This holiday season, the greatest gift for hoops fans is a twelve-game slate of NBA action. Among Saturday’s highlights, a duel between James Harden’s Clippers and Kyrie Irving’s Mavericks could shake things up in the Western Conference. With so many big names taking the floor, narrowing down a select group to start in season-long fantasy and DFS formats is a difficult task. Here are the three centers at the top of tonight’s board:
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $120K Fadeaway [$30K to 1st]
1. Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs vs. POR ($10,900)
Even at just 20 years old, Victor Wembanyama deserves mention with the game’s best centers. While his offensive skills are still a work in progress, the reigning Rookie of the Year is taking his game to new heights this season. Through 22 games, Wemby is averaging 24.5 points, 10.1 rebounds, 3.9 assists and a league-leading 3.5 blocks.
The Trail Blazers have been solid down low, surrendering the sixth-fewest DK fantasy points to opposing centers. Still, most centers aren’t 7’3″ aliens that can block shots and shoot three-pointers with ease. Fresh off of a 42-point performance against the Hawks on Thursday, Wembanyama is worth paying up for as the top big man on Saturday’s slate.
2. Karl-Anthony Towns, New York Knicks at NOP ($10,400)
It was an emotional night for Karl-Anthony Towns on Thursday. Returning to Minnesota, the place he called home for nine years, the four-time All-Star put together a terrific 32-point, 20-rebound performance in a blowout Knicks win. New York’s prized offseason acquisition has been better than advertised, putting up 25.0 points and a league-leading 14.2 rebounds over 25 games.
KAT’s skill on the boards has made him one of the safest bets in fantasy basketball, capable of putting up a double-double even on the rare nights where his shot isn’t falling. That was true on December 1st, when the center tallied 19 boards in just 24 minutes against the Pelicans. Even if tonight’s rematch in New Orleans gets out of hand, Towns is talented enough to compile a monster stat line in a short amount of time.
3. Kristaps Porzingis, Boston Celtics at CHI ($7,400)
The Celtics are a dominant group with or without Kristaps Porzingis. However, the All-Star’s shooting and rim protection elevates the defending champions from great to historic. After making his season debut on November 25th, KP has produced 19.1 points and 7.1 rebounds on efficient 47.0% shooting from the field (33.3 3PT%).
As good as the big man has been, there’s plenty of room for improvement. Boston has slowly been playing Porzingis more, culminating in a season-high 35 minutes on Thursday. Fresh off of a disappointing loss, going up against a porous Bulls defense, expect head coach Joe Mazzulla to give his star center a full workload. At just $7,400, KP offers fantasy managers terrific value.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $120K Fadeaway [$30K to 1st]
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is barmy) 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 skill 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.
