RADIO
Daniel Benjamin highlights three fantasy basketball takeaways from the NBA's November 21st slate. This recap focuses on Cedi Osman, Trey Burke and Joel Embiid.
Welcome to the RotoBaller NBA recap. In this feature, we highlight three fantasy basketball takeaways from the previous night's slate of NBA games. Following the usual light schedule on Tuesday, Wednesday's agenda was once again filled as 13 games were on the docket. This is the fifth time in sixth weeks that at least two-thirds of the league's teams have played on Wednesday.
Several stories came out Wednesday's results, which saw nine of the 13 games decided by single-digits including five contests ending within four or fewer points. One of the most significant events last night was LeBron James' return to Cleveland for the first time in a Lakers uniform. James finished with 32 points, 14 rebounds along with seven assists as he led the Lakers to a come-from-behind victory over the Cavaliers. He scored or was credited with an assist on 11 straight points as the Lakers overcame a 99-91 fourth quarter deficit.
Other top headlines include the Bucks putting up 143 points on the Trail Blazers and winning by 43 as Giannis Antetokounmpo just missed his third triple-double despite only playing 30 minutes. Antetokounmpo finished with 33 points, 16 rebounds as well as nine assists. The Bucks now lead the NBA in scoring and scoring differential. Also, the Celtics and Warriors are currently struggling with C's dropping their third straight last night while the Dubs suffered their fourth consecutive setback. Meanwhile, the 76ers remained undefeated at home by squeaking out a 121-120 victory over the Pelicans. Let's get to the top fantasy basketball takeaways Wednesday, November 21st.
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Cedi Osman: Starting to come into his own
There were high expectations for Osman when he entered the NBA draft as a 20-year-old after playing several years for Anadolu Efes, one of the top teams in Turkey. The Timberwolves ultimately selected him with the first pick of the second round in the 2015 draft. He was later traded to the Cavaliers in a draft day deal that involved Tyus Jones going to Minnesota.
Osman started last season way down on the Cavaliers depth chart, but the second-year pro worked himself into LeBron James' circle of trust by mid-February. He scored in double-figures four times in 13 games from Feb. 7 to March 9. However, his best game of the season came on the final day of the regular season against the Knicks as he pumped in 18 points on 7-for-18 shooting along with seven rebounds and six assists.
Osman, who started the season out strong, poured in 21 points and collected seven rebounds to go along with two assists as well as a blocked shot in the loss to the Lakers last night. He was 7-for-13 from the field, including 5-for-7 from beyond the arc, in 42 minutes. The five triples are a career-high.
The 23-year-old, who missed two games with a back injury, saw his most minutes in four appearances against the Lakers. Osman has now scored 20 or more points in three times this season, and he has reached double-figures in nine of 13 games overall. The game also marked his second-highest rebound total this season, and he now has four blocks in his last seven contests.
Osman is a versatile wing who possesses good athleticism and he is a good shooter. While he likes to shoot a lot of threes, he can also get to the rim off the dribble. His biggest problem has been finishing close to the basket this year as he is only making 47.3 percent of his shots within the restricted area. Osman is one of the top fantasy options on the Cavaliers, with Kevin Love (toe) out, and if he can improve his ability to finish around the rim, he is a top-100 value moving forward.
Trey Burke: Knicks best option at point guard
The Knicks have a plethora of guards on their roster, and they have yet to figure out their rotation. However, Burke appears to be the best option at point guard going forward whether he keeps coming off the bench or if he is inserted in the starting lineup. Burke poured in a game-high 29 points on 11-for-20 shooting from the field, including 4-for-6 from beyond the arc, in 32 minutes off the bench in the 117-109 victory over the Celtics. The 26-year-old added 11 assists, six rebounds along with two assists in the win. Per ESPN Stats and Info, he is the first Knicks player with 25 points and 10 assists off the bench since John Starks on March 31, 1992, against the Bulls.
Since receiving his last DNP-Coaches decision on Nov. 14, Burke has scored at least 19 points, made at least one three-pointer, and made over 50 percent of his shots over his last four games. The Michigan product is averaging 25.8 points along with 4.3 dimes, 3.3 rebounds and 1.3 steals in 28.5 minutes over the previous four contests. He is also shooting 58.8 percent from the field, 45.0 percent (9-for-20) from beyond the arc and 77.8 percent from the charity stripe during this period.
Emmanuel Mudiay has also played well recently, producing 11.8 points, 2.6 assists, and 2.4 caroms in his last five games. Mudiay is also shooting 56.4 percent from the field and 38.5 percent from long distance since Nov. 14. Meanwhile, Frank Ntilikina has struggled, and Allonzo Trier has seen his minutes cut. All four players are versatile enough to be able to play with each other. So, it all comes down to how coach David Fizdale wants to dole out the minutes.
Burke, who currently leads the Knicks in plus/minus rating, has perhaps played his best basketball since joining the Knicks before last season.
Joel Embiid: Best center in the NBA
Embiid came into the season as an unquestioned top-three center, probably top-two in all reality, but after man-handling Anthony Davis last night, the Cameroon native vaults to No. 1. Embiid dominated the individual matchup for most of the night as he finished with 31 points, 19 rebounds, two assists along with two blocks, although he also had seven turnovers. The mammoth 7-footer was 11-for-23 from the field, 2-for-4 from beyond the arc and 7-for-9 from the free throw line.
Davis had a fantastic night as well, finishing with 12 points as well as 16 rebounds, six assists, five steals, five blocks, and seven turnovers. Davis did miss a critical free throw at the end of the game, after getting fouled on a three-point attempt by Embiid, that would have sent the game into overtime.
In 15 possessions that Embiid went head-to-head with Davis, the 24-year-old totaled six points on two of four shooting (1-for-1 three-pointers) and one assist along with three turnovers. The 76ers scored 16 points in those possessions.
It was on the defensive end where Embiid made his presence known. In 46 possessions that Embiid tangled with Davis, the Pelicans' big man tallied eight points and five assists along with two turnovers. Davis made three of eight shots, including 0-for-2 from beyond the arc, when guarded by Embiid.
Embiid has now posted at least 30 points and 15 rebounds for the 12th time this season. He has topped the 30-point plateau in each of his last three games as well as posted three straight double-doubles to give him 18 on the season.
