The NBA season is officially underway and fantasy waiver wires are going to be jumping after strong performances from guys like Dereck Lively and Jalen Johnson on Wednesday, to name a few.
Please send your questions for future mailbags to me on Twitter at @Docktora so we can keep this column fun and packed with questions. Let's dive in.
Drop Gary Trent for Cam Thomas, or is that an overreaction? - Schi (@SchiTownScreen)
We've seen Thomas do things like this before but the fact he came off the bench and dropped 36 points and eight three-pointers in just 25 minutes on Wednesday is awfully enticing. And when you add in the fact that Trent had a dud of a night with just five points in 27 minutes, the question makes a lot of sense.
I guess it all depends on how much you value Trent. If you can live without him I think taking a flier on Thomas makes sense. There has been some chatter about Thomas being in the running for Sixth Man of the Year but as I said earlier, we've seen this movie before and he's always disappeared by the end of it. But maybe this year is different. If you want to make the move, I say do it.
Would you rather have Paul Reed, Dereck Lively or Bilal Coulibaly? - BK (@fantasyqslive)
The bottom line here is that the Mavericks simply need Lively on both ends of the court and they quickly
The NBA season is officially underway and fantasy waiver wires are going to be jumping after strong performances from guys like Dereck Lively and Jalen Johnson on Wednesday, to name a few.
Please send your questions for future mailbags to me on Twitter at @Docktora so we can keep this column fun and packed with questions. Let's dive in.
Drop Gary Trent for Cam Thomas, or is that an overreaction? - Schi (@SchiTownScreen)
We've seen Thomas do things like this before but the fact he came off the bench and dropped 36 points and eight three-pointers in just 25 minutes on Wednesday is awfully enticing. And when you add in the fact that Trent had a dud of a night with just five points in 27 minutes, the question makes a lot of sense.
I guess it all depends on how much you value Trent. If you can live without him I think taking a flier on Thomas makes sense. There has been some chatter about Thomas being in the running for Sixth Man of the Year but as I said earlier, we've seen this movie before and he's always disappeared by the end of it. But maybe this year is different. If you want to make the move, I say do it.
Would you rather have Paul Reed, Dereck Lively or Bilal Coulibaly? - BK (@fantasyqslive)
The bottom line here is that the Mavericks simply need Lively on both ends of the court and they quickly learned this on Wednesday after they brought him off the bench to start the game. He started the second half, made big plays on both ends of the court and a Mavs team of mostly no-names is going to need a player of Lively's caliber to be heavily involved all season. So that is your answer after he racked up 16 points, 10 rebounds, a steal and a block on 7-of-8 shooting in 31 minutes in his debut.
Do you have any hopes Dereck Lively is fantasy relevant in the early part of the season, despite being 'destroyed' by Wemby tonight? - Basom (@bencavell)
Haha. Basom wrote this shortly after I predicted big things from Victor Wembanyama last night, which didn't come to fruition until the middle of the fourth quarter. I don't like the way the Spurs used Wemby outside of the paint so much last night and he was mostly just drifting around on the perimeter until finally getting aggressive late.
The Mavs are thin up front and I think it would have made more sense to get him under the basket and let him do his work against an undermanned defense, but I'm not sure I'm really in a position to question Gregg Popovich, either way. As for Lively, I already answered this above. The Mavs need him to play big minutes and be effective if they're going to win games, so my answer is 'yes'.
Is Talen Horton-Tucker going to get point guard designation on ESPN if he continues to start at point guard for the Jazz? - NBA GeeWhiz (@NBAGeeWhiz)
He should and I will make it my life's mission to make sure it happens if he qualifies there. But I'm not fully convinced he'll make enough starts at PG to ever get there.
Talen Horton-Tucker over Isaiah Stewart? - Ricardo Llorens (@llorens_ricardo)
I was all in on THT coming in and he was fairly disappointing on Wednesday with just eight points on 3-of-9 shooting in 22 minutes in an ugly loss to the Kings. It's only one game and it's probably too early to just give up on THT, while Stewart was fun with 14 points and 14 boards in 35 minutes. If you need a big man make the move, but I still think THT is going to be relevant this season and better than he was in the opener on most nights. But this question comes down to which position you need more help with.
Better player to roster: Kelly Oubre or Gary Trent? - Looselips67 (@looselips671)
I think Oubre's game is more well-rounded and fantasy friendly, while the absence of James Harden also helps to make him more relevant. Trent didn't do much in the opener and I think in a vacuum I'd rather roster Oubre at this point.
Would you rather have Saddiq Bey or THT? - Dave Slick (@dave_slick3)
Bey was fun with 15 points, five boards and five steals in Game 1 on Wednesday and teammate Jalen Johnson, who is a super-sleeper, went off with 21 points, seven rebounds, two steals, a block and a three-pointer on 9-of-13 shooting off the bench. I think I'd rather have Johnson and his upside if I was choosing between these three players right now. But as I said earlier, I still think THT is going to bounce back and be a solid fantasy option. But if you're looking for a deep sleeper who can make a difference, Johnson could be the best answer.
Which rookie not named Wemby will have the best fantasy season? - Illgobbo (@illgobbo)
I'm still going with Chet Holmgren (11 points, four boards, three assists, a steal, no blocks and two three-pointers in 25 minutes) despite the lackluster night. And after seeing what Lively did (16 points, 10 rebounds, a steal and a block on 7-of-8 shooting with big plays on both ends), you have to think he's at least going to be in the conversation as well. But I still think it's coming down to Wemby vs. Chet in the end, with Wemby winning.
Who do you prefer for the last PF spot: Santi Aldama or Jarace Walker? - Sabeer707 (@sabeer707)
Walker only played six minutes for the Pacers (which was hugely disappointing) and Aldama is currently out with an ankle injury. I'll go back to Jalen Johnson of the Hawks. He looked really strong and I'd prefer rolling the dice on him over both of these guys. Jalen Smith (13 points and eight rebounds in just 13 minutes) for the Pacers actually looked very good in limited run and is also worth putting on your watch list for now.
Do you think Miles Bridges will play this season? - Davaa P (@DavaaGeorge)
I did until the last set of legal woes raised its ugly head and now I'm thinking he's not going to play this season. And P.J. Washington looked great. If you drafted Bridges and want to pick someone up, Jalen Johnson and Lively both work.
Jeremy Sochan or Patrick Williams with the last pick in a draft? - Chili Palmer (@PrinceChillTx)
Sochan's numbers weren't mind-blowing but he played a ton of minutes, had the ball in his hands throughout the entire night and is easily my choice here. He finished with 13 points, eight rebounds, five assists, a steal and two three-pointers in 29 minutes on Wednesday, despite hitting just 4-of-12 shots. Williams had eight points, three rebounds, four assists and two steals on 4-of-10 shooting in 30 minutes, but Sochan's the guy with all the upside here.
