26/27 Opening Night Box Score Analysis (3 Games)

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Ausar Thompson: Thompson managers should be extremely happy with this line. It’s not a spectacular line, but look at those minutes. If Ausar is going to be a 32+ MPG player this year, he is going to end up as a major steal at his ADP. In a 32+ MPG role, the early rounds would be in play, and not just in friendly builds like punt threes or punt FT%. While tonight was very encouraging, we can’t lock in minutes in that range just yet. It’s possible the matchup led to a little extra run. With Jayson Tatum and Paul George on the other side, the Celtics were an ideal matchup for Ausar. If he plays 30+ minutes against the Heat on Friday, then we can start to get excited.

John Collins (Hold): It’s not surprising that Collins struggled tonight and played somewhat limited minutes. The Celtics are a very bad matchup for the forward due to who they have on the wing. If he continues to play around 25 MPG, then he will be just a borderline 12-team player. To have a shot at the top 100 outside of friendly builds, he will need to play closer to 28 MPG. Give Collins at least a few more games. His upside remains fairly high in both punt assists and punt steals.

Paul Reed: As usual, the per-minute production was there for Reed. Unfortunately, the minutes were not. He did lose minutes to foul trouble, but the Pistons also went with some small-ball lineups. If Collins regularly sees minutes at the five this year, Reed will struggle to stay in the 12-team conversation. To be a 12-team option, he needs about 20 MPG. If he can get into the 23+ MPG range, he will end up as a very nice pick at his final-round ADP. The game against Miami will tell us a lot about how Bickerstaff views Reed. That is a matchup where the double-big lineup with Jalen Duren could work. If the two bigs don’t play beside each other against Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo, that will be a sign that Bickerstaff is leaning toward only giving Reed backup center minutes. In 12-team leagues, I would try to give him more time. In 10-team leagues, he is expendable.

Duncan Robinson (Pick Up in 16+ team leagues): Robinson should be rostered in 16+ team leagues. In anything shallower, he remains just a points and threes streamer. He will get hot from time to time, but most nights, he will give us about a dozen points, 2.5+ 3PG, and nothing else. Even in 14-team leagues, that is a very easy line to find on the wire.

Javonte Green: Green is just a steals streamer in all leagues. There is a good chance he doesn’t hit five threes in a game again this year. He matched tonight’s performance in the category just once last season. He will likely end up playing minutes in the mid-to-high teens, where he will give us about 1.2 3PG and 1.2 SPG.

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