Welcome to another edition of Bales’ Top GPP plays. In this article, I will outline my favorite NBA GPP plays for today’s games. If you want all of my core plays along with our staff’s Final Thoughts article and access to our Discord, click here.
Guards
Anfernee Simons
Simons has performed well in limited minutes early this season. Through 13 games, he’s averaging 6.8 points and 1.7 rebounds (11.3 fantasy points) in only 12.6 minutes per game. Simons is averaging a healthy 18.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.9 assists on a per-36 minute basis this season. He’s played 20+ minutes in 3 games, as well, averaging 26.1 fantasy points in 24.7 minutes per game.
Simons gets an interesting matchup against the Houston Rockets tonight. They currently rank sixth in the NBA in pace and fourth in defensive efficiency. Simons’ seen his role increase in recent games because of the injury to CJ McCollum, who will miss the next few weeks of action. Simons usage rating generally sits between 20-25%, and he boasts a relatively large offensive role when on the court. His have been inconsistent, although he’s expected to play minutes in the mid-20s tonight. Simons is an extremely risky option, but there are only four games on this slate, making him a solid tournament option.
Bigs
Serge Ibaka
Ibaka’s seen mixed results through 17 games this season. He’s averaging 12.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.1 blocks (25.7 fantasy points) in 25.1 minutes per game. Ibaka’s been heating up as well, averaging 1.1 fantasy points per minute over the last 10 days. He’s flashed double-double upside with the ability to contribute in multiple categories when given the minutes this season, though.
Ibaka gets a plus matchup against the Miami Heat, who rank 19th in the league in pace and 23rd in defensive rating this season. More importantly, the Los Angeles Clippers will be without Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and Patrick Beverley tonight, allowing others to take over the offense. That was the case in LA’s last game, where Ibaka’s usage rating increased to nearly 30%. He wasn’t overly efficient from the field in that game, although he could see a similar role tonight. He also struggled to rebound the ball against the Atlanta Hawks, and I expect that to change tonight. Ibaka’s expected to find minutes in the high-20s or low-30s, although he’s going overlooked after his price was bumped from a couple of games ago. He’s a solid tournament option with him taking over a significantly larger role in the offense.
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