With Kawhi’s future looking bleak, the Clippers are going to need someone to step up big. Can PG13 run a one-man show without Leonard? Our partners at Advanced Sports Analytics have some ideas of who to play and who to fade in this single game champion mode competition. Let’s check it out!
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Low-Multiplier Building Block
Paul George (1.15x // 1.75x) – Much like KD last night, expect George to shine with his superstar sidekick out for tonight’s game in Utah. If we take an analytical approach, George’s usage increases from 33% to 36.9% and his fantasy points per minute increases from 1.20 to 1.33. If we just take a more intuitive approach, it’s obvious George will get more shot attempts (probably 25 – 30 FG attempts) given that tonight’s game will be pivotal with the series tied at 2 games apiece. George has been a star player for his previous teams so he will rise to the occasion in Salt Lake City.
High-Multiplier Flyer
Rajon Rondo (2.55x // 3.85x) – Predicting a player for this spot is tough. Who knew Jeff Green would be a sharpshooter last night against a strong perimeter defense. Sometimes you just have to roll the dice and tonight I am feeling that Rondo will be the guy who steps up with the void left by Leonard’s recent injury news. He has plenty of playoff experience and perhaps Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue has been keeping Rondo fresh for a situation like the one we have tonight. No analytics here, just pure feel and if we are right, good for us! Even better with low ownership and a 30 minute game with plenty of usage at his current multiplier could be what we need to take down a GPP tournament this evening.
Fade Consideration
Jordan Clarkson (1.6x // 2.4x) – We were correct in fading Gobert in Game 4 and he might be worthy of another fade tonight but something tells me that he may play better with the Clippers missing Leonard in the paint. Instead, we will fade Clarkson. Like Joe Harris for the Nets, Clarkson doesn’t do much else besides shoot the ball. While he is a more accurate shooter and does a better job of driving to the lane than Harris, his low multiplier does not justify rostering him if he doesn’t give us much else besides scoring. Plus, there will be plenty of value plays on the Clippers with Kawhi out and it’s clear that the other Utah guards/forwards (Donovan Mitchell, Joe Ingles, and Bojan Bogdanovic) have benefitted with Mike Conley’s absence, not Clarkson.
This article expresses the personal views of the writer and does not reflect the view(s) of SuperDraft in any way.
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