Fantasy NBA Daily Notes: Who will benefit from Lakers suspensions?
The surreal fracas at the Staples Center on Saturday night has some immediate implications for fantasy purposes -- namely with word of Lonzo Ball's minutes restriction getting loosened going forward. With Rajon Rondo expected to miss three games to suspension, Ball gets an opportunity to once again become a key playmaker for the Lakers. As one of the better rebounders and versatile defenders among point guards, Ball can provide value even when his shot isn't falling during this upcoming stretch.nike cheap nfl jerseys
An ascendant Josh Hart, recently deemed a top waiver target, is also likely to earn an uptick in usage in the interim. No one involved in the messy situation was significantly injured, nor is anyone suspended past Chris Paul's two-game and Brandon Ingram's four-game knock, thus fantasy mangers should be able to move past this narrative quite quickly.
In a more positive spin from the weekend of NBA action, Denver's Nikola Jokic accomplished something we haven't seen since Wilt Chamberlain in February of 1967, per ESPN Stats & Info: a 30-point triple-double while going perfect from the field. Jokic delivered this amazing feat without registering a single turnover, a stat that wasn't tabulated in Chamberlain's day. With great respect to Arvydas Sabonis, Al Horford and Marc Gasol among others, Jokic is the best passing big man from the post I've ever seen. Those who paid that seemingly lofty first-round price for Jokic are going to have a fun season ahead.
Of the late-round crowd, we find Brooklyn's Caris LeVert entering full-blown breakout status with a sick slash of 24.7 PPG, 4.7 RPG and 4.0 APG on a blistering 75.1 true shooting clip (a measure of shooting efficiency at all three levels). For some context, a TS% above 60.0 is often considered elite for a perimeter player. The sample size warning is in effect, but as I suggested in endorsing LeVert as a deep sleeper, his full floor surfaced in several key categories down the stretch for the Nets last spring, indicating there is real momentum behind his ascent as arguably the team's top talent.nfl nike jerseys cheap china
Which brings us to the mentality we should adopt for this second week of the season: Be aggressive and proactive in seeking out these early-season breakout candidates. League size and roster construction certainly should factor into your free agency approach, but it's simply wise to consider your last few bench or utility spots as open to competition from any emergent talents floating in free agency. This time last year, Donovan Mitchell was floating on the wire in most standard hoops leagues.
