Former Philadelphia 76ers president Sam Hinkie often preached that progress isn’t always linear. The premise being that leaps in success for both players and teams can sometimes prove exponential rather than gradual.
The Portland Trail Blazers’ CJ McCollum averaged just 14.5 minutes and 6.3 points on 5.4 shots per game across 100 games in his first two NBA seasons. Entering his third season in 2015-16, McCollum enjoyed a rapid ascension, leaping to nearly 35 minutes, 18 shots and 21 points per game that season.cheap nike nfl jerseys wholesale
It’s no longer surprising when the former Lehigh Mountain Hawk produces a game-swaying, or even slate-shifting, scoring performance, such as Tuesday night’s 40-point effort in an emboldening win over the Milwaukee Bucks. The big game marked McCollum’s fourth career 40-point effort, as he now as at least one such performance in each of the past three seasons. Nineteen of his 40 points came in the third quarter, tied for the third-most points in a quarter in his career. It also helps for entertainment purposes that McCollum shook rookie Donte DiVincenzo with a brilliant crossover last night.
With McCollum’s statistical stock already highly valued by the fantasy market, let’s pivot to a third-year breakout candidate again living up to Hinkie’s maxim. Brooklyn’s Caris LeVert tallied 26 points on 16 shots in a win over the Suns in Phoenix last night, giving him his third straight 20-point game, the longest streak of his young career.
Signaling his scoring leap is legitimate, the Nets are allocating rich opportunity rates to LeVert — such as leading the team in minutes (31.7) and in shots, with his 15.7 per game representing a 50.9 percent jump from last season. It also helps that LeVert is averaging 61.5 touches per game, a high rate for a shooting guard, on par with high-usage wing peers such as Bradley Beal (63.5) and Zach LaVine (61.5).cheap nfl jerseys china nike
Signaling the fantasy market hasn’t yet fully bought into LeVert’s ascent, he’s rostered in 62.2 percent despite being one of just nine players to average at least 20 PPG, 1.5 SPG and 1.5 3PG. His peers in this unique performance tier? LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, Victor Oladipo, Jimmy Butler, Paul George, James Harden, John Wall and Donovan Mitchell.
Even as LeVert is likely rostered in most competitive 10-team fantasy leagues, acquiring this rising scoring wing via trade likely won’t cost much, especially when considering the fantasy impact of his performance and usage peers. With an eye on meaningful fantasy performances and relevant statistical trends, let’s delve into the night that was in the NBA.