Nobody had ever produced a box score line remotely like what Dallas Mavericks PG/SG Luka Doncic achieved in Tuesday night's overtime win over the New York Knicks, and I wonder if that's because few superstars have ever needed to carry such a heavy statistical load on their own before.
Oh sure, other Mavericks contributed to the remarkable, comeback win, but Doncic needed every bit of his 60 points, 21 rebounds and 10 assists to get them there and still, the Mavericks had a losing record barely a week ago.
Doncic is easily the leader in full-season fantasy points leagues, and he is the No. 6 option on the ESPN Fantasy Player Rater (weighed down by free throw percentage, mostly), but where are the other relevant Mavericks?
PG/SG Spencer Dinwiddie, who scored 25 points Tuesday, is barely in the top 50 on the Rater, while PF/C Christian Wood is 61st and SG/SF Tim Hardaway Jr. is well outside the top 150. This is not a deep team. Barely utilized C JaVale McGee saw overtime minutes. PG Kemba Walker scored one point.
Since it's hard to make much of a case in fantasy for the erratic, inconsistent Hardaway, a 3-point marksman shooting 37% from the field this season and not scoring enough or doing anything else to make up for it, let's focus on Dinwiddie and Wood.
They're rostered in most, but not all leagues, each providing fantasy managers with more than 30 fantasy points per game, but neither warrants complete trust, either. Perhaps it is just too tough for anyone else when one player sees such massive usage on his own.
Dinwiddie came to Dallas in February in the Kristaps Porzingis trade with Washington, with the goal of him playing off the ball and draining open 3-pointers created by defensive attention on Doncic. It's working. Dinwiddie is producing career bests with 2.7 3PG and 41% from range, while contributing 5.2 APG as well.
This isn't his 2019-20 season with Brooklyn, when he averaged 20.6 PPG and 6.8 APG before shredding a knee and losing more than a year, but we should give Dinwiddie credit. He has evolved as an outside shooter. It's what the Mavericks and fantasy managers needed, really.
Still, Wood is the more intriguing fantasy option, and here is why: since recently becoming a starter, he is averaging 18.7 PPG, 9 RPG, 2.3 BPG and 2.3 3PG. It's not 60-21-10, but those are eye-opening numbers. We've praised Bucks C Brook Lopez for his unique combination of blocks and threes. Wood is doing even better.
I couldn't fathom why coach Jason Kidd wasn't starting Wood. He was his second-best player, but looked lost off the bench, reluctant to shoot from the outside, indifferent on defense, unfocused on free throws (68%). Wood is so talented. On a more balanced team, or with recent Rockets clubs, he could average 20 and 10.
Still, pay attention to the blocked shots and 3-pointers. Wood has blocked multiple shots in seven consecutive games, 17 in all, after blocking only 13 shots over 25 games off the bench. He didn't seem engaged. His minutes are up now, sure, but he's also wide-open on so many 3-pointers thanks to the magic of Doncic that he can't help but be more aggressive.
Wood attempted nine 3-pointers against the Knicks, hitting three. He's never hit 40% of his 3-pointers in a season and perhaps that continues, but fantasy managers want him shooting, and he does so much else. He's also hitting 80% of his free throws in his seven starts. We're seeing such good overall signs lately.
All due credit to Philadelphia 76ers C Joel Embiid, who leads the league in scoring despite having several capable scorers on the court with him, but I still think Doncic is going to win the scoring title.
Dinwiddie is doing his job nicely, but Wood is the one to watch in fantasy, for his upside is immense. Wood is No. 26 on the 30-day Rater, and he is averaging 35 fantasy points per game over the past 30 days. This can continue. Doncic isn't really doing all of this alone, but things could be so much better.
Other random thoughts
--The aforementioned 76ers should get PG/SG Tyrese Maxey (foot) back this weekend, and that may spell rough, statistical news for SF/PF Tobias Harris, who has been pretty valuable with Maxey out. The 76ers want/need Harris to hit 3-pointers and defend, not exactly his mantra through a journeyman's career, and he's doing this, but he'll see fewer shots soon. Not sure what a fantasy manager could get in a trade for Harris, but his value will drop, though he should remain rostered in all leagues.
--I recall advising a friend to invest in then-Pacers SF T.J. Warren entering the 2020-21 season. Warren was a solid scorer and shooter back then, my friend chose him in his draft, and Warren played in four games that season and missed the next season after fracturing a foot. Hey, stuff happens. I can't be blamed for that! Warren is a bench option for the Nets now and becoming a valuable one. He should be averaging 15 PPG and 5 RPG from here on out, even in 25 minutes. I'd still take Tobias Harris over him, but Warren can help, too.
--Lakers star Anthony Davis is on the trade block in one of my leagues and I don't think I can be less interested, unless the cost is really modest. Great player, Hall of Famer, nobody doubts that, but I feel like we've seen this play before. Davis has a stress fracture in his foot. The Lakers say he will be reevaluated in early January. To the most optimistic in the fantasy world, that means Davis may return in two weeks and statistically perform like a top-5 player. I suppose it is possible, but c'mon! He's played in 101 of the team's 198 games since the start of the 2020-21 season. The numbers when he plays are eye-popping, but you must be realistic on games and, by the way, the Lakers are bad. This is not like the Stephen Curry injury, as the Warriors believe they can still win the West.
--Speaking of the Warriors, I threw in a paragraph recently about the strange home/road splits for this accomplished team, and how I wouldn't pay much mind to it in fantasy. For example, you wouldn't sit a healthy Andrew Wiggins on the road, even if his numbers are far better at home. Many players do better at home. The Warriors attempt and make considerably fewer 3-pointers in road games, though. It's probably a comfort level thing. The Jordan Poole situation, by the way, reminded me of Maxey/Harris in Philly. When Curry returns (two weeks maybe), do you think Poole will keep scoring like this? He won't. Poole averages 26.1 PPG as a starter, and 14.1 PPG as an, um, reliever (reserve). Plan ahead for this eventuality.
--It stinks that Kings PF/C Domantas Sabonis broke his thumb, though it appears he will attempt to play through the injury. Perhaps only I noticed this, but his misfortune initially presented minutes to forgotten PF/C Richaun Holmes, who contributed 8 points and 7 rebounds in Tuesday's loss to Denver. Holmes used to matter in fantasy, averaging 14.2 PPG, 8.3 RPG and 1.6 BPG during the 2020-21 season, but the next season the minutes dropped precipitously and now he's barely on the team. Could he matter again? He's definitely not Sabonis, but I'm watching.