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Box Score Breakdown -- Monday, October 13th

Have we all had a moment to digest the Kevin Durant news yet? If you're still worried about what to do in your draft, Marc Roberts has a great article on the main RotoWire site that you must read. But, as with every big name injury, the Earth keeps spinning, the sun keeps coming up, and I'll keep spouting clichés. So, let's press on and look at what went down in Monday's NBA preseason action in the Box Score Breakdown.

STOCK RISING

Rudy Gobert -- To be honest, I've been super-high on a ton of Jazz players this preseason, but this performance from the big Frenchman was something to behold. Gobert double-doubled with 11 points (5-9 FG, 1-2 FT) and a monster 20 rebounds, plus two steals in just 22 minutes. In three preseason games, Gobert has averaged 8.0 points and 12.3 rebounds in a ludicrous 21 minutes per game. He's worth taking a punt on in standard leagues as a last pick, because the rebounds are coming at such a rate, that even in his limited role behind Derrick Favors and Enes Kanter, he'll still be able to put up numbers.

STOCK FALLING

Marvin Williams -- Even though he's the team's starting power forward, nothing that has transpired this preseason has convinced me that he is worthy of a spot on 10 or 12 team fantasy squads. Williams put up a goose egg Monday, scoring no points (0-2 FG, 0-2 3Pt) and pulling down seven rebounds with one block in 26 minutes. He has now scored a total of 10 points in three games, shooting a combined 4-of-17 from the field. To be fair, he has averaged 7.0 rebounds and 1.3 steals, but he should be off the radar unless you are in a deep league.

M.I.A.

These guys all sat out Monday's action

  • Denver
    • JaVale McGee
    • J.J. Hickson
  • Orlando
    • Channing Frye
    • Victor Oladipo
  • Charlotte
    • Noah Vonleh
    • Gerald Henderson
  • Phoenix
    • Alex Len
    • Zoran Dragic
  • Houston
    • Dwight Howard
    • James Harden
    • Jason Terry
    • Clint Capela
  • Toronto
    • Kyle Lowry
    • Jonas Valanciunas
    • Lucas Nogueira
  • New York
    • Andrea Bargnani
    • Cole Aldrich
  • Utah
    • Alec Burks
  • Los Angeles Clippers
    • Matt Barnes
    • Jamal Crawford

CASUALTY WARD

The main injury to note was to Charlotte Hornets' starting point guard Kemba Walker. Walker left Monday's game with a knee issue after just 17 minutes, but it turned out, thankfully, to be nothing more than a contusion. Walker said he'll likely need a few days off, but there should be no impact to his draft status or fantasy outlook.

TRACKING POSITION BATTLES

Hornets' small forward -- It hasn't truly been a competition as Gerald Henderson has yet to suit up in the preseason due to a hamstring injury, but the leader in the clubhouse has to be Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. MKG has looked a lot better in this his third season. Against the Magic on Monday, Kidd-Gilchrist scored 14 points (4-8 FG, 6-7 FT) with four rebounds, one assist, three blocks, and two steals in 32 minutes. He's averaging 10.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.7 blocks, and 1.3 steals in 30 minutes per game so far this preseason and his defensive production is going to make it hard for Henderson to crack the starting lineup. If MKG was able to put up lines like this consistently, he'd be worth owning in all leagues, a far cry from his first two NBA seasons.

Knicks' shooting guard -- Two games back from injury, two starts for Iman Shumpert. It is looking like new coach Derek Fisher really wants some defense in his starting lineup next to sieves like Jose Calderon and Carmelo Anthony. Shumpert had six points (2-6 FG, 0-2 3Pt, 2-4 FT) with three rebounds, six assists, and one steal in 19 minutes Monday. This left J.R. Smith and Tim Hardaway Jr. to come off the bench and I'm getting the impression this is the way it will roll once the season kicks off in earnest. For what it's worth, Shumpert isn't worthy of a draft choice in standard fantasy leagues, whereas Smith and Hardaway are nice late-round options for their scoring and three-point production, although they did combine to go 0-of-9 from deep in the loss to the Raptors.

STRANGE STAT LINES

It's the preseason, so there are a ton of lines that don't always add up, but here, I'll touch on a few that stood out Monday.

Blake Griffin -- On the surface, Griffin scoring 31 points (14-22 FG, 0-2 3Pt, 3-4 FT), five rebounds, one assist, and two steals in 30 minutes doesn't classify as strange, but look a little closer. Come on, really concentrate. Yes, that's right, Griffin took two three-pointers. Last season, he took 44 for the entire season, or if you break it down, one every second game. So far this preseason, he is 1-of-3 in three games and if he hits 30 to 40 three-pointers this season as a regular part of his game, his fantasy value climbs even higher. Is it real or a mirage? REAL.

Jimmy Butler -- After shooting just 40 percent from the field last season, Butler has now gone 20-of-27 (74 percent) in the last three preseason games. Against the Nuggets, Butler scored 21 points (7-8 FG, 7-7 FT) with six rebounds, two assists, one block, and two steals. He's averaging 16.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.0 blocks, and 1.8 steals in 26 minutes through four games. Is this super efficient shooting real or a mirage? MIRAGE, but the rest of the production could very well be legit.

FANTASY LINE OF THE NIGHT

Jimmy Butler -- I talked about Butler's crazy shooting night above, but his overall line was the best fantasy value for Monday. Butler is currently being drafted at 82 in ESPN leagues and 66 in Yahoo leagues, but if he keeps up this form, he'll find himself in the top 50 come season's end.

ROOKIE OF THE NIGHT

Doug McDermott -- McDermott scored 16 points (5-8 FG, 3-4 3Pt, 3-4 FT) with five rebounds and two assists in 26 minutes coming off the bench with Mike Dunleavy back in the lineup. McDermott looks to be the primary backup on the wing with Tony Snell getting buried by coach Tom Thibodeau and could be a late round value player for three-pointers, but it's unlikely he replaces Dunleavy anytime soon.

NIGHTLY LEADERS

Points

  1. Blake Griffin, F, LAC 31 points (14-22 FG, 0-2 3Pt, 3-4 FT)
  2. Jimmy Butler, G, CHI 21 points (7-8 FG, 7-7 FT)
  3. Lou Williams, G, TOR 21 points (6-9 FG, 2-3 3Pt, 7-7 FT)

Rebounds

  1. Rudy Gobert, C, UTA 20 rebounds
  2. Earl Barron, C, PHX 13 rebounds
  3. Derrick Favors, F, UTA 11 rebounds

Assists

  1. Chris Paul, G, LAC, 11 assists
  2. Trey Burke, G, UTA 8 assists
  3. Ty Lawson, G, DEN 7 assists

Steals

  1. Nikola Mirotic, F, CHI 4 steals
  2. Terrence Ross, F, TOR 4 steals
  3. Miles Plumlee, C, PHX 4 steals

Blocks

  1. DeAndre Jordan, C, LAC 4 blocks
  2. Pau Gasol, C, CHI 4 blocks
  3. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, F, CHA 3 blocks
  4. Nikola Vucevic, C, ORL 3 blocks
  5. Kyle O'Quinn, C, ORL 3 blocks

Three-Pointers

  1. Trey Burke, G, UTA, 4-8 3Pt
  2. Doug McDermott, F, CHI 3-4 3Pt
  3. Troy Daniels, G, HOU 3-6 3Pt
  4. Dante Exum, G, UTA 3-5 3Pt
  5. Anthony Tolliver, F, PHX 3-9 3Pt

Minutes

  1. Tony Parker, G, SAN, 36 Minutes
  2. Tim Duncan, F, SAN, 35 Minutes
  3. Mike Conley, G, MEM, 35 Minutes