Basketball Pickups: Keon Ellis locks down Memphis and potential starting spot

For many fantasy managers, it is finally here. The championship week. Where all the hours spent doing research and making waiver moves finally pays off. We started off the week with a bang as Anthony Edwards and Jalen Johnson both pulled off dunks that were better than anything we saw in the dunk contest this season. Of course, that doesn’t make much of a fantasy impact outside of the two points.

The question does need to be asked though. Is Bam Adebayo a shooter now? He has hit at least one triple in four straight games, and he knocked down two of them on Monday. He has six this season after entering the year with eight total in his career. He isn’t going to hit pull ups or come off down screens, but if he is able to knock down the wide, wide open ones, he’ll add another dimension to Miami’s offense and his production.

After eight games on Monday, there are only five games on Tuesday, making it the lightest day of the week. That will make some streaming options even more appealing than normal in order to maximize your games played.

Keon Ellis- 2%

Ellis came off the bench for the second straight game since Kevin Huerter returned. He logged more minutes than Huerter in the first one, and Huerter exited from the second game after just two minutes due to a shoulder injury. Ellis ended up playing 34 minutes and contributing five points, seven rebounds, three assists, one steal, five blocks and a triple. He isn’t going to do much scoring, but it is hard to replicate that level of defensive production.

Payton Pritchard- 15%

When Boston rests starters, Pritchard tends to find a way to be effective. After dropping a career-high 13 dimes on Sunday, Pritchard scored 23 points with seven assists as a starter on Monday. The Celtics have another back-to-back on Friday and Saturday of this week, so Pritchard should play big minutes in both. He may not be quite as effective on Wednesday, but he should be a strong option this weekend.

Nickeil Alexander-Walker- 15%

Naz Reid exited early from Monday’s game due to a head injury, and NAW started the second half in his place. He ended up contributing 13 points, four rebounds, five assists, three steals, two blocks and three triples in 34 minutes. Minnesota plays again on Tuesday against Denver, which means that Reid may not be able to play. Rudy Gobert could be back in the lineup, but if he is out too, Chris Finch won’t roll out NAW and Kyle Anderson to slow down Nikola Jokic. Luka Garza could end up seeing a starting nod, but he would be a risky streaming option. NAW should be far more productive in fantasy, especially on a five-game day.

Caleb Martin- 29%

Jimmy Butler was out again on Monday, and Duncan Robinson exited early with a back issue. Martin ended up playing 35 minutes off the bench and contributing a 13/4/2/4/1 line with a triple. They have three more games this week, and Martin should continue to play a large role.

Kyle Lowry- 25%

Lowry had his highest scoring game as a 76ers on Monday with 16 points and three triples. Most of his recent value has come from his steals, but he has been a top-100 player over the past week. They have three more games this week, and Lowry can be relied on for decent assists and threes to go with his solid steal numbers.

Miles McBride- 5%

With OG Anunoby out on Monday, McBride ended up starting and playing 47 minutes. He scored 29 points with six triples, though he didn’t really contribute much else. However, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Anunoby will be sidelined longer than just this game, so McBride should get at least one more start in Denver on Thursday.

Trayce Jackson-Davis- 25%

The rookie just keeps on shining. He has provided top-75 value over the last two weeks, and he had 19 points, nine rebounds and three blocks on Monday. His impact will be made through his rebounds, blocks and sky high field goal percentage, and that should continue whether he’s starting or not.