Russell

Westbrook

Westbrook passed Oscar Robertson to become the highest scoring point guard in the history of the NBA with 26,711 points. The 37-year-old point guard also has the most rebounds of any point guard in league history as well as field goals made. Westbrook has had an incredible career and can still play at a high level. He averaged 16.2 points per game, 7.5 assists per game and 5.8 rebounds per game in December. The Kings conclude the week with a game against the Bucks on Sunday.

Westbrook had another down performance by his standards, one game after a low-production outing against the Clippers. He narrowly made it to double figures as a scorer, with inefficient, high-volume three-point shooting among the reasons for his low output. He was again unspectacular on the glass, but made contributions as a facilitator. Fantasy managers will hope that he can bounce back against the Suns on Friday to log a stronger final line.

Westbrook made some history on Saturday, as he passed Magic Johnson to move into seventh on the NBA’s all-time assists list. Overall, the veteran point guard played very well against the Mavericks, shooting 50 percent from the field and from beyond the arc while also recording a game-high nine assists. While Westbrook did commit four turnovers, his production since moving into the starting lineup has put him back on the radar in standard leagues, and some shallow formats as well. That is something that few, if any, fantasy managers expected before the season began. The Kings play their final game of Week 10 on Sunday against the Lakers.

One game removed from hitting five three-pointers, Westbrook hit four more on Tuesday. Over the last two games, he’s shot 9-of-24 from deep. Three-point percentage is not a scoring category in most fantasy leagues, so the hope is that the increased willingness to put up those shots won’t crater Westbrook’s overall field-goal percentage. He’s closing in on top-75 value in eight-cat formats, which is not something that anyone expected before the season began.

Westbrook recorded his 11th double-double of the season on Sunday, but the percentages left much to be desired. That isn’t a major surprise to fantasy managers, as those are the categories where most expect to take a hit when using the 37-year-old veteran. Despite shooting 43.5 percent from the field and 68.2 percent from the foul line, Westbrook has still been close to a top-50 player in eight-cat formats over the last two weeks.

Westbrook had a rough night shooting the basketball, but he was able to provide solid fantasy value in other areas. The veteran point guard was one of two Kings to record five steals, with DeMar DeRozan being the other. Add in the rebounds and assists, and Westbrook’s final line was not as bad as it could have been. Over the last two weeks, he has been a top-50 player in eight-cat formats.

Westbrook finished Thursday’s defeat with his tenth double-double of the season. And to the surprise of many, he’s turned into a player who can once again be relied on in 12-team leagues. Westbrook is providing top-75 value in eight-cat formats, well ahead of his Yahoo! ADP (139). Of course, the ADP was heavily influenced by Westbrook not agreeing to a deal until after the preseason, as many fantasy drafts were already in the books. He’s rostered in 63 percent of Yahoo! leagues, and that number should continue to increase.

Schroder was listed as doubtful on Saturday evening, but he’s now got a chance to take the court against the Timberwolves. If he’s available, Schroder could step back into the starting five, shifting Russell Westbrook back to the bench. Malik Monk and Keon Ellis (available) could also see a reduction in playing time.

Schröder has missed Sacramento’s last seven games with a strained right hip flexor and is likely to miss an eighth on Sunday. Russell Westbrook, who took over the starting point guard job when Schröder was healthy, will continue to play most of the minutes at that position, with Malik Monk assuming additional playmaking responsibilities off the bench.

Westbrook had a relatively efficient night on Thursday, but it did not keep the Kings from getting blown out of their own building. Over the past month, he has been close to a top-75 player in eight-cat formats. To the surprise of no one who’s experienced in fantasy basketball, Westbrook’s value is much lower in nine-cat formats because of the turnovers. He committed only two on Thursday, but the nature of the game resulted in Westbrook playing less than usual.