Basketball Pickups: Brandin Podziemski shines again as starter

We did it. We are through the first nine weeks of the NBA season, since there are no games on Sunday. This next week is relatively normal, aside from the five-game day on Christmas. If you’re looking for a breakdown to get you ready for week 10, check out Raphielle Johnson’s right here.

As for Saturday, we finished off the week with 13 games, two of which were played in the afternoon. Between LeBron James, Luka Doncic, Trae Young and many, many more, there were plenty of huge performances to wrap up the week. There was also the strangeness of Victor Wembanyama aggravating the right ankle injury that forced him to miss Tuesday’s game. He stepped on the foot of a Mavericks’ employee and ended up being scratched from the lineup after the game was scheduled to start, which made it impossible to adjust for fantasy. Gregg Popovich said that he would’ve played if it was a “critical game”, so he should be back on Tuesday.

Brandin Podziemski- 34% rostered in Yahoo leagues

Podz got another start on Saturday and finished with 15 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists, one steal, one block and one triple. He should continue to start and has provided top-100 value in 9-cat leagues over the past two weeks. Andrew Wiggins has been disappointing this season, which means that Podziemski shouldn’t have anyone coming to take his spot. The rookie has been fantasy as of late and should be a safe option moving forward.

Trayce Jackson-Davis- 45%

TJD has gotten a lot of hype recently, and the praise is justified. He has been awesome in an increased role over the last four games, and he finished with 13 points, five rebounds, three assists and a steal on Saturday in just 17 minutes. He is absolutely worth adding in deeper leagues, though his standard league value will depend on if he is getting 17-20 minutes or 20-23 minutes more consistently.

Kris Dunn- 4%

Even with Jordan Clarkson back, Dunn played 34 minutes on Saturday and finished with eight points, eight rebounds, 13 assists, one steal, one block and two triples. Collin Sexton also started but only played 25 minutes. Dunn seems to be the safer option to remain in the starting unit until Keyonte George returns, and he has proven that he can contribute in fantasy when he is given the opportunity.

Craig Porter Jr.- 6%

Porter Jr. got another start on Saturday and contributed 19 points, seven rebounds, eight assists, one steal, one block and one 3-pointer. Cleveland was without Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Caris LeVert and Sam Merrill against Chicago. If they’re still short-handed in the backcourt on Wednesday, Porter Jr. should continue to start.

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Dante Exum- 32%

Exum has provided fourth round value over the past two weeks, and Jason Kidd said that he plans to start Exum even after Kyrie Irving is back in the lineup. The value will likely drop with both Luka Doncic and Kyrie playing with the ball in their hands, but Exum’s minutes should be safe moving forward.

Jaden Ivey- 37%

It’s a small sample size, but Ivey has provided top-75 value over the past week with averages of 20.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 1.0 steal, 1.3 blocks and 1.7 triples while shooting 52.5% from the field. Monty Williams is constantly trying new things to make it work, but as long as Ivey is starting, he has upside.

Rui Hachimura- 13%

The Lakers moved Jarred Vanderbilt into the starting unit in place of D’Angelo Russell, but it was Hachimura that benefited the most. Vando played 24 minutes, while Rui contributed 21 points in 30 minutes off the bench. He can provide a scoring boost as long as his shot is going in.

Nick Smith Jr.- less than 1%

Brandon Miller exited early with an ankle injury on Saturday, which allowed Smith Jr. to have a big night. He scored 17 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter and knocked down five 3-pointers in the final frame. If Miller remains sidelined on Tuesday, Smith Jr. could be in line for a large role.