https://www.rotoworld.com/article/basketball-daily-dose/embiid-lillard-may-need-bubble-wrap
Sixers at Thunder
Joel Embiid was ruled out a day in advance of this scrimmage due to "right calf discomfort." Philly coach Brett Brown has raved about Embiid's work ethic during the shutdown, which reportedly included six-day-a-week workouts for long stretches, so hopefully it's not a matter of overuse. Beyond team chemistry, the 'will he, won't he' dynamics of
Ben Simmons' jumpshot, and Embiid's fit (or lack thereof) alongside
Al Horford, it's probably Embiid's health that will determine Philly's fate in the postseason. They're only 2.0 games out of the No. 4 seed going into the seeding games, but 'homecourt advantage' is basically a non-factor and they're in no danger of being overtaken for the No. 6 seed. Expect Philly to be super-cautious with Embiid prior to the playo***. When coach Brown was asked if Embiid might sit out any of the Sixers’ seeding games,
he replied, “I believe we're just getting out in front of stuff, and being smart with it.”
With the Sixers' star big man unavailable, it was the
Ben Simmons show. He fell one assist shy of a triple-double in just 26 minutes during this exhibition, and clearly the lower back nerve impingement that bothered him in March is no longer a concern. He had 21 points, 11 rebounds, nine assists and one steal, and the triple-double categories are basically a lock every single night. Unfortunately, his usual fantasy deficiencies were still obvious, as he went 4-of-7 at the line with five turnovers and zero 3-point attempts. That matters far more for season-long value, though, so DFS owners can shrug it off.
Suns at Celtics
Deandre Ayton is 2-of-2 from downtown during exhibition play, after hitting another one as part of an 11-point, seven-rebound effort in limited minutes on Sunday. That's not an impressive feat without proper context – Ayton is a combined 0-of-7 from deep in 101 regular-season NBA games. He focused on 3-pointers during the NBA's break and said he has a "green light" to take them, with coach Monty Williams even remarking on Ayton's improved shooting arc. Will it carry over into real games? That remains to be seen. As a DFS owner, I'd rather see him living in the paint where his eFG% skyrockets and rebounds are plentiful. But as a season-long owner, it would be terrific if he could establish himself as even a mild perimeter threat – in addition to helping another category, it could eventually force defenses to counter him with more mobile big men, thus playing into his hands when he is backing them down on the block. Either way, he just turned 22 years old and has all the hallmarks of an early-round fantasy monster for years to come.
For the Celtics, the most impactful guy only played nine minutes. That's
Kemba Walker, who returned from ongoing knee soreness to score six points with one rebound and zero assists. Overuse appears to be the culprit for his ailment, so the Celts likely had him on a strict 10-minute limit, easing him into things as cautiously as possible. He looked as quick as ever, which is critical, but DFS players should be wary of him during the 'seeding' portion of the Orlando bubble. "I would love to just be like, 'You know what? I don't care about no minutes restriction or anything of that nature.' But obviously I can't," Walker
said after the game. "I want to be there for my teammates when we're in the playo***. Hopefully, by then, the restrictions and things of that nature are completely off." Boston has sufficient depth and playmaking to limit Walker without conceding games, which all but ensures they'll keep his minutes in check until the postseason. Plan accordingly.
Gordon Hayward played well for Boston with 17 points, six boards and three assists,
Jayson Tatum couldn't make a shot early but warmed up to finish with 16 points and nine boards, and
Jaylen Brown led the team with 21 points on 7-of-13 shooting, including three 3-pointers. The Tatum/Brown/Hayward trio is a handful,
Marcus Smart (10 points on 5-of-5 shooting) continues to show improved offense to go along with his menacing defense, and if Kemba regains his typical swagger the Celtics will be a tough out in the playo***. The biggest question mark is at center, where
Daniel Theis and
Enes Kanter (and possibly
Robert Williams) form a somewhat awkward platoon. For fantasy purposes, Tatum is easily the safest bet in Boston.
Pacers at Mavericks
Victor Oladipo looked really good during Sunday's scrimmage, showing the speed and physicality that made him such a tough matchup prior to his ruptured quad. The old 'Dipo was back for stretches in this game, and although he somehow didn't get to the free-throw line, he wasn't shying away from contact at all. He shot 6-of-12 from the field and 4-of-8 from the deep, setting up his perimeter shots with drives that kept defenders on their heels. He finished with 16 points, seven rebounds, three assists, one block and zero turnovers. Despite the excellent performance, though,
he said afterward that he'll wait to see how his knee responds to playing 28 minutes before deciding if he'll play Tuesday vs. the Spurs. At the very least, this should improve the odds that he suits up when the games start to count (he's still undecided and "assessing [his status] every day”).
Aaron Holiday started in place of
Domantas Sabonis (foot) and it sounds like he'll stick there, with Nate McMillan
saying he's "been the guy that has pretty much filled in when we've lost a starter." He was pretty quiet with eight points, two rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block, and I won't be eager to play him in DFS as long as Oladipo,
Malcolm Brogdon (17 points, seven boards, six dimes),
T.J. Warren (20 points) and
Myles Turner (15 points, eight boards) are totally dominating the offense. Although Holiday's minutes will go up as a starter, there's clear downside since playing with the first unit should cut into his usage rate. In the footnote department, it looks like
JaKarr Sampson will emerge as the default backup center for Indy ahead of
T.J. Leaf. Neither guy has fantasy appeal.
Taking his cue from
Ben Simmons,
Luka Doncic also came one assist short of a triple-double on Sunday with 20 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists in 24 minutes. He was limping after getting hit in the leg in the third quarter and didn't play after that, but the Mavs were likely going to pull him for the fourth quarter anyway. It didn't look serious enough to put him on the Rotoworld injury report, but if there's the slightest doubt about his health the Mavs will likely rest him for their exhibition finale on Tuesday. Thus far, Doncic has looked fantastic in scrimmage play and he's poised to pick up where he left off in March with averages of 28.7 points, 9.3 boards, 8.7 assists, 2.9 triples and 1.1 steals. Lest anyone forget, the kid is still 21 years old. His fantasy potential is unknowable.
As mentioned in the intro,
Kristaps Porzingis wasn't available for this game because he missed his COVID-19 test on Saturday. He apologized to the team and should be cleared to rejoin all team activities on Monday, but it's a reminder that players don't need to have coronavirus (or leave the Orlando bubble without permission) to face DNPs.