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Welcome to the RotoBaller NBA Recap. In this feature, we will highlight three fantasy basketball takeaways from last night's slate of NBA games.
After a thrilling first three days of the NBA season, Friday was a day of high scoring blowouts, salvaged with two impressive game-winning shots. Jonas Jerebko ended the night with a last-second tip-in for the Golden State Warriors to topple the Utah Jazz by one point, and Brooklyn Nets shooting guard Caris Levert hit the game-winning shot over the New York Knicks, staking Brooklyn's claim as the "Kings of New York."
From a fantasy perspective, there is a lot to discuss, so without further ado, let's get right into Friday's recap.
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Kevin Love: Can Still Provide Top-10 Fantasy Upside
Kevin Love's basketball acumen and ability were severely tarnished during his short four-year stint with LeBron James, at least from a public perception. From 2014 to 2018, the 6-foot-10, 250-pound big man averaged 17.2 points per game, 10 rebounds, two assists and contributed 2.1 threes per contest. Those numbers are respectable for any NBA player but weren't exactly what fans expected to see after his torrid pace the year before his arrival in Cleveland.
Love was dazzling during his last season in Minnesota from a fantasy standpoint, averaging 26.1 points, 12.5 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 2.5 threes per game, making him the Timberwolves lone bright spot on an otherwise disappointing unit. His 28 percent usage nearly matched his career-high of 28.1 during his injury-shortened campaign of 55 games in 2011 to 2012, and his 7.3 value over replacement player rating was third in the NBA, behind only Kevin Durant and Lebron James.
Fast forward to his first year without Lebron, and there are reasons to believe that Love can still produce a top-10 fantasy season, even if injuries and a change of playing style will never let us see "Minnesota Kevin" again. During the Cavaliers second game of the season on Friday against the Minnesota Timberwolves, the 30-year-old was sensational against his former team. Love tallied 25 points, 19 rebounds, seven assists and also added in three three-pointers and a block for good measure.
The most encouraging part of Love's early production has been his usage and activity. Through two games, the Cavs star player has a usage percentage of 27.5 and looks physically ready to shoulder the load. At any time that can change for the five-time NBA All-Star, but most of his injuries have been of the fluky variety, and that provides hope that he can remain injury-free.
Love's 11-for-37 shooting for 29.7 percent over the first two games isn't ideal, but if his usage can remain the same, he is due for some massive performances once his shot does start to fall. Love has top-10 upside in head-to-head points leagues and can also rival that in category leagues because of his built-in dominance in points, rebounds, assists, threes and free throw shooting percentage for his position. The former fifth overall selection in the 2008 NBA Draft will have some up-and-down shooting nights, but as nearly a 44 percent shooter during his career, Love will eventually find some rhythm and capitalize on the vast amount of volume that will be thrown his way.
Caris Levert: Makes Early Case For Most Improved Player
Injuries to Allen Crabbe and DeMarre Carroll unlocked the door for Caris LeVert to begin 2018, and the 24-year-old has made the most of his opportunity.
Levert opened the season on Wednesday in flawless fashion. He matched his career-high with 27 points while adding four rebounds, four assists, one steal and one block. He also shot an impressive 10-for-18 from the field and seven-for-eight from the charity stripe.
On Friday, Levert decided to one-up himself by hitting the game-winning layup with 1.0 seconds left to beat the New York Knicks. The 6-foot-7 shooting guard made 8-of-13 shots from the field for a new career-high of 28 points and also added six rebounds, five assists and two three-pointers. LeVert once again did most of his damage from the line, hitting 10-of-11 free throws during the contest. LeVert's performance makes him the first player in Nets franchise history to record at least 27 points, four rebounds and four assists in the first two games of the year.
Going forward, the two biggest sufferers of LeVert's explosion look to be D'Angelo Russell and Allen Crabbe. Crabbe rejoined the mix today from his injury, scoring five points in 18 minutes of action. Russell, on the other hand, will have to get used to playing off the ball, which could provide some early season struggles for the former second pick in the 2015 draft.
LeVert has a 29.8 percent usage rating through two games this season and a staggering 69.9 true shooting percentage. Those numbers mixed with the stat-stuffing that LeVert has been displaying have made him one of the best players in all of the NBA early in the year. While some fantasy owners may be looking to sell the Michigan product high, I am not. There is a price for everyone, but I had LeVert graded inside the top-80 for nine-category leagues coming into the season, and that number has only skyrocketed up. I think he should be treated as a top-40 option in points and category leagues going forward and is someone that is worth trying to acquire from an owner believing he is "selling high." At the time of writing this, LeVert is still available in 23 percent of Yahoo leagues and a mind-blowing 49 percent of ESPN leagues. You will not find him in any competitive groups, but it is still worth double checking.
Taurean Prince: Can Be King In Atlanta
Recognizing disparities in pricing and player values throughout different sites can be one of the most critical takeaways you can garner from the pre-season. Taurean Prince, who should have been treated as a top-60 player in nine-category leagues and top-75 in head-to-head points scoring, had an average draft position of just 132 on ESPN sites, 34 spots higher than CBS and a ridiculous 72 places off from Yahoo.
There appeared to be an excellent opportunity for Prince to yield stat-stuffing numbers from the small forward position, challenging upwards of 18 points per game while contributing around five rebounds, three assists and one block. At least that is how it appeared to me coming into the year, which made Prince's draft price on ESPN one of the best bargains you could find.
During the Hawks opening game on Wednesday, the 24-year-old produced a team-high 21 points to go along with six assists, six rebounds and three triples. Prince's six turnovers were to be expected with the lack of talent the Hawks have and extra usage bestowed upon him, especially considering they were without John Collins, who should be able to take some of the attention off of Prince when he does return. The third-year player was consistent from the field, hitting 7-of-15 shots and making all four attempts from the free throw line.
On Friday, Prince posted another eye-popping line that should have been much bigger. The 6-foot-eight, 220-pound forward found himself in foul trouble in the first half, quickly picking up four fouls before halftime. A second-half blowout did not help Prince's cause, and he was limited to just 23 minutes. In his reduced game-action, the former 12th pick in the 2016 draft scored 28 points on 10-of-15 shooting, was 4-of-9 from deep, had four rebounds, three assists, three steals and added in a consistent four makes on four attempts from the charity stripe.
Prince has a usage percentage of 29.5 through his first two games of the season, a 7.4 percent increase from 2017 to 2018. Once Collins returns, he will eat slightly into Prince's usage rate, but this is not necessarily a negative. Prince is a top-30 eight-category player this year and should be downgraded ever so slightly in nine-category leagues with turnovers as a statistic. Shockingly, the Hawks star is still available in 59 percent of ESPN leagues, which won't last long. If you do not own him on your roster, he is a player that should be inquired about and heavily pursued.
