The NBA is fantastic and there are so many things to talk about each and every week. Whether you are a Fantasy Basketball fanatic or just a fan here is ten things about the NBA that I want you to know about as we head into week ten of the NBA season!
Best NBA Games to Watch this Week
Monday December 25: Merry Christmas! There are five NBA games on the docket and each of them should be awesome! 12 hours plus of NBA basketball and I will be watching every single minute!
Tuesday December 26: Indiana Pacers at the Detroit Pistons. Great Central Division matchup between two possible playoff teams and Victor Oladipo ain’t too shabby!
Wednesday December 27: Toronto Raptors at the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Raptors are sneaky good with an amazing backcourt going up against Russell Westbrook. Should be a fun one on Wednesday!
Thursday December 28: Houston Rockets at the Boston Celtics. The best team in the West travels to play a Celtics team with the best record in the East. Can’t think of anywhere else I would rather be.
Friday December 29: Milwaukee Bucks at the Oklahoma City Thunder. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Russell Westbrook should both put on a show in OKC on Friday night.
Saturday December 30: Philadelphia 76ers at the Denver Nuggets. Two young fast paced teams square off in what should be a high scoring affair in Denver Saturday night!
Sunday December 31: Los Angeles Lakers at the Houston Rockets. The Lakers beat them in their last matchup and I have the feeling the Rockets were not all that happy about it. Should be a fun game Sunday night!
You are a Happy Fantasy Basketball Owner If
You have players on your roster from the Brooklyn Nets, Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls, Dallas Mavericks, Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Lakers, Memphis Grizzlies, Minnesota Timberwolves, New York Knicks, Oklahoma City Thunder, Philadelphia 76ers, Sacramento Kings and Washington Wizards as each team has four games on their schedule this week.
Waiver Wire Pickup of the Week
The New York Knicks have four games this week (Philadelphia,@Chicago, @San Antonio and @New Orleans) and no one has been hotter on not only that team but the entire NBA is Knicks small forward/power forward Michael Beasley. Over his past five games Beasley is averaging 22.6 points, seven rebounds and nearly two assists per night on 27 minutes a night. Those minutes have much to do with the injury to Kristaps Porzingis but with this type of production it’s hard to believe Knicks Head Coach Jeff Hornacek won’t try and find more minutes for Beasley. Beasley also shoots 52 percent from the floor and 70 percent from the charity stripe. I just picked him up in my ten team “experts” league and I think he’s good to go in any format.
You are an Unhappy Fantasy Basketball Owner If
You have players on your roster from the Portland Trail Blazers as they are the only team with two games this week.
Tweet of the Week
Those of us who critique professional sports teams, coaches and players will completely understand our Tweet of the Week from Cranjis McBasketball
If you're taking critiques like that as damnations I'd hate to see how you deal with performance management in the workplace
— Cranjis McBasketball (@T1m_NBA) December 21, 2017
Dunk of the Week
Oklahoma City Thunder small forward Paul George has the Dunk of the Week with this poster over Utah Jazz power forward Derrick Favors!
High Usage Widely Available Rookies
My close friend Lenny Melnick coined the phrase “A Rookie is a Rookie is a Rookie” and nothing is truer than a rookie in the NBA. Now that we are well into the second third of the season we have a better idea of what these rookies can do and more importantly what they are doing for their teams. Here are a three widely available rookies with the highest Usage Rates.
Dallas Mavericks PG Dennis Smith Jr is coming off an injury but boasts a Usage Rate of 29.6 percent that ranks him first among his rookie peers. Smith Jr is averaging 14.4 points, 4.1 rebounds and assists and knocks down nearly two triples while averaging 27 minutes a night. Shooting 39.7 percent from the field and 67 percent from the line is less than ideal as the Mavericks slip further and further into lottery hell the Mavs most likely will turn their young star loose.
Chicago Bulls power forward Lauri Markkanen is another rookie coming off an injury but his two triples a night while averaging 14.7 points and 7.7 rebounds on 30 minutes a night is nothing to sneeze at. Nor is his 40 percent field goal percentage 85 percent from the line. It’s no wonder Markkanen is ranked eleventh amongst his rookie peers with a Usage Rate of 22.5 percent. I wouldn’t hesitate to pick this young fella up in all league sizes and formats.
Atlanta Hawks power forward/center John Collins is having a solid rookie campaign averaging 11.4 points, 7.1 rebounds and one block per game while playing 22.9 minutes a night for the Hawks. Collins is shooting 60 percent from the field and 76 percent from the charity stripe. Collins has a 20 percent Usage Rate ranking him number 20 amongst his peers and would be a great addition to any league with 12 teams or more.
Marc Gasol holds a Private Meeting with Local Reporters
The Memphis Grizzlies have been a disaster this season. From losing Mike Conley to injury, firing David Fizdale and poor roster construction the Grizzlies have fallen from perennial playoff contender to having the second worst record in the entire NBA.
Grizzlies center Marc Gasol has been heavily criticized this season and on Monday held a private invitation only no holds barred interview with the most prominent media voices in Memphis. Among those was my Beyond the Arc co-host and Memphis Flyer reporter Kevin Lipe. We discuss this interview and much more on our latest Beyond the Arc podcast.
Widely Available Points Per Touch Leaders
Touches matter. That should be self-explanatory and it only makes sense; the more touches a player has then the more opportunities said player has to rack up Fantasy Points. No touches are equal though and the players we like to target are players who actually get points off their touches. Below are three such players I would like you to consider.
Utah Jazz shooting guard Rodney Hood is currently averaging 43 touches per game and scores 0.40 points per touch. Over the past five games Hood is averaging 20 points per game, 2.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.2 steals per night on 30 minutes per game. For the season Hood is draining three triples a night and shooting 43 percent from the field and 86 percent from the line. I would consider him in any Fantasy Basketball league format.
Charlotte Hornets small forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is currently averaging 27 touches per game and scoring 0.337 points per game. Kidd-Gilchrist is also currently averaging 2.5 touches in the paint per game and averaging 0.935 points per game from those touches. Over his past five games Kidd-Gilchrist is averaging 12.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.2 steals and the occasional block on 28.2 minutes per night. For the season Kidd-Gilchrist is shooting 50 percent from the floor and 64 percent from the line. I would look to pick him up in Fantasy Basketball leagues of 12 teams or more.
Chicago Bulls power forward Nikola Mirotic is currently averaging 62 touches per game and scores 0.307 points per touch. Over the past five games Mirotic is averaging 20.6 points, nine rebounds, 1.2 assists plus the occasional block and steal on 27.4 minutes per game. Mirotic is also knocking down nearly three triples a night while shooting 52 percent from the field and 67 percent from the line. I wouldn’t hesitate on picking him up in any Fantasy Basketball league format.
Zach Randolph Sets a Career Milestone
Sacramento Kings power forward Zach Randolph became the 20th player in NBA history to score at least 18,000 points and grab 10,000 rebounds. He’s a shoe in Hall of Famer and you can watch every one of his highlights from Tuesday’s game against the 76ers below!
Enjoy the NBA this week!!
Follow Phil @Flashtennis31 and The Phil Naessens Show.
