I used to spend hours upon hours upon hours upon hours playing franchise mode in NBA 2K. I was a fantasy draft guy, so I’d draft my team. Then I’d go into the playbook and select all the plays I wanted for my offensive system. The rotations and minutes distribution would be all taken care of. I’d make sure the players were happy with their roles, and ensure contracts were all taken care of. Finally, I’d spend hours upon hours upon hours upon hours tweaking the sliders so that the game would play as realistically as possible. One slider in particular would always cause me much consternation: the injury slider. If I put it too low, then no one would ever get injured and the simulation experience would be tainted. On the other hand, if I put it too high, then I’d want to throw my controller into the wall….repeatedly. Well, whoever is handling the NBA matrix has put the injury slider too high! Just yesterday, Brandon Ingram‘s knee tightened up before the game and will now have an MRI on Tuesday. Danuel House suffered back contusions and left the game after 12 minutes. De’Aaron Fox sprained his ankle during practice and will be out at least 3-4 weeks. Finally, Gordon Hayward will be out six weeks after undergoing surgery on his injured hand. Whew! Beep. Boop. Bop. You know what never gets injured and is always there working for you? The Stocktonator. O. G. Anunoby left after 2 minutes due to an eye injury. Landry Shamet only played 12 minutes due to an ankle injury. Now, from a fantasy perspective, if Ingram misses time, then Josh Hart will likely start in his place. Jrue Holiday should be the one to soak up the most usage. If House is unable to play, Ben McLemore would likely replace him in the starting lineup. With Fox out for a while, Cory Joseph will likely start but Bogdan Bogdanovic probably benefits the most. There’s been talk that Fox could be out more than 3-4 weeks, and when he does return, he won’t be as explosive. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson should see a bump in playing time if Anunoby misses time. As for Shamet, Rodney McGruder could see more run or Lou Williams may get a few more minutes. Not sure there’s a direct beneficiary from the situation, but we will monitor to see how Doc decides to play it. Since we can’t rage quit and press reset on the box, we must make do with what we have and offer sacrifices to the injury gods.
Here’s what else I saw last night:
Andrew Wiggins
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 33 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3/5 | 12/20 | 6/8 |
Gettin’ Wiggy Wit It….
Here’s what I wrote yesterday about Wiggins:
Last season, Wiggy Wiggy Wiggins shot 41% from the field. This year? 46%. All offseason, the Timberwolves tried to get Wiggins to stop shooting the midrange shots, and either attack the rim or shoot from downtown. Well, he’s increased the shots from inside 10 feet almost 5% from last season. Hmmm, 41% to 46%. 5%. Illuminati was here. In addition, he’s making over 2 tres per game for the first time in his career. And he’s averaging over 1 block for??? Yup, the first time in his career.
Welcome to the 2019 fantasy season.
Josh Okogie
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0/2 | 0/4 | 2/2 |
Got the start because Jeff Teague was out due to illness. The answer to your question is no.
Blake Griffin
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 19 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1/3 | 6/12 | 6/8 |
Lake made his season debut and played 24 minutes. Lake can and will mess around plenty this season, but he rarely brings the D. Good thing he’s not trying to join the professional orgy circuit.
Tony Snell
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 16 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4/6 | 5/7 | 2/2 |
Continues to start and played 31 minutes. In 11 games so far, Snell is averaging 29.1 minutes and 2.5 tres. That Snells good. Unfortunately, he’s a 3-and-nothing-else player. P. U.
Andre Drummond
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 11 | 12 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 4/12 | 3/3 |
Prior to last night’s game, Dre had a usage rate of 26.6. Last night, the usage rate was 22.2 with Blake back in the mix. He’s still going to get his and contribute across the board, so don’t sharpen the seppuku knives.
Derrick Rose
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 6 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0/2 | 3/13 | 0 |
Got the start but only played 20 minutes. The hamstring looked fine. Unfortunately, the shot did not. It will probably take some time to figure out everything, as the offense incorporates Griffin.
Luke Kennard
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 25 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4/9 | 8/17 | 5/5 |
Played a team-high 40 minutes and led the team in points. Luke (I am your father), is a top 65 player for fantasy right now, contributing points, tres, boards, and dimes. Like Lake, he doesn’t provide the D, but there were never any expectations for those in the first place.
Langston Galloway
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 18 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4/6 | 7/11 | 0/1 |
Galloway has scored double figures in seven straight games. He provides tres and some D from time to time, but he’s mainly a tres guy. He’s always been an inconsistent shooter, and the Pistons are getting healthier, but Andrew Wiggins is a top 50 player so anything is possible.
Clint Capela
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 11 | 20 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5/6 | 1/4 |
C & C continues to make that beautiful music. The boards, field goal percentage, and blocks are elite. He also gets his 211 on. Now, no contributions in tres and the free throw shooting is still atrocious, but he’s still a top 35 player.
James Harden
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 39 | 4 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 3/11 | 13/25 | 10/14 |
Meh. Only 39 points and 9 dimes. Scrub.
Russell Westbrook
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 26 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 1/8 | 11/21 | 3/4 |
Russ, I know I’m just some dude writing from his mom’s basement, but you’re shooting 23% from downtown. Stop. He’s also shooting 65% from the line, but the usage rate is still 30.2.
Derrick Favors
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 13 | 12 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6/8 | 1/1 |
Got the start and played 29 minutes. Finally! A Favors was returned! The environment in New Orleans is ripe for Favors, and last night was a glimpse of what is possible. He just needs to stay healthy.
J. J. Redick
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 24 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7/15 | 7/16 | 3/3 |
Got the start and played 37 minutes. He was left for dead early in the season, but the rash of injuries have allowed him an opportunity to produce. You need tres? Well, J. J. is Redick in that category when he gets the run.
Jrue Holiday
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 18 | 9 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 0/7 | 6/21 | 6/8 |
Aaaaaaaaaaalllllllllllllmmmmmmmmmmoooooooooost messed around. Jrue has been on a Holiday for fantasy, primarily due to the 36% shooting from the field, but he’s still contributing everywhere else. He will be a top 25 player sooner than later. If Ingram does miss time, that sooner could be sooner than sooner.
Josh Hart
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 19 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 4/6 | 5/8 | 5/8 |
Got the start and played 30 minutes for Brandon Ingram. In four starts this season, Hart is a top 35 player, contributing points, tres, boards, and steals.
Kenrich Williams
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 8 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2/7 | 3/8 | 0 |
Got the start and played 38 minutes. Williams is a low usage player who can provide tres, boards, and steals. He could get a ton of run in the short term due to all the injuries.
Jae Crowder
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 8 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1/3 | 3/5 | 1/2 |
Crowder is averaging 30.2 minutes, 2 tres, 5.6 boards, 3 dimes, and 1.2 steals. The shooting efficiency sucks, but he’s playing a ton and MEM is one of the fastest-paced offenses in the league.
Dillon Brooks
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 21 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1/4 | 8/17 | 4/6 |
Down by the Brooks, there are those lying on a picnic blanket with a bowl of Crowder and a loaf of bread with Dillon spread on top. The blurb for Crowder is the same for Brooks, except that Crowder will provide more boards.
Jaren Jackson Jr.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 24 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4/6 | 10/17 | 0 |
Played 38 minutes!!! Hallelujah!!! JJJ is a freaking stud, as he’s a big who can protect the house on defense and shoot from downtown on offense. He just needs to stay healthy and stop fouling so much.
Jonas Valanciunas
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 18 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0/1 | 9/12 | 0 |
Played 27 minutes. JV deserves a varsity jacket. He provides points and boards. Just needs the minutes, as he was averaging only 22 minutes earlier in the season.
Ja Morant
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 9 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1/3 | 2/12 | 4/6 |
Struggles are to be expected for a rookie, especially one like Ja who doesn’t shoot particularly well. With that said, the usage rate is 31.3, but he’s only averaging 27.2 minutes per game. It’s muuuuuuuurrder.
Brandon Clarke
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 14 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2/2 | 6/7 | 0 |
Played 18 minutes off the bench. Imagine what he can do if he got the minutes! Won’t happen, though, as long as JV and JJJ are healthy.
Dejounte Murray
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 4 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1/3 | 2/3 |
Played 19 minutes. He’s not a rookie, but Murray is still returning from injury, so there will be ups and downs. I was thinking that he was ready to get unleashed last week, but it’s so early in the season. I’m not tripping and would slide into this DM all day and night.
Rudy Gay
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 18 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3/4 | 6/9 | 3/3 |
No chants for this Rudy, as he’s not an underdog. This Rudy is a grizzlied vet who will pop from time to time. Not a reliable fantasy asset, though.
Derrick White
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 15 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2/6 | 5/13 | 3/3 |
Played 29 minutes off the bench. Murray didn’t play well, so Mr. White cleaned up the mess. Pop is not deploying both Murray and White together, so White is a glorified handcuff…..for now.
Kristaps Porzingis
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 4 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1/4 | 1/11 | 1/1 |
Only played 20 minutes due to foul trouble. And suckitude. Momma said that there’d be days like this.
Maxi Kleber
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 15 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4/8 | 4/10 | 3/4 |
Got the start and played 33 minutes. This cookie will provide boards, blocks, and tres. He’s a decent fantasy option and the playing time is relatively secure.
Luka Doncic
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 34 | 6 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3/10 | 11/21 | 9/10 |
I.
Heart.
Luka.
The #8 player in fantasy right now.
Jalen Brunson
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 12 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1/2 | 4/7 | 3/4 |
Played 27 minutes off the bench. Brunson provides tres, boards, and dimes, but doesn’t get consistent enough minutes to be a fantasy factor. A nice streaming option when injury or load management strikes.
Jayson Tatum
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 5 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0/3 | 1/18 | 3/4 |
He’s shooting 39% on the season! Yet, Tatum is still a top 50 player. Don’t fret. These kind of games happen once in a while.
Jaylen Brown
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 25 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2/4 | 9/16 | 5/7 |
My dreams of Kawhi 2.0 are still alive! Ok, fine. They aren’t, but Brown is still a top 50 player for fantasy this season. The field goal percentage is a whopping 53% and he’s drastically improved his free throw percentage from 65% last season to 77% this year. Brown will provide points, tres, boards, and a few dimes, but the defensive stats are lacking for a player with his athleticism.
Marcus Smart
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 17 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4/7 | 6/9 | 1/1 |
Continues to start and played 37 minutes. You don’t have to be Smart to know that he needs to be owned and played right now, as Hayward will be out for a while.
Rudy Gobert
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 25 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 11/12 | 3/9 |
See, Rudy is back! He shot 3-of-9 from the free throw line! I kid. Rudy is outside the top 100, but he’ll be right as soon as the block party starts up.
Mike Conley
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 22 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5/8 | 6/11 | 5/5 |
Drip……Drip…….Drip. That’s been Conley’s fantasy season. Slowly but surely, the bowl will be filled with fantasy goodies. He’s providing plenty of tres right now, but the points, dimes, and field goal percentage are beyond lacking. Drip……Drip……Drip.
Donovan Mitchell
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 23 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5/9 | /17 | 4/4 |
I haven’t written up Mitchell much this season. He hasn’t done anything spectacular, but he hasn’t shit the bed either. He’s been juuuuuuuuuuuuuust right. Top 30 player right now who is averaging 34.4 minutes, 24.6 points, 2 tres, 5.1 boards, 4.3 dimes, 1.6 steals, and is shooting 48% from the field and 77% from the line. He’s garnering a usage rate of 30.9!
D’Angelo Russell
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 33 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 5/9 | 13/25 | 2/5 |
41.1 usage rate! The prior three games, he had usage rates of 32.9, 40.6, and 39. D’Angelo Harden. Steph ain’t coming back, so this is DLo’s show until he gets traded. Did I say that out loud?
Willie Cauley-Stein
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 8 | 11 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4/7 | 0/2 |
WCS has played 26, 24, and 25 minutes the past three games. He hasn’t been scoring much, but he’s grabbing boards and getting his block on. 7 blocks in the last three games.
Draymond Green
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 4 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0/4 | 2/7 | 0 |
Only played 22 minutes due to getting ejected. Self-induced load management.
Alec Burks
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 10 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2/3 | 2/5 | 4/4 |
Only played 19 minutes. With the Warriors a little healthier, Burks returned to the bench. Had had played 37, 32, and 31 minutes the prior three games. A streaming option when someone sits.
Pascal Siakam
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 16 | 10 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1/6 | 6/17 | 3/6 |
P. S. – He’s better than good. Played a whopping 44 minutes and is averaging 36.2 mpg on the season. Top 20 player for fantasy.
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 9 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 4/11 | 0 | 1/2 |
Monday. Tuesday. Wednesday. Thursday. Friday. Saturday. Sunday. Rondae!!!! He’s back. If the O. G. injury is serious, then Rondae should get more run. He mainly operates down low, so no tres, but boards and defensive stats should be plentiful.
Chris Boucher
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 13 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3/5 | 5/10 | 0 |
Played 22 minutes off the bench, as Serge Ibaka missed another game. The AD of the G League last season, Boucher can do it all. P. S. Part Deux?
Three Clippers starters (Patrick Beverley, Landry Shamet, and Ivica Zubac) all scored 6 points. Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!! The Mark of the Beast! Patrick Patterson and Kawhi Leonard both scored 12 points. Numerology nerds across the globe are parsing through the game tape.
Kawhi Leonard
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 12 | 11 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 0/4 | 2/11 | 8/9 |
The Raptors are tough defensively and they threw double team after double team against their former captain. But, Kawhi did what Kawhi do and aaaaaaalmost messed around.
Still at top 10 player for fantasy on a per-game basis. The usage rate is 37.6 and he’s averaging 2.3 steals per game! That’s on top of 26.9 points, 1.4 tres, 8.5 boards, 5.9 dimes, and 1 block. I wanna Kawhi from sheer amazement.
JaMychal Green
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 10 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0/5 | 3/11 | 4/5 |
Played 24 minutes off the bench. Green is a big who can provide tres and boards. When Paul George returns, though, he probably won’t see too much run.
Montrezl Harrell
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 14 | 11 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0/1 | 7/15 | 0/2 |
Played 31 minutes off the bench. That’s what they call stuffing the stat sheet. Even though Montrezl comes off the bench, he averages a robust 29.5 minutes per game. The lack of tres and poor free throw shooting keep his overall value down, but he’s top 70 right now.
Moe Harkless
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 9 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0/3 | 3/9 | 3/4 |
Played 33 minutes off the bench. Will fall into some counting stats, but primarily a steals and blocks guy.
Lou Williams
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 21 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2/6 | 7/15 | 5/6 |
Played 36 minutes. Sweet! Such a good real-life player and allows the Clippers to essentially have two starting lineups. From a fantasy perspective, though, the lack of defensive stas and poor field goal percentage keep his overall value down. But he has a 38.6 usage rate!!! Sweet!
