PrizePicks NBA Player Picks Today: Value on Hayes, Jones, and Williams
With last night’s wee 2-gamer out of the way, we can move on to Friday night’s 9-game NBA slate. As is the case every day, there’s plenty of value to be found on PrizePicks, especially early in the day.
If you’re new to the site, be sure to take advantage of our special PrizePicks promo code. With the code “GRINDERS,” you can claim a 100% match bonus on your first deposit of up to $100.
Remember, you can also keep tabs on the best PrizePicks picks of the day with our Fantasy Pick’em Tool. We’re constantly updating this throughout the day in order to account for the latest news, but there’s still value to be found earlier in the afternoon as well.
NBA PrizePicks Predictions Today
Killian Hayes Less Than 11.5 Points
The Pistons have cobbled together an impressive core of young talent. Not every lottery pick they’ve made in recent years has been a home run, yet the team is still trying to get something out of their 2020 first-rounder, Hayes. The 22-year-old has started each of Detroit’s first 9 games with modest averages of 10 points, 4.8 assists, and about 3 rebounds per game.
Hayes has never been an efficient shooter, and we’re seeing more of the same early in his fourth pro campaign (39% FGs, 32.3% 3P). At this point, his days as the Pistons’ fifth starter are surely numbered. It’s like a matter of when – not if – the team decides to pull the plug and push him back to the bench. Backup guard Marcus Sasser has already played his way into a significant role off the bench, and I’m not sure how much longer the Pistons can afford to keep the rookie off the floor.
Hayes will still likely see around 30 minutes with all of Bojan Bogdanovic, Jaden Ivey, and Alec Burks still sidelined, but our aforementioned PrizePicks tool thinks Hayes is quite likely to finish tonight’s game against the Sixers with less than 11.5 points. This is a difficult matchup against a resurgent Philly squad, and it’s easy to see how Hayes can come up short in this spot.
- Play: Hayes – Less Than 11.5 Points
Tyus Jones More Than 9.5 Points
Let’s go from one low-usage guard to another. Jones spent years behind Ja Morant as arguably the league’s best backup point guard, and he’s finally getting the chance to play as a full-time starter this season in Washington. He’s still only averaging about 26 minutes per game, though it’s worth noting the Wizards have been involved in quite a few blowouts already. Just 2 of their first 7 games have been decided by less than 10 points.
Tonight, the ‘Zards will face off against the Hornets for the 2nd time in the last 3 nights. They’re 3-point home favorites after walloping Buzz City by 16 in Charlotte the other night. As was the case on Wednesday, this CHA/WAS matchup has one of the highest over/unders on the night (240.5). There should be plenty of points to go ‘round in this one.
Jones’ usage is only hovering around 16%, and he accounted for just 2 (2!!!) of Washington’s 132 points the other night. He’s averaging right around 10 points per game on the season, however, and he’s scored double figures 4 times in 7 games. Charlotte may finish the season as the worst defensive team in the sport, so I’m comfortable banking on Tyus to bounce back at home this evening.
- Play: Jones – More Than 9.5 Points
Mark Williams More Than 1.5 Blocks + Steals
The Wizards are favored tonight, but the Hornets’ 118.75 implied team total is still among the highest on the board. After yo-yoing in and out of the Hornets’ starting lineup toward the end of last season, Williams has established himself as Charlotte’s franchise big man entering 2023-24.
He’s one of the more athletic 7-footers in the league, and he’s averaging exactly 1 blocked shot per game early in his career. Williams is also averaging a steal per game after coming close to that mark a season ago.
Turnovers shouldn’t be one of the Wizards’ primary issues this season with Jones running the show, but 1.5 combined blocks and steals for Williams in this game looks a bit low. He’s already topped that in 3 of Charlotte’s first 7 games. With the expected pace of this matchup, Williams will find himself with no shortage of opportunities to affect this game on the defensive end of the floor.
- Play: Williams More Than 1.5 Steals + Blocks