Point Guard
RANK | NAME | Team | # Games | Analysis |
1 | Russell Westbrook | OKC | 4 | Westbrook keeps the top spot with the full slate. Even w/ Paul George 's usage going up over the last month, Westbrook will still get a ton of shots and be a multi-category producer. |
2 | Chris Paul | HOU | 4 | Paul will balance his offense on feeding the big men in the post and feeding the Rockets bailout options at the arc. His Hamstring hasn't acted up in a bit which should keep his PT up. |
3 | D'Angelo Russell | BKN | 4 | Russell moves up with the full slate and even with both Spencer Dinwiddie and Caris LeVert back in the mix, he's still the Nets top option and he'll provide a ton of points and dimes. |
4 | De'Aaron Fox | SAC | 4 | Fox keeps the Kings offense moving quickly and he never has an issue getting in the lane. He gets a lot of air and is able to switch hands w/ the ball easily. Expect help with dimes. |
5 | Kyrie Irving | BOS | 3 | Irving is fully healthy but I must caution you that the Celtics have no problems holding him out to preserve his health. He doesn't have a back to back situation this week. |
6 | Damian Lillard | POR | 3 | Lillard continues to be the Blazers top scorer and he'll get plenty of shots down the stretch and he'll also help a good amount with assists. |
7 | Ben Simmons | PHI | 3 | This multi-category producer gets too much flack because as bad of a shooter as he is, he utilizes his strengths with incredible driving ability, passing and rebounding. |
8 | Tomas Satoransky | WSH | 4 | Satoransky moves up with the full slate, but he's had to play a lot of skilled guards lately and he looks exhausted when trying to contain the opposition on defense. |
9 | Kemba Walker | CHA | 3 | Walker's usage all season has been higher than ever and nothing changes for the Hornets down the stretch and he'll also still help with dimes and three's consistently. |
10 | Rajon Rondo | LAL | 4 | Lonzo Ball is out for the season and Rondo should be good to go for the bulk of the minutes, but the Lakers are heading in the direction of tanking. Don't be shocked if he's held out. |
11 | Spencer Dinwiddie | BKN | 4 | Dinwiddie hasn't looked back since returning from injury and he continues to make a strong impact and dice up second units with his speed and scoring ability. |
12 | Kyle Lowry | TOR | 3 | Even if Kawhi Leonard is not held out, Lowry will still get his as the second option. Marc Gasol hasn't impeded on his shots and he'll provide a lot of help with producing assists. |
13 | Stephen Curry | GSW | 2 | Curry moves down because he has the short slate of the week. If Kevin Durant is held out, he won't have to share top scoring responsibilities and his usage would go up. |
14 | Reggie Jackson | DET | 4 | Jackson has been playing well as the Pistons third option. He is the priority scorer among the Pistons guards and he gets plenty of time with the ball and he'll also help with dimes. |
15 | Dennis Schroder | OKC | 4 | Schroder will get plenty of chances to produce for his full slate with the Thunder's second unit. He's used his speed to be the Thunder's change of pace option. |
16 | Patrick Beverley | LAC | 4 | Beverley will get playing time at both guard spots and he'll help with scoring, boards and assists and he hustles hard on defense and he's been rewarded with extra minutes. |
17 | Trae Young | ATL | 3 | Young has had an incredible last couple of months and he's making a late push for Rookie Of The Year. He's the Hawks second option and he'll get plenty of points and dimes. |
18 | Eric Bledsoe | MIL | 3 | Bledsoe has been helpful on both sides of the ball all season long and even with Nikola Mirotic on the team, he'll get a good chunk of shots and help with boards and dimes. |
19 | Collin Sexton | CLE | 4 | Sexton should get more playing time down the stretch with the Cavs heading to the lottery. The Cavs lack of big-man health all season has hindered Sexton's assist-production a bit. |
20 | Jamal Murray | DEN | 3 | Murray will mainly score for the Nuggets. That's his main responsibility. He'll feed Nikola Jokic plenty, but when Jokic brings up the ball, he's used as a bailout option from the arc. |
Shooting Guard
RANK | NAME | Team | # Games | Analysis |
1 | James Harden | HOU | 4 | Harden will be one of the top producers for the week with the full slate and he'll continue to take a high volume of shots and help out big time with ball distribution and boards. |
2 | Bradley Beal | WSH | 4 | Beal is by far and away the Wizards top option and the offense runs a lot through him and he's able to get open despite getting more focus from the defense. |
3 | Donovan Mitchell | UT | 4 | Mitchell will need to be even more helpful with pushing the ball inside with Ricky Rubio banged up. Once the Jazz point guards got hurt earlier, Mitchell woke up and became more productive. |
4 | Buddy Hield | SAC | 4 | Hield has been a monster with shooting the ball and grabbing a good amount of long boards from the top of the paint. He's been serving as the Kings second option on offense. |
5 | Lou Williams | LAC | 4 | Williams has been the Clippers top scorer and he'll get plenty of playing time at both guard spots and he'll help out with dimes and steals and he's good at fighting through screens. |
6 | Devin Booker | PHX | 3 | Booker is by far the Suns top scoring option and he's been playing mainly at SG as the Suns have seemed to abandon their plans of turning him into a PG. He's a much better SG. |
7 | DeMar DeRozan | SAS | 3 | DeRozan is the prioritized scorer for the Spurs and he'll get a not only a ton of shots, but he'll get a lot of time to create with the ball. He'll look to drive and draw contact. |
8 | Caris LeVert | BKN | 4 | LeVert should see more minutes down the stretch and he'll get more playing because he can play multiple positions. Expect him to be helpful with scoring, assists and steals. |
9 | Jordan Clarkson | CLE | 4 | Clarkson will continue to log consistent minutes playing both guard spots. He has more success shooting the ball than Sexton and having Kevin Love fully healthy will help his dimes. |
10 | Eric Gordon | HOU | 4 | Gordon will get a ton of shots and he's often used as a bailout option off the bench. He'll be the prioritized scorer with the Rockets second unit and he will bring up the ball too. |
11 | Zach LaVine | CHI | 3 | INJ: LaVine is dealing w/ a strained Knee and he might have to miss his first game of the week if the pain doesn't go away. |
12 | Khris Middleton | MIL | 3 | Middleton has been able to hang on to his chunk of shots despite Mirotic being more involved in the rotation. He'll help out with long-range shooting and assists. |
13 | CJ McCollum | POR | 3 | McCollum remains the second option for the Blazers and he'll get a lot of shots, but sometimes all you will get is help with scoring as he tends to go quiet in other categories. |
14 | Malcolm Brogdon | MIL | 3 | Brogdon's role will not be reduced at all with Mirotic on the team. Brogdon will start at SG, but then he'll shift to PG with the second unit and that will help him produce in other areas. |
15 | Jeremy Lamb | CHA | 3 | INJ: Lamb has been dealing w/ a sore Hamstring, but he should be able to play his full slate of games this week. |
16 | Andrew Wiggins | MIN | 3 | INJ: Wiggins missed his last game w/ a Quad injury and there's a chance he'll have to miss hist first game of the week. |
17 | Tim Hardaway Jr. | DAL | 3 | Hardaway continues to be the Mavs second scoring option. He's been able to get open on the floor and just when you think he'll camp out at the arc, he'll switch gears and drive the lane. |
18 | JJ Redick | PHI | 3 | Redick will see a lot of shots and he'll produce a ton with the second unit. He's been able to provide some help with assists because everyone expects him to shoot every play. |
19 | Dwyane Wade | MIA | 3 | Wade shouldn't retire. His strength is his mid-range game. He takes a lot of shots from the elbow and he'll even see time running the point and he still has speed and the ability to get inside. |
20 | Evan Fournier | ORL | 3 | Fournier is mainly a shooter, but he has fought for long boards a bit more this season. He's the third scoring option and he'll have games with high assist-totals because he can run the point. |
Small Forward
RANK | NAME | Team | # Games | Analysis |
1 | Paul George | OKC | 4 | George takes the top spot as he continues to turn his game up to the next level. He'll be very helpful with scoring, but also provide help with boards, assists and steals. |
2 | LeBron James | LAL | 4 | James minutes are getting reduced and owners now have to hope he doesn't get shutdown for good. He might be held out of back to back games. Look for him to get up to 32 mpg. |
3 | Giannis Antetokounmpo | MIL | 3 | New week, same story for the Greek Freak who has turned the Bucks into serious contenders as the East looks to crown a new Champ. He'll produce in all areas except three's. |
4 | Kawhi Leonard | TOR | 3 | Leonard should be all rested up and ready to play the full week. The second he feels pain though, the Raptors will be extra cautious with him. He remains the top scoring option. |
5 | Danilo Gallinari | LAC | 4 | Gallinari is the Clippers second scoring option and he won't be at a loss for minutes at all and he'll help grab long boards while shooting efficiently from mid and long-range. |
6 | Luka Doncic | DAL | 3 | Doncic looks tremendous on the court and he'll spend a lot of time running the point. He'll help produce in pretty much every category and the Mavs will continue giving him heavy minutes. |
7 | Trevor Ariza | WSH | 4 | Ariza is the Wizards top perimeter defender and he'll log a lot of minutes and be very motivated as he's playing for a contract. Expect help w/ three's, boards and steals. |
8 | Joe Ingles | UT | 4 | Ingles plays incredible defense on the perimeter and he's a sharp-shooter from downtown. He'll grab steals and long rebounds and he'll be needed to help push the ball inside this week. |
9 | Bogdan Bogdanovic | SAC | 4 | Bogdanovic continues to fight to keep his minutes up and it'll be interesting to see what happens to his PT when Marvin Bagley III returns. He might be in a timeshare with Harrison Barnes . |
10 | Cedi Osman | CLE | 4 | Osman will be used mainly as a bailout option on offense but the Cavs love his hustle and he'll help out in other areas such as grabbing boards and steals on the perimeter. |
11 | Jimmy Butler | PHI | 3 | Butler gets a lot of late-game love from the Sixers and it's very encouraging that the team is still utilizing him as much as they are on offense. He'll provide a lot of help with defensive stats. |
12 | Joe Harris | BKN | 4 | Harris has been a reliable shooter all season and he'll fight to get in the lane and draw contact. He'll be a huge help with steals and even in a major timeshare for shots, he'll still produce. |
13 | Jeff Green | WSH | 4 | Green can play multiple positions on the floor. As the Wizards change of pace player, he'll provide a lot of help both in the paint and at the arc. He'll lead the charge on transition. |
14 | DeMarre Carroll | BKN | 4 | Carroll has been more productive over the last few weeks and he'll get open a good amount at the arc. If he goes cold though, the Nets have shown that they'll shift away from him. |
15 | Reggie Bullock | LAL | 4 | Bullock will take full advantage of Brandon Ingram being out for the rest of the season. James being limited will also give him more love in the rotation. He'll hit long-range jumpers. |
16 | Josh Richardson | MIA | 3 | Richardson will play less of a role at PG with Goran Dragic once again healthy, but he'll still log plenty of minutes and he'll use his isolation to get in the lane. He'll get PT at multiple spots. |
17 | Otto Porter Jr. | CHI | 3 | Porter will continue to be the third scoring option for the Bulls, but if LaVine has to sit, he'll grab more shots. He's already playing a good amount of minutes and he'll help with steals. |
18 | Rudy Gay | SAS | 3 | INJ: Gay is sick and he'll have until Tuesday to recover. There's a chance he misses hist first game of the week. |
19 | Bojan Bogdanovic | IND | 3 | Bogdanovic has picked up a ton of the shots that Victor Oladipo has left behind, but he won't stay exclusively at the arc and he'll find ways to get open off the curl. His role is huge for Indy. |
20 | Kevin Durant | GSW | 2 | INJ: Durant hurt his Ankle Sunday night and he'll have a few days to rest, but there's still a chance he can miss a game this week. |
Power Forward
RANK | NAME | Team | # Games | Analysis |
1 | Blake Griffin | DET | 4 | The Pistons frontcourt will be very productive with the full slate and their offense mainly runs through Griffin. He'll get a lot of shots from the arc and post and he'll help with boards. |
2 | Kevin Love | CLE | 4 | Love will see a ton of shots as the Cavs prioritized option. The Cavs lack consistent shooters outside of Love and Larry Nance Jr. being hurt will give him even more usage. |
3 | Bobby Portis | WSH | 4 | Portis has been a monster both in the paint keeping plays alive and spreading the floor by hitting three's. He fights hard for boards on both sides of the ball and he'll log heavy minutes. |
4 | Derrick Favors | UT | 4 | Favors has been more productive lately and his mid-range jumper is going to have to be on point because with Rubio hurt, the Jazz will have a tougher time pushing the ball in the paint. |
5 | Harrison Barnes | SAC | 4 | Barnes has fit in nicely with the Kings and he'll continue to be a tough defender and he's in very good shape and has been able to keep up with the speedy Kings offense. |
6 | Kyle Kuzma | LAL | 4 | INJ: Kuzma has missed his last two games w/ an Ankle injury and he may have to miss his first game of the week. |
7 | LaMarcus Aldridge | SAS | 3 | Aldridge is the Spurs second scoring option and he'll mainly focus on producing in the post and he'll be a big help with boards and blocks and he'll see heavy minutes down the stretch. |
8 | Tobias Harris | PHI | 3 | Harris has been able to do everything he can to keep his scoring in double figures and he's mainly utilized at the arc. He's been a huge help with boards on defense. |
9 | Julius Randle | NO | 3 | Randle will continue to be the prioritized scorer and get a ton of playing time as the Pelicans will continue to limit Anthony Davis for the rest of the way. His usage will be higher w/ Holiday out. |
10 | Lauri Markkanen | CHI | 3 | The Bulls second scoring option will continue to get a ton of shots from the arc and he'll use his size to help with boards. He'll be the prioritized scorer if LaVine has to sit this week. |
11 | John Collins | ATL | 3 | Collins continues to impress with his shooting both in and out of the paint and he plays very aggresively on defense and he'll grab plenty of boards. |
12 | Jabari Parker | WSH | 4 | Parker has been productive on this decimated Wizards team and he's been a scoring threat from both the arc and at the elbow and he'll also be helpful on the glass. |
13 | Jerami Grant | OKC | 4 | Grant will see plenty of usage at the arc as the Thunder's main bailout option. He'll also follow up his shots and fight for boards and steals both inside and on the perimeter. |
14 | Nemanja Bjelica | SAC | 4 | Bjelica has been able to stay alive in the Kings rotation because of Bagley's injury and it looks like he'll be safe for at least another week and he'll help with three's and boards. |
15 | Jae Crowder | UT | 4 | Crowder has been scoring a bit more consistently lately and he'll sacrifice his body in the post and he'll get open from mid and long-range. He'll help with steals too. |
16 | PJ Tucker | HOU | 4 | Tucker gets a lot of shots at the elbow and arc. Clint Capela being back has caused defenses to put less attention on him and he'll provide help with boards and steals. |
17 | Aaron Gordon | ORL | 3 | The Magic's number two scorer should be set for a full week of production as the Magic haven't given any kind of indication that they will start tankings and Gordon will help with points and boards. |
18 | Nikola Mirotic | MIL | 3 | Mirotic is starting to gel with the Bucks offense and his stats reflect it as he's been able to score in double figures more consistently and he'll help with boards and steals. |
19 | Pascal Siakam | TOR | 3 | Siakam has been able to use his strength in the post and he gets excellent positioning in the lane and is able to help a ton with inside scoring and boards on both sides of the ball. |
20 | Serge Ibaka | TOR | 3 | Ibaka has been able to keep his role and he has been productive when he's been in with the Raptors second unit. He's been productive from the post and he'll help with boards and blocks. |
Center
RANK | NAME | Team | # Games | Analysis |
1 | Andre Drummond | DET | 4 | Drummond should be the most productive center with the full slate. The league's most productive rebounder will continue to score off of second chance opportunities. He's hard to box out. |
2 | Joel Embiid | PHI | 3 | Embiid is healthy and shouldn't be limited at all this week unless he wakes up sore over the next day or two. The Sixers need him to be as close to 100 percent as possible for the playoffs. |
3 | Rudy Gobert | UT | 4 | If Mitchell drives the lane as much as he should this week, defenders will start to double him to close down the lane and Gobert will get better position to produce. He'll help w/ boards and blocks. |
4 | Clint Capela | HOU | 4 | Capela has not looked back since returning from injury and even with Kenneth Faried back in the mix, he'll still get the bulk of the minutes and be the third scoring option. |
5 | Nikola Jokic | DEN | 3 | The Nuggets top scoring option will not only get plenty of shots, but he'll often bring up the ball and he'll hit three's as well. Expect multi-category production and he's hard to stop on offense. |
6 | Karl-Anthony Towns | MIN | 3 | INJ: Towns is dealing w/ a sore Knee and he missed his previous game. The injury seems minor and he shouldn't have to miss any games this week. |
7 | Nikola Vucevic | ORL | 3 | Vucevic has been the Magic's prioritized scorer and he's been productive from both the post and the arc this season and he'll grab a high volume of boards as always. |
8 | Anthony Davis | NO | 3 | Davis will continue to see 20-23 minutes per game and he'll still score in double figures, but his rebounding numbers are threatened with the loss of minutes. The Pelicans will stick to his PT limit. |
9 | Steven Adams | OKC | 4 | Adams will see a ton of plays in the post and as long as he stays out of foul trouble, his minutes won't be threatened and he'll help consistently with points, boards and steals. |
10 | Montrezl Harrell | LAC | 4 | Harrell has been cleaning up the garbage in the paint all season long and he'll see plenty of plays in the post and he draws a lot of contact. Expect him to continue to log heavy minutes. |
11 | Willie Cauley-Stein | SAC | 4 | Cauley-Stein will see more usage with Bagley hurt and he'll help spread the floor by taking shots from the elbow. He also has a post-game on offense and he'll help with boards and blocks on D. |
12 | Jarrett Allen | BKN | 4 | Allen is not the best defender but he'll continue to be the prioritized center for the Nets and help with scoring from right under the basket to go along with boards and blocks. |
13 | Jusuf Nurkic | POR | 3 | Nurkic has still been able to produce even with Enes Kanter playing behind him. He has excellent footwork in the post and he'll grab a lot of boards on both sides of the ball. |
14 | Marc Gasol | TOR | 3 | Gasol doesn't look like he fits in the Raptors offense. His minutes are all over the place and with his scoring being inconsistent, he's become harder to trust. He's been most consistent with blocks. |
15 | DeAndre Jordan | NY | 3 | Jordan has been very productive on both sides of the ball as he's playing for a contract. Even though the Knicks want to give Mitchell Robinson a ton of reps, Jordan still has a role. |
16 | Deandre Ayton | PHX | 3 | Ayton continues to show his shooting range from the top of the paint and he has good leaping ability and that has helped him a ton on the glass. He's the Suns second scoring option. |
17 | Hassan Whiteside | MIA | 3 | Whiteside doesn't need a ton of playing time to be productive. He's been able to still produce double-doubles and getting into the lane isn't a problem for him. He's hard to stop in the paint. |
18 | JaVale McGee | LAL | 4 | Tyson Chandler is barely used and with other big men hurt, McGee will still see 20-plus minutes per game and he'll help with inside scoring, rebounding and he'll definitely help with blocks. |
19 | Kenneth Faried | HOU | 4 | Faried has earned his spot and it'll be interesting now that he's back from injury how many minutes he will get. Expect him to play 20-plus behind Capela and to help with points and boards. |
20 | Al Horford | BOS | 3 | Horford doesn't rely as much on three-point shooting because the Celtics have a ton of shooters from the arc and they need him to use his size in the post. He'll help with boards and blocks too. |