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The 2021-22 NBA season is finally underway! The defending champion Milwaukee Bucks had a statement win against the overwhelming Brooklyn Nets roster. In the following game, the Golden State Warriors showed off their new depth this NBA season with a victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.
That new depth comes from the additions of Nemanja Bjelica and Otto Porter Jr. along with the return of Andre Igoudala. Adding that trio to the already existing and improving Damian Lee and Juan Toscano-Anderson makes for five regular bench contributors. None of those names will likely be consistent enough to warrant spots on any fantasy NBA basketball roster.
Russell Westbrook, often a fantasy darling, was notably disappointing in his Lakers debut. He tallied eight points, four assists, five rebounds and four turnovers while shooting 4/13 from the field and 0/4 from three. His fantasy scoring total was just 17, which is underwhelming for a high round selection
Some of the names who have barely missed out on the top-five include Jordan Poole (37), Khris Middleton (42), and James Harden (48).
On a star-studded NBA opening night, including for fantasy basketball, here were the top-five point scorers in a standard league.
#5 Stephen Curry (59)
The Golden State Warriors' opening night victory was largely due to six players scoring in double digits and the team recording 30 assists. To the surprise of nobody, Stephen Curry led that list with a 21 point triple-double. Exactly 10 rebounds and 10 assists plus three steals led to a big night for the greatest shooter of all-time.
Triple-doubles knotch you extra points in fantasy basketball. They are a rare sight for Curry throughout his career since he is usually short in the rebounding category.
Yet, in a weird way, this could be considered a down night for the first-round NBA fantasy talent. Converting just two of eight from beyond the arc is a clear outlier for the Golden State sharpshooter, and his point total should exceed 21 on most nights.
#4 Kevin Durant (69)
The Brooklyn Nets are almost surely disappointed with their NBA opening night performance against the Bucks, but it's hard to nitpick Kevin Durant's contribution. He was clearly the best player on the floor for Brooklyn, and his stat line shows that.
After 30 minutes of playing time, the forward managed 32 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and two blocks while converting 13/25 from the field. As I said, there is not much more that you can ask for from Durant while on the floor.
69 total fantasy points being the fourth best total of the night that featured just two games is shocking. It says more about the names that are to come than it does about Durant, though, who was stellar on NBA opening night.
#1(tied) Anthony Davis (71)
Three NBA players managed to score exactly 71 standard fantasy basketball points between these two matchups. Anthony Davis is the first person I decided to list by going in alphabetical order of their first names.
Davis ended with 33 points, 11 rebounds, two assists, one steal and two blocks while shooting 15/26 from the field and 1/5 from three. While the NBA big man probably wishes to have knocked down a few more from beyond the arc and gone home with a victory, his fantasy owners have to be thrilled.
71 points of production is equivalent to that of a top overall selection. Health has always been a primary hesitance to drafting him too high overall, but he is capable of NBA MVP numbers if he remains on the floor as he showed.
#1(tied) Giannis Antetokounmpo (71)
Giannis Antetokounmpo looks eager to prove that the Milwaukee Bucks should be taken seriously as potential repeat NBA Champions in the 2021-22 season. He did just that opening night by leading his squad to a 23 point victory over the hyped Brooklyn Nets.
Giannis is also commonly a top two or three overall pick in fantasy draft leagues, and opening night was a fine example of why. Tying the highest overall score with a ridiculous 71 points has got to be a comforting sight for his fantasy owners.
32 points, 14 rebounds, seven assists, one steal and two blocks while remaining efficient sounds like an outlier performance, but remember that we are talking about a two-time NBA MVP.
#1(tied) LeBron James (71)
LeBron James is entering his 19th season in the NBA, but you couldn't tell any signs of old age on opening night. One of the greatest players of all time managed a typically stellar statline of 34 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, one steal and one block while knocking down 13/23 from the field and 5/11 from three.
The five three-point conversions were unexpected and aided him in tying Giannis and Davis with 71 total fantasy points. With a lack of spacing on the Lakers' roster, maybe LeBron will take more responsibility himself for letting it fly from range this NBA season.
I'm sure he would have preferred to go home undefeated after game one, but LeBron James' fantasy owners have to be more than satisfied with his final production.
Guess the Lakers players!
