The NBA Play-In Tournament is finally here! The first game of the evening will be a Win or Go Home match between the Indiana Pacers and Charlotte Hornets. With a handful of injuries on both sides, there is a-lot of things to consider when building your lineups for this champion mode slate. We are happy to help you out with our top picks and projections for this game so you can watch your lineup RISE starting at 6:30pm ET on TNT.
Before you enter your lineup, make sure to read our EXCLUSIVE tips on how to play NBA Champion mode HERE.
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Low-Multiplier Building Block
Malcolm Brogdon (1.5x // 2.25) – Brogdon is questionable to play, but given the gravity of the play-in game, we’re expecting him to be all system’s go. With Caris Levert out, we expect Brogdon to get a little more offensive usage – in the games that LeVert has not played alongside Brogdon this year, Brogdon’s usage has been more than 2% higher than games in which LeVert played. The per-minute efficiency is down for Brogdon in those games, but not by much, the underlying usage bump suggests optimism for the Pacers’ point guard.
High-Multiplier Flyer
Jalen McDaniels (2.75x // 4.15x) – With Gordon Hayward out, McDaniels will once again start at Small Forward. McDaniels might not be a household name, but he can do a little bit of everything, his per-36 minute season averages are nearly 14 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, a block & a steal, 1.5 three pointers; so he can fill up the stat sheet in a number of different ways. Don’t expect McDaniels to get 36 minutes (he’s averaged 28 since Hayward went down with injury), but at 2.75x you’d be happy with a line like 10 points, 5 rebounds, a couple assists, and a couple blocks/steals.
Player to Fade
Devonte’ Graham (1.9x // 2.85x) – With LaMelo Ball back in the Hornets’ starting lineup, Graham has been bumped back to the Charlotte bench. Graham’s 2020-21 splits when Ball was out: +6.8% usage rate, +3.6 minutes per game, +7.8 fantasy points per game. So that means when Ball is playing, Graham is playing less, taking fewer shots, and scoring fewer fantasy points. His 1.9x multiplier is low value when Ball is in.
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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