Feb. 2-4 Fantasy Basketball Takeaways: Top Rookies and Waiver Wire Options | Aaron Nesmith, Lonnie Walker IV, Brandin Podziemski, Corey Kispert, Patrick Beverley and More

It was a busy weekend of NBA action. There were several big individual performances from star players and a few notable games from some lesser-known guys.

We’re here to focus on waiver wire options in fantasy basketball leagues, so let’s dive into some of the better outings from Feb. 2-4.

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Sunday’s Best Games

The Memphis Grizzlies played without 13 players in their Sunday game against the Boston Celtics. It went pretty much as expected, with Boston winning 131-91, but it did afford a few guys some extra minutes of playing time.

GG Jackson II was one of the players that took advantage. He got 24 shots up across 36 minutes played. Jackson made eight shots to tally 18 points, while also posting seven rebounds, two steals and one steal.

Jackson, currently owned in 12% of leagues, has gotten more playing time with guys like Desmond Bane, Ja Morant and Marcus Smart out. Over his past 12 games, he’s scored in double figures eight times, while also being a pretty consistent rebounder. He should remain a deep league fantasy option for the time being. There should be better options out there, but he’s also doing enough often enough to roster and play.

Utah Jazz rookie Keyonte George helped the team rally past the Milwaukee Bucks. He tallied 19 points, 10 rebounds and two assists across 25 minutes played. George is currently owned in 24% of leagues.

George has gotten back into a good shooting groove over the past four games, making at least five shots in each contest. He’s usually not as great of a rebounder as he was on Sunday, but his scoring alone should be enough to get him some waiver wire love in deeper leagues and dynasties.

Oklahoma City Thunder’s Luguentz Dort recorded 22 points, seven rebounds, four assists and one steal across 41 minutes in the team’s double-overtime win over the Toronto Raptors. He’s owned in about 43% of leagues.

It was the first time Dort scored in double figures in eight contests. He plays enough minutes on a nightly basis, but doesn’t consistently fill up the stat sheet like he did on Sunday. He is a good option in deeper leagues, but probably should be avoided in standard leagues until he shows he can consistently deliver.

Indiana Pacers’ Aaron Nesmith finished with 22 points, eight rebounds, four assists and one steal across 34 minutes played in the team’s win over the Charlotte Hornets. Nesmith is owned in 69% of leagues.

It was a nice bounceback for Nesmith, who only had six points in the previous game. There might be some inconsistency to his performances, but more often than not, he’s a fairly well-rounded fantasy asset. I like the idea of owning Nesmith (in any league) if you have the room.

Saturday’s Top Performers

Philadelphia 76ers’ Patrick Beverley, owned in 22% of leagues, totaled nine points, nine assists, three rebounds and one block across 20 minutes in the team’s loss to the Brooklyn Nets.

Beverley has scored a little bit more with Embiid out of the picture, with at least nine points across the past five games. He’s typically a good source of assists and also adds in a couple rebounds most nights. He’s not a bad fantasy asset while the 76ers learn to adjust to life without Embiid. Beverley would be a much better fantasy player if he got more minutes, but that probably won’t happen unless Tyrese Maxey is out.

Brooklyn’s Lonnie Walker IV, owned in 41% of leagues, contributed 20 points, three assists and two rebounds across 30 minutes in the team’s win.

Walker continued his recent string of big scoring nights. He’s tallied at least 19 points in each of the past three games. He doesn’t fill the stat sheet super well otherwise, but until he cools off, he’s a guy I like adding in any format.

Atlanta Hawks’ Onyeka Okongwu had a great showing in the team’s overtime win over the Golden State Warriors. He tallied 22 points, 16 rebounds and two blocks across 36 minutes off the bench.

Okongwu almost always comes off the bench, but typically gets enough playing time to put up decent numbers. He’s scored in double figures in four straight games now, scoring more points in each game. He usually doesn’t rebound like he did on Saturday, so that was just a bonus for fantasy owners.

Philly’s Terquavion Smith played just nine minutes, but went for 17 points and an assist. He’s owned in barely any leagues.

Smith has gotten some playing time of late with the 76ers dealing with several injuries. There was a game where he had five assists and three steals and Saturday was easily his best scoring game. His solid play could afford him some extra minutes over the foreseeable future, so he’s a guy to keep tabs on for a possible add in deeper leagues and dynasties.

Golden State’s Brandin Podziemski had two strong showings over the weekend. On Saturday, the rookie recorded 15 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and one block across 39 minutes played. The day before, Podziemski had 12 points, 14 assists, seven rebounds, two steals and one block across 34 minutes.

The rookie, who is owned in 45% of leagues, has now scored in double figures in four straight games. What’s more notable is his rebound and assist numbers. For the time being, he’s worth an add in all formats after putting up those numbers, and he should remain rostered in deeper leagues and dynasties for the duration of the season.

Friday’s Standouts

Houston Rockets’ Cam Whitmore continued his solid play over the weekend. His best game came on Friday, when he had 25 points, six rebounds, two steals and one assist across 21 minutes in a win over the Toronto Raptors. 

Whitmore, owned in 64% of leagues, has scored in double figures in seven straight games, despite only averaging 20.2 minutes per game. He’s also averaging 18.7 points and 5.4 rebounds per game, which is at least enough to roster him in deeper leagues and dynasties. I also like the idea of adding Whitmore in some standard leagues if you can make it work.

Washington Wizards’ Corey Kispert had two solid showings over the weekend. On Friday, Kispert recorded 26 points, four rebounds and two assists across 31 minutes played in a loss to the Miami Heat.

Kispert, owned in 27% of leagues, has played at least 24 minutes across the past three games and he’s responded with at least 15 points in all three contests. Until his playing time goes back down or his scoring slows, he’s worth an add in deeper leagues.

Portland Trail Blazers’ Scoot Henderson went off for 30 points, five rebounds and two assists across 37 minutes in the team’s loss to the Denver Nuggets. Henderson is currently owned in 67% of leagues.

Henderson should be owned in all deep leagues and dynasties at this point, but his recent surge (four straight games in double figures) has him garnering interest in standard leagues too. He can stuff the stat sheet pretty often, so if you can make a transaction work, I’m for adding Henderson in all formats.

Indiana’s Bennedict Mathurin made 10-of-14 shots to tally 31 points in the team’s loss to the Sacramento King on Friday. He also had five rebounds, four assists and two steals across 37 minutes played.

Mathurin had some extra scoring opportunities with Myles Turner inactive on the night. He’s scored in double figures in six straight games, although he was inactive for a pair of games himself. Mathurin, owned in 64% of leagues, is a solid option in all formats, even when the Pacers are at full health - he should be streamed when a key rotation player is out.