With the whirlwind trade deadline finally in the rear-view mirror, the NBA looks a lot different than it did just a few days ago. Some of the top teams, like the Oklahoma City Thunder and Boston Celtics, stood pat. But others — the Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks, especially — made significant moves to overhaul their rosters.
As the new-look NBA takes shape, some recently-acquired players will make their debuts for their new clubs as part of tonight’s six-game featured slate on DraftKings. Here are some must-start players for tonight’s DFS competition.
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C Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs at Charlotte Hornets, $11,000
We got our first look at the partnership between Wembanyama and his new running mate, point guard De’Aaron Fox ($8,500) on Wednesday night, when the Spurs notched a 126-125 victory over the Atlanta Hawks and Wembanyama hit a game-winning free throw after getting fouled on a pick-and-roll with Fox. Both Fox and Wembanyama had double-doubles in that game, with Wemby recording 24 points and 12 rebounds (46.0 FPTS), although he was held to only one block for just the fifth time all season. Because of his immense defensive prowess, Wembanyama has only recorded fewer than 40.0 FPTS five times all season, which makes him a high-floor, high-ceiling asset in DFS.
Plus, he’ll be playing a team that was already in the middle of a rebuild and blew it up once again at the trade deadline, dealing center Mark Williams to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for shooting specialist Dalton Knecht, wing Cam Reddish, a first-round pick, and a swap. Charlotte then brought in veteran center Jusuf Nurkić to replace him. Williams was far from an elite defender and had little hope of slowing down Wembanyama, but the slow, heavy-set Nurkić and 39-year-old Taj Gibson will have no chance. The Hornets already allowed the third-most fantasy points to opposing centers before downgrading heavily at the position.
PG Damian Lillard, Milwaukee Bucks at Atlanta Hawks, $8,700
I would’ve gone with Giannis Antetokounmpo ($11,800) here, as he returns tremendous value despite being the most expensive player on the slate, but I chose Lillard instead because Antetokounmpo has missed each of the last two games with knee and calf issues and is questionable for tonight’s contest as well. Lillard, meanwhile, has an injury designation of his own while dealing with a sore groin, but he played on Wednesday against Charlotte and is listed as probable for tonight. Lillard has been solid with or without Antetokounmpo in the lineup, with four 50-plus-point fantasy performances in his last seven games, three of which came alongside Antetokounmpo.
Lillard should have a high fantasy ceiling against an Atlanta team that inexplicably blew it up at the deadline, trading De’Andre Hunter to the Cleveland Cavaliers, Bogdan Bogdanovic to the LA Clippers, and Cody Zeller to the Houston Rockets despite owing its unprotected first-round pick to San Antonio. The only explanation is that the Hawks like what they see in first overall pick Zaccharie Risacher ($4,500) and want to feed him more shots, but otherwise, Atlanta’s trade deadline moves make zero sense. Either way, I’m expecting a lot out of Lillard against a team that plays at the league’s second-fastest pace and has merely an average defensive rating, especially since he’ll be guarded by a notorious traffic cone, Trae Young ($9,600).
PG/SG Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers at Washington Wizards, $8,600
Mitchell is one of the more inconsistent high-level scorers in basketball, which makes him a frustrating watch sometimes. It has little do with his efficiency — he’s only had nine games where he’s shot below 40% from the field and 13 where he’s shot below 30% from deep — and everything to do with his usage, given how deep Cleveland’s roster is. There have been ten games where fewer than 25% of the Cavaliers’ possessions ended with him shooting, getting fouled, or turning the ball over. But Cleveland has leaned more on Mitchell recently; he’s averaging a 33.7% usage rate over his last 10 games, which would be the fourth-highest in the league, and he’s averaging 28.0 points (46.3 FPTS) per game across that span.
He’s missed the Cavaliers’ win on Wednesday with a shoulder injury, but he’s listed as probable for tonight’s contest, and he should have no trouble getting it going against a Wizards team that has allowed the third-most fantasy points to opposing shooting guards. Washington has the league’s second-worst defensive rating and plays at its fourth-fastest pace, giving up the most points, rebounds, and fifth-most assists in basketball while forcing the sixth-fewest turnovers. The Wizards also downgraded in the short term at the deadline, sending Kyle Kuzma ($6,100) to Milwaukee and Jonas Valanciunas to the Sacramento Kings while adding Khris Middleton ($5,300) and Marcus Smart, neither of whom will play tonight.
