Welcome to the fourth edition of RotoBaller’s NBA Minutes Watch. Rotations are finally set. Position battles have been won and teams are trudging forward as best they can as we get closer to the new year. The younger teams are showing signs of early-season fatigue while more developed teams like the Rockets, Thunder, and Cavaliers are starting to peak, although a little early.
With so much time left in the season, adjustments will be made when injuries happen and we’re still likely to see some potential trades going on with so many teams needing one or two minor pieces to set them apart.
You’ll notice not every team has a chart and here’s why. Either the rotation is fairly regular and usage funnels exactly where it should, or there are too many players in and out of the lineup that a chart would just be unaesthetic.
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Atlanta Hawks
Buy: Kobe Bufkin
Sell: Bogdan Bogdanovic
This chart excludes Wednesday’s win over the Bucks, but the Hawks’ solid foundation is the reason for their current four-game winning streak. Their starters fit a role and the youth/bench players are developing quickly within the system.
Kobe Bufkin is emerging as a top bench candidate, but Jalen Johnson, Dyson Daniels, and Trae Young still carry most of the usage on this team. However, any injuries open the door wide open for Bufkin, Zaccharie Risacher, Garrison Matthews, and Vit Krejci to claim key minutes.
Boston Celtics
Buy: Drew Peterson
Sell: Neemias Queta
Not worth the chart since the Celtics have their rotation figured out. Payton Pritchard has been great off the bench and they are getting quality minutes from Drew Peterson these last couple of games.
Leading into Christmas, it’s easy to see why Peterson, Luke Kornet, and Jaden Springer can be so valuable in DFS formats. The Celtics’ bench talent extends further than their desired rotation, so keep an eye out for garbage minute opportunities creating value for some of these more longshot Celtics players.
Brooklyn Nets
Buy: Dariq Whitehead, Tyrese Martin
Sell: None.
With the current state of this team, a chart makes no sense. With too many injuries to count, there are so many players flying through this rotation that it’s pointless to spend time charting Yongxi Cui’s minutes just for it to be a jumbled mess.
Dariq Whitehead’s value is skyrocketing making him a great add this week, same with Shake Milton and Tyrese Martin. All three are valuable DFS plays and for the upcoming week and their trajectory will continue to increase.
Charlotte Hornets
Buy: Brandon Miller, Vasilijie Micic, Nick Richards, K.J. Simpson
Sell: Seth Curry
Didn’t chart LaMelo Ball’s last four games since he will be missing the next week or two with an injury, so we’ll focus this analysis on addressing that gap. Brandon Miller fills the void of the superstar role, but the playmaking is more team-oriented and focused on unselfish play from both Vasilijie Micic and K.J. Simpson.
Those two will see the most benefit from Ball’s injury, mainly because both fill a much-needed pass-first role that won’t pull from Miller’s upside as the go-to guy. Nick Richards return should help overall playmaking by re-adding a rim-running lob-threat back into the offense
Chicago Bulls
Buy: Torrey Craig
Sell: None.
With three of their last four games ending in blowouts, it might be hard to believe the Bulls are actually keeping most games competitive. Nikola Vucevic is anchoring the offense by shooting the leather off the ball, but the only thing it’s likely doing is lowering his trade value.
Lonzo Ball’s return is coming at a perfect time with Chicago’s offense growing more stagnant every game. Josh Giddey will likely feel the most recoil from Ball’s eventual reinsertion back into the starting lineup with Matas Buzelis potentially losing some of his hard-earned minutes as well. Luckily for both, Ball’s not the type of player to pull from individual strengths, especially with Buzelis playing small forward and Giddey being a hybrid guard.
Cleveland Cavaliers
Buy: Ty Jerome, Caris LeVert
Sell: None
What is there to say about a team that has only lost three games heading into December? Very little negatives and a whole bunch of ego-boosting that’s what. Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen are one of the most intimidating defensive frontcourts in the league. Caris LeVert has molded into a savvy veteran scorer with Ty Jerome following suit. Georges Niang and Sam Merrill are scary sharpshooters you don’t want to leave open and all this is still leaving out the tip of the spear.
Cleveland is beating teams based on principle rather than skill. When one player plays bad, someone picks up the slack without the added pressure. Roles are solidified and minutes are well distributed. Sadly, this leaves a lot on the table stats-wise for anyone outside of the core rotation.
Dallas Mavericks
Buy: Spencer Dinwiddie, Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving
Sell: Dwight Powell
The Mavericks are very superstar-oriented, but that doesn’t necessarily mean their superstars play every night. Their offense revolves around a singular ‘superstar’ and everyone’s offense plays and builds off that. Kyrie Irving, Luka Doncic, and Spencer Dinwiddie are the first wave and it’ll usually be one of those three shouldering the workload.
With the inconsistencies in who is available each night, whoever is available is uncontested for minutes. Dallas isn’t looking to develop young players outside of Jaden Hardy and Quentin Grimes so make sure to always consider Mavericks players in DFS or for weekly streams.
Denver Nuggets
Buy: Aaron Gordon
Sell: Peyton Watson
Aaron Gordon’s return knocks Peyton Watson back to the bench and gives the Denver offense a much-needed boost. Nikola Jokic has been playing well, but he needs help around him that can attack the rim to help create space for his other teammates. Gordon lives in the dunker spot and can shrink the defense enough to open up the court for Michael Porter Jr. and Jamal Murray to isolate.
The Nuggets might not have the most exciting trajectory currently, but they are on the slow and steady path to the Finals.
Detroit Pistons
Buy: Jaden Ivey
Sell: Jalen Duren
Gauging bad teams is always going to be tough. Their rotations don’t exactly work, but most of the time they can’t exactly afford to do anything else. The Pistons have shooters and Cade Cunningham is a playmaking force, but outside of that, there’s not enough defense to stop even the most mediocre of offenses.
The minutes will continue to follow a trend, but somewhere down the road they will need to address defense and that’s going to cause a serious stir in the rotation. Until that point you have to roll with matchups and hope they work out.
Golden State Warriors
Buy: Stephen Curry
Sell: None.
Too many players not doing enough to signify why a chart is needed. Nobody on this team is excelling outside of Stephen Curry. Out of the last four games, there have only be eight total outings where a Warriors player had positively impacted the game (According to BasketballMonster.com). Three of those eight are by Curry and the only reason he’s not four of eight is because he missed a game.
The Warriors offense doesn’t focus on anyone outside of Stephen Curry and it causes irrelevance in the fantasy basketball realm. With Curry now nursing a knee injury, Golden State will be scrambling for offense and that’s not a good look for a team with no real offensive structure outside of one player hitting shots.
Houston Rockets
Buy: Alperen Sengun
Sell: None
The Rockets are taking everyone by surprise and they are doing it with an eight-man rotation. When teams find their groove and their players are playing well, you don’t disturb that. Houston has a dynamic working for them and the core source of production creates their own potential each night.
In terms of minutes, there’s not much variance and we can’t expect more of that moving forward. The Rockets are winning games and staying competitive throughout the entirety of those games. They are on a fast track for developing their young core and the face they are winning should be concerning for the rest of the league.
Indiana Pacers
Buy: Johnny Furphy
Sell: Jarace Walker
After Tyrese Haliburton’s slow start to the season, the Pacers are struggling to win games. They are currently on a four-game losing streak, it’s not likely that Johnny Furphy will come in and right the ship, but we can at least take advantage of his eventual increase in minutes. If the Pacers keep losing, we expect them to try something within the roster to try and break the funk.
Furphy isn’t some codebreaker that will fix everything, but the Pacers don’t have many options and they need scoring. If Furphy is the one scoring then you can be sure he will continue getting minutes until the Pacers are healthy again.
Los Angeles Clippers
Buy: Amir Coffey
Sell: None.
My bet here is on Amir Coffey to keep showing up and delivering on both ends of the floor. He’s learning under smart veterans and he’s showcased the ability to produce from anywhere on the court. While the Clippers remain reliant on James Harden, someone will have to help fill the gap left by Terance Mann.
Mann won’t miss a ton of time, but it should give players like Coffey extra run and can even allow a player like Kevin Porter Jr. the chance to redeem himself.
Los Angeles Lakers
Buy: Dalton Knecht
Sell: D’Angelo Russell
Losing six of your last eight games is a major concern, but it’s still early in the season. The Lakers need to figure something out with their depth, but it’s clear the talent is there. If Dalton Knecht, D’Angelo Russell, and Gabe Vincent could find any consistency within their games, the Lakers will start winning games then and there.
It’s hard to call LeBron James the problem when his NBA-player teammates can’t seem to remember that they are NBA players. Having more attempts than points scored is never a good sign and until the rest of the Lakers sort out that problem, Anthony Davis is seemingly the only Laker worth trusting in a lineup.
Memphis Grizzlies
Buy: Desmond Bane
Sell: Jay Huff
The main reason most teams got a chart was because there was something worth charting. In Memphis, the rotation is deep and effective, and their team-dynamic works. Ja Morant runs the show, Desmond Bane plays second fiddle and Jaren Jackson Jr. anchors the paint. These three are the core and everyone else plays within a similar 15-30-minute range depending on how well they are playing.
Scotty Pippen Jr., Jay Huff, and Jaylen Wells see minutes every game, but outside of DFS formats, none have real relevance. That’ll be the case for most Grizzlies and good luck trying to time a Luke Kennard game because it’s coming.
Miami Heat
Buy: Jaime Jaquez Jr.
Sell: Jimmy Butler
Another eye-sore of a chart that we’ll skip, but it’s the Heat. They always have deep regular-season rotations. The most notable trend lately is who’s receiving minutes when Jimmy Butler rests and whether or not it matters. If Miami can’t keep the games close when one of their best players is out, are those extra minutes valuable?
In Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Haywood Highsmith’s case, the answer is yes. Being able to produce against the Celtics is no easy task. For anyone else on the Heat, more usage just led to greater inefficiency. Since Jaquez and Highsmith play a more physical brand of basketball, any extra usage or minutes allows them to cater to their aggressive playstyles. It also doesn’t help they’ve played two back-to-backs in the last week.
Milwaukee Bucks
Buy: Giannis Antetokounmpo
Sell: None
Most of these teams that are contenders aren’t going to be loose with minutes. They need wins and they need to play their best players. Garbage time is a different story, but there’s no team in the league currently, maybe aside from the Cavaliers, who are clearly above and beyond the rest.
Giannis Antetokounmpo is carrying this team and with their current makeup, this seems to be a winning strategy. The more Antetokuonmpo has the ball, the more teams let him shoot. The more teams let him shoot, the better he gets at shooting. I’m not sure what defensive strategy that is but it’s made Antetokounmpo a better player.
Minnesota Timberwolves
Buy: Josh Minott
Sell: Mike Conley
Another team with set rotations that isn’t going to adjust for the sake of player development. The minutes don’t stray outside of garbage time and it’s pretty easy to know where the good matchups are where potential landmines lie. Edwards carries the offense and Rudy Gobert anchors the defense. Everything else builds off one of those two aspects and it’s pretty straightforward.
There won’t be a ton of surprises when it comes to minutes assuming everyone stays healthy.
New Orleans Pelicans
Buy: Yves Missi
Sell: Jordan Hawkins
This is a dilapidated squad and there’s no real reason to dig into a team missing their two best players and a few role players. A casual NBA fan could barely name a starter and I wouldn’t go near anyone but Yves Missi for fantasy purposes.
Trey Murphy has the most potential here as a wing-shooter, but he needs to actually be hitting to be useful. He doesn’t offer much production outside of threes so this could be his chance to see extra playmaking duties alongside C.J. McCollum.
New York Knicks
Buy: Miles McBride
Sell: Ariel Hukporti
Always a small rotation with very little variance so no chart. The starters are the starters and the bench pecking order is Miles McBride followed by whoever will be more useful in the current situation Jericho Sims or Cam Payne. Other than that, nothing crazy coming from the Knicks and their usage and production is firmly in the hands of their starters.
It’ll take an injury to shake things up and the Karl-Anthony Towns trade has worked out exactly how the Knicks wanted. Teams with short rotations have a ton of value in blowouts and key matchups so the Knicks are always a team to keep an eye on in all formats.
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Oklahoma City Thunder
Buy: Jalen Williams, Isaiah Hartenstein
Sell: None.
Another no-chart since the Thunder are unwavering in their rotation because their team is rock solid. Across the entire roster is nothing but hard-working go-getters who understand team basketball. You cater to your skilled players and put your role players in a spot to succeed. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams carry the offense and everyone else follows their lead.
Dillon Jones, Ajay Mitchell, and Kenrich Williams have been rounding out the back end of the depth chart, but Jones has already been relegated to the G-League and Alex Caruso is set to return next game. He’ll eat up a chunk of the bench minutes so Mitchell and Williams should see a slight decrease in minutes moving forward.
Orlando Magic
Buy: Jalen Suggs, Goga Bitadze
Sell: None.
Until Paolo Banchero comes back, Franz Wagner remains the guy. Jonathan Isaac, Anthony Black, and Moritz Wagner deliver a strong punch off the bench and Jett Howard and Tristan Da Silva seem to be developing every game. Da Silva and Howard may not see much playing time when Banchero returns, but down the stretch, both could offer plenty of relief without sacrificing too much production.
Philadelphia 76ers
Buy: Kelly Oubre, Guerschon Yabusele
Sell: Ricky Council IV
The name of the game is betting when Paul George won’t play and putting everything on Kelly Oubre having a big game. With no Joel Embiid we know there is usage to go around and even if George does play he keeps his teammates heavily involved throughout the game.
Maxey and Guerschon Yabusele should remain at the top of the 76ers food chain, but the secondary scorers will have to fight for minutes with George and Oubre is the only one who shouldn’t see a significant decrease.
Phoenix Suns
Buy: Devin Booker
Sell: Oso Ighodoro
Kevin Durant missing time will force the Suns to adapt and realistically it just means more shots for Devin Booker. The Suns have no way to replace what Durant brings to the table, but they do have the talent to minimize the impact. The smartest thing to do would be to deploy Booker as a point guard with a green light.
You can’t make up for the entirety of the short-term void, but adjusting the team’s dynamic to incorporate a stronger scoring aspect can help mitigate losses, especially when your best scorer goes down with an injury. As much as I want to name a replacement, when these types of injuries happen teams tend to pile on the usage rather than re-distribute it.
Portland Trail Blazers
Buy: Shaedon Sharpe
Sell: Scoot Henderson
A young team with potential and a fairly balanced core of young role players. The only thing missing is a superstar and dare I say Shaedon Sharpe could be that guy? He has the high-flying, shot-making ability, but it’s the consistency that matters. This team will give him the opportunities, but he still has to make the shots.
Luckily for him, the bar is set really low in Portland and he’s primed to explode off one big game like he has in previous seasons.
Sacramento Kings
Buy: Jae Crowder
Sell: Isaac Jones
The Kings added Jae Crowder for defense and it’s a step in the right direction for this team. As for who will be seeing the drawback, Crowder won’t take usage or minutes from anyone. If anything, he should act as a defensive anchor for a team that lacks that much-needed physicality.
The Kings like their rotation and rightfully so, luckily for them adding a 3&D defender does nothing but help and build upon their previously established foundation.
San Antonio Spurs
Buy: Jeremy Sochan
Sell: Charles Bassey
This has to be the worst-looking chart, but that should have been expected. The Spurs have been historically one of the worst teams for fantasy basketball potential. The minutes are always even, the usage never sways too far in one direction and it’s a shame we don’t get points for hockey assists.
Victor Wembanyama is changing that simply by playing, but it’s still impossible to ignore what his stats would look like on any other team.
Toronto Raptors
Buy: R.J. Barrett, Jakob Poeltl, Scottie Barnes
Sell: None.
As of right now, the Raptors generate from three sources. R.J. Barrett, Jakob Poeltl, and Scottie Barnes. Everyone else is borderline irrelevant until Gradey Dick and Immanuel Quickley return to offer some type of relief in the backcourt. Even then, that doesn’t give the rest of the team a boost as much as it simply takes away from the current trend which happens to be working.
If this is the offense then it’s hard to stray from the Big Three of Barrett, Barnes, and Poeltl. Those three have no competition and the green light to have huge games on a nightly basis. The Raptors have won three of the last four, but there isn’t a ton of long-lasting optimizing coming out of this roster.
Utah Jazz
Buy: Micah Potter
Sell: Svi Mykhailiuk
With some of the teams that are clearly in development mode, there’s no reason to even address the chart. There’s so much that can happen and is currently happening within the roster that trying to guess rotations each night will leave you annoyed. Teams have no loyalty or obligation to play anyone. Teams will do what’s right for the long run.
Whether it’s giving rookies clutch-time minutes over veterans or even pulling superstars early for the sake of showing off individual trade value, it’s all within the confines of being a young, developing team.
Washington Wizards
Buy: Bub Carrington, Alexandre Sarr
Sell: Richaun Holmes
Skipping a chart here since there’s no reason to track players who are barely posting fantasy relevance in the first place. Washington will continue throwing usage at whatever player wants it, but that’s not going to work in every player’s favor. Despite some players like Kyle Kuzma and Jordan Poole being able to handle a heavy workload, the rest of the Wizards are still figuring it out.
Washington has talent, but they aren’t cohesive enough to find ways to make it work to win games or be productive. With multiple injuries happening just last game, look for new names to enter the rotation.
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