NBA Today: Raptors Cooling Off

This week, Cooper Flagg made more history, becoming the youngest player ever with a 50-point game and then added 45 more in his next contest; Stephen Curry (knee) finally returned to action after missing 27 games; and Luka Doncic (hamstring) is done for the rest of the regular season and is off to get medical help in Europe with the hope of returning for the playoffs. Other Fantasy basketball stories we’re tracking include…

Ja’Kobe Walter Shooting Better

Just two years ago, the Toronto Raptors managed just 25 wins and things looked pretty bleak for a team that had won the championship just a few years earlier. However, Toronto bumped that total to 30 last season, and despite some recent struggles is now closing in on 45 wins this season with five games remaining.

This is a much stronger Raptor squad, featuring a more complete rotation that may not play at the same pace as it did in 2024-25, but is much improved from an offensive rating perspective.

And while Toronto has lost steam lately (4-6 over the last 10, three losses in the last four), one promising sign has been the play of 2024 first round pick Ja’Kobe Walter. It’s been a tough sophomore season for the two-guard as his role has diminished slightly (and he’s getting fewer touches) on a deeper club, but his performance Sunday served as a reminder that he’ll be an important part of Toronto in the future.

In 32 minutes, Walker poured in 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting (4-for-5 from deep) with two steals and a block. Since a January slump, his shooting has really improved and he’s become a decent source of treys since the beginning of March (see video below for an example of his work from outside).

Walter remains merely a deep league asset at this point, but the flashes of talent are coming more frequently, making him an intriguing deep sleeper for 2026-27. He’s also shown leadership potential.

A hip woe a couple of months ago cost Walter some time, and that didn’t help his situation this season, so it’s no wonder he’s not a top 200 player at this stage. Still, as a dynasty option, the 6’4” Baylor product (who was once thought to be a potential first overall pick) is worth considering. Walter’s greatest skill is canning shots from downtown, and if his defense and passing improve, the ceiling will grow a lot higher for this kid.

San Antonio’s Rapid Ascension

Over in the West, the San Antonio Spurs have taken an even bigger leap, and they are not slowing down. In 2022-23 and ’23-24, San Antonio scuffled through back-to-back 22-win efforts before improving to 34 victories last season.

This season, the Spurs have exploded, going 9-1 over the last 10 to reach 59 wins, putting them on the doorstep of their first 60-win campaign since 2016-17. Small wonder they have the second-best odds to win the NBA championship this season (+500 as per FanDuel).

On Saturday, San Antonio had its 11-game winning streak snapped by Denver, but it took a second half comeback by the Nuggets just to tie things up and force overtime. And although he missed a potential game-winner at the end of regulation, power forward/centre Victor Wembanyama continued his dominant recent play, scoring 34 points in 40 minutes with 18 boards, seven dimes, five blocks, two three-pointers and a steal.

That’s three straight games of at least 34 points and six games with at least 15 rebounds for the third year star. Injuries caused the Spurs to limit Wemby’s minutes earlier this season, but he’s been able to handle a bigger load from January on, and he’s now getting more touches than at any time this season. Despite the reduced PT this season, he’s continued to build on his game, but perhaps what’s most interesting is that he’s relying on his outside shot a lot less in 2025-26.

With San Antonio playing Philadelphia and its middling D on Monday, we’re expecting Wembanyama to flirt with a fourth straight 30-point game. At this point is there a better player in Fantasy basketball not named Nikola Jokic?

Honesty, at this stage of his career, the numbers don’t yet match the eye test with Wembanyama when it comes to just how freaking good he is. It’s going to be fun to find out just how high his statistical ceiling is over the next few years.

Waiver Wire Pick of the Week

Collin Sexton, SG/PG, Chicago Bulls (ESPN: 39.2 per cent; CBS: 55 per cent): Several years ago, we wondered whether Sexton would develop into a star, but injuries continued to haunt him and he has never been able to duplicate the success he had early on in Cleveland. However, since getting dealt to Chicago last month he’s been very productive for a team besieged by health woes. Sexton shook off a finger issue to enjoy another big game on Sunday (18 points, nine boards, three steals and three treys), and has now managed at least 16 points in eight straight while his PT has been steadily on the rise since January. He’s never been the greatest shooter, but is showing more accuracy than ever this season.

RotoRob Tune of the Day

You can hear a lot of Led Zeppelin-inspired hard rock on Black Rebel Motorcycle Club’s first two albums. The third album, Howl, took them in a different direction and here’s “Still Suspicion Holds You Tight,” one of the effort’s more acoustic tracks.