It’s that time of year when Mariah Carey dons the crown and bellows melodies galore. When colorful lights transform homes into works of art. When … SCREEEEECH … Hold up. Wait a minute. We haven’t yet stuffed our faces with Thanksgiving breakfast, lunch, dinner and next-day leftovers!
Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and my appreciation is already bubbling over, so I wanted to share what I am thankful for early on in this fantasy hoops season.
I am thankful to Eric Wong and Brandon Funston for bringing me on board and allowing me to write at this fine establishment.
I am thankful for you, the readers — Hi, Mom!
I am thankful for Cam Reddish. Yes, that Cam Reddish, who has played for four NBA teams in six seasons and never averaged more than 11.2 points or 28.8 minutes a game in a season. At 6-foot-7 and 217 pounds, I thought Reddish would dominate when he got into the NBA. You’re chuckling, but Reddish was “That Guy” on the AAU circuit. I will never forget a young Anthony Edwards saying, with no hesitation, that Reddish was the toughest player to guard back in the day.
Shoutout to a baby Tyrese Maxey in that clip.
Reddish always keeps me humble and grounded when evaluating players, reminding me never to forget about the risk in the risk/reward equation — physical talent is not the end-all, be-all.
I am thankful for Cleveland Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson. He has the Cavs playing at the eighth-fastest pace after they slogged away at 21st last season. He has unlocked Evan Mobley and orchestrated an offense that is top in offensive efficiency. Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Mobley and Jarrett Allen are all in the top 36 for fantasy on a per-game basis.
More importantly, though, I am optimistic about the long-term benefits for the league, in general, if he continues to be successful. It’s a copycat league, after all. His coaching philosophy doesn’t box players into roles. Instead, he learns his players’ strengths and weaknesses and adapts. It’s a simple concept but one that is not always employed. In addition, he breeds confidence in his players by allowing them to play more freely.
In a Cleveland.com article written by Jimmy Watkins, Georges Niang had this to say:
“Kenny has done a great job of breathing confidence into guys where you don’t feel like I have to make this shot. It’s more or less, ‘I should enjoy the process of taking the shot. This is my shot.’ And I think when you do that with people, it allows them to kind of relax their shoulders, breathe a little easier and not wonder if they’re coming out if they miss a shot. It’s just a part of the game, and you’re flowing.”
I am thankful for the Chicago Bulls, Washington Wizards, Toronto Raptors and Utah Jazz. All are in the top 10 in offensive pace while being the four worst teams in defensive efficiency. Playing those teams provides plenty of opportunities for fantasy goodies to rain down like manna from the heavens.
I am thankful for Dyson Daniels. We knew he was a defensive maven, but we did not know he would do this well! Daniels is averaging 3.4 steals and 1.1 blocks per game. He has 44 total steals on the season. No one else has more than 29. Since 1946, a player has averaged at least 3.0 steals in a season seven times: Alvin Robertson did it twice, John Stockton did it three times, and Michael Jordan and Micheal Ray Richardson did it once.
The 3-point shooting is still a bugaboo for Daniels — 28 percent from downtown — and the free-throw shooting is poor, but he’s still averaging 14.9 points and 33.9 minutes per game.
On NFBKC, Daniels was the 146th overall player drafted on average. The Yahoo rankings had him buried, but they eventually adjusted him to 81st. He is currently the No. 15 player on a per-game basis.
I am thankful for Nikola Jokic. He’s averaging 29.7 points, 2.2 treys, 13.7 rebounds, 11.7 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.0 blocks while shooting 56 percent from the field and 84 percent from the line. The only blemish is the 4.1 turnovers. I submitted a query on Stathead for players who have averaged 25 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists, two treys and one steal while shooting 50 percent from the field and 80 percent from the line, and no one else pops up. He is truly one of one. Let us enjoy his greatness.
I am thankful for Christian Braun. During the offseason, I thought he would replace Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in the starting lineup and see over 30 minutes a game. Usually, though, situations like his offer purely a minutes’ play. I’m hoping that one trips and falls into a rebound or gets an easy layup or dunk in transition.
Braun has exceeded all expectations, averaging 15.9 points, 1.4 treys, 5.2 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.3 steals and 0.8 blocks while shooting 54 percent from the field and 81 percent from the line. His usage rate is a respectable 16.1 percent, and he averages only 1.2 turnovers — excellent for fantasy but poor for the local bakery.
Braun has great size at 6-foot-6, 218 pounds and is a very good defender. He’s uber-athletic:
Most importantly, though, he’s converting 44 percent of his 3.2 attempts from downtown. Braun was drafted as the 194th player on average at NFBKC. He got up to 97 on Yahoo.
I am thankful for Trajan Langdon, the new President of Basketball Operations for the Detroit Pistons. He replaced former head coach Monty Williams with J.B. Bickerstaff and signed Malik Beasley and Tobias Harris. Bickerstaff has helped the defensive efficiency improve from 26th to 10th this season.
Beasley is a career 38 percent shooter from downtown, while Harris has a 36 percent career mark. After being 27th in 3-point attempts (31.7 per game), Detroit is 17th (35.9 per game) through 16 games this season. The better spacing has assisted in Cade Cunningham leveling up.
I am thankful for Tari Eason. I have always been a sucker for players who contribute a little something something across the board, especially the 1/1/1 players (one trey, one steal and one block). Shane Battier and early Nicolas Batum would make the hairs on my body stand up (I’m Asian, so not many). No disrespect to Battier and Batum, but Eason is a physical freak compared to those two. Eason has 11-inch hands, a 7-foot-2 wingspan and explosive jumping ability (he did not participate in the vertical jump at the combine). All of this in a 6-foot-8, 217-pound package.
On the season, Eason is averaging 11.7 points, 1.0 trey, 6.2 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 1.9 steals and 1.2 blocks in 23 minutes. During the first five games of the season, though, he averaged 17.5 minutes per game. Over the past 10 games, the playing time has increased to 25.8 minutes per contest, and he’s averaged 13.4 points, 1.1 treys, 7.5 rebounds, 0.9 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.5 blocks. I’m not sure how Ime Udoka can put this back into the bottle.
Unfortunately, playing time is a zero-sum game, as there are a finite amount of minutes. The increased playing time for Eason has come at the expense of Jabari Smith Jr. During the first five games of the season, Smith was playing 31.7 minutes per game. Over the past 10, he’s received 26.3 minutes per contest.
I am thankful for JJ Redick. Many were skeptical of the hire, but I thought there was a chance he’d be good. Listening to him talk hoops with LeBron James on his podcast, you could see that he understood the game very well and could break down plays and concepts. In addition, he was an insanely hard worker as a player, and all indications were that he worked hard in the media realm as well.
It’s early in the season, but the results have been encouraging. The Lakers have the fifth-best offense after finishing 15th last season. The players are engaged and listen to him, partly due to his street cred for being a former player and because of his passion, competence and ability to hold players accountable. He has been adjusting well and drawing up timely plays on offense. The big thing, though, has been prioritizing Anthony Davis as the hub of the offense and decreasing the usage for LeBron James.
Davis often had a usage rate in the 27 percent range. He’s at 32 percent this season. LeBron had a usage rate in the 29 to 33 percent range over the past few seasons. He’s at 27 percent this year.
Coaching matters. Just look at the Milwaukee Bucks.
There are so many more things that I’m thankful for, but there’s a limit to how much I can write. And I enjoy this gig too much.
So, the final thing that I’m thankful for is change. The fantasy landscape is constantly moving like plate tectonics on Earth. As a result, the puzzle morphs and evolves, which muddies up the path you projected before the start of the season. Change can cause frustration, especially when injuries are the cause. That said, every change is an opportunity to profit. Plus, it keeps the game exciting!
One of the beauties of this game we play is that everyone has a different perspective, emotional temperament and risk tolerance. As a result, everyone interprets information differently and overvalues or undervalues different things. But everything is context-dependent. Most teams are constructed differently, with different visions and philosophies.
Remember that there are many paths to victory.
(Top photo of Dyson Daniels: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images)
