The following picks come from Awesemo.com’s Director of Content, Josh Engleman. Josh posts his projections daily for subscribers and is the co-host of the NBA Strategy show Monday through Friday morning.
Nikola Jokic
The center position is particularly thin, but the man at the top of the salary heap is still the guy I want the most. Dedmon is out, so the only thing standing in the way of Jokic having a big game is the two-headed monster of Alex Len and Miles Plumlee. That doesn’t exactly make me nervous. There’s certainly the potential for a blowout, as the Nuggets are 12 point favorite at home, but I’m willing to take my chances. Since I’ll be mass entering, I’ll be sure to pick up a few lineups with Mason Plumlee, on the off chance Jokic gets into foul trouble. Barring any slate-breaking news, I’ll have Jokic in half of my lineups tonight.
LaMarcus Aldridge
This one is simple. I’m expecting Aldridge to make everyone forget about the absolute egg he laid last night in the 20-point beating from the Phoenix Suns. The Clippers defense has been fantastic this year at limiting 3s, which works perfectly for a guy like Aldridge, who 98% of his shots from either mid-range or at the rim. Aldridge has lived in the long mid-range for his entire career and the Clippers seem more than happy to allow that to happen. Sometimes, players just fit. This is one of those times. I’m hoping last night’s stinker mutes Aldridge’s ownership enough that I can gain some leverage on the field. I’m looking to land somewhere in the 30-40% exposure range.
