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Welcome to the RotoBaller NBA Recap. In this feature, we will highlight three fantasy basketball takeaways from last night's slate of NBA games. We were in for a treat in the Warriors and Bulls game last night, in which Klay Thompson was other worldly as he knocked down 14 three-pointers in only 27 minutes. Thompson finished the game with 52 points, but it would have been fun to watch him play a full minute-load, as the Warriors were able to pull their starters with four minutes left in the 3rd quarter with the game in hand.
Elsewhere in the NBA, LeBron posted a solid stat line with 29 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists, two steals and two blocks in the Lakers loss to the Timberwolves. The T'Wolves had Karl Anthony-Towns dominate with 25 points, 16 rebounds and four blocks, while Jimmy Butler nailed a clutch three-pointer to seal the game, as he went for 32 points and six rebounds. Ben Simmons nearly notched another triple-double, as he finished with 21 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists in the 76ers 21-point win over the Hawks. DeMar DeRozan continued his torrid start to the year for the Spurs with 34 points, nine assists and six rebounds in their overtime win over the Mavericks.
Let's take a look at the recap for Monday, October 29th.
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Hassan Whiteside Proving to be a Top Center Option
After some struggles for Hassan Whiteside, he is back on his A-game in 2018 so far, especially following his game of the season last night where he finished with 16 points, 24 rebounds, five blocks and two steals. He did all this damage in just 29 minutes of work too.
His season averages have been upped to 12.5 points, 16.2 rebounds and 3.2 blocks in 29.7 minutes of play. That is some solid value for a guy that was being drafted in the late-7th round in fantasy drafts.
While the scoring may not be there every game, his defensive prowess and elite rebounding skills makes him a locked-and-loaded starter on fantasy rosters.
Zach Collins is a Fine Play for Week Three
The Portland Trail Blazers have a rare five-game slate for them in Week Three, and Zach Collins put forth another great effort in last night's game where he scored 17 points, while adding three rebounds and three assists.
His season averages are up to 11.8 points and 4.8 rebounds, but he should have a chance to better those numbers, as he is starting to receive a heavier load of minutes. Last night, Collins registered 27 minutes compared to Jusuf Nurkic's 18 minutes. The minute split between the two Portland bigs is definitely something to monitor.
Having four more games this week, including today's matchup with the Houston Rockets is a huge boost in his short-term value, but he is a solid player that is a decent streaming option, or even back of your roster player, moving forward.
Luka Doncic is not Playing Like a Rookie
The trust the Dallas Mavericks have in rookie Luka Doncic is unlike anything I've seen in a while. With the game on the line late against the Spurs last night, Doncic consistently was the man running the offense. That's mind-blowing considering he's now seven games into his NBA career.
Doncic put up a career-high 31 points, while adding eight rebounds, four assists, a steal and a block. He's now averaging 20.4 points, 6.4 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game, and he has the makings of being a superstar. Yep, I'm not afraid to say that at this point. He's going to be an absolute stud.
Doncic only has two more games in the Week Three matchups, but will have a chance to go head-to-head with the NBA's best in LeBron James on Wednesday night at Staples Center.
