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NBA DFS Value Pick: Start Scotty Pippen Jr. if Ja Morant sits vs. the Warriors

NBA DFS Value Pick: Start Scotty Pippen Jr. if Ja Morant sits vs. the Warriors

DraftKings Fantasy Advice NBA NBA DFS

Published:

By: Alex Hunter

Ja Morant ($9,000; back) is questionable tonight vs. the Warriors, while Marcus Smart ($4,100; shoulder) is doubtful.

Below, I break down my favorite value play from the Grizzlies if Morant is out.

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PG Scotty Pippen Jr., Memphis Grizzlies vs. Golden State Warriors, $4,000

If Morant is ruled out and joins Smart on the sidelines tonight, the Grizzlies will be very shorthanded on ball handlers. Scotty Pippen Jr. would likely start at point guard in this situation and he would be a must-have value play at his low $4,000 salary on DraftKings.

Memphis has been without both Morant and Smart six times this season and, as a starter, Pippen Jr. flourished in those contests, with 33.7 FPTS in 26.2 minutes per game, with that latter number ranking third for the Grizzlies. With both Morant and Smart off the court this season, Pippen Jr. leads Memphis with a 36.1% assist rate — which is a 4.9 percentage point lift from his average — and he scores 1.2 FPTS per minute.

Pippen Jr. would be in line for at least 25 minutes if Morant is out and he would destroy his cheap salary in this fast paced setting vs. the Warriors. Both Memphis and Golden State rank inside the top 10 in pace this season and this game’s total is set at 236.5 points on the DraftKings Sportsbook, which is the second-highest of the 13 NBA games on the schedule Thursday.

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All views expressed are my own. I am an employee of DraftKings and am ineligible to play in public DFS or DKSB contests.

Alex Hunter
Alex Hunter is an avid DFS player and sports handicapper, who has been a proud member of the DraftKings Network team since 2020. He is a data-driven analyst, who earned his bachelor’s degree in communications at Worcester State University and has been in the sports content business for nearly a decade, covering the NBA, NFL and PGA TOUR. Alex is a diehard Boston Celtics fan, who loves to be on the golf course when he isn’t grinding lineups or producing content. For all of Alex’s work or if you need any lineup advice, be sure to follow him @Hunta512 on X.
Disclaimer

I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is Hunta512) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skills and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.