RADIO
Welcome back, RotoBallers, to yet another edition of my weekly fantasy basketball risers and fallers for the 2023-2024 season!
Last week we saw the end of the group stages of the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament, and as always we saw players who exceeded expectations and others who fell short.
With that being said, let's look at the risers and fallers from Week 6 of the NBA season.
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Fantasy Basketball Risers: Week 6
Jabari Smith Jr. - F, Houston Rockets
I've always been high on Jabari Smith Jr., and I predicted that he would break out in his second season, which included a terrible three-game stretch where he went 10-27 from the field and 2-10 from three, but now everything seems alright again. He also started his rookie season the same way before slowly turning things around, so this might be a pattern that we have to look out for in the next few years of his career.
Jabari Smith Jr. hit 6 (!!!) heavily contested jumpers yesterday and made it look easy…
His shot making ability at 6’11 needs to be talked about. pic.twitter.com/8JtLTTPUud
— Bradeaux (@BradeauxNBA) November 29, 2023
Smith has averaged 16.2 points and 9.4 rebounds on 59.6% shooting from the field and 43.5% shooting from three over his last five games, and his production has kept the Rockets competitive with two big consecutive wins against the Grizzlies and the Nuggets. Now that the Rockets are out of the In-Season Tournament, they'll get a fair amount of rest which should freshen Smith up for an even better month in December.
Harrison Barnes - F, Sacramento Kings
Another player who has started the 2023-24 season like they started the 2022-23 season is Harrison Barnes. The former NBA champion averaged 10.9 points on 41.4% shooting from the field and 22.5% shooting from three in his first 12 games of the 2022-23 season, which caused many fans to suggest that the Kings should move on from him.
But then he found his groove and averaged his typical 15.7 points on 48/39/85 shooting splits in the next 70 games to end the season in style. The exact same thing is happening this season, as Barnes averaged just nine points on 38.5% shooting from his third game to his 12th game, but now he's back to averaging 17 points on 53.7% shooting from the floor and 45.8% from deep. Barnes has always been a consistent player on a week-to-week basis, so expect him to average his usual numbers from this point until the end of the season.
De'Andre Hunter - F, Atlanta Hawks
Last week I said Jalen Johnson was legit, and now he has injured his left wrist. So I'm hoping that Hunter doesn't get hurt after I praise him. Hunter had been a solid player before this season, but Johnson's new role in the offense caused Hunter's numbers to take a dip. During Johnson's peak production from November 4 to November 21, Hunter averaged just 8.9 points with a true shooting percentage of 45.5%.
De’Andre Hunter covering grocery expenses for families in need
Bigger than hoops!
(via wassermanbasketball on insta) pic.twitter.com/GYXMwHBU94
— joe schmidt (@Joe_Schmidt07) November 28, 2023
These numbers were way down compared to his 14.6 PPG with a TS% of 56.4% over the last three seasons. But now that Johnson is hurt, Hunter is taking advantage by averaging 21.8 points on 50.9% shooting from the field over his last four games. Johnson will be out for 3-6 weeks, so Hunter can keep his momentum heading into 2024.
Fantasy Basketball Fallers: Week 6
Josh Giddey - G, Oklahoma City Thunder
We all know the serious allegations against Josh Giddey right now, so the fact that he's even playing is very surprising. Giddey has been quite inconsistent this season, but he finally showed signs of life after he put up 18 and 19 points in back-to-back wins against the Kings and the Warriors respectively.
But after that, there has been nothing but disappointment on the court and embarrassment off the court for the sixth overall pick of the 2021 NBA draft. He averaged 9.4 points while shooting 38.8% from the floor and 28.6% from deep over his last five games, and yet somehow, these numbers aren't even the most disgusting thing that we've seen from him this week.
Caris LeVert - G/F, Cleveland Cavaliers
Unfortunately, it seems like Caris LeVert will never be the same player that he was before he joined Cleveland. He had a brilliant showing in the 2019 NBA playoffs and from that point onwards, it was looking like he'd be a future perennial All-Star. But his numbers have dipped since joining Cleveland.
Even though he had a great start to this season, the emergence of Craig Porter Jr., the shooting of Max Strus, and the return of Donovan Mitchell have made it very difficult for him to stand out. He averaged nine points while shooting 36.7% from the field and 27.3% from three over his last five games, and while his numbers will improve (stats this bad are unsustainable), they won't get any better than what he was putting up to start the season.
Nikola Vucevic - C, Chicago Bulls
Nikola Vucevic is no longer the same two-time All-Star that he once was in Orlando, but the Bulls still saw solid value in him and resigned him to a three-year, $60 million contract extension. Unfortunately for the Bulls, this has been a pretty poor decision as Vucevic, along with Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan, have all checked out at this point.
Vucevic and LaVine are the two most checked-out guys on the roster right now.
The amount of breakdowns they’re involved in is staggering.
You’d be smart to put them both in as many actions you can.
You’ll get good stuff out of it. pic.twitter.com/EHStxqKoLU
— Mark K (@mkhoops) November 29, 2023
They look like they don't care and are not trying, which perfectly explains their 5-14 record and five-game losing streak. Vucevic has scored less than 10 points for three games in a row now, the first time that this has happened to him since November 2016. Considering that the team is averaging -2.4 points per 100 possessions when their "big three" are on the floor, the Bulls could start a rebuild and trade all of them, though Vucevic can't be moved until December 28.
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