Christmas day is one of the signature days on the NBA calendar. It is a five-game slate with every game nationally televised featuring the most prominent teams and star players the league has to offer. You know what would make your experience on Christmas even better? Putting together a lineup on SuperDraft to follow while watching the games, opening presents and spending time with your family. Here are the players from each multiplier tier that will help you win big on Christmas!
Guards
1x-1.3x
James Harden (1x) Houston at Golden State
The Rockets-Warriors matchup is a rare dud that we have received on Christmas day. With all the injuries the Warriors have suffered, it has put them in the basement of the Western Conference at 7-24. However, this is great for James Harden’s fantasy value. With the Warriors ranked 22nd in defense, Harden should be a lock in every user’s lineup.
His ridiculous statline of 38.7 points, 7.4 assists, 5.8 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game puts him at a league-leading 63.1 fantasy points per game. Even playing with 1x multiplier every night, he will rarely let you down.
1.35x-1.65x
Kyle Lowry (1.4x) Toronto vs Boston
The Toronto Raptors have been one of the best stories in the league this season. After Kawhi Leonard departed for LA, the defending NBA champions were written off. But they are off to a 21-9 start and are right in the thick of things in the east. One of the main reasons for that has been Kyle Lowry.
His fantasy value has increased this year as he has gone from averaging 14 points per game to averaging 20 points per game while also averaging 7.6 assists and 5.2 rebounds per game. He has taken his game to another level the last 3 games with Pascal Siakam injured. The past three games he is averaging 29.3 points, 9.3 assists, 6 rebounds and 51.8 fantasy points per game. With Siakam and Marc Gasol still out, you can expect this type of workload from Lowry on Christmas. Combine this with the fact that Boston is most likely playing without stud-defender Marcus Smart, Lowry is a no-brainer at 1.4x.
1.7x-2x
Ben McLemore (1.75x) Houston at Golden State
With the smaller slate on Christmas, there are not very many appealing options in this multiplier range. If you are going to look for someone here, you should be looking for someone with a high ceiling and McLemore qualifies as that.
After a rough start to his career, McLemore has found a home in Houston averaging 10 points a game as a three-point sniper playing off Harden and Westbrook. He is attempting seven three pointers per game and hitting them at a 36% rate. McLemore has had five games this year where he popped and scored 20 or more points. With Golden State having a poor defense, this could be another game where he catches fire from deep and becomes a great value pick at 1.75x.
Forwards
1x-1.3x
Kawhi Leonard (1.3x) LA Clippers AT LA Lakers
There won’t be many slates in which Giannis Antetokounmpo won’t get the nod as the top pick for the 1x-1.3x slot. This is one of those times where Kawhi Leonard edges him out. Kawhi is having as good of a fantasy year as he has ever had by averaging 25.5 points, 7.8 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 1.8 steals and 48.1 fantasy points per game.
Leonard is coming into the showdown against the Lakers with three days of rest so he should be ready to go. If he has a typical Kawhi game and puts up his average of 48.1 points, his 1.3x multiplier will bring him up to 62.5 points which is higher than Giannis’ per game average of 61.7. With Giannis going up against an elite Sixers defense, it is fair to expect him to score below his average.
1.35x-1.65x:
Brandon Ingram (1.4x) New Orleans at Denver
Ingram has blossomed in his first season with the New Orleans Pelicans. After averaging 18.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3 assists last season, Ingram has increased those numbers to 25 points, 7.1 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game. His usage rate is up to 29% which ranks fifth in the league amongst small forwards.
He is averaging 42.9 fantasy points per game which ranks the highest out of all the players in his multiplier tier. The next closest is Tobias Harris at 36.1 with a multiplier of 1.5x. With Ingram’s high usage rate he is a much more consistent fantasy player than someone like Harris. If Ingram scored his average at 42.9 points, he would finish at 60.1 points which is close to a Kawhi or Giannis level performance.
1.7x-2x
OG Anunoby (1.75x) Toronto vs Boston
With Kawhi Leonard on the Clippers, Anunoby has been given a bigger opportunity to shine this season for the Raptors. He is averaging 11.5 points, 6 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.2 steals and 26.6 fantasy points per game.
He has the highest points per game average in this multiplier tier and it is poised to increase vs the Celtics on Christmas. With no Siakam and Gasol he should get more scoring opportunities. With him already the highest fantasy point scorer in this tier, he is the guy you want to pick if you are looking for a high multiplier forward.
Centers
1x-1.3x
Nikola Jokic (1.1x) Denver vs New Orleans
With this slate only being five games, we are only going with two of the multiplier tiers for center and we are starting with Nuggets star Nikola Jokic. Jokic has had a disappointing start to the season. His numbers are down across the board as he’s gone from averaging 20.1 points, 10.8 rebounds and 7.3 assists per game to 17.4 points, 10 rebounds and 6.9 assists per game.
Even though he has had a down season, he is still capable of monster fantasy performances. He has had 9 games this season where he has scored 50 fantasy points or more. With his match-up against the Pelicans, he is poised to do just that.
The Pelicans are ranked 24th in the league in defensive efficiency and are starting rookie Jaxson Hayes at center. Jokic has an enormous size advantage on Hayes which should allow him to feast in the post, draw double teams and get position for rebounds. Jokic will be on triple double watch on Christmas night which will make him a great value at 1.2x.
1.7x-2x
Serge Ibaka (1.7x) Toronto vs Boston
Like Anunoby and Lowry, Serge Ibaka is a great value with Gasol and Siakam not playing. For the season, Ibaka is averaging 13.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.1 blocks and 27.8 fantasy points per game. Since Marc Gasol went out on December 18th against the Pistons, Ibaka has taken his fantasy value to a new level.
He is averaging 19.3 points, 9.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.3 blocks and 37.3 fantasy points per game in that span. If you took this figure and added the multiplier value of 1.7x into the equation, his points per game would be a James Harden-level 63.1. Even if he doesn’t hit that 37.3 number, he is most definitely going to be above the 27.8 average with all of the minutes and fantasy opportunities he will get. Ibaka should be a lock for your lineups on Christmas.
This article expresses the personal views of the writer and does not reflect the view(s) of SuperDraft in any way.
