We have five games on the NBA slate tonight which is right in the wheelhouse in my opinion when it comes to the size of player pools and roster construction. A key part of roster construction on these types of slates is identifying the one or two value plays to put in your core build to allow for you to pay up for the top priced talents. Let's take a look at the top value plays for tonight.
Yahoo! Fantasy
Carmelo Anthony, PF - Truthfully, Melo is a great value across the platforms today but on Yahoo you are getting him for just $12. As I said on the NBA DFS Podcast the Lakers brought Anthony in to fill a role and that role is to shoot the basketball off the bench. Bench scoring has been an issue for the Lakers over the past few seasons and Anthony proved last year why he is a hall of fame scorer.
Jalen Brunson, PG - Brunson has put up 20 FP in each of the first two games he has played this season. He is a min-price $10 on the Yahoo slate and will play between 20-to-25 minutes tonight off the bench for Dallas. What we are looking for here is players who have a defined role on their team and Brunson is someone who gets on the floor and starts shooting which presents a nice upside.
DraftKings
Alperen Sengun, C - We have loved going to the Mavericks with opposing centers this season and while the rookie doesn't start, he is playing close to an equal share of minutes as is the starter Daniel Theis. Sengun has gone for 25+ FP in two of the three games this season while topping out at just 19 minutes. At some point this season he is going to see increased playing time and you won't want to miss that.
Darius Bazley, PF - The one spot to attack the Warriors this season has generally been their front court and this is a good spot for Bazley to really have a breakout game after some early struggles to begin the season. What's encouraging here is the minutes with Bazley seeing over 30 in two of the three games played this year.
FanDuel
Josh Giddey, SG - A favorite player of mine since the draft, Giddey finally put together the elite performance I have been expecting in the Thunder's last game against the 76ers as he finished with 19 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and four steals. Giddley is a player than can fill up the stat sheet and it won't be long before he notches his first career triple-double.
Hassan Whiteside, C - While the more popular spend down play will be Alperen Sengun tonight, I can see a path to pivoting to Whiteside tonight who is enjoying a bench role with the Jazz this season. In two games he is averaging 24.6 FanDuel points over just 16.5 minutes. On a platform that gives three points for blocks and steals, Whiteside offers some unique upside in his limited minutes off the bench. Another thing to look at is the matchup. Rudy Gobert will be dealing with Nikola Jokic tonight. Gobert could find himself in foul trouble which would thrust Whiteside into additional playing time.
Player News
ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Zach Edey will undergo surgery to re-stabilize his left ankle.
Charania’s report indicates that Edey re-sprained the same ankle that forced him to miss some time last season. It came during an offseason workout, and he is expected to miss time to start next season. Edey secured the starting center spot for Memphis late last season after playing an inconsistent role for most of his rookie year. Head coach Tuomas Iisalo could opt to use Brandon Clarke as the starting center if he’s healthy, or he could use a smaller starting lineup with Jaren Jackson Jr. to start next season. The Grizzlies’ PR team announced that a preliminary timeline will be provided after he has the surgery, but as of now, the expectation is that he won’t be available for opening night.
De’Aaron Fox (finger) has been cleared for on-court work and will be ready for the start of next season.
Fox underwent season-ending surgery on his left pinkie finger in mid-March, about six weeks after being traded to the Spurs from Sacramento. He recently told Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle that he’s been cleared to resume on-court activities, which have included some 5-on-5 play. Also, Fox hopes to ink a contract extension with the Spurs this offseason. With one year remaining on his current deal, the point guard will be eligible for a four-year extension worth up to $229 million on August 3.
NBC Sports Boston’s Chris Mannix said recently that Sam Hauser could be a trade candidate this offseason if the Celtics decide to shed salary.
The cost of contending for championships has gotten steeper, especially with the salary cap rules instituted in recent years. For the Celtics, the Achilles tendon rupture suffered by Jayson Tatum may impact how the front office approaches this offseason. If the team decides that a group that won’t have Tatum for most of the season can’t be a factor in the East, the decision could be made to shed salary. And Hauser, whose four-year, $45 million extension goes into effect next season, may be a prime candidate to be moved. “Hauser, to me, is the most likely candidate to go, just because you have (Baylor) Scheierman there to effectively fill his role,” Mannix said. “I think they’d love to find a home for Jrue Holiday, just because of the contract and where they are as a team. (Kristaps) Porzingis, who knows? I don’t think they want to take on contracts that go on longer than Porzingis’ deal, but he’s certainly available.” Hauser being traded would make Scheierman worth a look in deep fantasy leagues next season.
NBA insider Marc Stein reported the Knicks are interested in talking to Mavericks coach Jason Kidd regarding the team’s head coaching vacancy.
Multiple names have been mentioned in the aftermath of the Knicks’ decision to fire Tom Thibodeau after he led the team to its first Eastern Conference Finals since 2000. One who has been mentioned prominently is Kidd, who is under contract with the Mavericks. His connection with Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson may be a factor, as the captain has repeatedly credited the coach with his development as a professional. However, Dallas would need to grant the Knicks permission to speak with Kidd. And if a deal were to be made, New York does not have much draft capital to give up as compensation. Also mentioned in connection with the opening are Cavaliers assistant Johnnie Bryant, Timberwolves coach Chris Finch and Rockets coach Ime Udoka. Stein also reported that Houston would quickly deny permission to speak with Udoka if the Knicks were to make that request.
Obi Toppin provided a boost off the bench with 17 points (6-of-9 FGs), five rebounds, two assists and five three-pointers in Game 1 against the Thunder on Thursday.
Toppin has been solid throughout this postseason, but he hasn’t had many big scoring nights. However, after he had 18 points in the Game 6 clincher over the Knicks, he added 17 more to kick off the Finals, with 15 of those points coming from beyond the arc. If Toppin is able to continue to make an impact off the bench like he did in this game, there should be more wins coming for the Pacers.
Aaron Nesmith recorded a double-double on Thursday with 10 points (3-of-9 FGs), 12 rebounds, one assist, one block, three three-pointers and five turnovers in Game 1 against the Thunder.
Indiana dominated on the glass in this game, but it wasn’t just because of the bigs. Nesmith was the leading rebounder in this game and was one of three Pacers to grab at least 10 rebounds. However, they lost the turnover battle 24-6, and Nesmith contributed five of those. The only player with more was Myles Turner, who coughed it up six times. Indiana won this game and still has things to clean up, which is an encouraging sign for them moving forward in this series.