Joel Embiid said he's "rekindled [his] love of passing" this season.
"Last year at times, [teams would] double and [I'd] pass and you miss a couple — you miss a lot of shots — and it gets frustrating," he said. "This year, I just think I’ve just been letting the game come to me." Doc Rivers is putting Embiid in spots where he'll know the defensive help before it arrives, making his decisions as a passer simpler. The caveat is that it hasn't added up to increased dimes with Embiid's "potential assists" nearly identical to the 2019-20 season, per NBA.com, and his overall passes are actually down at 40.0 vs. 44.1 last season.
Pelicans coach Stan Van Gundy said he didn't intend to keep Zion Williamson out for all but one minute of overtime on Monday.
Van Gundy said he thought Zion was "gassed" after getting 22 points and 10 rebounds in the first four quarters. He wanted to get him into the game with three minutes left in OT but the clock kept running, and SVG took the blame for not calling a timeout to get his star back into the action. "[There were] a lot of bad game coaching decisions by me tonight," he said. There's obviously no reason to read into Zion's late-game benching.
Rui Hachimura said he's getting "really easy" post-up opportunities this season due to the Wizards' shooters opening up the floor.
"Especially now, all the other teams are switching on me, so I’ve got small guys on me," Hachimura said. "That’s when it gets easy." The Wizards are averaging 0.85 points per possession (PPP) with their post-ups this season, which ranks 17th in the NBA. Hachimura himself is at 1.07 PPP, though, which puts him in the 77th percentile for effectiveness. He's bulked up this season and looks more confident attacking mismatches, so expect a steady diet of him in the post all year long.
Mo Bamba made his season debut on Monday, chipping in two rebounds, one assist and one block in four minutes of action.
It's terrific to see Bamba playing after a long recovery from COVID-19. Khem Birch is playing very well in a backup role and double-doubled on Monday, which is another roadblock to Bamba establishing fantasy value in standard settings.
Rockets coach Stephen Silas has made Christian Wood's defensive development "a point of emphasis" this season.
"It's a process," Silas said, referring to Wood's defensive awareness and comfort in pick-and-roll drop coverage. Houston ranks 24th in defensive rating and teammate Eric Gordon emphasized the need for interior defense, saying, "For us to be a great defense, it’s all about protection in the paint." Wood is already averaging career highs across the board this season, including blocks (2.0) and steals (1.0), so regardless of the real-world results, fantasy managers are thrilled with this particular "process."
Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau praised Immanuel Quickley's shooting and ability to bait defenders into fouls, calling him "a real student of the game."
“He’s watched quite a bit of Trae Young," said Thibodeau. "His shot-making ability puts a lot of pressure on people and it opens things up." The key here is that Thibs sounds very pleased with his rookie guard's play, and there's a path to starting Quickley at PG since Elfrid Payton has been hot and cold through seven games. Thibodeau's blessing usually means tons of playing time and two Knicks already lead the NBA in minutes per game (RJ Barrett and Julius Randle). Quickley is worth watching in 12-team leagues, and should be rostered anywhere deeper.
Isaac Okoro (left foot sprain) was on the Cavs' bench during Monday's game and could return Wednesday vs. the Magic.
Okoro was initially away from the team due to health and safety protocols, but it's the sprained foot that has held him out recently. He has potential to help fantasy GMs with 3-pointers, steals and a smattering of stats elsewhere, and at least playing time shouldn't be an issue -- he averaged 37.5 points in his first two games, including a scoreless effort in 42 minutes on Dec. 26. If he's available in a deep league, consider grabbing him now that his return is imminent.
Kevin Porter Jr. (personal) isn't with the Cavaliers on their six-game road trip that ends on Jan. 11.
Beat writer Chris Fedor provides welcome context for KPJ's continued absence from the team. "Because this isn’t an injury, there’s no exact timeframe and no reason to provide continuous updates on his status -- until it changes," Fedor writes. "The Cavs won’t bring him back until they believe he is emotionally ready to return and has done enough away-from-the-court self-care ... [U]ntil they feel comfortable and see what they need out of Porter, he will not play. It’s as simple -- and complicated -- as that."
Dante Exum (right calf strain) did not suffer an Achilles injury during Monday's game, according to Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff.
Exum went down with a non-contact injury and initial fears were that it involved his Achilles tendon, but Bickerstaff was explicitly asked if an Achilles injury was ruled out. "From what I understand, yes,” he replied. “It’s a calf, from what we’ve seen. We’ll have more information, but that’s what I was told." Exum left the arena in a walking boot and could miss extended time but at least a worst-case scenario appears to have been avoided.
De'Aaron Fox netted 18 points on 7-of-17 shooting (2-of-4 FT) Monday, to go with two triples, four boards, seven dimes, three steal, one block and three turnovers across 31 minutes.
As the fastest guard in the league, Fox gets so many easy buckets in transition, because once he turns on the jets there’s literally no one on the floor who can catch him. He looked great tonight, but the majority of his teammates played like the Washington Generals, combining for 27-of-73 shooting. Sacramento has now lost three in a row, but they’ll look to put an end to that losing streak on Wednesday vs. the Bulls.
Buddy Hield was held to just 10 points in Monday's blowout loss to the Warriors, adding three treys, six boards, one assist, one block and two turnovers in 30 minutes.
Hield was solid in the season opener, but he’s been in an awful shooting rut ever since, and that trend continued tonight with him bricking his first four shots and finishing just 3-of-12 from the field (1-of-2 FT). Over the past six games, Buddy has been connecting on just 34.5% of his field goal attempts, but it should only be a matter of time until he finds his rhythm again. Remember, he got off to a sluggish start last season as well.
Hassan Whiteside saw 12 minutes off the bench in Monday's blowout loss to the Warriors and finished with eight points, two rebounds, three blocks and one turnover.
Whiteside picked up a DNP-CD his last time out, but he was able to get into tonight’s game early with the other Sacramento bigs struggling mightily, and he made the most of his limited minutes with three swats in his first four minutes of play. However, after that first stint, he didn’t touch the floor again until the fourth quarter when the game was already decided, and his second stint lasted just four minutes. He’s a stash at best, but you could make a strong case for cutting him in H2H leagues.
Harrison Barnes went 5-of-12 from the field and 7-of-8 from the line for 18 points over 30 minutes in a bad loss to the Warriors on Monday.
Barnes added nine rebounds, one 3-pointer, one assist and one steal while he was out there, and this was his second straight game without a single turnover. He's currently in the midst of a mini, three-game hot streak, and while he started slow tonight, he finished strong, tying De’Aaron Fox as Sacramento’s leading scorer in the blowout loss. Over the past three, he’s put in averages of 20.3 points, 8.0 rebounds, 1.7 triples and 1.0 steal per game on 51.3% shooting, so he’s someone to consider grabbing if you need some points and boards.
Richaun Holmes was held to just four points, three rebounds, one steal and one turnover in Monday's deflating loss to the Warriors.
Holmes has been a bit hit-or-miss this season, but tonight’s line was particularly bad due to the blowout, with Holmes receiving a season-low 18 minutes. It was a rough night for him, but he shouldn’t have much trouble bouncing back on Wednesday with a favorable matchup against Chicago.
Nico Mannion saw eight minutes off the bench in his regular-season debut on Monday, finishing with two rebounds, two assists and nothing else in an easy win over the Kings.
Mannion made his NBA debut with eight minutes left in the fourth quarter and the Dubs up by 30, which tells you all you need to know with regards to where he slots into Steve Kerr’s rotation. He’s going to spend most of the year in the G League, so unless the Warriors face a series of catastrophic injuries, he’ll be safe to ignore in fantasy hoops.
Kent Bazemore saw 15 minutes off the bench on Monday, recording five points, two rebounds, three assists, one 3-pointer and one block in an easy win over the Kings.
Bazemore had a fun moment late in the first in which he swatted the 7-footer, Hassan Whiteside at the rim, and then ran back in transition for the bucket, but fun moments aren't a category in fantasy hoops. He's re-entered the rotation in Golden State, but he's probably not worth your attention unless you're in a 30-team league. Eric Paschall came off the bench for 14 points, seven rebounds, four assists, two triples and one turnover, but most his production came during garbage time.
Derrick Rose scored a season-high 24 points on Monday, adding eight assists, two rebounds and a steal in 25 minutes.
Rose had an efficient night, hitting 9-of-18 shots, 2-of-4 triples and 4-of-4 free throws. He's been solid off the bench for the Pistons, but he might be starting soon as rookie Killian Hayes exited Monday's game with a right hip injury. Rose is still available in 31% of Yahoo leagues, and he might be worth a look. But he presents injury headaches of his own and the Pistons were short staffed in a big way tonight.
Giannis Antetokounmpo used an enormous first half to power his way to a season-high 43 points on 17-of-24 FGs on Monday night.
Giannis had first-half career-high 30 points before finishing with 43, adding nine boards, four dimes, a swat and two 3-pointers in just 36 minutes. He also scored a whopping 30 points in the paint — the fifth time he's done so in his career, according to ESPN. That's the reigning two-time MVP for you. And though it's still early in the season, he's only averaging 23.5 points, but is also pulling down 11.7 rebounds and dishing out 5.8 assists a night as well. Just ignore the free throw shooting and enjoy the ride.
D.J. Augustin notched 11 points and a season-high six assists in the Bucks win on Monday night.
In 19 minutes off the bench, Augustin hit 4-of-5 FGs and three triples in the Bucks 125-115 win over Detroit. He's played well for Milwaukee early on, though he doesn't do enough to earn a roster spot at this point.
Saddiq Bey started Monday's game with Blake Griffin resting, but contributed only nine points (3-of-8 FGs, 2-of-2 FTs) with three rebounds in 31 minutes.
Bey has now started a few games for the Pistons early in his rookie season, but this was easily his worst start, so far. He wasn't necessarily terrible, but he wasn't great either. The good news for Bey: Griffin will likely be in-and-out of the lineup throughout the season, and now, with Killian Hayes (right hip) possibly sidelined, there could be more minutes up for grabs in Detroit's back court.