2022 Fantasy Basketball ADP Player Debates: D’Angelo Russell vs Josh Giddey
Assists are hard to find later in fantasy basketball drafts and you should target NBA guards early who dish at least six to seven assists per game. Minnesota Timberwolves Point Guard D’Angelo Russell and Oklahoma City Thunder Guard Josh Giddey were both multi-category fantasy basketball producers last season who contributed six-plus dimes per battle and both are solid options to consider when in the fifth and sixth rounds of fantasy hoops drafts. Let’s look at what to consider when deciding who to draft between Russell or Giddey in your fantasy basketball draft.
The Case For D’Angelo Russell
D’Angelo Russell PG, Minnesota Timberwolves: ADP 59: Russell is a quick guard that can play efficiently both on and off the ball. He took 15 shots per game last year and should be the Timberwolves 3rd scoring option behind Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards. Russell also dished a career-high 7.1 assists per game last season and with new arrival Rudy Gobert to help him operate the pick and roll and with how nightmarish of a matchup Towns will be for opposing power forwards, Russell should see his assists increase. He’s also grabbed steals consistently as he swiped one ball per outing a season ago.
The Case For Josh Giddey
Josh Giddey PG, Oklahoma City Thunder: ADP 61: In the 2021-2022 NBA season, Giddey ranked 3rd among guards in rebounding pulling down 7.8 boards per contest. He’s aggressive on both sides of the ball and will attack the lane with force and not fear drawing any contact. He can play three different positions on the floor and when he brings up the ball, he’s often a matchup problem against opposing point guards being that he’s six feet and seven inches tall. Giddey dropped 6.4 dimes per game and grabbed nearly 1 steal per battle. He took 12-13 field goals per game last season and if Shai Gilgeous-Alexander isn’t fully healed up from his sprained MCL by the start of the season, he'll have even more time with the ball and his shots will go up.
Verdict
Josh Giddey: While D’Angelo Russell did score about six more points per game than Giddey and averaged more assists than him last year, Giddey will have a higher scoring ceiling being that the Thunder don’t have reliable frontcourt scorers and his rim-attacking will be needed very badly. It’s very hard to find a guard that not only dishes a good number of assists, but also grabs a lot of boards and Giddey will be playing in the paint a lot more than Russell. Russell will hang more on the perimeter as a bailout option once he gets rid of the ball.
Player News
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Hield moved into the Warriors’ starting lineup in the first round and the team became somewhat reliant on his scoring. With Stephen Curry (hamstring) out in Game 2, Hield started and played 29 minutes. The 32-year-old shooting guard led the Warriors in field goal attempts, though no one in a Golden State uniform was able to reach 20 points. The Warriors weren’t able to overcome a double-digit first half deficit. Despite the four made three-pointers, they’re going to need more from Hield as the series shifts to Golden State, especially if Curry remains out.
Jimmy Butler had 17 points (6-of-13 FGs), seven rebounds, four assists, one steal and two three-pointers against the Timberwolves in Game 2 on Thursday.
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Nickeil Alexander-Walker had 20 points (7-of-13 FGs), two rebounds, three assists, one block and four three-pointers in Game 2 against the Warriors on Thursday.
Alexander-Walker was a key scorer off the bench in Game 2. He, Naz Reid and Donte DiVencenzo combined for 10 made three-pointers off the bench. In a game where the Warriors were desperate for scoring without Stephen Curry (hamstring), those bench points were too much to overcome as the Timberwolves won by 24 points.
Julius Randle had 24 points (10-of-17 FGs), seven rebounds, 11 assists and one three-pointer in Game 2 against the Warriors on Thursday.
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Anthony Edwards had 20 points (6-of-13 FGs), nine rebounds, five assists, three steals, one block and two three-pointers in the Timberwolves’ 117-93 victory over the Warriors in Game 2 on Thursday.
Edwards appeared to suffer a sprained left ankle towards the end of the second quarter as the Warriors’ Trayce Jackson-Davis landed on his foot. Edwards turned the same ankle in the first round against the Lakers and appeared to re-aggravate the injury. The 23-year-old shooting guard would go on to start the second half and play a team-high 34 minutes in the Game 2 victory. Edwards will only have one full day off before the series resumes in Golden State for Game 3 on Saturday.
Warriors will start Brandin Podziemski, Buddy Hield, Jimmy Butler, Draymond Green and Quinten Post in Game 2 against the Timberwolves on Thursday.
No surprise here as Curry was always a long shot to make it back for Game 2 after leaving Game 1 with hamstring injury. While there has been a report that the 37-year-old point guard is expected to miss a week, there is no firm timetable for his return. The Warriors will go big with their starting lineup for Game 2 with center Quinten Post entering the lineup in Curry’s absence.