The Warriors went into Tuesday’s game against the Pelicans down several rotation players due to injury. Stephen Curry was the biggest name, as an ankle injury suffered on Sunday will sideline him for both games of this back-to-back against New Orleans, at least. De’Anthony Melton and Andrew Wiggins were also ruled out as both dealt with back injuries. In the case of the former, he missed a significant part of last season due to a similar injury. Curry and Wiggins being sidelined opened up two spots in the starting lineup, and there would be a third change, with Steve Kerr moving Jonathan Kuminga to the bench for spacing reasons.
Steve Kerr on Jonathan Kuminga’s move to the bench: “I told him before the game, ‘You’re going to play a lot.’ This is just about combinations and getting more spacing.’” pic.twitter.com/lU62e99xW4
– Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) 30 October 2024
The replacements: Brandin Podziemski, Buddy Hield, and Moses Moody. While the first two are listed in more than 50% of Yahoo links, Moody entered Tuesday at 10%. He was solid as the Warriors erased a 20-point deficit on their way to an 18-point victory, scoring 14 points with two rebounds, one assist, one block, and four 3-pointers in 17 minutes. The playing time is a concern, but give Moody credit for making the most of his opportunity. The play of Lindy Waters III was one reason why Moody’s minutes were lower than expected.
Listed in less than one percent of Yahoo leagues, Waters exploded for 21 points, nine rebounds (a career high), four assists, one steal, one block, and three 3-pointers in 31 minutes. It was a great night for Waters, who provided much-needed production (and energy) off the bench. While this performance should give him another look in Wednesday’s rematch, Waters is not a must-have player in fantasy leagues. Hield (28/1/1/2 with seven 3-pointers) scored 16 in the fourth quarter, while Podziemski (19/3/5/1/2 with three 3-pointers) recorded a full stat line. Look for their respected roster percentages to increase before Wednesday’s 11-game slate.
As for Kuminga, he had his best game of the season, playing 28 minutes and accounting for 17 points, three rebounds, three assists, two steals, one block, and one 3-pointer. Managers who still have him listed need not panic as the minutes will be there for him to make an impact.
Let’s take a look at a few more players whose production has impacted fantasy basketball:
Christian Braun (40%)
Braun didn’t have a productive stat line in Tuesday’s overtime win in Brooklyn, but it was another solid effort from Denver’s fifth starter. He played 39 minutes, finishing with 12 points, three rebounds, three assists, two blocks, and two 3-pointers. Braun playing 39 minutes indicates the confidence Michael Malone seems to have in him and the continued struggles of the bench unit. While not necessary to add in standard leagues, fantasy managers have something to think about with Braun, who was a top 50 per game player during the first week of the season, according to Basketball Monster.
Jordan Clarkson (37%)
Following Tuesday’s loss to the Mavericks, Jazz coach Will Hardy made two changes to his starting lineup. One was forced by Taylor Hendricks’ gruesome injury (more on that below), while the other was about improving the team’s offensive flow. Clarkson replaced Collin Sexton in the starting five for Tuesday’s loss to the Kings, and the veteran guard was one of Utah’s bright spots.
Shooting 8-of-16 from the field and 3-of-3 from the foul line, Clarkson finished with 21 points, five rebounds, three assists, and two 3-pointers in 26 minutes. Fantasy managers won’t get consistent defensive production from Clarkson, but he added value as a starter. As for Sexton, he missed all seven of his shots from the field and finished with four points, two rebounds and one assist in 18 minutes. He’s still listed in 87% of Yahoo leagues, and that number should drop after Tuesday’s performance.
Kevin Huerter (25%)
After scoring two points in Sacramento’s season opener, Huerter has scored 14 or more in three straight. He followed up Monday’s 18-point effort with 14 points, five rebounds, two steals, one block, and two 3-pointers against the Jazz. Considering the other four players in the Kings’ starting lineup, Huerter will be fifth in the pecking order. Red Velvet being a top 50 player for the first week of the season is a pleasant surprise, but that probably won’t stay that way for the entire season. That said, there is a path to fantasy relevance: knock down threes at a respectable clip while contributing defensive stats.
Russell Westbrook (23%)
After scoring 17 points in Denver’s first three games on 5-of-25 shooting, Westbrook snapped out of his funk in Tuesday’s overtime win over Brooklyn. Shooting 5-of-12 from the field and 10-of-10 from the foul line, he amassed 22 points, one rebound, five assists, one steal, and two 3-pointers in 21 minutes. While Westbrook has paid dividends for managers who flushed him during a four-game night, he doesn’t qualify as a must-have player. Keep him, especially with Denver’s bench offering little production thus far.
Ziaire Williams (3%)
Tuesday’s game was the first of a back-to-back for Brooklyn, who visits Memphis on Wednesday. Ben Simmons (back) did not play, resulting in Noah Clowney moving into the starting lineup. While Clowney had a rough night dealing with Nikola Jokic, there was flowing value to be found elsewhere on the roster. Williams had his best night of the season, shooting 7-of-8 from the field and finishing with 18 points, three rebounds, four assists, one block, and four 3-pointers in 22 minutes.
Ziaire was essentially a dartboard in fantasy, and the gamble paid off for those who made the move. Simmons should be available on Wednesday, so there’s no need to add Williams now. But Tuesday’s performance put him on the radar for Brooklyn’s upcoming back-to-back on Sunday/Monday. On Tuesday, Nets coach Jordi Fernandez said Simmons would not play either end of back-to-backs “until further notice.”
Cody Williams (3%)
As noted above, the Jazz had to deal with losing Hendricks for the rest of the season during Tuesday’s loss in Dallas. Williams was the choice to fill the void against the Kings, with the rookie logging 30 minutes and finishing with nine points, two assists, two steals, and three 3-pointers. The Jazz also have Brice Sensabaugh, but he only played 16 minutes. Williams is certainly worth adding now, especially with Utah’s next game on Thursday, part of a four-game slate.
Utah lost Lauri Markkanen in Tuesday’s loss to back spasms, with his exit leading to more minutes for rookie Kyle Filipowski (1%). In 25 minutes, he accounted for 12 points, eight rebounds, two assists, one steal, and two 3-pointers. Depending on Markkanen’s status moving forward, Filipowski could have some value in deeper leagues sooner rather than later.
