Kevin Porter Jr. has become a statistical star for the Houston Rockets. The team has won just three of its last 33 games, including yesterday's loss to the Phoenix Suns, but at least Houston's second-year talent became the youngest player in franchise history to produce 14 assists in a game.
Porter's breakout as a dynamic passer has been remarkable. The USC product has gone from a 13.9% assist rate (the percentage of field goals he assisted while on the floor) as a 19-year-old rookie with Cleveland to a very point guard-like 34.4% assist rate. With only a minor rise in turnover rate, we're possibly witnessing the arrival of a gifted wing creator.
The Rockets have empowered Porter -- who is rostered in roughly 65% of ESPN leagues -- with tons of touches and distribution duties in an otherwise lost season for the franchise. With such rare equity in an NBA offense, Porter has potential to be a league-winning option over the coming weeks.
Monday recap
Highlights
Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors: 53 points (14-24 FG, 10-18 3PT), 6 rebounds, 4 assists
De'Aaron Fox, Sacramento Kings: 43 points (15-30 FG), 6 rebounds, 6 assists
Lowlights
RJ Barrett, New York Knicks: 7 points (2-11 FG), 3 rebounds, 3 assists
Josh Richardson, Miami Heat: 7 points (3-7 FG), 1 rebound, 2 assists
Monday takeaways
Astoundingly, Fox has averaged 41.3 PPG and 10.3 APG against the Pelicans this season. He joins Trae Young and Nate Archibald as the only players in NBA history with an average of at least 40 points and 10 assists facing any individual team in a single season, with a minimum of three meetings.
In the win over Houston, the Suns got an historic shooting performance from Jae Crowder, who sank eight 3-pointers in the first half of last night's victory. The Suns run a deep rotation that doesn't often allow for Crowder to shine, so last night can be considered an outlier of sorts for the 3-and-D wing.
San Antonio's Derrick White was solid again with 15 points and four dimes for the Spurs in a win over the Magic. White brings an atypically awesome block rate to the court, but can also help fantasy investors with solid shooting, passing, and scoring results now that he's found his touch.
Orlando appears willing to let R.J. Hampton play a meaningful role in their rotation. The rookie tied a career-high last night with 16 points and also pulled down eight boards. There likely isn't much fantasy value present in Hampton at the moment, but maybe that changes if the team really features him down the stretch.
Injuries of note
Denver's Jamal Murray suffered a knee injury late in Monday's loss to Golden State. We'll learn more about this injury in the coming days.
The Pacers won't have Myles Turner tonight due to an ankle injury.
Richaun Holmes suffered a hamstring injury last night and could miss some time for the Kings. Damian Jones and Hassan Whiteside figure to share the work at center until Holmes is better.
Victor Oladipo won't suit up for the Heat this evening due to a knee injury. Kendrick Nunn figures to start and play a sizable role for Miami.
Analytics advantage for Tuesday
The Hawks have listed John Collins, Cam Reddish, De'Andre Hunter, and Kris Dunn as being out tonight, due to their respective injuries. Danilo Gallinari is listed as doubtful as a result of foot soreness. All of these injuries lead to Bogdan Bogdanovic being a premier fantasy play this evening against the Raptors. Bogdanovic has impressively averaged 21.6 points in 36.1 minutes over the last eight games for Atlanta. Bogdanovic has seen his usage rise a team-high 3.9% with Collins, Reddish, and Hunter off the floor this season.
Top players to watch on Tuesday
Both Aleksej Pokusevski and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will miss tonight's game for the Thunder. Versatile forward Darius Bazley and combo guard Theo Maledon make for strong streaming candidates with their two peers sidelined.
