Welcome to Rotoworld’s NBA Trending Topics! Each week our analysts discuss a wide range of topics from around the league – today’s edition includes a discussion of surprisingly valuable backup centers in Charlotte and Orlando; the Hawks’ backcourt success; former University of Tennessee Volunteers who are worth picking up in fantasy hoops; and the yawning gulf between Collin Sexton (career-worst production) and Lauri Markkanen (career-best production) in Utah. Let’s dive in.
Raphielle Johnson – @raphiellej
When many of us looked at the center position in Charlotte before the season began, it appeared to be a joke. Mason Plumlee was expected to remain the starter, almost by default, as he was backed up by a lottery pick (Mark Williams) and two young players who had yet to prove themselves as pros (Nick Richards and Kai Jones). An interesting development occurred during the first week of games: the proverbial light bulb went on for Richards. He began the season with 19 points and 10 rebounds off the bench in the season-opening win over the Spurs.
While Richards was nowhere near as productive in a loss to the Pelicans two nights later, he bounced back with 20 points, 11 rebounds, one assist, and two blocks in 20 minutes off the bench on Sunday, as the Hornets beat the Hawks in Atlanta. Per game, Richards ranks just outside the top-100 in 9-cat formats and he’s made the backup center role his own. Here’s the other thing: he’s averaging as many minutes per game as Plumlee (22.7). Richards is currently rostered in 36% of Yahoo leagues, and that percentage should push 50% very soon.
And Richards isn’t the only former second-round pick in the Southeast Division to step up in the season’s first week. Bol Bol is providing 5th-round value in Orlando, and his play is a big reason why Mo Bamba has been a non-factor thus far. Just 28% rostered, Bol’s worth checking out, especially with Orlando scheduled to play three more games this week. You never know when a young player will begin to figure things out, and Richards and Bol (who’s also fully healthy for the first time in his career) are prime examples of this.
Like everyone else, I was a little worried about how Trae Young and Dejounte Murray would jell together in Atlanta. However, I was also excited about it and thought the plan made a lot of sense given how bad the Bucks made them look in the 2021 ECF by double-teaming Trae and shutting down the entire ATL offense in the process. From a reality standpoint, teams can no longer focus all their attention on Trae, as he can simply get the ball to Dejounte and let him do his thing. Additionally, the Hawks are getting better contributions from John Collins, De’Andre Hunter and the two centers (Clint Capela & Onyeka Okongwu) while still waiting for Bogdan Bogdanović.
And from a fantasy standpoint, the move has worked out very well - at least for Dejounte. Murray is currently the No. 9 player in Basketball Monster’s rankings, averaging 19.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, 8.3 assists, 3.3 steals, 0.7 blocks and 1.7 3-pointers after three games and will flirt with a triple-double every time out. Young is not off to quite as good a start, ranking as a sixth-rounder and averaging 25.3, 4.0 rebounds, 11.7 assists, 0.3 steals, 0.3 blocks and 2.3 3-pointers with some horrific shooting (32.4 percent). But it’s only been three games, Trae’s shot will start falling and the steals will come back.
They’ve become one of the most fun teams to watch in the NBA and this dueling point guards experiment goes well for the rest of the year, it wouldn’t be surprising to see other teams try to mirror what the Hawks did in the offseason.
Volunteer Takeover
Tennessee may be taking over college football after upsetting Alabama, but they’re also taking over the NBA. There are six former Volunteers that are on NBA rosters currently, though Keon Johnson, Jaden Springer and Kennedy Chandler haven’t seen many minutes this season. So, here’s the three Vols that have started this season out better than many expected.
Grant Williams: 38% rostered
Williams didn’t receive an extension from the Celtics, and he isn’t starting in place of the injured Robert Williams (knee) with Joe Mazzulla now at the helm. Yet, he’s making the most of his opportunity. Through four games, he has an effective field goal percentage of 94.1 and true shooting percentage of 94.6. The only player that currently compares is George Hill, who has played two games and taken six shots. Batman may not have taken too many more shots (17), but he’s still been spectacular to start the year. He’s 12-for-17 from the floor and 8-for-12 from deep through four games. It’ll likely level out as he plays more, but this is exactly the start to a season that you hope for from a guy in a contract year.
Josh Richardson: 7% rostered
After getting blown out by Charlotte in the season opener, San Antonio has rattled off three straight wins on the road. They’re led by Devin Vassell and Keldon Johnson, but Richardson’s play off the bench has been key. Aside from struggling in that loss to Charlotte, J-Rich has averaged 15.7 points, 3.0 triples and 1.0 steals per game during their winning streak, which includes a 27-point performance against Indiana. With Vassell doubtful to play in the rematch against Minnesota on Wednesday, Richardson and Joshua Primo should benefit from some extra opportunities.
Tobias Harris: 92% rostered
Before the trade deadline last season, Harris was a top-50 fantasy asset in 9-Cat leagues. After the 76ers acquired James Harden, he fell to being outside the top 100. Despite Philadelphia’s slow start, Harris has started off much stronger than he finished last season. Through four games, he’s averaging 15.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.3 steals, 0.8 blocks and 2.8 triples per game, which has him playing like a third round pick. These are definitely numbers that he can maintain despite getting the fourth-most shot attempts on the team.
In the aftermath of the trade sending Collin Sexton and Lauri Markkanen to Utah, both players were anointed clear fantasy winners. Yet the disparity between them couldn’t be starker.
Lauri Markkanen: Top-40 fantasy value with career highs in minutes (35.5), points (21.5), assists (3.0) and steals (1.0). He’s also securing his second-highest average in rebounds (8.8).
Collin Sexton: Outside Top-175 fantasy value with career lows in minutes (18.5), points (12.3), FG percentage (40.0%), 3-pointers (0.8), assists (2.0), and steals (0.5).
Despite landing a four-year, $72 million contract extension with the Jazz, Sexton finds himself in a limited bench role. And despite being the alpha dog for the second unit, he still has a usage rate of 27.0%, the lowest since he was a rookie in 2018-19. But if you’re a Sexton manager, there’s are still reasons to hope he’ll bounce back.
- Utah’s perfect 3-0 start this season rang all the ‘small sample size’ alarms. They needed overtime to beat the Wolves and Pelicans, then fell on Monday to the Rockets (who finished 20-62 last season). I’m not ready to believe they’re a play-in team.
- Jazz coach Will Hardy has repeatedly praised Sexton, saying after the season opener, “If you see him every day, he is a maniac in the gym. His work ethic is one of the best that I’ve come across in my time in the NBA.”
- The Jazz are giving Mike Conley 33.0 minutes per game, and declined to rest him in either game of their recent back-to-back set (Conley has frequently taken DNP-Rest days in recent years). It’s a transparent bid to rebuild his trade appeal, and may already be working – Kevin O’Connor reports in The Ringer that the Jazz and Lakers are “expected … to resume talks later in the season.” It’s a given that Conley will be playing elsewhere after the All-Star break, after which Sexton gets a big boost – after all, Conley and Sexton haven’t shared the court for a single second this season.
- The final cause for optimism? Sexton isn’t doing much in under 19 minutes per game, but he’s not dragging down your teams. He’s currently ranked No. 162 in 9-cat leagues, per Bball Monster, ahead of guys like Spencer Dinwiddie and (of course) Russell Westbrook.
- All hope is not yet lost.