A crafty vet enjoyed a meaningful breakthrough in his road to recovery, while a gifted rookie posted an historic performance in what was yet another fun weekend of fantasy hoops.
The vet in question is Boston's Gordon Hayward, who delivered 30 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists on Saturday night in a win over Minnesota -- marking his most points and assists as a member of the Celtics and tied for his most rebounds. Hayward's 30 points off the bench are the most by a Celtics reserve since Isaiah Thomas tallied 34 versus the Pistons back in April of 2015.
Celtics forward Marcus Morris credits a practice scuffle with Marcus Smart for helping Hayward turn the corner, but it might also just simply be time and reps required for him to get back to form after missing essentially all of last season. Netting 22 PPG while hitting roughly 63 percent of his 3-point attempts the past two outings, we now turn our attention to Thursday's game with the Knicks as Hayward looks to continue this upward trend of production and efficiency.
Now to the rising rookie of note, as Memphis' Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 36 points and pulled eight boards on Friday night in downing Brooklyn in double-overtime. JJJ became the second-youngest player at 19 years and 76 days old to ever produce at least 35 points in a game, with only LeBron James having done so at a younger age in league history. Only James, Kevin Durant, and Carmelo Anthony had previously ever produced at least 36 points and eight rebounds before 20 years old, with Jackson joining this unique club over the weekend. Consider that no rookie on record has ever averaged the points (13.9 PPG), blocks (2.0 BPG), steals (1.0 SPG), and 3-pointers (0.9 3PG) that Jackson currently claims.
I saw Jackson live last night in South Philly, and he impressively protected the rim (three blocks) and several times capably challenged Ben Simmons on both offensive and defensive matchups. There was no hint he was a rookie on a floor full of capable vets. This guy is going to be very, very special. Somehow, you can still add him for the cost of a roster spot in more than half of ESPN leagues as of Monday morning.
With an eye on important fantasy performances and relevant statistical trends, let's delve into the weekend that was in the NBA.
Saturday and Sunday recap
Highlights
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks: 33 points (10-17 FG), 19 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocks, 6 TO
Anthony Davis, New Orleans Pelicans: 36 points (14-19 FG), 19 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks, 4 TO
Gordon Hayward, Boston Celtics: 30 points (8-16 FG), 9 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals
Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers: 37 points (12-28 FG), 2 rebounds, 10 assists, 1 TO
Hassan Whiteside, Miami Heat: 23 points (11-17 FG), 20 rebounds, 3 blocks, 1 TO
Lowlights
Nicolas Batum, Charlotte Hornets: 2 points (1-7 FG), 3 rebounds, 1 TO
Kyle Korver, Utah Jazz: 3 points (1-6 FG), 2 rebounds, 1 TO
Kemba Walker, Charlotte Hornets: 13 points (5-16 FG), 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 TO
Weekend takeaways
The Indiana Pacers are 3-11 without Victor Oladipo the past two seasons. This proves particularly worrisome for the team's playoff positioning given Oladipo is considered out indefinitely with right knee soreness, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. Darren Collison has averaged 7.7 assists, and 2.4 steals in Oladipo's absence during the past seven games. For some context, Collison averaged just 3.9 assist and 1.5 steals through the first 16 games of the season. You can add Collison for a few clicks in roughly 60 percent of ESPN leagues. Investors in Oladipo will need to prove patient with their ailing superstar, while shares of Collison could help curb the loss in steals during his absence.
The Golden State Warriors remain in a funk of sorts, with Stephen Curry, Durant, and Klay Thompson combining to go 5-of-21 from 3-point range (rest of team was 1-of-5) in Saturday's loss to Detroit. The notable part of that previous statement is the inclusion of Curry, who made his return from an 11-game absence due to a groin injury on Saturday night. Curry took 21 shots and played more than 36 minutes; thus, I'd consider this a rousing return regarding his fantasy stock despite the lack of efficiency. To give credit to Detroit, they've won a season-high five straight games -- tied for their longest win streak in the past four seasons -- and nine of 11 overall.
Without a true wing off the bench with Luka Doncic sidelined, which I detail below, the Mavericks' Harrison Barnes played nearly 40 minutes and produced a season-high 30 points on Sunday and now has at least 25 points in consecutive games for first time this season. J.J. Barea tallied a season-high 24 points in the victory over the Clippers, moving the Mavericks to 3-0 this season when he scores at least 20.
Derrick Rose entered this, his ninth NBA season with a career 29.6 percent clip from 3-point range. Last season, Rose shot 16.7 percent from beyond in a short season-ending stint with the Wolves. This season, Rose is shooting 49.4 percent from beyond the arc. No really. A deeper dive into his shooting profile reveals Rose is also thriving on longer midrange shots, hitting 40.4 percent of his attempts from 16 feet to the 3-point line after sinking 21.9 percent of such shots last season between stints with Cleveland and Minnesota. Even from floater range (3-10 feet from the rim), Rose is hitting 40.7 percent of his attempts this year compared to 28.1 percent. I discuss these other shooting ranges to provide some evidence this is a player enjoying increased efficiency from every scoring level, and not just a sizable surge in 3-point efficiency, which can still prove noisy this early into the season. Rose is making a legitimate bid for Sixth Man of the Year honors and, more importantly, is reviving his career with what appears to be a sizable improvement in shooting efficacy.
Speaking of volume beyond the line, Chicago's Justin Holiday is found at third in the NBA with 72 3-pointers, trailing only James Harden and Walker. We also find Holiday second in the league in total minutes, behind only Durant and just ahead of his brother Jrue. Holiday is earning amazing opportunity rates and responding with elite shooting efficiency, thus it's time to add him in all fantasy formats. Per my fantasy basketball waiver column for this week, Holiday remains available in free agency in roughly 85 percent of ESPN leagues.
Whether based on increased floor spacing sans Markelle Fultz from the floor or the gravity Jimmy Butler's playmaking brings to the court -- or likely some blend of both factors -- Philly's Simmons has averaged 18.1 PPG, 8.4 RPG, 8.4 APG, and 2.1 combined blocks and steals during the past eight games on 62.4 percent shooting from the field. The buy-low window on Simmons appears to have closed.
Oklahoma City's Russell Westbrook is one triple-double away from passing Jason Kidd (107) for third most in NBA history and will shoot his shot (or many shots) tonight in Motown.
Injuries of note
Devin Booker tallied six points before leaving Sunday's game against the Lakers with a strained left hamstring in the second quarter. Booker missed three games in October after straining his left hamstring in the Suns' first game against the Lakers. The team had no immediate update on Booker's condition after the game, so we'll want to track upcoming practice updates.
Dallas played without their rookie sensation on Sunday, as Doncic suffered a right hip strain Friday against the Lakers. Reports from the beat suggest the injury isn't expected to keep him sidelined for long.
Miami's Goran Dragic missed his seventh straight game on Sunday with a right knee injury. The veteran point guard returned to practice this past week, so a return at least appears imminent.
Kyle Lowry sat out Saturday's game with the Cavaliers due to a back ailment and is considered questionable for tonight's meeting with the Nuggets. Fred VanVleet will become a viable streaming candidate if Lowry sits.
Analytics advantage for Monday
The score could be 118-117 in the Clippers and Pelicans game tonight, and that would still come in under the robust 237-point total for this fun conference showdown. Not only is this contest home to the highest projected total of the slate, but it's also one of the rare games this season to approach 240 total points.
The reasoning for this bold number is easy to justify, with the Clippers fourth in the NBA in offensive rating with 112.9 points per 100 possessions, while the Pelicans are fifth in the league (112.4).
Affordable DFS shares of Danilo Gallinari, Tobias Harris, and Nikola Mirotic could prove productive if this space-and-pace environment plays out as it should.
Top players to watch tonight
Houston must start winning if plans of contention are to bear out this season -- they sit at 11-11, good for 10th place in the Western Conference. The Wolves, meanwhile, are just behind Houston at 11-12 in 13th place, sitting as slight home underdogs against the Rockets tonight.
Regarding the impact matchup to watch for in this contest, we find Harden 13th in offensive win shares the season and Minnesota's Robert Covington at 13th in defensive win shares. It's Harden's All-NBA offensive arsenal -- he's averaging 35.3 PPG, 10.6 APG, 6.1 RPG, 2.3 SPG, and 4.5 3PG the past eight games -- against Covington's elite defensive versatility -- he's the only player in the NBA with at least 30 blocks and 30 steals.
While Harden is universally rostered in ESPN leagues, we find Covington still floating in free agency in well over half of leagues, making him the best possible addition you can make on Monday.
