Point Guard
RANK | NAME | Team | # Games | Analysis |
1 | Russell Westbrook | OKC | 4 | Westbrook keeps the top spot w/ the full slate and he'll continue producing at a very high level and giving owners plenty of points, boards and assists in each game. |
2 | Damian Lillard | POR | 4 | Lillard will never see a shortage of shots as the Blazers offense continues to run mainly through him. Lillard will help facilitate the offense as well and he'll dish a decent amount of dimes. |
3 | Stephen Curry | GSW | 3 | Curry doesn't have the full slate this week but that shouldn't mean he'll be any less productive. He continues to shoot a ton of three-pointers and he'll take advantage of the lane when open. |
4 | Kyle Lowry | TOR | 4 | Lowry hasn't looked back since returning from injury, Remember, the Raptors are one of the most cautious teams in the NBA and they will have no problem resting him the second he feels sore. |
5 | Mike Conley | MEM | 4 | Are the Grizzlies trying to trade Conley over the next two weeks? It doesn't matter regardless because he'll continue being the top option on Memphis and most of the offense runs through him. |
6 | De'Aaron Fox | SAC | 4 | Fox does a great job of balancing his offense between shooting and driving and dishing. He clearly prefers attacking the rim and he has no fears when driving. He's excellent on transition. |
7 | Ben Simmons | PHI | 3 | Simmons continues to dominate multiple categories and he'll always be given a lot of minutes because he plays multiple positions on the floor. He'll dominate points, boards and dimes. |
8 | Kyrie Irving | BOS | 3 | Irving is the Celtics top option and even w/ all of the guard depth, Irving will sill get a lot of minutes and usage and he'll help a lot w/ points and assists. |
9 | Tomas Satoransky | WSH | 4 | Satoransky has done a great job filling the void for John Wall . Wall will be out for the rest of the season. He's done a great job setting up Bradley Beal . He thrived when Wall was out last year. |
10 | Derrick Rose | MIN | 4 | Rose continues to not only show how impactful he can be both starting and coming off the bench this season and he's been a scoring machine. He has also reminded us of the "clutch factor". |
11 | Kris Dunn | CHI | 4 | Dunn has beenable to stay on the court and a lot more of the Bulls offense will have to come from the back court and Dunn will be taking more shots w/ Wendell Carter Jr. out. |
12 | Jeff Teague | MIN | 4 | Even though Rose has been very productive this season, Teague is still the starter. Rose doesn't pose as a threat to Teague's production. Teague's health has posed a threat to his production. |
13 | Dennis Schroder | OKC | 4 | Schroder is the prioritized scorer w/ the Thunder's second unit and he can play off the ball on the court w/ Westbrook if needed. He's uses his quickness well against opposing second units. |
14 | Elfrid Payton | NO | 4 | Payton has not looked back since returning from injury and the guards will have to provide more offense this week w/ Anthony Davis out. Payton continues to be a strong passer. |
15 | Emmanuel Mudiay | NY | 4 | Mudiay has become a big factor in the Knicks offense this season and he's been able to separate himself from other Knicks guards this season and he'll continue to get shots in the offense. |
16 | D'Angelo Russell | BKN | 3 | Russell is the Nets top option and even w/ Spencer Dinwiddie having a productive season as well, the Nets prioritize Russell and most of the offense will continue to run through him. |
17 | D.J. Augustin | ORL | 4 | Augustin remains the starter for the Magic and without Jerian Grant putting any pressure on him, Augustin is a very safe guard who can play the role of spot-up shooter if needed off the ball. |
18 | Eric Bledsoe | MIL | 3 | Bledsoe is one of the best defensive point guard's in the league. He's the Bucks third scoring option, but on defense he'll grab plenty of long boards and steals. |
19 | Jamal Murray | DEN | 3 | The Nuggets health is improving, but because Murray is a shoot-first point guard, expect him to still get plenty of shots in the Nuggets offense. Expect mainly points w/ a little assist help. |
20 | Fred VanVleet | TOR | 4 | VanVleet has done a great job filling in when needed and he's very much in the Raptors rotation even w/ Lowry healthy. Expect him to get a lot of spot-up shots and time w/ the ball. |
Shooting Guard
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Small Forward
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Power Forward
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Center
RANK | NAME | Team | # Games | Analysis |
1 | Karl-Anthony Towns | MIN | 4 | Towns takes the top spot and he's been a much better center playing in the paint more rather than waiting to be fed at the arc on offense. He'll help a ton w/ points, boards, blocks and steals. |
2 | Nikola Vucevic | ORL | 4 | The Magic's top scoring option will see even more usage if Gordon has to miss time this week. Expect production from inside and outside and he'll grab a ton of boards. |
3 | Rudy Gobert | UT | 4 | Gobert is an inside-specific center and he'll help w/ low-block scoring, boards and blocks. He has good leaping ability and his jumps are very well-timed. Expect more usage w/ the guards hurt. |
4 | Joel Embiid | PHI | 3 | INJ: Embiid has been playing through Back pain and there's a chance he'll have to miss his first game of the week. |
5 | Marc Gasol | MEM | 4 | INJ: Gasol missed his previous game w/ a sore Back, but he's looking like he'll be activr for his full slate of games this week. |
6 | Nikola Jokic | DEN | 3 | Jokic would be higher in these rankings if he had the full slate this week. He's a multi-category producer who will even spend some time facilitating the offense. He is also a scoring threat from long-range. |
7 | Jusuf Nurkic | POR | 4 | The Blazers third option will continue to get a ton of plays called for him. He has excellent post moves and he'll draw a lot of contact and grab a lot of boards from right under the basket. |
8 | DeAndre Jordan | DAL | 4 | INJ: Jordan has been dealing w/ a sprained Ankle, but it shouldn't keep him out for any games this week unless the swelling is too much for him. He should be good to go to start the week. |
9 | Hassan Whiteside | MIA | 4 | Whiteside is a volume producer when it comes to points and boards. He doesn't always get a lot of playing time, but, even w/ 25 minutes, he's proven he can compile a double-double and help block shots. |
10 | Steven Adams | OKC | 4 | Adams is the Thunder's third scoring option and he'll continue finding success by rolling to the basket. He's good at setting the screen at the top of the key and cutting right to the basket. |
11 | Enes Kanter | NY | 4 | Kanter will produce in volume and the Knicks are currently trying to trade him. He's clearly not in the Knicks future plans, but at least for the next few weeks, he'll help consistently w/ points and boards. |
12 | Deandre Ayton | PHX | 4 | INJ: Ayton is dealing w/ a sprained Ankle and there's a chance he misses a game or two this week. He missed his previous game. |
13 | Montrezl Harrell | LAC | 4 | Even if Marcin Gortat gets starts, it's Harrell that does a lot of the Clippers dirty work and he'll log a lot of minutes. He compliments Harris nicely and he's good at positioning himself in the paint. |
14 | Thomas Bryant | WSH | 4 | Bryant will continue to see a rotation commitment from the Wizards at least until Dwight Howard returns. He does have a long-range game and he'll hit three-pointers. Expect mainly points and boards. |
15 | Ante Zizic | CLE | 4 | Zizic deserves more playing time in the Cavs rotation and even if Tristan Thompson does play. The Cavs lack depth up front and Zizic has produced consistent points and boards when given more minutes. |
16 | Robin Lopez | CHI | 4 | The Bulls are trying to trade Lopez and Carter is out and that should lead to more playing time for Lopez. His main competition for minutes will be Bobby Portis . He's an inconsistent scorer but will help w/ boards. |
17 | Al Horford | BOS | 3 | Horford is clearly starting to slow down, but he's still able to score in double figures regularly. He'll continue to get playing time in the 20's and 30's and he's grabbed 6.2 rebounds per game and he'll help w/ blocks. |
18 | Jarrett Allen | BKN | 3 | Allen is an inside specific center who will score from right under the basket. He's grabbed double-digit rebounds in his last four games. He's also a blocking machine and has blocked 1.6 shots per game this season. |
19 | Tristan Thompson | CLE | 4 | INJ: Thompson is dealing w/ a Foot injury and he's missed his last two games. He may need to miss a game or two this week. |
20 | Andre Drummond | DET | 3 | INJ: Drummond has a Concussion and there's a chance he'll have to miss a game this week. |
Player News
Rob Dillingham (ankle) has been ruled out for Game 2 against the Warriors on Thursday.
Dillingham has been sidelined for the entire postseason so far, and it’s unclear if that will change moving forward. However, even when he is healthy enough to play, it is unlikely that he would enter the rotation.
Sam Hauser (ankle) has been ruled out against the Knicks in Game 2 on Wednesday.
Hauser was listed as doubtful, so his absence isn’t surprising. Head coach Joe Mazzulla will likely lean on his starters more in what could be considered a must-win game after the Celtics dropped Game 1 at home.
Kristaps Porzingis (illness) has been upgraded to available to play in Game 2 against the Knicks on Wednesday.
Porzingis wasn’t available to finish Game 1, but he was initially listed as probable for Game 2, so his availability isn’t surprising. However, Al Horford will get the starting nod, with Porzingis coming off the bench. Porzingis should still play a significant role as the Celtics look to tie this series up before it shifts to New York.
ESPN’s Shams Charania reports that Stephen Curry has been diagnosed with a Grade 1 left hamstring strain and is expected to miss at least a week.
Shams notes that Curry has already been ruled out for Game 2 on Thursday, but the week timeline means he’ll miss Game 3 on Saturday and Game 4 on Monday with a chance to return for Game 5 on Wednesday. This is the first muscle strain of Curry’s career, so how quickly he returns will depend on how he responds to rehab. Fortunately for Golden State, the team came away with a win on the road in Game 1, and two of the next three games will be at home, giving the Warriors a chance to stay alive while their superstar PG is out. Expect Buddy Hield to step into a much larger role on offense while Curry is sidelined. Hield has totaled 57 points across his last two games while stroking a blistering 14-of-18 shots from beyond the arc.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr told reporters Stephen Curry is day-to-day with a hamstring injury and will undergo an MRI on Wednesday.
Kerr relayed that Curry was “crushed” after being forced from the game due to injury. While Kerr described Curry as day-to-day, he also mentioned that the 37-year-old point guard will undergo imaging on Wednesday to determine the severity of the injury. There should be an update on his status at some point prior to Thursday’s Game 2 showdown. With the Warriors taking Game 1 on the road Tuesday, Kerr added that it’s hard to imagine Curry being available for Game 2 on Thursday. With Game 3 Saturday at Golden State, Curry could have more time to rest and recover.
Naz Reid had 19 points (8-of-14 FGs), five rebounds, one assist, one steal, one block and three three-pointers in Game 1 against the Warriors on Tuesday.
Reid briefly left the floor with an apparent leg injury towards the end of the second quarter before returning in the second half. The 25-year-old center played 34 minutes and was the second leading scorer for the Timberwolves in what turned out to be a lackluster game for Minnesota. Reid appeared healthy in the second half and should continue to be counted on for starter-level minutes despite coming off the bench.