RADIO
After a quick taste Tuesday, the second day of the 2020-21 NBA season comes roaring in on Wednesday. Every team that was kept sidelined for the first day of the year is on the floor come Day 2, leading to a slate jam-packed with star power.
There are numerous faces in new places, so be sure to comb through depth charts and preseason stat lines before locking in lineups. As of Tuesday night, three games had a projected total higher than 230 (San Antonio/Memphis, Atlanta/Chicago, Dallas/Phoenix), as there appears to be no indication that scoring will slow after a brief off-season.
This article will provide you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on 12/23/20. You can also check out today's FanDuel lineup picks. With COVID-19 a significant factor globally, remember to monitor injury news as the slate can completely change before line-up lock.
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DraftKings DFS Guards
Damian Lillard - PG, POR vs. UTA ($9,000)
The last image that many NBA fans have of Lillard is his absolute scorched earth policy on the defenses around the rest of the league during the bubble that concluded the 2019-20 year. Now? He’s back on his home floor and within a fair price range to build around. Projected by many prognosticators as the potential MVP and/or league scoring champ entering the new campaign, Lillard opens the year against a Jazz squad that he eviscerated last season to the tune of 42.3 points and 8.7 assists per game over three contests. He may even get a boost in minutes if backup point guard Anfernee Simons (hamstring) is ruled out, but regardless, Lillard is primed to begin his run toward an MVP campaign against a defense that he has made mincemeat of over the past 12+ months.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander - PG, OKC @ HOU ($7,500)
After a season of serving as the heir apparent to future stardom for the Thunder, Gilgeous-Alexander opens the ‘20-21 year expectant of being the team’s primary scoring threat, ball distributor, and all-around Swiss-army knife -- all of which essentially makes him a bargain by his season-opening price tag. If you’re struggling to name the remainder of the Oklahoma City starting five after a hectic off-season, you’re likely not alone, as the group that Gilgeous-Alexander plays alongside is vastly different from the one that took the Rockets to the limit in the playoffs last year. While that could cap his appeal, Houston is void of a lockdown on-ball guard defender, and the Thunder simply has too few options for their new star to not have every opportunity to pack the stat sheet on a nightly basis.
Darius Garland - PG, CLE vs. CHA ($4,100)
With a spate of injuries to the Cavaliers’ backcourt -- Matthew Dellavedova (concussion) and Dante Exum (hip) -- knocking out potentially backup options, Garland should have an unabated path to a plentiful minutes allotment to kick off the year. After a slow start to his rookie season in terms of assist totals, Garland came on strong down the stretch, dishing out 5.3 and 4.8 assists per game during January and February, respectively. The Hornets’ defense shouldn’t cause any trepidation, particularly as Garland averaged seven dimes per contest against the unit last season.
DraftKings DFS Forwards
Jerami Grant - SF/PF, DET @ MIN ($4,700)
Grant got himself paid during the off-season and now finds himself playing the wing for the Pistons. While the fit seems to be a bit of the ol’ “square peg into a round hole” scenario, Grant is going to get the chance to prove himself, which thereby means he’ll have the opportunity to contribute from a fantasy perspective. Minnesota’s wing defense was lacking last season, to say the least, and with Robert Covington no longer in town either, Grant has double-double appeal with 30-plus minutes likely built into his repertoire. How all of the new cogs in Detroit fit in is anybody’s guess, but Grant stands out as the best of the bunch due to price point and positional flexibility.
Patrick Williams - SF/PF, CHI vs. ATL ($3,000)
It appears that the DK price moderators failed to take into account the fact that Williams would actually enter the season as a starter for Chicago. Priced at the bare minimum, the No. 4 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft is going to get an early taste of being a chalk play, as he is projected to start at the small forward slot ahead of Otto Porter on Wednesday. While Williams never so much as started a game in college, his tremendous athleticism portends to him being a multi-category contributor at the pro level. For those eyeing the multitude of high-priced stars on the first full slate of the year, Williams is a prime target at a forward slot due to his starting role and rebounding abilities.
DraftKings DFS Centers
Andre Drummond - C, CLE vs. CHA ($8,000)
The league’s three-time reigning rebound king enters the new season in as top-notch of a situation as conceivable from a fantasy perspective with Tristan Thompson moved on to Boston. Not only does Drummond not have a center pushing him for minutes off the bench, but Kevin Love (Achilles/calf) will also miss Wednesday’s game versus the Hornets, giving him a clear path to open season on the glass. Last season, Charlotte was shredded on the interior by opposing big men, including Drummond, who averaged 15 points and 20 rebounds per game in their three meetings.
Christian Wood - C, HOU vs. OKC ($6,300)
In the 12 games that Wood started last season, he averaged 21.9 points and 9.4 rebounds per game. He is in line to start Wednesday’s matchup against the Thunder. In short, you can see where we’re heading with this, and with Oklahoma City’s frontcourt not displaying anywhere near the defensive ferocity of years past, this appears to be prime real estate for Wood to feast on the opposition. The James Harden Show may be taking its show on the road from Houston at some point this year, but for now, Wood appears to give the franchise an interior presence that it severely lacked last year. Having shown out in the pre-season, it appears as if Wood could be parlaying his new deal with the Rockets into a breakout scenario, and being guarded by Al Horford in his first game with his new club certainly won’t sway any optimism.
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