Due to a sprained ankle, the Lakers have been without Rui Hachimura for the last three games. That opened the door for first-round pick Dalton Knecht to step into the starting lineup, and he made the most of that opportunity. A double-digit scorer in four straight games, he caught fire in Tuesday’s win over the Jazz. Knecht shot 12 of 16 from the field, scoring a game-high 37 points with five rebounds, a steal and nine 3-pointers. The nine triples tied the NBA rookie record for three-pointers in a game, and Knecht scored 21 points in the third quarter alone.
Will Hardy: “In the second half, it seemed like everyone in the gym knew Dalton Knecht was going to take the next shot, except for a few people. The problem was those few people were on our team.”
-Andy Larsen (@andyblarsen) November 20, 2024
Utah continued to lose the rookie and he continued to shoot at an absurd clip. A top 15 fantasy player in 9-cat formats over the past week, are we at the point where we have to wonder if Knecht should stay in the starting lineup? And if so, would it be for Hachimura? Or Cam Reddish, who starts primarily for defensive reasons? Regardless of Lakers coach JJ Redick’s decision, it’s clear that Knecht should be rostered in more than 30 percent of Yahoo leagues. Expect that percentage to increase following Tuesday’s performance, even if Hachimura is available for Thursday’s game against the Magic.
Let’s look at some of the best pickups from Tuesday:
Santi Aldama (47%)Memphis Grizzlies
Aldama continues to have depth value (and some standard) due to the combination of his play and the Grizzlies’ penalty kill. Memphis lost Zach Edey to a sprained ankle on Sunday, and the rookie is considered week-to-week. Aldama was excellent in Tuesday’s loss to the Nuggets, playing 33 minutes and finishing with 28 points, 11 rebounds, a steal and four 3-pointers. He still offers top-100 per-game value in 9-cat formats and is well worth the risk in standard leagues.
Keldon Johnson (36%)San Antonio Spurs
Johnson’s inconsistent production outside of points and rebounds has made it difficult to count on him in many fantasy leagues. However, he has been better over the past two weeks, ranking just outside the top 100. He finished Tuesday’s win over Oklahoma City with 22 points, five rebounds, four assists and six 3-pointers in 29 minutes. Inconsistency aside, Johnson is worth a roll of the dice in deep leagues as long as the Spurs are without Victor Wembanyama.
Grant Williams (25%)Charlotte Hornets
There may not be a lot of excitement surrounding Williams in fantasy leagues, but what else are we going to look to regarding the Hornets frontcourt? Mark Williams and Nick Richards remain sidelined, with the latter edging closer to a return to action. Until one of these two players is cut, Williams will have value in deep leagues. He finished Tuesday’s loss to the Nets with 16 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three blocked shots in 33 minutes.
Zach Collins (19%)San Antonio Spurs
Collins didn’t score as much as he did in Saturday’s loss to the Mavericks, but he provided deep league managers with a full stat line in the Spurs’ win over Oklahoma City. Shooting 5 of 7 from the field and 1 of 1 from the foul line, he finished with 12 points, seven rebounds, three assists, a steal, a block and a 3-pointer in 26 minutes. Charles Bassey (12/8/0/1/2 in 21 minutes) gave San Antonio good minutes coming off the bench, but Collins is the more reliable streaming option if Wembanyama stays out.
Dorian Finney-Smith (17%)Brooklyn Nets
Cameron Johnson was the biggest beneficiary of Tuesday’s Nets game without Cam Thomas, who sat out with a lower back strain. But, with Johnson already rostered in most leagues, he wasn’t hanging around on many waiver wires. Finney-Smith, meanwhile, is available in over 80% of Yahoo leagues. He finished Tuesday’s win with 15 points, three rebounds, three assists, a steal and four 3-pointers, shooting 5 of 6 from the field. Jalen Wilson, who replaced Thomas, scored 17 points but didn’t provide much beyond points and 3-pointers. Class league managers would be better off with Finney-Smith, especially if Thomas only misses one game.
Ty Jerome (12%)Cleveland Cavaliers
Jerome may not be a power forward, but the absences of Caris LeVert, Isaac Okoro and Dean Wade meant the Cavaliers needed a little more from their backup point guard in Boston. He played 28 minutes, finishing with 10 points, one rebound, five assists and a steal in the three-point loss. While Craig Porter Jr. (15/3/3 with three 3-pointers) and Georges Niang (11/4/3 with a 3-pointer) have also been productive off the bench, Jérôme has been the most consistent in terms of fantasy throughout the season. value.
Cason Wallace (5%)Oklahoma City Thunder
With the exclusion of Isaiah Joe, the “three players for two starting spots” dilemma that Thunder coach Mark Daigneault faces most nights has been resolved. Wallace and Aaron Wiggins started for San Antonio, with the former totaling 13 points, three rebounds, seven assists, one block, three 3-pointers and no turnovers in 34 minutes. Wallace’s playmaking ability gives him the advantage over Wiggins (11/3/0/1 with three 3-pointers) if Joe stays away.
