For the first four years of Terry Rozier‘s career, he shot under 40% from the field. Boston fans were trying to figure out ways to bend the space/time continuum so that they could travel back to December 16, 1773, stuff Rozier into a wooden crate, and throw him/it into the harbor. Mercifully, Rozier was traded to the Hornets and the field goal percentage increased to 42%. With no harbors close to Charlotte, that must’ve taken a huge weight off of his shoulders. The efficiency continued to improve over the next two seasons and Terry was no longer scary to his teammates and organization. Instead, he was scary for the opposition. But, but, but….Scary Terry reared his ugly head once again this season. No, not that Scary Terry. The other Scary Terry. For the first 27 games this season, Rozier was shooting 38% from the field and 30% from downtown. In 13 games since the calendar flipped from 2022 to 2023, he’s converted 46% of his attempts and 38% from downtown. Last night, he continued the trend:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 31 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5/11 | 11/19 | 4/5 |
Rozier has been a top 30-ish player on a per-game basis over the last 13 games. The usage rate is in the 28% range and he is fulfilling preseason expectations. Will it continue? The efficiency will likely come down a bit, but he seems to finally be in a groove. Now, there is the chance that he gets traded, which would likely put a huge dent into his value because the usage rate will probably plummet. I’d look to sell high on this recent run. The future seems a little too scary for my tastes.
Here’s what else I saw yesterday:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 28 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 11/14 | 6/7 |
Butler attempted only seven shots against Dallas and New Orleans last week. Prior to that, he attempted double-digit shots in six games. Then he missed the game against Boston due to irritation in his right shoulder. Jimmy has a tendency to just go with the flow and work within the confines of the offense, so the low usage and aggression now makes more sense. On Friday, Butler went 10-of-17 from the field for 29 points and put up this game yesterday. Yeah, I’d say Butler is back and no longer needs help making sure his house is in order.
Victor Oladipo
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 9 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1/5 | 4/12 | 0 |
In 32 minutes off the bench. About a month ago, Dipo became a significant part of the rotation, playing over 30 minutes off the bench. He was contributing across the board and shooting efficiently from the field. Over the last six games or so, the production has been erratic. He’s attempted fewer than 10 shots in four of those contests and is converting 20% of his attempts from downtown. He’s still contributing a little something something in everything but blocks but he had played 22 and 23 minutes in the two games before yesterday. He did miss the first two months of the season so maybe he’s getting worn down a bit. Something to monitor.
PJ Washington
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 27 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3/7 | 11/19 | 2/2 |
Washington can get buckets but is very streaky. The Hornets definitely have a type. Washington is shooting 44% from the field but he has 11 games this season converting below 30%. Gross. He went 0-of-13 in a game. GROSS. With that out of the way, I do like Washington a lot, for both redraft and dynasty leagues. He’s versatile and can defend 1 through 5 if need be. He’s 6-foot-7 and 230 pounds with a 7-foot-2 wingspan. The Hornets have talked about extending him and he’s essentially a 1/1/1 player.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 19 | 7 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 4/13 | 7/17 | 1/1 |
Ball is an amazing player but has issues with shooting efficiency. SHOCKER! He’s shooting 40% from the field this season and is a career 42% shooter from the field. That said, he’s a threat to mess around on any given night. He’s missed a ton of games due to left ankle injuries but he’s played 37 and 36 minutes over the past two games and…..
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 27 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2/9 | 9/20 | 7/8 |
Led the Pacers in shot attempts, points and rebounds. Mathurin isn’t starting but is playing over 30 minutes off the bench. Both physically and mentally, he’s been able to, not only hang in the league, but flourish. For fantasy, he doesn’t do much outside of scoring and rebounding, though, and the efficiency can be troublesome at times.
No Indiana starter attempted double-digit shots. TJ McConnell put up a bagel while Buddy Hield went for 3 points and Chris Duarte scored nine. No blurbs for you!!!
Such a strange game. The Pacers led by 9 after one, extended the lead to 12 going into halftime. Then the Grizzlies held them to 17 and 21 points while scoring 30 and 32 themselves for the 112-100 victory.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 28 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 3/8 | 12/19 | 1/2 |
In 38 minutes. When JJJ puts it all together on a consistent basis, it’s going to be a sight to behold. We will likely just start calling him J. That’s when you know you’ve made it. Actually, Prince was the pinnacle by getting to the symbol level, but one letter is the next closest thing. JJJ is third in total blocks despite playing only 34 games. Claxton and Lopez are above him but have played 46 and 48 games respectively.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1/7 | 2/11 | 0 |
Sauntering down to the Brooks can be a day filled with rainbows and butterflies fluttering through the air or….
Hope no one got hurt.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 27 | 10 | 15 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1/6 | 9/21 | 8/9 |
Stuffing the stat sheet and messing around for the 9th time in his career. Is that good? Ja. Morant is a perfect example of why God should not smoke weed. Hmmmm, I wonder what would happen if I mix flea DNA into a human.
Both Kawhi Leonard and Paul George did not play on Sunday.
The Clippers predictably lost by the count of 122-99. No blurbs for you!!!
Moses Brown went for 13 points and 16 rebounds in 26 minutes off the bench.
Brandon Boston Jr. led the team with 24 points on 9-of-19 shooting.
The Cavs were up by 30 points at halftime. As a result, no player played at least 30 minutes.
Cedi Osman
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 29 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7/7 | 11/13 | 0 |
What an Osman performance in only 22 minutes! That’s how bad the Clippers were. Cedi had scored at least 20 points three times this season, the last time happening on December 19.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 18 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3/7 | 4/12 | 7/8 |
Got the start and played 29 minutes because CJ McCollum was out with a sprained right thumb. I love Alvarado. For the GTA’ing. For the headband. For the way he plays. For the….I just love the guy! The shooting efficiency sucks but he’s 16th in total steals despite starting only eight games and averaging 22 minutes per contest.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 10 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1/4 | 4/10 | 1/2 |
In 24 minutes off the bench. Over the last six games, Nance has played 28, 22, 23, 26, 27 and 24 minutes. Willie Green has been utilizing him as the small-ball center, which has infringed upon the playing time of Jonas Valanciunas. Both can be productive and useful for fantasy, but the ceiling is obviously crimped.
Kira Lewis Jr.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 15 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1/3 | 7/11 | 0 |
Played 27 minutes off the bench. Lewis had played a total of 48 minutes prior to yesterday. The Bucks won 135-110 so don’t think that this is the NWO.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 50 | 13 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3/4 | 20/26 | 7/12 |
People were ready to stick a fork into G….and for good reason, as he was close to being a top 200 player on a per-game basis. The defensive stats were down, turnovers were up and the free throw shooting was bad…again. That said, the usage rate was sky high and the points, boards and dimes were plentiful. He was dealing with some injuries and I think he was shouldering too much responsibility on the offensive end, which affected his efficiency, turnovers and sapped energy away from the defensive end of the floor. Khris Middleton is now back, although, he’s coming off the bench, but G has been rejuvenated recently. Coincidence? Perhaps but whatever. He’s balling and that’s all that matters. G has now scored at least 50 points five times in his career.
The Bucks won 135-110. With G’s 50-piece, only two other Bucks scored in double-digits, and those were 15 and 17 points. Ridiculous.
