The Minnesota Timberwolves traded Robert Covington away last season. Ever since, the team has been seeking another dynamic defensive forward to pair with Karl-Anthony Towns. In yesterday's loss to the Brooklyn Nets, Jaden McDaniels thrived in his fourth consecutive start next to Towns, thanks to a season-high four blocks in a season-high 38 minutes.
There's a Covington-like appeal to McDaniels as a fantasy force, especially in how he can build big lines without the need for many points or rebounds -- instead coming through with four or five combined steals and blocks. Rostered in only 0.8% of ESPN leagues, McDaniels has averaged 12.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.0 blocks, 0.5 steals, and 2.0 3-pointers over the last four games. New coach Chris Finch is giving McDaniels the chance to fill a demanding role and fantasy managers should take notice.
Monday recap
Highlights
James Harden, Brooklyn Nets: 38 points (11-25 FG), 11 rebounds, 13 assists
Russell Westbrook, Washington Wizards: 35 points (14-26 FG), 14 rebounds, 21 assists, 2 steals
Lowlights
Evan Fournier, Boston Celtics: 0 points (0-10 FG), 2 rebounds, 0 assists, 2 steals
Monday takeaways
With Christian Wood sidelined, Kelly Olynyk has made himself at home in Houston's frontcourt. Recently acquired from the Heat in the Victor Oladipo deal, Olynyk scored a season-high 25 points on 17 shots to go along with nine rebounds and two blocks in the loss to Memphis. It's hard to imagine Olynyk will do much statistically when Wood is active, but he has proven that he has real value whenever that isn't the case.
Josh Hart played 32 minutes and pulled down 15 rebounds to go along with his 15 points off the pine for New Orleans in their win over Boston. While he won't always be so productive, there are more minutes and touches for Hart now that JJ Redick is out of the rotation. Hart won't help you much in scoring, but he leads the league in rebounds off the bench.
In the loss to the Pelicans, Boston's Fournier became just the fourth player in the shot-clock era (since 1954-55) to go 0-10 or worse in their debut with a new team. I'll be buying shares of Fournier if he's dropped coming off of this outlier performance.
The Warriors got Stephen Curry back in the lineup last night and it turns out that's a good thing. Golden State downed the Bulls behind an efficient 32 from Curry, who had missed the team's previous five games due to a tailbone injury. Jordan Poole returned to a reserve role with just seven points in 18 minutes, putting an end to his run as a relevant fantasy option.
Westbrook's prolific performance last night netted him just the third 30-point, 20-assist triple-double in NBA history, joining Magic Johnson and Oscar Robertson. Remarkably, Westbrook's 16 triple-doubles just this season are already the most in franchise history for a career.
Injuries of note
Chicago's new-look roster hasn't done so well as of yet. Maybe part of that failure is due to Zach LaVine having some ankle issues. The All-Star guard told reporters he rolled his ankle on Monday and that it hasn't been at full strength for several games, making his status for Wednesday's game against the Suns something to watch.
Atlanta's De'Andre Hunter is questionable for tonight's matchup against the Suns due to a knee injury. If Hunter can't go, Danilo Gallinari figures to be busy on offense for the Hawks.
Analytics advantage for Tuesday
Neither Gary Harris nor Cole Anthony will be available for Orlando tonight, but Terrence Ross is listed as probable to play against the Clippers. Ross has seen a team-high 15.9% spike in usage rate with Fournier, Nikola Vucevic, Aaron Gordon, and Markelle Fultz off the floor this season. With an average of roughly 48.0 DraftKings points (per 36 minutes) in such lineups, Ross could become a high-ceiling fantasy option for a depleted Orlando offense.
Top player to watch on Tuesday
Malik Monk is listed as probable to play for the Hornets tonight. Monk missed the team's last game, but scored 32 points on Friday evening on just 17 shots.
