NBA Starting 5 (GPP): Monday, January 2nd
Happy New Years, everyone! And good luck to all on your resolutions! It is awesome to have NFL winding down so we can start to focus on one sport. I’ve never been great at juggling both sports, so I usually shift most of my time to NBA, however, I do love NFL playoffs.
Today we have a nice eight-game slate, so let’s take a look.
Point Guard: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks – $10,400 on DraftKings
The Greek Freak is quickly turning into one of my favorite players in the NBA and he is incredibly fun to watch as well. He is extremely underrated for what he brings to the table and has immense upside anytime he steps on the court. His last game against the Bulls was one of his best games of the season. With a usage rate of 28%, the Milwaukee Bucks like the ball in his hands as much as possible and will continue to operate as such.
The Bucks will host the Oklahoma City Thunder, which should be a fun and exciting game to watch. One of my favorite positions to attack against OKC is point guard with the pace they like to play at. The Greek Freak is in a great spot here and has triple-double upside in this matchup.
Shooting Guard: Gary Harris, Denver Nuggets – $4,700
The Denver Nuggets have always been one of the toughest teams to figure out with Mike Malone and his crazy rotations. All I can say, though; he loves Gary Harris for reasons I am not certain of, and he will continue to get him his 30 minutes. He is a little bit underpriced and can have a nice return on that salary. I would most likely reserve him for tournaments.
Harris and the Nuggets will head west to take on the Warriors, which to no surprise has one of the highest totals on the night. The Nuggets should get blown out in this spot, but call me crazy, as I can see Denver keeping it somewhat close. If they can keep it semi-close, this is a plus matchup for any guard, especially considering his price.
Small Forward: Jimmy Butler, Chicago Bulls – $8,700
The Chicago Bulls have been dreadful to watch lately and desperately need to figure something out. Jimmy Butler is one of the only things on this team that has been consistent on most nights. He leads the team with a usage rate of 27% and Chicago relies on him a lot, maybe a little too much sometimes. With his price starting to climb back up, I can see him getting overlooked here in tournaments.
The Bulls will host the Charlotte Hornets, who surprisingly have been poor against the small forward position. On most nights, if the Bulls have a chance to win any game, Jimmy is one of the biggest reasons why. In a game that Vegas believes will come down to the wire — while hopefully going overlooked with his price climbing — Jimmy is one of my favorite plays on the slate.
Power Forward: Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors – $7,500
This is usually one of my toughest positions to figure out, and when that happens I will attack players at price. Draymond Green is finally starting to come down in price, and he should be. He has been all over with his production this season, but I love this matchup. His usage has come tremendously down this season at 18%, but he is one of the few players who can make value without scoring a bucket. Those are always players that I love to play.
The Golden State Warriors will host the Denver Nuggets, who have been middle of the road against the power forward position. Like I said earlier, with one of the highest totals on the board and with believing this game can stay somewhat close, it really gives a player like Draymond great upside at a lowered price.
Center: Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz – $7,400
No matter what it always seems like Rudy Gobert is under owned and it really confuses me. This is another one of those nights I do see that happening. Gobert has been one of the most consistent big men on the season with almost thirteen straight double-doubles. Against the 76ers he only had nine points, otherwise it would have been thirteen straight. If you have read my articles before, I always like to have some safety in my tournament lineups.
The Utah Jazz will head to Brooklyn to take on the Nets, who have been the worst team in the NBA against centers. This will most likely be a very ugly game, but at Brooklyn this game should stay somewhat close and Gobert should see his usual amount of minutes, which is all he needs to make value against this poor defense.
Thank you for reading!