Griffin Wong dives into Wednesday’s seven-game NBA featured slate to find three undervalued players to use in your DraftKings lineups.
Tonight’s nine-game slate is headlined by a Western Conference semifinals rematch and a possible NBA Finals preview. Oklahoma City, which has 17 games left in its season, can become the first team in the West to clinch a playoff berth, since it’s 16.5 games up on the seventh-seeded Timberwolves.
With so many teams in action, many of the league’s brightest stars will take the court, and in order to stack them, finding production from cheaper players is paramount. Here are my three favorite options for under $5,000.
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SF/PF Zaccharie Risacher, Atlanta Hawks vs. Charlotte Hornets, $4,400
Backing this particular first overall pick carries an element of randomness, because Risacher will mix nights where he’s virtually invisible with those where he looks to be the clear best player in the class. On nights where Risacher chooses to be aggressive, such as Monday’s 132-123 win over the Philadelphia 76ers, when he recorded 22 points and eight rebounds (34.5 FPTS), he’s a bargain for his production, but on other nights he can be virtually invisible, such as Saturday’s win over the Indiana Pacers, when he recorded just six points (10.25 FPTS). It’s been a while since Risacher posted multiple high-level fantasy games in a row, but overall, the rookie is trending in the right direction; in March, he’s averaging 14.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.6 stocks (23.7 FPTS) per game while shooting 44.4% from beyond the arc.
While the Hornets have had a decent defense on a season-long basis, their weaknesses, especially since the All-Star break, play into Risacher’s strengths. After the All-Star break, Charlotte has had the league’s 11th-worst defense, and it’s given up the 12th-most points, third-most rebounds, ninth-most assists, and fourth-most steals. Risacher has never been a threat as a passer — his career high is just four assists — but he’s a capable rebounder, having recorded at least seven rebounds eight times, and he has shown the potential as an above-average, switchable on-ball defender, grabbing a career-high four steals on March 3. Also, the Hornets have allowed opponents to convert from deep at the league’s ninth-highest rate since the All-Star break, and the rookie takes nearly half of his shots from beyond the arc.
SF/PF Keldon Johnson, San Antonio Spurs vs. Dallas Mavericks, $4,600
This is a game to target between two of the most injured teams in basketball. Dallas had just eight available players to play during the teams’ first matchup on Monday, and while the Spurs’ injury list is shorter, centers Charles Bassey ($5,100) and Victor Wembanyama are obviously big blows. Wembanyama was the glue holding San Antonio’s defense together; since his injury, the Spurs have given up the second-most points, fourth-most rebounds, and sixth-most assists per game, and they’ve gone from first to 25th in blocked shots. Given how awful San Antonio’s defense has been, it’d be tempting to go with a Mavericks player, as I did on Monday.
But Dallas just gave up 129 points to this Spurs team on Monday, and Johnson is much closer to a first option than any of the cheaper options on the Mavericks — for instance, Spencer Dinwiddie ($5,700), Dallas’ leading scorer in that game, is too expensive to be considered a value play — and Johnson scored 28 points of his own. Johnson has been fifth on the Spurs in usage rate since Wembanyama’s injury, but he’s a better play than Sandro Mamukelashvili ($4,100), who ranks fourth in usage but only plays around 10 minutes per game. Johnson has recorded double-digit points in 10 of his 11 games since the All-Star break, and he’s recorded 20 or more fantasy points in all of them.
SG AJ Lawson, Toronto Raptors vs. Philadelphia 76ers, $4,000
Toronto’s guard rotation is extremely thin right now with RJ Barrett ($7,700), Immanuel Quickley ($6,700), Ja’Kobe Walter ($4,300), and Gradey Dick ($4,200) all out. That means more playing time for the third-year utility man, who has averaged 26.3 minutes per game in his last five games. Despite coming off the bench on Monday against the Washington Wizards, Lawson dropped a career-high 32 points, adding 12 rebounds (53.5) despite standing just six-foot-six. He should have even more of an opportunity tonight, given that both Barrett and Quickley played in that game. The only healthy Raptors guards tonight are Scottie Barnes ($8,700), who’s questionable with a hand sprain, Jamal Shead ($4,000), Lawson, Jared Rhoden ($3,300), and veteran Garrett Temple ($3,000).
Lawson should especially be fine against a Philadelphia team with one of the longest injury reports in the NBA. In addition to Joel Embiid, Eric Gordon, and Jared McCain being out for the season, Tyrese Maxey ($9,100) is out for the fifth straight game as he deals with back and finger injuries and Paul George ($7,800) has been ruled out for his fourth straight game with a groin issue. Obviously, it’s a small sample size, but in the last three games without either Maxey or George, the 76ers have given up the third-most points, 11th-most rebounds, and third-most assists per game. But over a larger 15-game sample, Philadelphia still has a bottom-10 defense.
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