There has been a ton of hand-wringing lately over the sorry state of the Cleveland Cavaliers’ defense, and rightfully so. The Cavaliers own the eighth-worst Defensive Rating in the NBA at 105.6, making this easily the worst defense LeBron James has ever been a part of. It is entirely too early worry about any team’s playoff chances, but it is fair to say the Cavaliers will not make the NBA Finals if they do not improve their defense.
It is not difficult to see why the Cavaliers have struggled defensively. With Anderson Varejao done for the season, LeBron 
James and Shawn Marion are the only players on the team anyone would consider above-average on-ball defenders. None of the Cleveland big men provide any sort of rim protection, and even LeBron looks largely disinterested in playing defense.
I was writing the fantasy notes here at FantasyAlarm Tuesday when the news came in that LeBron and Shawn Marion were both inactive for their road game against the Hawks. I immediately recommended the Hawks for fantasy, and for good reason. As I pointed out, LeBron and Marion are the best defenders on Cleveland’s roster. Perhaps even more importantly, the Hawks had just scored 127 points in Cleveland less than two weeks ago. I was only half joking when I said Atlanta could score 150 on Tuesday; I didn’t think it would happen, but it would not have shocked me.
The Hawks had a good night, with Paul Millsap scoring 26 points and Jeff Teague adding 23 and 11 assists, but they only scored 109 points. That is when I realized while the criticism of Cleveland’s defense is mostly valid, I have rarely recommended players going against the Cavaliers in this column.
The Cavaliers are certainly not a bad fantasy matchup. Any team that allows 105.6 points per 100 possessions is a decent matchup for fantasy, but it is difficult to rack up points against the Cavs because they play so slowly. They are the sixth-slowest team in the NBA, averaging just 94.57 possessions per 48 minutes. It is hard to believe the Cavs’ pace is so slow considering Kevin Love’s only role on this team appears to be grabbing uncontested defensive rebounds and throwing long outlet passes to LeBron James.
The Cavaliers, of course, are not alone. The Knicks, Jazz and Heat are even worse than Cleveland in Defensive Rating, though they are also the three slowest teams in the league. That is what makes teams like the Lakers, Timberwolves and Kings more attractive fantasy plays for their faster pace of play. As always I weigh defensive rating, pace and several other factors before making my picks for the week. The following picks are for the week from Monday, January 5 to Monday, January 12.
Dion Waiters, Cleveland Cavaliers (Road vs. 76ers, Home vs. Rockets, Road vs. Warriors, Road vs. Kings) Now that I spend my first 400 words trashing Cleveland’s defense, I am going to recommend a Cavalier for his defense. The Cavaliers face four of the five-worst teams in the NBA in Opponent’s Steals this week. Waiters is still a poor on-ball defender, but he is averaging 1.3 steals per game this season and that number will almost certainly be higher when the week is over. His fantasy prospects are also helped by Shawn Marion’s ankle injury.
Corey Brewer, Houston Rockets (Road vs. Bulls, Road vs. Cavaliers, Road vs. Knicks, Home vs. Jazz) It seems pretty crazy, considering their history under Tom Thibodeau, but the Bulls are the fastest team Houston will face this week. They are also the best defensive team on the schedule, which bodes well for the Rockets. This week will be an interesting contrast in styles as the Rockets have played faster than most, especially in December. Even after a five-point effort on New Year’s Eve, Brewer is still averaging 14 points per game in five games with the Rockets. That number will come down a bit along with his .538 3-point percentage, but he is a good play given his schedule.
Larry Sanders, Milwaukee Bucks (Home vs. Suns, Road vs. 76ers, Home vs. Timberwolves, Road vs. Bulls) Sanders can rebound, block shots, and finish close to the basket. That is the extent of his skill set, and his fantasy contributions. This week the Bucks have a very nice schedule for his skills. The Suns and Timberwolves are in the bottom five in the league in opponent field goal percentage at the rim. The 76ers have allowed the most rebounds to opponents, with the Suns and Timberwolves not far behind. Few teams have allowed more opponents blocks than the Bulls, though the Timberwolves and 76ers are two of them. If Sanders cannot return from his current illness in time to take advantage of the schedule, John Henson and Zaza Pachulia should be decent fantasy plays.
Spencer Hawes, Los Angeles Clippers (Home vs. Hawks, Home vs. Lakers, Home vs. Mavericks, Home vs. Heat) Hawes has not fit in the way the Clippers though he would, due in part to his missing most of December with a knee injury. That could change this week, as the Clippers’ upcoming schedule plays to two of his strengths: passing and three-point shooting. Only the Knicks have allowed opponents to shoot better from beyond the arc than the Mavericks and Lakers, while the Hawks and Lakers are in the bottom five in opponent’s assists per game.
Teams do not have to play fast to be good fantasy matchups, but it certainly helps. That is why the 76ers, Timberwolves, Suns, Lakers, Rockets, Mavericks and Kings all made appearances in this week’s schedule breakdown.
Player News
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania during an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show, Donovan Mitchell has been diagnosed with a re-aggravation of a left ankle injury and will be a game-time decision for Game 5.
Mitchell didn’t return after halftime of Sunday’s blowout loss, and Ty Jerome started in his place for the second half. The Cavs were getting stomped 80-39, but apparently the injury is more serious than initially thought, and his absence in the second half was more than precautionary. If he’s unable to go, Jerome would likely get the starting nod as Cleveland faces elimination at home down 3-1 in the series.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania during an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show, Donovan Mitchell has been diagnosed with a re-aggravation of a left ankle injury and will be a game-time decision for Game 5.
Mitchell didn’t return after halftime of Sunday’s blowout loss, and Ty Jerome started in his place for the second half. The Cavs were getting stomped 80-39, but apparently the injury is more serious than initially thought, and his absence in the second half was more than precautionary. If he’s unable to go, Jerome would likely get the starting nod as Cleveland faces elimination at home down 3-1 in the series.
ESPN’s Shams Charania reports that Giannis Antetokounmpo “has not made any firm decisions, but for the first time in his career, he is open-minded about whether his best fit is remaining in Milwaukee – or playing elsewhere.”
No surprises here, as rumors of Antetokounmpo’s future with another team swirled as the season came to a close. Milwaukee finished the regular season 48-34 as the fifth seed in the East, and the Bucks were knocked out of the first round in a gentlemen’s sweep to the rival Pacers. With Damian Lillard out for most if not all of next season, the Bucks may choose to trade Antetokounmpo in the offseason and get a jumpstart on the impending rebuild. Fantasy managers should keep a close eye on an Antetokounmpo trade this offseason, as his future plans will be one of the biggest headlines heading into the 2025-26 season and could drastically shift fantasy values for a few other players.
Obi Toppin provided a boost off the bench with 20 points (9-of-14 FGs), five rebounds, two assists and one three-pointer in Game 4 against the Cavaliers on Sunday.
Toppin has been a solid reserve for Indiana all season, but he hadn’t been as productive in the postseason until Game 4. This was the second-highest scoring playoff game of Toppin’s career, narrowly finishing behind his 21-point game against the Bucks last season. Toppin will continue to play a large role off the bench, but the odds of him reaching 20 points again are slim.
Myles Turner lit up the Cavaliers with 20 points (7-of-13 FGs), seven rebounds, three assists and four three-pointers in Game 4 on Sunday.
For the fourth time in Indiana’s last six games, Turner scored 20 points. This time, it only took him 22 minutes. Turner has been a big part of the offense recently, and the strategy is working; they are 4-0 when he scores at least 20 points during this postseason, and they’re 17-2 over the course of the entire season when he reaches 20 points. Turner will continue to feature heavily in the offense in Game 5 as the Pacers look to close out this series.
Pascal Siakam led the Pacers with 21 points (9-of-10 FGs), six rebounds, three assists, one steal and two three-pointers in a 129-109 win over the Cavaliers in Game 4 on Sunday.
What a night it was for Siakam, who only missed one shot in the blowout win. He only played 21 minutes, but that was more than enough for Indiana to take complete control of this game. His dominant night has them just one win away from returning to the conference finals for a second straight season. Siakam hadn’t been a significant part of the offense in this series, but the strategy to get him going paid off on Sunday. He’ll look to stay hot in Game 5 on Tuesday with a chance to close out the series.