Welcome to the Fantasy Vibe Check — your place to vent about the highs, lows and head-scratchers from the NBA and fantasy basketball. We don't have a lot of data to reference when addressing the wins or airing of grievances, but it's been three weeks, and that's enough to speak on a few players and their performances.
Check out who I'm vibing with, and let me know in the comments or @DanTitus about what's got you hyped, mad and curious when it comes to fantasy basketball.
🙌 I’m hyped about the Emirates NBA Cup
Formerly the in-season tournament, group play for the Emirates NBA Cup tips off tonight and will run every Tuesday and Friday through December 3. While it may seem like a gimmicky series of events, last year's experience was an easy W for the league and fans. According to Evan Wasch, NBA executive vice president of NBA basketball strategy and analytics, the scores for group play were closer than the average NBA game, TV ratings were 18% higher than regular-season games, attendance was higher as evidenced by last November breaking league records and social media engagement was "off the charts." The schedule ducks the major NFL nights, and with re-designed courts and new rivalries shaping across groups, it'll make for a more competitive and exciting on-court product.
So, how does this translate to fantasy? Well, the stars showed up last year and in most cases, were more productive during NBA Cup group play than the rest of the season.
Players in the 23-24 NBA regular season who:
Averaged at least 30 ppg: 4
Averaged at least 25 ppg: 18
Averaged at least 50 fp/g: 7
Averaged at least 40 fp/g: 32
Averaged at least 30 fp/g: 88
Players in the 23-24 NBA In-season tournament who:
Averaged at least 30 ppg: 9 (+5)
Averaged at least 25 ppg: 22 (+4)
Averaged at least 50 fp/g: 12 (+5)
Averaged at least 40 fp/g: 33 (+1)
Averaged at least 30 fp/g: 89 (+1)
Whether it's the monetary incentive or bragging rights, if a 39-year-old LeBron James wants to compete at a high enough level to capture the inaugural In-Season Tournament MVP, then we can expect the bar to remain high during its second iteration. The Emirates Cup will be great to watch, and fantasy managers will also reap the benefits.
😡 I’m mad about Mikal Bridges not getting to the line
I have a few shares of Bridges this season and noticed that his free throw attempts are pacing to a career-low at 0.9 per game. It’s been nine games, so it feels too early to proclaim that he can’t increase his volume from the line. But that, of course, requires him to draw more foul calls.
According to Pivot Fade, Bridges' game has thrived primarily as a jump shooter. He routinely ranks between the 80th and 90th percentiles in the mid-range, corner 3s, catch-and-shoot opportunities and pull-ups.
Taking that further, he's been able to draw shooting fouls in various ways throughout his career, and on average, he's been able to do it at an 8.5-13% rate. However, that number dipped to 3% in nine games thus far. He's shooting 0.066 free-throws per shot attempt, which is far below his previous career low of .183 in his fourth NBA season.
Fantasy managers with Bridges in 9-cat leagues were likely banking on his career 84% free-throw shooting as a floor-raiser for that category. Still, the lack of volume neutralizes any perceived gain. Unsurprisingly, his scoring is down to 15 points per game. Although, when evaluating Bridges’ underlining shooting numbers, he’s not far off from his 2022-23 campaign with the Phoenix Suns. The missing piece is the free-throw component. If he can get that up to three per contest and hit them at his career average, he’ll be closer to a top-40 player than his current 91st standing in 9-cat leagues. Raising that 3-point percentage would help, too.
🤔 I’m curious about if Jalen Williams will become a four-position player
Thanks to @Jalves_82 on X for prompting me to think about this topic. I can't recall a player qualifying and obtaining four-position eligibility in fantasy basketball. Alas, in the wake of Chet Holmgren's injury, Jalen Williams started at center on Monday, and Cleaning the Glass has him logging 87 possessions at center and 12% of his minutes coming at center as of Tuesday. Remember, Yahoo doesn't remove any position once granted, so there's a legitimate chance for Jalen Williams to get SG, SF, PF and C in Yahoo. Let's discuss the criteria for granting a new position for a second.
Without going into great detail, it's basically the Coca-Cola recipe (thanks, Dr. A, lol). The Yahoo product and customer care teams use several software tools and data sources to verify and assign players new positions.
Williams' situation is interesting because if Isaiah Hartenstein isn’t ready to return next month and the Thunder continue starting Williams at center like they did on Monday, the case could be made if he hits 10 games playing center. That would make J-Dub the new cheat code — a player who can potentially start in four of five spots in your fantasy basketball lineup.