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Early February feels like the “calm before the storm” in the NBA, as the trade deadline is a little over one week away and the All-Star break comes shortly thereafter. As far as rookies are concerned, this is traditionally the point in which that dreaded “wall” pops up, but some have managed to avoid it thus far. This week’s Rookie/Sophomore Report will actually begin with a second-year point guard who has emerged as a key contributor for one of the best teams in the East.
76ers’ Maxey explodes in overtime victory
The Memphis Grizzlies arrived in Philadelphia for Monday’s game on a three-game win streak, with the betting favorite to take home the NBA Most Improved Player Award (Ja Morant) leading the way. The 76ers put an end to the streak, thanks in large part to second-year guard Tyrese Maxey who had one of his best games of the season, recording 33 points, three rebounds, eight assists, one steal, four blocks, and one 3-pointer, while shooting 13-of-23 from the field and 6-of-7 from the foul line. The 33 points matched Maxey’s season-high, while the four blocks were a career high for the former Kentucky standout. Joel Embiid has done much of the heavy lifting for the 76ers, but the emergence of Maxey is another reason why this team sits among the best in the East.
Maxey had a Yahoo ADP of 142.7 ahead of this season, which he has outperformed by a significant margin. He’s a sixth-round player in 9-cat formats per Basketball Monster, averaging 16.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 0.7 steals, 0.6 blocks, 1.4 3-pointers and 1.3 turnovers in 35.7 minutes per game. Maxey’s produced these numbers with solid percentages, making 46.7% of his attempts from the field and 86% from the foul line. Somehow, he’s still rostered in just 80% of Yahoo leagues. The remaining 20% can’t be that shallow.
A lot has been made about the Ben Simmons saga as the February 10 trade deadline approaches because most believe Philadelphia has to make a move, so as not to potentially waste a year of Embiid’s prime. However, Daryl Morey wants a king’s ransom in return for Simmons, who has four seasons remaining on his contract. Regardless of what Philadelphia decides to do, they’ve got a gem in Maxey at the point guard position.
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Thunder’s Giddey wins another Rookie of the Month award
For the third time this season, Josh Giddey was named the winner of the Western Conference Rookie of the Month award (Detroit’s Cade Cunningham was the Eastern Conference winner). In 14 games last month, he averaged 13.3 points, 8.6 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.4 3-pointers, shooting 44.3% from the field and 78.6% from the foul line. Percentage-wise Giddey was better across the board in January than he was in December, and the true shooting percentage (51.1%) was the best of his career to date. What has also enhanced his fantasy value recently is the right ankle sprain suffered by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
While SGA and Giddey were both starters when healthy, the presence of the former impacted the latter from a usage standpoint. Giddey’s usage for the season is 22.2 when not on the court with Gilgeous-Alexander, compared to 20.6 with. In Monday’s win over the Blazers, Oklahoma City’s first game since losing SGA to the ankle injury, Giddey’s usage was 24.7. The rookie finished with 14 points, 12 rebounds, four assists, and one blocked shot. The assist numbers should be higher in future games, especially with Gilgeous-Alexander sidelined until after the All-Star break at the very least. And given how the Thunder shut down SGA towards the end of last season, “silly season” could be a good time for managers who have Giddey rostered.
Pelicans’ Alvarado, Murphy stand out in Detroit
Two-way contract recipient Jose Alvarado was not expected to be in the position that he’s currently in, playing consistent minutes as the backup point guard in New Orleans. However, due to injuries a door was opened and Alvarado has taken advantage of the opportunity. Rostered in just 5% of Yahoo leagues, Alvarado has been a top-100 player over the last two weeks. In 19.6 minutes per game, he’s averaging 8.6 points, 2.0 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.9 steals, 0.3 blocks and 1.0 3-pointers, while shooting 47.2% from the field and 60.0% from the foul line. In his most recent outing, a 10-point win over the Pistons Tuesday night, Alvarado chipped in with 10 points, one rebound, six assists, one steal, and two 3-pointers in 19 minutes. He’s made a positive impression on teammates and opponents alike and appears poised to remain in the rotation for the foreseeable future.
Things have not gone as smooth for fellow rookie Trey Murphy, who has largely been out of the rotation since the calendar flipped to 2022. However, Murphy, a first-round pick out of Virginia, played 15 minutes Tuesday night, recording a line of 12 points, five rebounds and two 3-pointers. Whether or not Murphy can continue to get those minutes in the near future remains to be seen, but it is worth noting that Willie Green went with a lineup during the fourth quarter that included Murphy, fellow rookie Herb Jones, and Brandon Ingram. Murphy played well during his time on the court, which could ensure that he won’t have to wait as long for another shot at rotation minutes. There’s no need to pick Murphy up right now, but he’s a player who could stand to benefit if the team were to throw in the towel on competing for a play-in tournament spot down the line.
“Just the confidence he played with,” Jones said of Murphy after the win. “I see it every day. He can shoot the crap out of the ball. He just knows how to play good basketball. When he got out and got his chance tonight, he showed what he’s capable of.”
Pacers’ Jackson flourishes in extended minutes
The moment that fantasy managers had been waiting for finally arrived a few weeks ago, as Pacers rookie Isaiah Jackson entered the rotation in the aftermath of Myles Turner‘s foot injury. The first-round pick out of Kentucky has played 12 minutes or more in each of Indiana’s last six games, most recently starting and logging 29 in a win over the Clippers. And Jackson had himself a night, putting up career-highs of 26 points and 10 rebounds, while also tallying one steal, two blocks, and one 3-pointer on 12-of-19 shooting from the field. In the six games that he’s played since cracking the rotation, Jackson’s averaged 13.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.0 steals, 1.7 blocks, and 0.5 3-pointers in 19.2 minutes per.
Rostered in 42% of Yahoo leagues, it’s safe to say that Jackson is no longer a “secret” as far as fantasy basketball is concerned. And with Turner being joined on the injury report by fellow starter Domantas Sabonis (protocols) and Goga Bitadze (foot), Jackson is now starting for a team that doesn’t have any other “true” big men. So long as Jackson, who is averaging 4.2 personal fouls per game over the last two weeks, can avoid early foul trouble, those who have him rostered stand to benefit. Plus, the situation could clear up even more at the trade deadline, with Indiana currently six games out of 10th in the East.
Injuries move Kings’ Mitchell into starting lineup
With Sacramento playing without De’Aaron Fox (ankle) and Terence Davis (wrist), rookie point guard Davion Mitchell has started the team’s last three games alongside Tyrese Haliburton and he’s come through with arguably his best stretch of the season. Mitchell’s averaged 17.7 points, 2.0 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 0.3 steals, 0.7 blocks and 3.0 3-pointers in 32.3 minutes per game over his last three, while shooting 45.8% from the field. Plus, he’s taken care of the ball during this stretch, committing a total of three turnovers.
The field goal percentage is the most positive development for Mitchell, who’s making just 39.6% of his attempts on the season as a whole. While he did shoot the ball well from the field and from three in his final season at Baylor, it was fair to wonder if that would carry over due to his poor free throw percentage. There were certainly issues early on, and coming off the bench did not help matters, as Mitchell is shooting 38.6% from the field and 29.9% from three as a reserve (45.9% and 37.0%, respectively, as a starter). Now in the starting lineup, the quality of Mitchell’s shots have improved, which has impacted the accuracy. Fox could be back soon, so that will be something to keep an eye on, and like Jackson above, the trade deadline stands to have a significant impact on Mitchell’s fantasy potential for the remainder of the season.
Clorox Rising Stars player pool revealed
Tuesday night, the NBA revealed the 28 players who will take part in the revamped Clorox Rising Stars during All-Star Weekend in Cleveland. As opposed to the usual two-team affair, the 28 players will be split into four teams. The “semifinal” games will be played to 50, with the winners then facing off with 75 points (that includes the 50 points scored to reach the final) being the target score. The player pool consists of 12 rookies, 12 sophomores, and four G League Ignite players who will be draft-eligible this coming summer. Below are the names of the selected players, and I remain surprised that Onyeka Okongwu isn’t among the sophomores, even with him only playing 18 games.
Rookies: Scottie Barnes, Cade Cunningham, Ayo Dosunmu, Chris Duarte, Josh Giddey, Jalen Green, Herb Jones, Davion Mitchell, Evan Mobley, Alperen Sengun, Jalen Suggs, Franz Wagner.
Sophomores: Precious Achiuwa, Cole Anthony, LaMelo Ball, Desmond Bane, Saddiq Bey, Anthony Edwards, Tyrese Haliburton, Tyrese Maxey, Jaden McDaniels, Isaac Okoro, Isaiah Stewart, Jae’Sean Tate.
G League Ignite: MarJon Beauchamp, Dyson Daniels, Jaden Hardy, Scoot Henderson.
