Written by Raphiel Johnson
While it certainly wasn’t the biggest of eight games on Thursday’s NBA schedule, the matchup between the Jazz and Pistons drew a lot of attention. Detroit entered this game having lost 24 straight games, and in the eyes of many, the Jazz were the Pistons’ best chance to end that streak before the calendar turned to 2024. Utah, on the other hand, was a team worth watching for fantasy reasons. With Lauri Markkanen and Talen Horton-Tucker joining the team’s long list of absentees, someone is bound to provide solid streaming value.
input kelly olynyk (24%, Yahoo), came off the bench two games before Utah, but returned to the starting lineup. He might not have been the most appealing pickup heading into Thursday’s game, having scored 27 points in six games since scoring 13 points in a Dec. 8 loss. The coaches’ faith in taking the plunge paid off as Olynyk scored 27 points, three rebounds, six assists, four steals and made three 3-pointers in 35 minutes in Utah’s win over Detroit.
Olynyk’s six-fight streak through Thursday certainly wasn’t great, but he still provides 11 rounds of value per fight in a nine-cat format. What attracted a lot of attention in Detroit jazz was Chris Dunn (3%), had only one turnover and had 10 assists. The former lottery pick also had 13 points, five rebounds, two steals and one blocked shot, an effort that would merit consideration in deep leagues if Horton-Tucker is not cleared to play in Saturday’s game. . Toronto.
Take a look at some of Thursday’s other top picks.
aaron nesmith (20%)
Despite coming off the bench, Nesmith remains a more valuable fantasy player than his backup, Obi Toppin. Nesmith, who was known for his perimeter shooting ability when he first entered the league, has vastly improved on the defensive end of the floor. He finished Thursday’s loss to the Grizzlies with 14 points, five rebounds, four steals, three blocks and four 3-pointers in 28 minutes. Currently a top 100 player in his format, Nesmith is averaging close to 25 minutes per game, enough to make an impact in his league category.
Rui Hachimura (13%)
Hachimura was making his third start of the season after LeBron James (ankle) missed Thursday’s game against the Timberwolves. He finished the loss with 18 points, 4 rebounds, 1 steal, and 2 3-pointers in 34 minutes. Of course, you’d like to see more production in the rebounding category, but that’s easier said than done when you’re dealing with Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns on the other side.
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moritz wagner (13%)
The second game Orlando has played since starting center Wendell Carter Jr. returned from a broken finger was also the second of back-to-back games, as the Magic played in Milwaukee on Thursday. After playing all three centers in Wednesday’s loss to the Heat, Magic coach Jamal Mosley went back to two, with Wagner backing up Carter and Goga Bitadze earning a DNP-CD.
Wagner was effective in the loss to the Bucks, playing 27 minutes and recording 21 points, eight rebounds, two assists, one steal, one block, and one 3-point shot. Congratulations to the coaches who decided to keep Wagner, especially since Carter missed about six weeks of games and needed to get in shape. WCJ will eventually move back into the starting lineup, but that would limit the fantasy value of Wagner and Vitadze.
andre drummond (11%)
Fantastic coaches hoping their improved Bulls can beat the Spurs by a wide margin may have added Drummond before the game. If so, have a good call. Drummond needed just 19 minutes off the bench to do any damage as the Bulls won by 19 points and took the lead in the fourth quarter. The veteran center had 12 points, eight rebounds, one assist, five steals and two blocks while shooting 5-of-10 from the field and 2-of-3 from the foul line. With starting center Nikola Vucevic averaging 34.0 minutes per game, it will be difficult for Drummond to achieve the scoring he needs to make an impact on the fantasy basketball world. But Thursday’s game played out in his favor.
dean wade (Four%)
There aren’t many teams that are as strong as the Cavaliers right now. Darius Garland and Evan Mobley are out for extended periods, and Donovan Mitchell missed the final two games due to illness. Wade started for Mobley and had 20 points, nine rebounds and two blocks on six 3-pointers in 26 minutes. Wade hasn’t been an impact option for most of the season, but he has hit double digits in three of his last four games. Depending on what happens with Mitchell and Sam Merrill, who tried to play through a sore wrist Thursday but couldn’t, Wade could be worth rolling the dice against the Bulls on Saturday.