Obi Toppin set to shine over final week
The final week of the regular season is always unique. The top teams don't want to force their stars to play through injuries, as we have seen with Nikola Jokić over their last three games. Some teams on the bottom have already lost their stars for the season, like Cade Cunningham for Detroit and LaMelo Ball for Charlotte. Other teams on the bottom are getting their young guys as much run as possible, like Houston, San Antonio and Orlando. There's teams still fighting for playoff positioning that will treat these final few games like playoff games. Then there's the teams that have completely pulled the plug on their season in order to improve their lottery odds. Some have been subtle about it, like Washington and Utah, who have still fielded competitive teams and won a few games. Then there's Portland. There's a few other teams that have gone all in on the tank, but nobody does it like the Blazers. When it became clear that they wouldn't be playing postseason basketball, they shut down Damian Lillard, Anfernee Simons, Jerami Grant and Jusuf Nurkić. They signed Jeenathan Williams on Saturday and gave him 13 minutes on Sunday. They did the same thing last season, and they now have the fifth best odds at the top pick. We didn't see the generational tank battle that we expected for Victor Wembanyama, but teams are making up for it over the final couple of weeks. That creates a few silly season hotbeds for managers that are brave enough to play through the final day of the regular season, when all 15 teams play and half of them will bench their entire rotation. So let's take a look at a few of the hotbeds that played on Sunday, and then a few other players that should play big minutes over the final weeks.
Charlotte
Theo Maledon- 2% rostered in Yahoo leagues
Dennis Smith Jr. still has a chance of returning this season, but it's far more likely that Maledon remains the starting point guard for their final three games. He shot 4-for-16 on Sunday, but he also added eight points, eight rebounds and a career-high 14 assists. He had nine assists in each of his previous two games.
Svi Mykhailiuk- 4%
Mykhailiuk has been in the starting unit over their last six games, which has allowed him to provide fifth round value during that stretch with averages of 15.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.3 steals and 2.7 triples per game. With Kelly Oubre and Terry Rozier unlikely to return this season, Mykhailiuk should be a primary scoring option over their final three games.
Kai Jones- 1%
Charlotte has been rotating between giving minutes to Mark Williams and Nick Richards, with one starting and the other receiving a DNP- Coach's Decision. That has happened a few times lately, which has allowed Jones to play a larger role. He played 32 minutes on Sunday and contributed 10 points, five rebounds, two assists, one steal and three blocks.
James Bouknight- 1%
After scoring 22 points and hitting six 3-pointers in their last game, Bouknight added 21 points and five 3-pointers in this one. They'll want to see what they have in him after he has been disappointing through most of his first two seasons. He has shown well over their last two, and he should play big minutes over their final three.
Portland
Kevin Knox- 1%
Knox has scored in double figures in five of his last seven games. He may not contribute a ton aside from scoring and triples, but he should play a large role down the stretch. He had 19 points, two 3-pointers and three steals on Sunday.
Shaquille Harrison- less than 1%
Harrison played his second game of the season and had six assists and three steals. He's only a deep league target, but he can provide dimes and swipes.
Portland will continue to rely heavily on Shaedon Sharpe, Drew Eubanks and Trendon Watford, though those three should be rostered in most leagues that are still going. Skylar Mays isn't currently in the Yahoo app, but when he's added, make sure he's rostered.
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Isaiah Jackson- 26%, Jalen Smith- 34%
With Myles Turner likely sidelined for the rest of the season, Jackson and Smith have been in a timeshare at center. Jackson played 21 minutes on Sunday and swatted two shots, while Smith played 27 minutes and contributed 12 points, eight rebounds and two blocks.
Jordan Nwora- 11%
Nwora recorded his first double-double of the season on Sunday, and he's now scored in double figures in five straight games while playing over 30 minutes. He should continue to start the rest of the season.
Andrew Nembhard- 31%
With Tyrese Haliburton unlikely to return this season, Nembhard should have the keys to the offense for the rest of the season. He had eight assists two games after setting a career-high with 15 dimes.
The other guys
Obi Toppin- 6%
With Julius Randle done for the rest of the regular season, Toppin will start at power forward over their final three games. After playing 19 minutes in his first start, Toppin played 33 minutes on Sunday and finished with a 21/1/4/2/1 line and three 3-pointers.
Ochai Agbaji- 11%
In case you were hanging on, it's safe to drop Jordan Clarkson and Collin Sexton. Talen Horton-Tucker and Agbaji should continue to start. Agbaji scored 19 points on Sunday.
Coby White- 18%
White has been a much improved player for Chicago over the past two weeks, which has allowed him to provide top-75 value in 9-cat leagues during that stretch. He has been a more efficient shooter (51.7% from the floor) and a better playmaker (5.6 assists per game) during this stretch.
Johnny Davis- 1%
Davis got his first career start on Sunday and finished with 16 points, six rebounds, three assists and two 3-pointers. Washington's priority the rest of the way should be figuring out what they have in Davis, after he spent most of his rookie season in the G-League.
Corey Kispert- 15%
After setting career-highs of 27 points and nine 3-pointers in their last game, Kispert set a new career-high of 29 points on Sunday. He should continue to be a priority scoring option over their final four games.
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