2022 Fantasy Basketball ADP Player Debates: LaMelo Ball vs Ja Morant
It’s interesting what happens with LaMelo Ball’s ADP with the recent news that he has suffered a Grade 2 high-ankle sprain and will miss the beginning of the year, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. What does that mean for Ball’s fantasy status and where should we be looking to select him in fantasy basketball drafts? According to reports, the Charlotte Hornets point guard will only be absent for 1-to-2 weeks, so he’ll be back before you know it. Still, should we adjust the fantasy basketball rankings on our draft boards because of the injury? Ball is a consensus late-first, early-second round pick this year. Right behind him, being drafted in the second round, are many of his peers at the point-guard position, one of whom is Ja Morant. The Memphis Grizzlies' star is being drafted around 15.6 according to aggregate ADP. Which of these should we draft? Let's dive into the latest NBA fantasy basketball ADP player debate. Be sure to check out Fantasy Alarm's fantasy basketball player rankings for the 2022-23 NBA season. Plus, take advantage of our FREE Ultimate Fantasy Basketball Cheat Sheet.
Why You Should Draft LaMelo Ball
We saw Ball take the next step offensively last year, averaging 20.1 points per game after 15.7 during his rookie campaign. Ball took a leap in assists, rebounds, minutes, and three-point percentage, which has led him to where he is; a first-round pick. The team around Ball is going to look a little different when he returns to the floor. Miles Bridges has a lot of off-the-court issues and isn’t with the team and Gordon Hayward has been linked to a LOT of trade talks and we’re unsure if he can stay healthy. Everything is going to funnel through Ball this year, but they’re not going to be very good will he still be on the floor by the end of the year comes around? We know how many teams will be tanking for the chance to end up with Victor Wembanyama.
Why You Should Draft Ja Morant
On the flip side, everything seems to be trending upward for Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies. Morant, who finished seventh in last year’s MVP race, averaged 27.4 points, 6.7 assists, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game. All massive increases from the year prior. That said, he only played 57 games, so what could’ve been if he made it the entire season? I think that’s something we can see in 2022 as he enters the year at full capacity. The Grizzlies are a good team, he has great pieces surrounding him, and the Grizzlies will have something to play for all the way up until the end of the year.
Verdict
I don’t see a reason why you wouldn’t want to just wait on Ja Morant, coming into the season healthy, compared to LaMelo Ball who’s injured and his team is potentially horrible. The Hornets' win total being 36.5 could drastically change if Ball misses upwards of two weeks and with Morant continuing to play for something throughout the year, I’ll wait another half of a round and draft Morant.
Related NBA Links:
- The Ultimate Fantasy Basketball Cheat Sheet 2022
- 2022-2023 Fantasy Basketball Preseason Player Rankings
- 2022 Fantasy Basketball ADP Player Debates: James Harden vs Jayson Tatum
- 2022 Fantasy Basketball Busts: Russell Westbrook is Being Overvalued
- 2022 Fantasy Basketball Rookies: Paolo Banchero Could Make an Impact Right away
- 2022 Fantasy Basketball Sleepers: Devin Vassell Steps Up In San Antonio
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Ivica Zubac had a productive outing, finishing with 27 points (11-of-15 FGs, 5-of-8 FTs), five rebounds, one assist and two blocks in the Game 5 loss to the Nuggets on Tuesday.
Zubac continued to score the ball well, finishing with a series-high in points on efficient shooting. However, Zubac’s usual impact on the glass was absent as he secured just five rebounds in Game 5 after tallying at least nine in the previous four, with his one assist also tying his lowest output of the series. Down in the series 3-2, the Clippers head back to Los Angeles for Game 6 on Thursday, where they face a must-win situation to keep their season alive.
James Harden concluded Tuesday’s Game 5 loss to the Nuggets with 11 points (3-of-9 FGs, 5-of-8 FTs), eight rebounds, five assists and two steals in 35 minutes.
Harden had a quiet night on Tuesday, barely cracking double figures in scoring and failing to register double-digit shot attempts. The 2018 NBA MVP has faced a stifling Nuggets defense that, over the last few games, has forced the ball out of his hands, leading to inferior performances compared to earlier games in the series. Harden will look for a bounce-back performance on Thursday as he tries to lead the Clippers to a season-saving victory in Game 6.
Kawhi Leonard stuffed the stat sheet in Tuesday’s Game 5 loss to the Nuggets, posting 20 points (8-of-15 FGs, 3-of-7 FTs), nine rebounds, 11 assists, one steal, two blocks and one three-pointer.
Leonard did a little bit of everything for the Clippers in Game 5. The two-time NBA Finals MVP posted a series-high in assists and also hit the glass hard, resulting in a near-triple-double. Leonard has scored at least 20 points in all five games of this series. However, the Clippers may need even more from him going forward as they look to extend their season beyond Thursday’s Game 6 at the Intuit Dome.
Nikola Jokic earned a triple-double in the Nuggets’ Game 5 win on Tuesday over the Clippers, finishing with 13 points (4-of-13 FGs, 4-of-5 FTs), 10 rebounds, 12 assists, one steal, two blocks and one three-pointer.
The three-time NBA MVP had a relatively quiet game by his standards, but still came away with his third triple-double of the series. Jokic struggled with shooting efficiency, and his scoring output was the lowest of the series. Yet, his points were not as necessary in this game, given how well the rest of the Nuggets shot the ball. Nevertheless, Jokic will be in line for another big performance on Thursday when the Nuggets face the Clippers in Game 6.
Russell Westbrook came off the bench and produced 21 points (8-of-15 FGs, 2-of-2 FTs), one rebound, one assist and three three-pointers in the Nuggets’ Game 5 win over the Clippers on Tuesday.
Westbrook was electric in his first game back in the lineup following a foot injury that kept him out of Game 4. His second-quarter scoring ignited the crowd and helped set the table for what would be his highest-scoring game of the postseason. The 2017 NBA MVP has had himself a nice series thus far from a scoring standpoint and will have a chance to end his former team’s season on Thursday in Game 6.
Jamal Murray had a dominant Game 5 performance in the Nuggets’ win over the Clippers on Tuesday, tallying 43 points (17-of-26 FGs, 1-of-1 FTs), five rebounds, seven assists, three steals, one block and eight three-pointers.
Fresh off a series-low 13 points in Game 4, Murray exploded for a series-high on Tuesday. He totaled nearly as many three-pointers in this game as he had in the previous four combined, while still managing to dish out seven assists. Murray got hot early in this one and never cooled off, and now has provided his Nuggets the opportunity on Thursday in Game 6 to eliminate the Clippers for the second time in the last five seasons.