The NBA is the greatest show on Earth. Some players blur the screen like a cheetah, jump like a flea and shadow the ground like a Sequoia tree. We have OKC, a team traversing the schedule as if it were a calm, waveless sea, while Sacramento hasn’t figured out which team it wants to be. Injuries deprive us of stars, which is quite the bummer, but allow the diamonds in the rough to shed the dirt and radiantly bling. Coaches are constantly tinkering with their rotations, providing us with different casts, while players go on hot and cold streaks that sometimes last for multiple weeks. Crazy trades happen — Hi, Nico! Rumors of trades constantly abound. We all merrily ride this merry-go-round.

In fantasy basketball, since games happen nightly, we are inundated with data points. What’s important? What’s noise? In this weekly piece, I will try my best to parse through everything and help navigate you through the landscape. Here’s what caught my eye over the past week:

Giannis AntetokounmpNOOOOOOOO!

The drama level on Wednesday night elevated big time as Shams Charania of ESPN reported a few hours before the Bucks game that Giannis and his agent “started conversations with the Milwaukee Bucks … discussing whether his best fit is staying or elsewhere.” Then, 3 minutes into the game, Giannis suffered a non-contact injury.

Giannis appeared to suffer a leg injury early in the game vs. Detroit. He was able to walk off on his own. pic.twitter.com/RYLETO8BjL

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 4, 2025

On Thursday morning, Charania reported that Giannis will be sidelined for 2 to 4 weeks with a right calf strain.

I will not be going through potential trade scenarios because I don’t find that exercise to be a good use of time. It’s entertaining for sure, but I’d rather focus on the here and now.

Including Wednesday night, Giannis has essentially missed seven games this season. Six of those were without Kevin Porter in the lineup. Over that span, Ryan Rollins had an average usage rate of 29.2%, with two games above 32%. On Wednesday, Rollins’ usage rate was 22.2%. Porter had a whopping 34.6% usage rate. Rollins still had a good game, finishing with 22 points, four rebounds, eight assists and two steals, while KPJ led the way with 26 points, two rebounds, seven assists and two steals.

Rollins and KPJ were the starting backcourt and showed they can coexist, and Doc Rivers staggered them so one was on the court at all times. With no Giannis in the lineup, the Bucks will likely have the offense flow through Rollins and KPJ, who has the ISO juice to break down defenses by his lonesome.

Bobby Portis can provide a post element for the Bucks’ offense, and he will get his opportunities. Kyle Kuzma only played 21 minutes on Wednesday, and his playing time has dissipated over the past few weeks, so I think it’s well within the range of outcomes that Portis consistently receives the 30 minutes he got on Wednesday. In the past, when Giannis was out, Portis would feast while getting close to 34 minutes a night.

Jericho Sims is an intriguing player. He’s 6-foot-10, 250 pounds and possesses elite athleticism. Playing time has been sparse throughout his career, though. Rivers got him into the rotation when Giannis was out on Nov. 20, and Sims didn’t do much over six games, averaging 18.2 minutes, 3.5 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.2 assists. On Wednesday, Sims played 30 minutes and finished with 15 points, 14 rebounds and an assist. That was his first game with KPJ, but Myles Turner only played 20 minutes due to foul trouble. That said, Sims and Turner did play alongside each other in the middle of the first quarter and for all of the first half of the third quarter.

Another Bucks player I wanted to talk about, irrespective of the Giannis situation, is AJ Green. He’s averaging a career-high 29.6 minutes a game and converting a whopping 49% of his attempts from downtown. What’s really caught my eye, though, are the dimes. He has six games with at least four assists, with a high of eight. Granted, he also has seven games with a bagel, but it’s nice to know Green isn’t a complete zero outside of treys.

A new King is born?

Maxime Raynaud is 7-foot-1, 250 pounds and was selected in the second round of the 2025 draft. Not much was expected from Raynaud in his rookie season, but after Domantas Sabonis suffered an injury in early November, Raynaud averaged 19.5 minutes over the next two games. And he performed relatively well, giving Doug Christie the confidence to call his number when Sabonis succumbed to another injury.

Over seven games, the numbers don’t jump off the page — 16.6 minutes, 7.7 points, 3.4 rebounds, 0.7 assists, 0.3 steals and 0.4 blocks — but Christie spoke highly of him after the game against Memphis:

“I think Max has done a great job. He comes in, he’s highly attentive to the game plan, trying to execute the game plan at a high level. Understanding, he communicates really well. But he’s a young player so when it comes to leverage and physicality and some different things that he is learning right before our very eyes that can be tough, especially with a big guy like Zach Edey and Jaren Jackson Jr. These guys are huge, but he’s beginning to hold his own and you can see that the game is slowing down for him so as it slows down and he continues to improve his minutes are going to go up for sure.”

On Wednesday, Raynaud played 33 minutes and contributed 25 points, six rebounds, three assists, a steal and a block while draining both of his attempts from downtown and all three of his free throws.

Raynaud is not the most fleet of foot and struggles to guard on the perimeter, while getting bullied down low on defense. On the offensive side of the ball, though, it’s magnificent. He’s able to space the floor, and his touch around the rim is pristine, with the ability to finish with both hands.

Raynaud played his college ball at Stanford, so you know he’s smart. What I most appreciate is how he’s developed into the player he is. During his sophomore season, he started 23 games but averaged only 8.8 points and 6.1 rebounds while shooting 27% from downtown and 59% from the free throw line. His senior season consisted of 20.2 points, 10.6 rebounds and 1.4 blocks while shooting 34% from beyond the arc and 77% from the line.

Sacramento is 5-17 with no beam in sight at the end of the tunnel. The Kings do have their 2026 first-round pick, so they will be incentivized to tank, and Raynaud can become their commander.

What’s wrong with Jaren Jackson?

In 2022-23, JJJ finished as the 12th-best fantasy player on a per-game basis, as he averaged 18.6 points, 1.6 treys, 6.8 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 1.0 steals and 3.0 blocks while shooting 50% from the field and 78% from the line. Through 20 games this season, he’s outside the top 100.

The 24.8% usage rate is the same as from that magical 2022-23 season, as are the treys. That is where the similarities cease. The points, rebounds, steals and blocks are all down.

JJJ is only shooting 46% from the field this season. The second-chance, fast-break and in-the-paint points are all down from three seasons ago. The true shooting has gone from 61.3% to 57.1%, while the turnover ratio has spiked from 9.5 to 11.1.

Much of JJJ’s value comes from blocks, though, and those have cratered, from 3.0 to 1.0 (a career low). In 2021-22, JJJ blocked 2.3 shots per game, so the 2021 and 2022 seasons look to be the outliers because in the other five years, not including this season, JJJ was around the 1.5 blocks per game mark.

He’s also racking up 4.2 fouls per game, the first time over 4.0 since his second year in the league. Once he gets the fouls back under control, it seems likely he’ll get back up to the 1.5 block range.

As for the offense, I’d say that much depends on Ja Morant. In 2022-23, Morant played 61 games. In the three seasons since, Morant has played a total of 71 games, with only 12 this season.

Random musings

Josh Hart has been a top-20 player on a per-game basis over the past few weeks, averaging 34.8 minutes, 16 points, 9.1 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 1.8 steals, 0.6 blocks and 2.0 treys. He’s back! How much longer, though? Hart has seen elevated playing time due to the OG Anunoby injury. While no timetable has been given for Anunoby’s return, he has been cleared for contact. With Anunoby in the lineup, Hart was averaging only 23.7 minutes.

Four guards I love rostering right now are Ryan Nembhard, Collin Gillespie, Anthony Black and Cam Spencer:

Nembhard is 22 years old, 5-foot-11 and 180 pounds. Those are the reasons why he went undrafted, but he can ball. Nembhard impressed over the summer and has taken full advantage of the opportunities presented by D’Angelo Russell’s lack of foot speed and inconsistency, and Brandon Williams’ lack of shooting ability. In four starts, Nembhard has scored 68 points and dished out 30 dimes with only five turnovers.
Gillespie flashed at the end of last season. He carried that momentum into this season, starting alongside Devin Booker and hitting big shots. He’s averaging 13.4 points, 5.0 assists, 3.1 treys and 1.2 steals. He could see a usage increase with Booker sidelined.
Black isn’t starting, but it looks like he’s leveled up in his third season and has become a significant part of the Magic rotation. Black is averaging 13.1 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.4 steals, 0.6 blocks and 1.2 treys.
Spencer has been a part of the rotation from Day 1, but his minutes were always in the teens early on. Since Ja Morant has been out, Spencer has averaged 23.7 minutes, 12.3 points, 1.8 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 2.3 treys.

The playing time was all over the place for Jay Huff early on, as the Pacers were trying to figure out if Isaiah Jackson or Huff was the best solution at center. Recently, the pendulum has swung in Huff’s favor, as he’s received at least 25 minutes in five of the past eight games. Huff is second in blocks per game and leads the league with 50 blocks. His ability to protect the rim and make it rain from downtown have been a better fit than Jackson.

Holy Jalen Johnson! Last season, he garnered a career-high usage rate of 23.4%. With Trae Young out, that number has been over 30% at times, and he’s led the Hawks to an 11-7 record without Young, posting two triple-doubles over that span.

Predictably, Austin Reaves lost usage with the return of LeBron James. Without James, Reaves garnered a 28.7% usage rate. With James back, that number is down at 23.7%, but Reaves has still been able to produce from a fantasy perspective, just in a different way. The rebounds have ticked up while the assists have cratered, from 8.2 to 3.7.

With Jarrett Allen sidelined, Jaylon Tyson has been the biggest beneficiary. Over the past seven games, Tyson is averaging 14.7 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.0 steals and 2.3 treys. At 6-foot-6 and 215 pounds, Tyson has good size, and he’s shooting 47% from downtown. I keep thinking Cleveland wants to move on from Allen and just play with Evan Mobley at center.

Shoutout to Nic Claxton, who is averaging a career-high 4.0 assists per game and has a triple-double on the season.

I’m keeping my eye on the backup point guard situation in Utah. Isaiah Collier looked to be entrenched as the guy behind Keyonte George, averaging 23.6 minutes per game, but over the past two games, Collier received 29 total minutes, while Walter Clayton got a combined 39 minutes.