Ty Lawson has the rare honor of opening up the season against the team that traded him for peanuts (four role players and a protected pick) in the off-season. He'll have the added bonus of facing a brand new rookie, drafted to replace him. It almost makes me feel bad for Emmanuel Mudiay, who is going to be in for quite an NBA debut. He'll be coming off a hamstring injury, against one of the quickest guards in the league, who will have a bit of an ax to grind against him, for nothing Mudiay himself did, in the first real NBA action he's ever seen. I'm just not jealous of Mudiay. Look for Lawson to make a point of having a great game, and be well worth the price.
SG: Monta Ellis, Indiana Pacers $7,000
Monta isn't a value pick by the sort of "$3,000-$4,000 price tag" definition, but I think this game he comes up big in his first time out as a Pacer. Last season he faced the Raptors twice, both times Demar DeRozan was playing, and Ellis easily won both matchups. DeRozan went a combined 21-29 for 18 total points in the two contests. Monta on the other hand, was 20 of 40 for a total of 50 points on 50% shooting from the field, including 44% shooting from behind the arc. Monta should come out strong in this game, probably putting up 20-25 points on solid shooting numbers, including a few three pointers.
SF: Marcus Morris, Detroit Pistons $4,500
For the second night in a row, I see Morris as a smart buy, for all the same reasons as yesterday. A tall 3 who can shoot the 3 is going to stretch the floor and cause all kinds of problems for the defense. I think he'll put in work against Utah, going double digits in points and grabbing 6-8 rebounds with a few three pointers thrown in as well. If you ask me, that's enough of a bottom line to justify his price, at just $4,500.
PF: David Lee, Boston Celtics $5,400
I think David Lee is a solid buy Wednesday night, at just $5,400. He'll be starting in the Celtics' lineup, and despite a deep bench in the front court behind him, I expect he'll be productive. I think the Celtics' strategy early this season may very well be to let Thomas and Lee ball out, and hope to attract some decent trade offers from teams like the Lakers, stocked with young talent but looking to win now. That could bode well for dfs owners early on, until Lee's price catches up to his production and minutes. One way or another, Lee should be adding about 7-10 minutes per game to his last season average, and since his current price is based on those minutes, he's a good value buy.
C: Jonas Valanciunas, Toronto Raptors $6,200
Jonas has a great match up here, as Indiana is very poorly staffed at the center position, and in the front court in general. To the point that they're trying to play a reluctant Paul George at the 4. Jonas is an athletic center with a solid interior offensive game and he should be able to capitalize on the good matchup here. DeRozan will spend energy chasing Monta, and Lowry will be looking for someone to score the ball. Valanciunas just might be the one to answer the call.
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