As is usually the case with NBA trade deadlines there were a ton of rumors about big name players such as Jimmy Butler and Paul George but in the end, none of them get moved. Now that the trade deadline has passed we can focus on the start of the post All-Star break with a six-game slate of action including the first game for Boogie Cousins in New Orleans. Cousins’ trade has opened up a bunch of value options for the Kings on tonight’s slate including the top two most recommended players on tonight’s consensus list.
The numbers in the parenthesis are the number of experts that picked that player to give you more context as to the gaps between players and the tiers. Also listed are our new “smarter” projected ownership percentages for Cash and GPP leagues to help determine which players will be the chalk and which players could be a good low owned contrarian play.
Be sure to sign up for the FREE 7-Day trial of our Premium Content to find out which high-priced Stud and Value options sit atop the expert’s list on tonight’s slate.
Here are the Industry Consensus picks for tonight…
Highly Touted
- Tyreke Evans (14x) – Cash 76% / GPP 51% – Cheap option in his first game back with the Kings but will continue to see a minute’s restriction
- Willie Cauley-Stein (14x) – 76% / 51% – Cheap options who put up 14 points, five boards and four assists in the last game that the Kings played without Boogie Cousins
- Aaron Gordon (11x) – 59% / 36% – Played 33 minutes in first game without Serge Ibaka in Orlando, should start and play big minutes at PF in a good matchup with Blazers
- LeBron James (10x) – 27% / 21% – Averaging 27.6 points, 9.2 assists and 8.5 rebounds in eight games without Kevin Love this season
- Kevin Durant (10x) – 27% / 21% – Price has come down a little, still putting up 25.2 points, 7.0 rebounds and 5.2 assists in his last five games
- James Harden (9x) – 22% / 19% – Finished strong before the All-Star break, averaging close to a triple-double with 35 points, 9.4 rebound and 10.0 assists over his last five games, should be a fun game in New Orleans tonight!
- Nikola Vucevic (9x) – 28% / 23% – Put up 30 points and 10 boards in the first time he faced the Blazers this season
- Frank Kaminsky (9x) – 25% / 21% – His price has come up but he should play big minutes again with Cody Zeller and Miles Plumlee both out
- Jusuf Nurkic (9x) – 34% / 25% – Cheap option who made a good first impression with new team posting 13 points and seven boards in 21 minutes against Jazz, better matchup and more minutes could lead to a big game
- Nikola Jokic (8x) – 19% /18% – Averaging 23.4 points, 14.4 rebounds and 5.6 assists over his last five games
- Damian Lillard (8x) – 20% / 19% – Favorable matchup against Magic with a cheaper price then he usually has
- Elfrid Payton (8x) – 23% / 19% – Might start and see increased minutes with CJ Watson out, has boom or bust potential more suited for a GPP
- Draymond Green (7x) – 19% / 17% – Hasn’t topped six points in his last four games but still capable of a triple-double
- Maurice Harkless (7x) – 25% / 18% – With Evan Turner and Al-Farouq Aminu out, he should see 30+ minutes at a reasonable salary
Recommended
- Blake Griffin (6x) – 14% / 14% – Will still be the focal point of the Clippers offense with Chris Paul expected to remain out but has tough matchup against Draymond Green
- Kyrie Irving (6x) – 14% / 13% – Increased usage without Kevin Love in the lineup, averaging 24 points and 7.9 assists in seven games without Love
- Kemba Walker (6x) – 14% / 13% – Started to getting shooting stroke back in last two games before All-Star break shooting over 50% and averaging 26.5 points per game
- Andre Drummond (6x) – 14% / 13% – Has a 20-20 game against Hornets this season
- CJ McCollum (6x) – 14% / 13% – Has scored at least 18 points in 11 straight games
- Darren Collison (6x) – 14% / 13% – Should see big increase in usage with Cousins out of Sac-town
- Willy Hernandez (6x) – 16% / 14% – Will start at center with Joakim Noah still out
- Channing Frye (6x) – 16% / 14% – Played 30+ minutes in each of the last two games with Love out
- Buddy Hield (6x) – 22% / 16% – Cheap options, who will look to make a good first impression as the centerpiece of the Cousins’ trade
- E’Twaun Moore (6x) – 22% / 16% – Cheap option who should see more playing time in Pelicans’ backcourt without Buddy Hield, Tyreke Evans and Langston Galloway on the team
- Anthony Davis (5x) – 12% / 12% – How will he mesh with Boogie; we start to find out tonight
- Klay Thompson (5x) – 11% / 11% – Put up 35 points in last game before the break and will look to keep shooting stroke going against the Clippers
- Kristaps Porzingis (5x) – 11% / 11% – Reasonably priced who should outperform his recent production after a week of rest
- Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (5x) – 19% / 14% – Wasn’t dealt despite some trade rumors, hit and miss production but has a reasonable price and upside
- Kosta Koufos (5x) – 19% / 14% – Will also benefit with more minutes following the Cousins’ trade, could be good contrarian pivot away from Willie Cauley-Stein
Suggested
- Stephen Curry (4x) – 9% / 10%
- Jrue Holiday (4x) – 9% / 10%
- Nicolas Batum (4x) – 9% / 10%
- Patrick Beverley (4x) – 9% / 9%
- Marcus Morris (4x) – 9% / 9%
- Tobias Harris (4x) – 14% / 11%
- DeMarcus Cousins (3x) – 5% / 8%
- DeAndre Jordan (3x) – 7% / 8%
- Eric Gordon (3x) – 7% / 8%
Hope you find the right combination to cash!
Check back again on Friday for the next edition of the NBA Industry Consensus picks.
