Each Friday this season, we ask a series of questions to our ESPN NBA reporters to give you their inside take on key fantasy topics.
This week's topics:
Will Jimmy Butler average at least 20 PPG?
Domantas Sabonis' role once Myles Turner returns.
Career highs for Harrison Barnes' 3s and free throw attempts?
Will Kyrie Irving's scoring and usage rise significantly?
Likelihood Jordan Clarkson replaces Kentavious Caldwell-Pope as a starter.
Will Philadelphia 76ers trade or release Jahlil Okafor?
Today's contributors are Royce Young, Nick Friedell, Tim MacMahon, Chris Forsberg, Ohm Youngmisuk and Ian Begley.
Jimmy Butler's limited shots per game and scoring so far with the Minnesota Timberwolves have left fantasy managers in full-blown panic mode. Is 20 PPG out of the question for Butler?
Royce Young:
Averaging 20 a game might end up being a bit of a tall task for Butler, but some of that is going to depend on how much Towns continues to blossom, and if Wiggins evolves to take on more of a scoring load, leaving Butler to be more of a situational scorer.
Domantas Sabonis has been posting some big numbers with Myles Turner sidelined. What should we expect his role to be once Turner is back on the hardwood?
Nick Friedell: Sabonis has proved to be a double-double machine since being given more minutes in Turner's absence. It's up to Pacers coach Nate McMillan to give Sabonis even more run whenever Turner does return.
Sabonis is still learning through his mistakes after not playing heavy minutes down the stretch in his rookie season, but he provides the type of big presence off the bench that other coaches salivate over. He has earned the extra minutes he will be given over the coming weeks.
Harrison Barnes has been attempting more 3-pointers and free throws than ever before. Is this a trend we should expect to continue?
Tim MacMahon: Barnes focused in the offseason on the art of drawing fouls, studying and drilling methods to get to the line more often. It will be a major disappointment if he doesn't have a career high in free throw attempts by a wide margin.
He's not necessarily hunting for 3-point attempts, but he could continue to get more clean perimeter looks due to rookie point guard Dennis Smith Jr.'s ability to create off of penetration.
Compared to his final season with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Kyrie Irving's usage rate and scoring are down so far during his brief tenure with the Boston Celtics. Should we expect those numbers to rise?
Chris Forsberg: After Gordon Hayward's season-ending ankle injury, Celtics youngsters Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum -- the No. 3 overall picks in the past two drafts -- have given Boston a bit of an unexpected offensive jolt, easing the scoring burden on Irving. In fact, Irving seems to have bought into coach Brad Stevens' ball-sharing ways, and his assist rate has climbed because of it.
Still, I can envision Irving's usage rate and scoring average both increasing as the season goes on. Boston's younger players will hit some rough patches and Irving will be looked upon to step up. Not having Hayward will make it easier for teams to key on him a bit, but we'll see some familiar Irving offensive explosions.
What is the likelihood that Jordan Clarkson will replace Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in the Los Angeles Lakers' starting lineup, if KCP can't prove to be a more consistent scorer?
Ohm Youngmisuk: As of now, unlikely. The Lakers want Clarkson to be their sixth man. In fact, Magic Johnson said at the start of the season that he wants Clarkson to compete for Sixth Man of the Year.
The Lakers also rely on KCP for more than consistent scoring. They need him defensively to handle opposing teams' top guard or point guard.
The thing to keep an eye on is who ends up playing more minutes and finishing games.
But for now, Clarkson is the consistent spark plug off the bench with Julius Randle becoming the Lakers' second major spark off the bench as well. If coach Luke Walton were to ever shake his lineup up, Kyle Kuzma or Corey Brewer could potentially start. Walton likes his second unit right now with Clarkson and Randle leading it.
Jahlil Okafor wants out of Philadelphia by trade or being released. What is the likelihood the 76ers acquiesce?
Ian Begley: It's unlikely Philadelphia releases Okafor. Why would they let him out of his contract and get nothing in return? A trade is the most likely end-game.
The issue: How much is Philadelphia looking for in exchange for the 21-year-old? The Sixers probably would like to preserve future cap space, so it wouldn't make sense to take back a player who has several years left on a large contract.
It's wise not to expect a quick resolution here. As we've seen with Eric Bledsoe in Phoenix, it's not easy to get strong value back for a player who makes a public request for a trade.