NBA Today: Western Woes

This week, Luka Doncic capped a massive March with a 42-point, 12-assist effort; Doc Rivers is Hall of Fame-bound; and even with Cade Cunningham out, Detroit beat Toronto to clinch its first division title in almost two decades. Other Fantasy basketball stories we’re tracking include…

Utah’s Rising Star

The Utah Jazz has dropped seven straight games (and 19 of 22) and now sit just one game ahead of Sacramento for last place in the Western Conference. Still, Utah has already won four more games than it did all of last season when it suffered through the worst campaign in franchise history, so there are some positives to see if you squint hard enough.

This is a team that plays with more pace than most, for better or worse, and is superb at distributing the ball, ranking second in the NBA in assists per game (thanks to a strong sophomore season from Isaiah Collier). Where the Jazz struggles is in scoring and protecting the rim (dead last in both points and blocks per game). It’s definitely a great team to start your Fantasy players against.

If you’re looking for a bright spot, let’s talk about the continued improvement of 2023 first round pick Brice Sensabaugh. On Wednesday, the small forward went off for 28 points on 11-for-18 shooting (including 6-for-9 from downtown) while adding six boards, four assists, one block and one steal.

Sensabaugh has now scored at least 18 in three straight while shooting at least 47.4 per cent in each of his last 11 games. In just the last two games alone, he’s piled up nine treys, 10 rebounds, nine assists, two blocks and two steals.

This dude is breaking out before our eyes and being rewarded with more and more touches as the season has progressed. Sensabaugh’s shooting has gotten better each season, but as mentioned above, has been especially sharp over the last few weeks.

It took until January 10 for him to first lead the Jazz in scoring in a game this season, but now it’s happening more and more (almost 21 PPG in March).

If somehow he’s still available in your league, you need to pick up Sensabaugh immediately. Given what we’re seeing when he gets over 30 MPG, if Utah sets this kid free next year and gives him a full-time starting gig, he’ll become a major sleeper for 2026-27.

A former surprise Big Ten star at Ohio State, Sensabaugh has now forced his way into prominence as a pro.

DeMar DeRozan Climbs the Ranks

Still with struggling teams in the West, the Sacramento Kings snapped a four-game losing skid on Wednesday, but remain in the conference basement. In 2022-23, this team flirted with 50 wins and made the playoffs for the first time since 2005-06, but it’s been all downhill since. The Kings dropped to 46 wins, then 40, and this season just reached 20 with its latest W, so they’ve been a hard to team to back on FanDuel.

Sacramento’s first full season under coach Doug Christie has not gone well. About the best thing you can say is they’ve done a decent job in terms of taking care of the rock, but it hasn’t helped much offensively, as they rank near the bottom of the league in scoring.

On Wednesday, the Kings leading scorer – aging swingman DeMar DeRozan – came back to Toronto to haunt his old team, potting 14 of his 28 points in the final quarter as the Kings upset the Raptors.

Very quietly, this dude has had an extremely long and excellent career, and it may surprise you to learn that on Wednesday he passed Dominique Wilkins to move into 17th place on the all-time scoring list.

Assuming DeRozan opts to return for an 18th season in 2026-27, he’ll probably move past Oscar Robertson, so it’s high time to start thinking about DeRozan as a legitimate Hall of Fame contender.

DeRozan padded his total against Toronto by going a perfect 12-for-12 from the line while stepping behind the arc to add to two treys. He’s now scored 22 or more in three straight as he proves he still has plenty left in the tank and is undeterred playing for a team going nowhere.

After a rough February, DeRozan’s bucket count bounced back in March, and while his scoring has been in regression for a few years now, and he’s highly unlikely to average 20 PPG for a 13th straight season, he remains a full-time starter and must-own Fantasy asset even with his 37th birthday looming this summer. And while his back acted up early last season, he didn’t miss much time and has generally been pretty durable over the years, another factor in him climbing the all-time scoring list.

Waiver Wire Pick of the Week

L.J. Cryer, PG, Golden State Warriors (ESPN: unowned; CBS: unowned): A deep league and short-term option only, Cryer has shown some offensive acumen periodically, but with Stephen Curry possibly back this weekend, the clock is ticking for the rookie. Still, Cryer put himself in Fantasy consideration based on eight double-digit scoring games and an increased role since the beginning of March. The kid has shown he’s willing to be aggressive on offense (scoring 17 points in his first career start on Wednesday), and that’s caught coach Steve Kerr’s eye, so Cryer is at least gaining as a Dynasty option. Cryer is still not standard-sized league valuable, but he can provide a little boost in three-pointers and free throw percentage.

RotoRob Tune of the Day

American jazz saxophonist Cannonball Adderley was active from 1955 until his untimely death in 1975 at the age of 46. In 1958, he released Somethin’ Else, the only album he did for Blue Note. This included the track “Love for Sale,” which was later recorded by Miles Davis, who also featured prominently on Adderley’s album.