"Jimmy Buckets" is headed to South Philly while "Jimmy" Harden might just have broken Houston out of its sustained funk in what was yet another wild weekend in the NBA.
Moniker aside, Jimmy Butler's shift to the Philadelphia 76ers signals an important series of fluctuations in fantasy value, as ESPN's Andre Snellings deftly details. For some context to the magnitude of the move, Butler was 11th in the league last season in offensive win shares -- an estimate of wins added by a player on offense -- and 12th in offensive box plus-minus, an estimate of the offensive points per 100 possessions a player contributed above a league-average player translated to an average team.
As a Sixers fan, I can confidently say this is the team's most significant trade acquisition since Moses Malone in September of 1982 (no offense to Dikembe Mutombo). Eventually going "fo, fo, fo" would be great.
Robert Covington, dealt to the Timberwolves for Butler along with Dario Saric, was the only player last season to make at least 200 3-pointers, block 70 shots and swipe 130 steals. Somehow, Covington is available in the majority of ESPN leagues as of Monday morning and is the premier endorsement in this week's edition of free-agent finds.
Saric, meanwhile, produced just the fourth season in NBA history for a player 24-or-younger to average at least 14 PPG and six RPG while making 39 percent of at least five 3-point attempts per game in 2017-18. Essentially, precedent reveals the profile of a solid stretch forward.
Both the real and fantasy results from this blockbuster trade should prove riveting to watch unfold. It will be comparably intriguing to watching the Houston Rockets climb from a glaringly sluggish start to the season. After all, they rank just 23rd in offensive rating, and on Sunday, they broke a four-game snap of scoring fewer than 100 points. Houston also delivered its first double-digit win this season (incredible for a team that led the league in net rating last season).
James Harden scored 40 points on 20 shots last night, while Chris Paul, apparently dealing with right elbow tendinitis, scored 26 points on 13 shots in an encouragingly efficient outing. Finally netting some momentum, the status of Clint Capela, which I discuss in the injury section below, will prove important for Houston's success in the coming games.
With an eye on meaningful fantasy performances and relevant statistical trends, let's delve into the weekend that was in the NBA.
Saturday and Sunday recap
Highlights
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks: 27 points (11-19 FG), 18 rebounds, 4 assists, 5 steals, 2 blocks, 6 TO
Andre Drummond, Detroit Pistons: 23 points (9-16 FG), 22 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 TO
James Harden, Houston Rockets: 40 points (9-20 FG), 7 rebounds, 9 assists, 9 TO
Brook Lopez, Milwaukee Bucks: 28 points (10-17 FG, 8-13 3PG), 4 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 TO
Lowlights
Lonzo Ball, Los Angeles Lakers: 4 points (2-10 FG), 3 rebounds, 4 assists
Nemanja Bjelica, Sacramento Kings: 2 points (1-6 FG), 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 TO
Buddy Hield, Sacramento Kings: 12 points (3-17 FG), 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 TO
Myles Turner, Indiana Pacers: 9 points (3-7 FG), 3 rebounds, 3 blocks
Weekend takeaways
If there is a singularly funny statistic that captures the pursuit of shooting gravity in this modern NBA, it's that Brook Lopez has made more 3-pointers this season than Klay Thompson, while Thompson has more rebounds than Lopez this season. Read that again. Lopez sank a career-high eight 3-pointers on Sunday night, outscoring Denver's Nikola Jokic in yet another impressive win for the Bucks. Mind you, Lopez took just seven shots from beyond the arc during his first six NBA seasons. The performance tied "BroLo" for the most made threes in a game by a 7-footer in league history (joining Lauri Markkanen and Dirk Nowitzki). Lopez is still available in free agency in more than half of ESPN leagues.
The Celtics' offensive struggles are comparable to Houston's -- they've now lost four of their past five games and have trailed by at least 20 in each of their past three games. Having watched most of their games this season, the Celtics are still struggling to integrate Gordon Hayward into the offense without compromising the usage and utility of their young wings, namely Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Tatum is suffering a bit from the "Mamba mentality" in regards to pursuing so many difficult mid-range attempts, but I remain bullish, and if any course of action, I advise pursuing him in trade offers given the current swoon in production and value. Regarding Brown, he has a usage rate like Philly's struggling Markelle Fultz and yet a lower true shooting clip. Patience is also still key with Brown, as he's earning 30 minutes in a strong coaching climate. If anything, it's Hayward we should be most concerned with, given it bears influence from a serious injury.
The Warriors' Curry is likely out for several more games as he heals from an adductor injury, which means streaming savvy young shooting guard Quinn Cook could pay off for fantasy managers. Cook produced 27 points and consumed a rich usage rate of nearly 27 percent on Saturday night in a win against Brooklyn. You can honestly find Cook for free in almost every ESPN league.
Andre Drummond is rolling back the clock with some Wilt-like nights on the glass. Sunday marked his fifth game this season with at least 20 points and 20 rebounds, while no other player in the NBA has more than one. Those in truly deep leagues might want to make note of Drummond's peer Reggie Bullock after he posted a career-high 23 points with six 3-pointers on Sunday.
The loss of Dejounte Murray will be felt throughout the season for the Spurs, but there is at least a positive narrative in place with Derrick White flashing some promising upside as a combo guard for San Antonio. Get ahead of the market and stash White, as he produced a plus-20 net rating in 30 minutes with nice shooting freedom and eight assists this past Saturday night. The minutes and touches will be there for White in the weeks ahead.
One bright spot for the Knicks has been rookie Mitchell Robinson, as he set the Knicks' rookie record with a whopping nine swats last night, becoming only the 18th rookie ever to record as many blocks. Sticking with the Knickerbockers, ESPN's Ian Bagley noted that Frank Ntilikina was benched after just six minutes on Sunday, with coach David Fizdale saying the Knicks were struggling and he wanted to see other lineup combinations. Fizdale also mentioned to Bagley that Ntilikina has been struggling with his shot, and he was looking for more offense from Trey Burke. There doesn't seem to be much fantasy value in that backcourt save for Tim Hardaway Jr. this season.
Injuries of note
While it's encouraging that Curry was reportedly improving from the groin injury suffered this past week, he's already been ruled out ahead of tonight's game with the Clippers.
Houston's Capela suffered a bruised knee in Sunday's win over the Pacers and was reportedly quite sore afterward. The team considers Capela questionable for Tuesday's matchup with the Nuggets. It will be interesting to see how this rotation plays out if Capela misses time.
A sprained left ankle kept Aaron Gordon from the court on Sunday after suffering the injury on Saturday. It doesn't appear too serious, for now, with Gordon considered day-to-day.
Minnesota's Jeff Teague won't play against the Nets tonight as he's on the mend from a left knee injury but is considered close to returning. The Timberwolves' Andrew Wiggins is dealing with a quad injury and is questionable for this matchup with Brooklyn. Wiggins missed three games recently with a similar injury.
Analytics advantage for Monday
In this era of high-paced offenses and extreme 3-point frequency, we find a more traditional halfcourt battle set to take place between the Utah Jazz and the Memphis Grizzlies. Peruse the Vegas data for tonight's slate and you will find this game proves atypically low in regards to projected points. This isn't to say you should fade the top talents on each roster, but rather this might not be an ideal climate for streaming in redraft leagues or stacking in daily fantasy formats.
Top players to watch tonight
Hunting for value on the skeleton crew rosters for the Sixers and Timberwolves tonight in their respective matchups could pay off for those streaming in deeper leagues or seeking some punt plays in DFS play. Names such as Anthony Tolliver, Tyus Jones, Derrick Rose, Taj Gibson, Landry Shamet and Wilson Chandler come to mind when seeking options we can stream or pay down for in DFS.