With just four wins, the Phoenix Suns are off to their worst start through 27 games in franchise history. Even the team's inaugural expansion campaign saw them sit at 6-21 by this point of the season. Despite the Suns' cold start, Phoenix's roster is becoming one of the more compelling sources for fantasy value in the entire league.
Top pick Deandre Ayton isn't lighting up the league on a nightly basis like Luka Doncic, who just tallied career highs in dimes and boards last night, but he has quietly delivered 15 double-doubles on the season after totaling 20 points and 12 boards last night -- while no other rookie has more than seven double-doubles.
Josh Jackson is finally showing signs of life after a brutal statistical start to the season saw him average just 7.3 PPG on 41 percent from the field with modest complementary numbers through 20 games, only three of them starts. During his past seven games, five of them starts in the wake of Devin Booker's injury, Jackson is slashing for 13.3 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 4.3 APG -- and most relevantly, two combined blocks and steals. Last night, in an overtime loss to the Clippers, Jackson tied his season-high with 18 points and flashed a full floor game with a season-high eight dimes.
A potential defensive dynamo if afforded enough minutes, sustained offensive improvement for Jackson would help facilitate a valuable fantasy profile. I'd just ride the hot hand until Booker is back, but an actual dedication to a youth movement could spell real value for several young Suns.
Mikal Bridges produced a career-best 19 points in the loss last night and has now lofted at least five 3-pointers in four of his past five games. The Villanova product also has amassed 10 combined steals and blocks during this sample, signaling he's already a more valuable and bankable contributor than Jackson. With trade rumors swirling around veteran Trevor Ariza, Bridges and Jackson could both thrive in the coming weeks.
My favorite fantasy target on this roster might be rookie De'Anthony Melton, who has grabbed the starting point guard gig in Phoenix with impressive authority. Acquired from the Houston Rockets along with Ryan Anderson this past August, Melton might be the internal solution to the Suns' seemingly eternal struggle to capably furnish the point guard position.
Averaging 13.3 PPG, 5.3 APG, 1.5 SPG and 1.5 3PG in 27.4 MPG the past four outings as the rare Phoenix regular with a positive net rating during this sample, Melton, currently available in nearly every ESPN league, is a savvy addition for those in need of a solid young point guard prospect.
With an eye on meaningful fantasy performances and relevant statistical trends, let's delve into the night that was in the NBA.
Thursday recap
Highlights
Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors: 38 points (12-23 FG), 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 TO
Anthony Davis, New Orleans Pelicans: 41 points (17-34 FG), 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 steals
Paul George, Oklahoma City Thunder: 31 points (8-10 FG), 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 steals, 2 TO
LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers: 28 points (10-19 FG), 9 rebounds, 12 assists, 2 TO
Lowlights
Robert Covington, Minnesota Timberwolves: 7 points (2-7 FG), 4 rebounds, 3 TO
Goran Dragic, Miami Heat: 7 points (3-9 FG), 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 TO
Jrue Holiday, New Orleans Pelicans: 7 points (3-10 FG), 6 assists, 3 steals, 4 TO
Monday takeaways
Darren Collison delivered 17 dimes last night in yet another win for the Pacers, marking his most since a 20-assist opus back in March of 2010 with New Orleans. Collison is now fifth among point guards on the Player Rater during the past 15 days. I have some notes on Victor Oladipo's progress from a knee injury below, but Collison could sustain fantasy relevance even when the All-Star guard returns, given his rare blend of steals and passing production. Teammate Myles Turner tallied a season-high 26 points and produced his 10th career five-block game, making him one of just seven players with at least 10 five-block games since the 2015-16 season.
The Thunder remained in the top spot in the West last night with a win over the struggling Jazz. George was brilliantly efficient with 31 points on just 10 shots. This was his 17th game with at least 30 points since joining the team, while the Thunder are 16-1 in those games.
James and Dwyane Wade had their final head-to-head meeting last night, with James winning the all-time series 16-15. James leads the NBA in fourth-quarter scoring (8.6 PPG) this season, while Wade's high-usage role amid Dragic struggling this season could spell some fun fantasy nights along with some ugly nights for the veteran wing. Most interestingly, Justise Winslow produced a season-high 28 points and has been stellar on offense of late and makes for an excellent free agent addition in 98 percent of ESPN leagues.
Draymond Green played 29 minutes and flirted with a triple-double in his first game since Nov. 15 following a sprained toe, signaling he's back to being a productive point-forward off the bat. Last night also marked the 35th time that Curry, Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson have each scored 20 points in a game since becoming teammates, improving to 32-3 in those games.
The Bucks rested Giannis Antetokounmpo with a neck ailment, but I'm guessing being heavy favorites over the Cavs influenced the decision a tad. Eric Bledsoe turned in his third double-double of the year with 20 points and 12 pulls, this after having three double-doubles in 74 games last season.
It appears the Boston Celtics have righted the ship. Even with Kyrie Irving (shoulder) and Al Horford sitting (knee) last night, power forward Marcus Morris was impressive with a season-high 31 points. Jaylen Brown, meanwhile, produced 19 points off the bench and is averaging 21 PPG the past three games in this new microwave role. Brown is rostered in 63.3 percent of ESPN leagues, while Morris is rostered in just shy of 12 percent.
The Pistons rested Blake Griffin on Monday night in South Philly en route to another loss to the 76ers, but some good news did emerge in that second-year shooting maven Luke Kennard scored more points (28) than he had all season (26 in seven games). Not sure if this is a bit of meaningful momentum for Kennard, but he's worth watching in the games ahead.
Injuries of note
Jimmy Butler failed to score for the first time in his past 385 regular-season appearances after leaving last night's win over Detroit with a groin injury after just 10 minutes of play. More information should come from testing on Tuesday, but with a light schedule ahead until right around Christmas, the Sixers and Butler could prove patient if they'd like.
The Clippers' Lou Williams left last night's game in Phoenix in the second quarter with a left hamstring injury and didn't return to action. Like Butler, we await more clarity on Tuesday afternoon.
Pacers coach Nate McMillan noted Oladipo could resume practicing in some capacity on Tuesday, which is undoubtedly a positive sign given the All-Star's somewhat murky absence with a knee injury these past few weeks.
Analytics advantage for Tuesday
With just six teams in action, identifying key stars to pay up for in daily fantasy becomes an important element for Tuesday's slate. Two teams to target emerge based on some advanced data, as the Rockets rate 26th in the league in defensive rating, allowing a generous 112.2 points per 100 possessions to opponents. The Spurs, meanwhile, are 29th in the NBA in defensive rating (112.9), revealing that we might want to stack from Portland's roster with the likes of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum, while shares of the Suns' largely affordable young crew mentioned above could allow you to also afford James Harden's coveted fantasy bandwidth. It looks like a "stars and savings" approach to roster-building could prove prudent.
Top players to watch tonight
Kawhi Leonard faces off with Tobias Harris in a matchup of gifted wings. Rumors suggest Leonard is the top target of the Clippers in free agency in July of 2019, while Harris is enjoying a career season as an efficient stretch forward and also enters unrestricted free agency during the offseason. With Leonard and Harris sure to guard one another at times tonight, this should be a compelling matchup with both real and fantasy implications in place.
