NBA Around the League 11/1: David Lee, Derrick Favors and More

There weren’t a lot of games yesterday, but there were still plenty of performances worth noting—both good and bad. So here are some of the notes you need to know from yesterday’s games.

• The Jazz got their first win of the season against Oklahoma City. Paul Millsap scored 30 points and pulled down 16 rebounds. There’s been a lot of speculation about who will step up to replace Carlos Boozer in Utah.  Only three games in, Millsap is producing. The more minutes he’s been on the floor, the more he’s produced. Al Jefferson has started off the year nicely as well, although he is not the force on the boards that Millsap is. It looks like Millsap and Jefferson can coexist, but keep an eye on both players as the season has barely begun.

• Baron Davis continues to disappoint this season. He’s averaging a meager 10.3 points and 5.7 assists a game. The new depth of the Clippers will do nothing to help Davis’s value if he can’t play up to what’s expected of him. Davis has seen a decrease in points in the two seasons leading into this one, but many observers thought he might play more like his old self with increased talent around him. It’s very possible that the main issue here is chemistry, so don’t give up on Davis just yet. His upside warrants a look at a larger sample size before a decision is made.

• Derrick Favors had 13 points and 13 rebounds in 24 minutes of play last night versus the Heat. Joe Smith started the game at power forward but only played five minutes. The Nets drafted Favors to play him, and they are doing just that. If he keeps playing well, he’ll keep getting playing time. Favors might be a slight buy-low candidate at this point in the season. As his minutes go up, his stats will follow.

• James Jones continues to get a ton of playing time in Miami. He’s clearly a spot up three-point shooter. As with all shooters, Jones' effectiveness will be hit or miss. Last night versus the Nets, Jones went 2-of-4 from the three-point line in 31 minutes, scoring six points. Jones might possibly be worth a pick up in very deep leagues. He hasn’t really shown the ability to much aside from shoot the three-ball, but he should at least get plenty of open looks with Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh attacking the rim. Still, Jones looks as if he will be used simply to stretch the floor and open up the middle for Miami Thrice. Jones’ 20-point game versus Philadelphia last Wednesday was probably just an outlier.

• David Lee had an awful night last night in the Warriors’ loss to the Lakers. In only 19 minutes of play, Lee did not score and grabbed only three rebounds. There are no reports of an injury at press time. It may just have been one of those nights for Lee. Obviously, no one would lose faith in Lee for one bad game. It just seemed interesting enough to note.

• In only 17 minutes on the floor against the Lakers, Brandan Wright scored 11 points. Sure, he only managed to score four points in each of the first two games, but he’s worth keeping an eye on. His potential to be a nice free agent pickup has less to do with Wright himself than the team around him. The lack of talent on the Golden State bench leaves plenty of room for one player to step up and earn more playing time. If he proves he can score, Wright will get the minutes to do so.

• Carlos Arroyo’s minutes have benefited from the absence of Mario Chalmers. Chalmers has been slowed by an ankle injury and has played only seven minutes in the past two Heat games. It’s worth noting that both of these last two games have been blowouts in the Heat’s favor. Still, there’s been no “new” news on Chalmers injury, so it’s difficult to tell if Miami has decided to go with Arroyo or is just being extra cautious with Chalmers. It may be worth it to hold on to Chalmers in deep leagues but don’t pass on a sure thing for his potential. Sure, it sounds great to have Miami Thrice’s point guard, but that’s no reason to pass on someone who’s already producing. If anything, keep an eye on Chalmers and be ready to pick him up as soon as things start going his way.

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