
Facundo Campazzo
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 15 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5/7 | 5/8 | 0 |
In 21 minutes off the bench. Prior to last night, he received at least 10 minutes of run in only one game. Now, the game was a blowout but I’d keep an eye to see if he gets more run as the season progresses.
JaMychal Green
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 14 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 3/8 | 5/10 | 1/2 |
In 27 minutes off the bench. Was his second game on the season, as he was dealing with injuries. I had him starting at power forward before the season began so I think his role increases as the season progresses.
Ed Davis
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 5 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1/4 | 3/4 |
Got the start and played 24 minutes. It sounds like it was to match up against Jokic which kind of makes sense because the Timberwolves boost fantasy points per minute to the center position by a league-high 20.09%. As Lt. Frank Drebin said, “There’s nothing to see here.”
Malik Beasley
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 25 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3/5 | 10/16 | 2/2 |
Played a team-high 38 minutes. The five dimes tied a career-high! Beasley is a shooter, both on and off the court. You better recognize!!! Beasley provides points, tres, boards, and good free-throw shooting.
Jarrett Culver
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 20 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1/4 | 8/13 | 3/6 |
Prior to this game, Culver scored a combined 34 points in five games. You do the math. Culver will provide some boards and steals. That’s about it, as the shooting efficiency isn’t great.
Naz Reid
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 13 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0/2 | 6/9 | 1/2 |
Played 23 minutes off the bench. It doesn’t matter if he starts or comes off the bench. Naz will do his thing, which is score and block some shots. Not the most Illmatic thing, but not the worst either.
Ricky Rubio
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0/3 | 3/7 | 0 |
In 18 minutes off the bench. Rubio has started three games and come off the bench for three. <insert shrug emoji> He will still provide those dimes, but the floor is low.
Anthony Edwards
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 5 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1/3 | 2/4 | 0 |
In 23 minutes off the bench. Edwards has not started a game and is only averaging 25 minutes per game. Anthony Edwards. LaMelo Ball. Anthony Edwards. LaMelo Ball. Anthony Edwards. You get the idea.
Paul George
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 39 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 7/10 | 15/24 | 2/2 |
In a team-high 38 minutes. Currently the number 10 player on a per-game basis, PG is making those who didn’t draft him spew profanity-laced tirades that have to be censored and get slapped with an R rating.
Kawhi Leonard
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 15 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0/3 | 4/21 | 7/10 |
Momma said there’d be days like this. Nothing that a defrag and reboot of the operating system can’t fix.
Deandre Ayton
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 24 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9/12 | 6/7 |
That is now back-to-back games scoring at least 20 points. Hallelujah! Praise Allah, Jesus, Mohammed, Tom Cruise, and whomever is in that rarified air. I like him Ayton and would try to buy if the price is still low.
Devin Booker
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 25 | 5 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1/3 | 7/13 | 10/12 |
Played a team-high 45 minutes. Wow! Now, the Suns may be too good for Booker’s fantasy prospects. Don’t get me wrong, he’s still going to be good, but look at the shot attempts last night: 13 for Booker, 12 for Paul, and 12 for Ayton. Booker is averaging 15.9 shots per game on the season so far. Last season he was at 18 and the two prior seasons he was at 19.5.
Jalen Brunson
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 31 | 5 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 3/7 | 11/17 | 6/6 |
Got the start and played 38 minutes because Luka Doncic was out due to a quad contusion. No worries, as Brunson did his best Luka impersonation. Luka is a system point guard!!!!
Maxi Kleber
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 16 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3/6 | 5/8 | 3/4 |
In 29 minutes off the bench. The minutes have slowly been ticking up the past few games from 17 to 20 then 27, culminating in last night’s 29. When Porzingis returns, he will go back down, but for now, Kleber can provide tres, boards, some blocks, and good percentages.
Zach LaVine
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 39 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 3/9 | 14/25 | 8/9 |
In 39 minutes. I feel like LaVine, Donovan Mitchell, and Jamal Murray are similar fantasy entities, as they all float around in the top 40-50 range.
Thomas Bryant
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 21 | 14 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1/2 | 9/12 | 2/2 |
Currently, Bryant is a top 50 player, as he’s averaging 29.4 minutes, 17.9 points, 1.3 tres, 6.7 boards, and 1 block. The field goal percentage is 66% while the free throw shooting is 63%. The field goal percentage will likely dip below 60% while the free throw shooting to improve to above 70%.
Russell Westbrook
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 24 | 5 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1/7 | 7/25 | 9/12 |
Bradley Beal
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 27 | 10 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2/5 | 9/25 | 7/9 |
BFFs with the matching stat boxes. I think it’s cute how they complement each so well in the boards and dimes. Whatever it is, matching stat boxes or friendship bracelets, it worked as the Wizards defeated the Nets, 123-122.
Davis Bertans
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 15 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4/10 | 5/12 | 1/1 |
Played a team-high 31 minutes. Woo hoo! Do they keep him coming off the bench or have him slide in and replace Deni Avdija? Regardless, it’s happy time that the minutes restriction is gone and it looks like he’s ready to roll.
Kevin Durant
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 28 | 11 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2/7 | 8/15 | 10/12 |
Played 38 minutes. Durant Durant. He’s hungry like the wolf, stalking his prey, and feasting on their defenseless carcasses.
Kyrie Irving
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 30 | 5 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 2/7 | 10/20 | 8/8 |
The number six player on a per-game basis. Kyrie says the earth is flat. Nietzsche said that time is a flat circle. Maybe Kyrie was just telling us that all his moves have been done and will continue to do up defenders as long as he is on earth. Maybe he’s been trying to tell us that he has scored and will continue to score as long as time as a construct continues to exist.
Jarrett Allen
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 14 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 3/6 | 8/9 |
Played 25 minutes off the bench, while DeAndre Jordan started but only played 15 minutes. Nash went to Jarrett!!! Man, the boards and blocks are lovely when you factor in the 78% shooting from the free throw line.
