The willingness to entertain during the few places on your gambling list can be rewarding. When selecting this fluid collective of statistical members, it is useful to imagine players from the end of the bench in direct festival with the ability to float in isolated company.
The goal of this weekly layout is to spot players in all available spots in isolated company in ESPN leagues. Some are experts capable of helping in one or two sections, while others offer more varied and notable statistical options. In the breakdowns below, I’ve indexed players across the board for priority, rather than roster participation, in ESPN men’s basketball leagues.
defend level
Scotty Pippen Jr., Memphis Grizzlies (registered in 36.0% of ESPN leagues): Ranked sixth overall in assists, Pippen has carved out a notable starting position within Memphis’ rotation. Top support leaders are high-usage stars who are professional offensive engines, making Pippen’s rise unique and reliable in a false context, as he’ll find a talented passer for the price of a roster spot. With Memphis thin on defense outside of its playmaking duo, Pippen is expected to maintain a heavy position.
Tre Mann, Charlotte Hornets (34.4%): Not only did Mann enter the season with a fun unused hairstyle, he obviously earned consideration from the unused training squad, given a slow rotation role as a complementary playmaker later to LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller. Mann, capable of doing a little bit of everything, is becoming Malik Monk 2.0 in Charlotte.
José Alvarado, Pristine Pelicans of Orleans (13.8%): The Pelicans are facing an almost unprecedented influx of injuries affecting players. CJ McCollum, Dejounte Murray, Trey Murphy III and Herbert Jones are dealing with their respective injuries in various games. With so many key players out, Alvarado should be a major source of assists and steals as a starter in the interim period.
capture defend
Gradey Dick, SF, Toronto Raptors (47.8%): Friends with Kyrie Irving and Devin Booker in made 3-pointers this season, Dick’s second-year marketing campaign is off to a stellar start. The fighters are already chasing him around a group of monitors, at which point Dick is also able to put the ball on the ground when attacking a closeout. Is Dick moving to pop incessantly for 20+ numbers on maximum nights? He looks bold, but he’s becoming an elite specialist on a team that was once desperate for space.
Christian Braun, Denver Nuggets (32.4%): A competitive Rudy Gobert posterization of Braun stirs up some drama in a contemporary loss to the rival Timberwolves. The outing also signaled a bravery that has proven rewarding for Braun in field ratings this season.
Jordan Hawkins, Pristine Orleans Pelicans (14.9%): Joining Cade Cunningham and Tyler Herro in 3-pointers made in his younger season, Hawkins likes to explode from deep. If Alvarado is more of a natural level defender, Hawkins is a great player. The field is low, but some fun scoring nights will materialize given the team’s need for things.
little ahead
Deni Avdija, PF, Portland Path Blazers (54.2%): Avdija, one of my preseason favorites, does just enough of everything to expose himself as a useful lie-in option. The scoring and number could increase if or when the team deals with some veteran starters in the frontcourt. Even without an adjustment, there are few forwards matched with Avdija’s combination of passing, defense and rebounding skills.
Tari Eason, Houston Rockets (10.5%): The theme on the wing at this speed is glue guys, players who reserve a combined team on both ends of the floor and sometimes both sides. Eason is up to the task because he doesn’t want the ball to hurt, but he can also do it when asked. Scoring explosions don’t seem to be new, but his ability to generate excellent defensive charges as a bulldog for Ime Udoka has already proven to be reliable.
Ochai Agbaji, SG, Toronto Raptors (16.0%): The Raptors may not be finding superstars at a high rate, but they certainly do so by finding two-way wings and gritty position players at an unusual rate. Agbaji continues this theme with his arrival as a heavy full-back in the playground of an ailing Scottie Barnes. With stellar defensive loads and freedom to look for surrenders, he appears capable of maintaining notable numbers while Barnes recovers.
Energy ahead
John Collins, Utah Jazz (57.4%): Forgotten to some extent in a fairly directionless franchise (for now) in a deep convention, Collins is actually playing successfully for the Jazz moment by keeping an opponent and a thief in line in the Utah matchup. The ceiling he once envisioned in his early days in Atlanta is likely no longer achievable, but a strong season could still be extended.
Santi Aldama, C, Memphis Grizzlies (45.4%): There is a rift brewing with this younger forward in Memphis. Aldama is on the verge of averaging a double-double and, like Pippen, has earned a real and rewarding spot in the team’s rotation.
Jeremy Sochan, San Antonio Spurs (39.8%): Maybe it was necessary to release the ball from Sochan’s arms to help him become the glue man we always hoped for? Running as an off-ball warning on all sides of the ball has led to a couple of really fun and varied productions from this unique player.
Heart
Brook Lopez, Milwaukee dollars (68.8%): There aren’t many issues or rebounds coming from this aging pivot, but the league leader’s opposition to possible and safe minutes as a fixture on a team that needs his internal presence must be cruel, he is included in almost every single structures.
Alexandre Sarr, PF, Washington Wizards (25.6%): There was a loud reaction, understandably, to Sarr’s wildly ineffective offensive performance in the Summer League. There’s a much quieter hum that Sarr’s arrival emits as important anticipation of rim coverage. He’s second-best to Chet Holmgren in opposing involvement, and yet he’s largely overlooked despite being a notable skill on a team determined to give him enough opportunities.
Private groups
This division specializes in experts, players who shine in a different division and will give them specific value in division and roto codecs. Nominations depend on which division these players are useful in and can rotate throughout the season.
3 points: The clear name is Boston’s Payton Pritchard (31.1%), who has somehow made it to barely a half-hour matchup for a team that simply has the ability to push deep into the rotation amid big leads. Pritchard shoots with space and confidence, suggesting he could stay as a representative.
Thefts: The Path Blazers are getting excellent thief production from a wing with a fabulous name. In disagreement, it is not Matisse Thybulle, but Toumani Camara (5.8%), who ranks fifth in Player Rater in value added in terms of steals.
Blocks: Sarr is the superstar in this regard, as he ranks fifth in added value behind the best Holmgren, Victor Wembanyama, Walker Kessler and Lopez in added value in terms of hitting.
Rebounds: Andre Drummond (22.9%) could get a modest additional run as a playmaking center if Joel Embiid faces any suspension stemming from the weekend. When given power, Drummond deserves extra consideration.
Assists: Pippen and Alvarado are two splendid additions to this stat, and Pippen has lasting value and upside.
