DraftKings contributors Jeff Pratt and Matt Meiselman join The Sweat to give their favorite DraftKings plays at center for tonight’s NBA slate.
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Video Transcript
Adam Kaufman:
At center Matt, you’ve got Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic, Domantas Sabonis, how does one choose?
Matt Meiselman:
I think you just save a little here, I mean I like all of those players but I do think it’s likely that Jimmy Butler does sit as Jeff talked about. So Bam Adebayo is only $8,300, and that’s just far too cheap for him in a great matchup against OKC without Butler there potentially. And if PJ Tucker, who’s also questionable, Caleb Martin, who’s also questionable, if those guys are out too, it’s just a little bit more of a chance the game stays close for Bam.
I will just throw in a caveat here, I like this play a lot more if Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is on the court because again, that’s going to add more possessions, not quite like Trae Young, but Gilgeous-Alexander does drive the tempo of the game and also it’s much more likely to stay close if he’s playing. So, I like Bam really only if SGA is playing, but I do think the Thunder, for whatever reason, when he’s been questionable, they just keep playing him even though they have nothing going on for them at this point in the season. I think he’s just been playing so well they want him out there, so I think SGA does play tonight, and I think Bam is in a good spot if Butler is out.
Adam Kaufman:
Jeff, you’ve got good mid-tier options too—Christian Wood, Rudy Gobert.
Jeff Pratt:
Yeah, I’m sticking in that mid-tier range. I like Deandre Ayton at $7K. I think he has a lot of upside. He’s racked up 40+ DK fantasy points in two of his last three games and he’s seen a usage rate of 26% or higher in each of those last two contests. I’m revisiting my favorite stat here as the resident Bulls hater, or at least that’s what I’ve turned into, but Chicago is 2-15 against teams above .600. Phoenix obviously qualifies for that mark as they boast the best record in the NBA. The Bulls also rank 24th in DK fantasy points allowed to centers, so I’d expect a lot of that to go through Ayton tonight.
Matt’s Pick: Bam Adebayo, $8,300
Jeff’s Pick: Deandre Ayton, $7,000
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