NBA Starting 5, Oct. 21: Wembanyama's wild 2 minutes, NBA Fantasy primer
And just like that, the preseason comes to an end.
But not before Wemby & Steph gave us a few viral moments to wrap things up…
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THE LINEUP
October 21, 2023 | 6-min read
Gotta credit Steph for at least trying.
- Friday: Preseason Finales
- Fantasy: Latest Top 1️⃣5️⃣0️⃣
- Fantasy: Risers & Sleepers
- Lowe’s League Pass Rankings
- 30 Stats 30 Teams: West
FRIDAY: WEMBY, SPURS CLOSE OUT PRESEASON WITH WIN OVER WARRIORS
The Bay Area got its 1st in-person look at Victor Wembanyama and the rookie phenom delivered with 19 points, 5 blocks, 4 rebounds and 2 3-pointers in 21 minutes as the Spurs handed the Warriors their only loss of the preseason, 122-117.
Check out Wembanyama’s 1st-half highlights, including this ridiculous stretch from midway through the 1st quarter in under 2 minutes:
- 6:33: Hits 18-foot pull-up after shaking his defender
- 6:08: Sinks 8-foot driving jump shot with the and-1
- 5:56: Blocks 3-point shot by Thompson…
- 5:50: … then throws down the dunk in transition
- 5:14: Blocks floating jumper by Wiggins in the lane …
- 5:07: … and hits a 27-foot 3-point jump shot in transition
Wembanyama had 15 points and 4 blocks in the opening half before wrapping up his night midway through the 3rd quarter.
- The Spurs got 13 points apiece from Devin Vassell and Zach Collins as they finished with 6 players in double figures
- Moses Moody led the Warriors with 18 points off the bench, while Dario Saric added 17. Jonathan Kuminga had 13 points, 6 boards and 5 dimes to cap off an impressive preseason, finishing as the league’s 2nd-leading scorer (21.8 ppg in 5 games)
- Steph Curry finished with 11 points in 20 minutes, and came up just short against Wembanyama on a jumpball
More from the final night of the preseason:
- Bucks 124, Grizzlies 116: Giannis (26 points, including this reverse dunk) and Dame (19 points, including a logo 3) combined for 45 points in 27 minutes. Desmond Bane led the Grizz with 24 points and 5 3s, Zaire Williams put up 15 and a poster dunk, while Marcus Smart had 11 points and 6 dimes in his preseason debut
- Sixers 120, Hawks 106: Joel Embiid had 21 points and 5 boards in his preseason debut, but DeAnthony Melton stole the show with 29 points while hitting 4 of his 6 3s in the 3rd quarter. Trae Young had 10 assists, including a no-look dime to Clint Capela
- Rockets 110, Heat 104: Houston finishes 4-1 in the preseason after Jalen Green and Fred VanVleet each dropped 20 in Friday’s win. Alperen Sengun had 16 points, 12 boards, 4 blocks and a no-look dime to Amen Thompson, who finished with 19 points including this crossover dunk
Obi Toppin brings some Showtime to the Pacers preseason finale.
- Pacers 109, Cavaliers 104: Buddy Hield scored 20 points, knocked down 6 3s, including a 4-point play with a dap-up for a fan after the triple. Tyrese Haliburton dropped 9 dimes, Obi Toppin threw down a few dunks, while Donovan Mitchell led all scorers with 28
- Raptors 134, Wizards 98: Scottie Barnes scored 23 points (10-14 FG) including this 2-hand throwdown, while Pascal Siakam added 19 points and 8 boards as the Raptors (4-0) joined the Timberwolves (5-0) as the only unbeaten teams this preseason
- Mavericks 114, Pistons 104: Josh Green led all scorers with 22 points (4-5 3P), while Kyrie notched a double-double with 17 points and 11 dimes, including a driving lob to Dereck Lively II for the slam
- Magic 109, Flamengo 76: Orlando’s 1st round picks Jett Howard (21 points, 5 3s) and Anthony Black (7 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals) combined for 28, while Trevelin Queen had a game-high 24 points, 4 steals and a poster
That’s a wrap from the preseason. All the games count from now until June!
FANTASY: LATEST TOP 1️⃣5️⃣0️⃣ RANKINGS
Will Jayson Tatum be a top 5 fantasy player this season?
With only 3 days until opening night, the clock is ticking to get your fantasy drafts done ahead of Week 1.
This weekend is the perfect time to lock in with version 4.0 of RotoWire’s Top 150 fantasy players for the 2023-24 season, with the most up-to-date rankings and info.
Here’s the top 10:
- Nikola Jokic (Nuggets)
- Joel Embiid (Sixers)
- Luka Doncic (Mavericks)
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder)
- Jayson Tatum (Celtics)
- Tyrese Haliburton (Pacers)
- Stephen Curry (Warriors)
- Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks)
- Kevin Durant (Suns)
- Anthony Davis (Lakers)
Check out the full list here and stay tapped in with real time fantasy hoops news all season long to keep your lineup right
More fantasy coverage
- Impact of free agency, trades
- Impact of six coaching changes
- Rookies preview for 2023-24
- Advice for new fantasy players
FANTASY: RISERS & SLEEPERS
Mikal Bridges averaged 26.1 points in 27 games with the Nets after a midseason trade.
When it comes to building a fantasy roster, the league’s superstars often dominate the first few rounds. Where leagues are won or lost comes with what happens next.
- Who are the up-and-comers set for a breakout season? For fantasy, knowing who’s next is just as important as knowing who’s now.
- As rising talent comes off the board, which sleeper players will be flying under the radar, maybe even outside of the top 100 on the rankings list?
Who does RotoWire’s Alex Barutha have as 3 risers and 3 sleepers at each position heading into 2023-24?
Centers
- Risers: Walker Kessler (Jazz), Alperen Sengun (Rockets), Jalen Duren (Pistons)
- Sleepers: Zach Collins (Spurs), Daniel Gafford (Wizards), Mark Williams (Hornets)
Forwards
- Risers: Jaren Jackson Jr. (Grizzlies), Scottie Barnes (Raptors), Cam Johnson (Nets)
- Sleepers: John Collins (Jazz), Deni Avdija (Wizards), Obi Toppin (Pacers)
Guards
- Risers: Mikal Bridges (Nets), Jordan Poole (Wizards), Desmond Bane (Grizzlies)
- Sleepers: Collin Sexton (Jazz), Malcolm Brogdon (Blazers), Gary Trent Jr. (Raptors)
ZACH LOWE’S LEAGUE PASS RANKINGS
The Dame-Giannis combo helped the Milwaukee Bucks reach the top of the list.
A new NBA season brings with it a few traditions: The annual GM Survey just released its 22nd edition. LeBron James continues to defy Father Time as he enters his 21st season. Who He Play For is set to reach 20 years next week. And ESPN’s Zach Lowe returns for his 12th edition of League Pass Rankings.
So where does your favorite team fall? Did they make the top 10 listed below, or fall somewhere in the bottom 20? Either way, give the entire list a read to get you ready for another season of League Pass fun.
- Milwaukee Bucks
- Golden State Warriors
- Denver Nuggets
- Phoenix Suns
- Boston Celtics
- Los Angeles Lakers
- Sacramento Kings
- Philadelphia 76ers
- Minnesota Timberwolves
- Dallas Mavericks
Sign up for NBA League Pass and check out 20 can’t-miss games this season available exclusively on League Pass.
30 STATS FOR 30 TEAMS: WESTERN CONFERENCE EDITION
Dallas’ Luka Doncic led all players in isolation scoring last season.
Every team has an identity. But what’s the one stat that helps to define them?
We dug into last season’s numbers to find that key stat for each team that could also be telling for the upcoming season. We begin with the West and will hit the East teams in tomorrow’s Starting 5.
Dallas Mavericks: Led the NBA in points per game on isolations (13.2 ppg) with a league-high 7.9 coming from Luka Doncic, while Kyrie Irving (5.5) remained in the top 10 after joining Luka midseason
⚒️Denver Nuggets: Tied for 1st in FG% on possessions with a paint touch (70.5%) and an elbow touch (65.1%) – areas where 2-time MVP Nikola Jokic goes to work
Golden State Warriors: The lineup of Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, Draymond Green and Kevon Looney had the best net rating (+21.9) among 5-man lineups to play 100+ minutes. What lineups will work best incorporating Chris Paul?
Houston Rockets: Had the highest offensive rebound rate in the NBA last season, grabbing 34.4% of all available offensive rebounds, and translating them into a league-high 16.7 2nd-chance points
⛵LA Clippers: Ranked 3rd in team 3-point percentage (38.1%) but only 22nd in 2-point percentage (53.9%). Could an increase in 3-point attempts (33.3 3pg, 14th in NBA) lead to a more efficient offense (17th last season)?
Los Angeles Lakers: Made 21.8 field goals per game 5 feet or closer to the basket, the 2nd most in the NBA last season. L.A. tied for 6th in post-up scoring (4.9) and 4th in fast break points (16.7)
Memphis Grizzlies: Led the NBA in points in the paint (58.4 ppg) for the 4th consecutive season, while also allowing the 5th-fewest points in the paint to their opponents (47.5)
Minnesota Timberwolves: Scored the 3rd-most points per game on drives (31.6), led by Anthony Edwards (9.3), who is one of 5 players who could challenge for the scoring title
⚜️New Orleans Pelicans: The trio of Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum played only 172 minutes together in 10 games; the Pelicans were +60 in those minutes. Keeping this trio on the court greatly increase the Pelicans’ ceiling
⛈️Oklahoma City Thunder: Drew the most charges in the NBA with 1.44 per game. Making hustle plays was part of the Thunder’s identity as they also ranked in the top 10 in deflections (7th), loose balls recovered (3rd), contested shots (3rd) and box outs (10th)
☀️Phoenix Suns: Knocked down 11.2 pull-up 2-pointers per game, the 3rd-most in the NBA. Kevin Durant (3.9) and Devin Booker (2.9) ranked 2nd and 4th, respectively, in mid-range FGs per game last season, and newcomer Bradley Beal (2.0) ranked 9th
Portland Trail Blazers: Scored the most points per possession off handoffs with 1.08. Of the 76 players that averaged at least 1 handoff possession, Anfernee Simons was the most efficient, scoring 1.34 points per possession
Sacramento Kings: The starting 5 of Harrison Barnes, Domantas Sabonis, De’Aaron Fox, Kevin Huerter and Keegan Murray played more minutes (900) than any 5-man lineup. The Kings kept their core together as they look to make another playoff run
San Antonio Spurs: Ran 18.92 miles per game, the highest mark in the NBA. The Spurs played at the 2nd-fastest pace (102.07), will they maintain that speed with rooke phenom Victor Wembanyama on the court? The preseason numbers say yes
Utah Jazz: Held opponents to 60.8% on shots 6 feet and closer, the 3rd-lowest percentage in the NBA. Walker Kessler ranked 4th in both blocks (2.3) and rim protection (51.5% allowed) as a rookie; can he be even better in season 2?
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