Wednesday's NBA showdown is a single game, MIN @ HOU, with a $50,000 cap and a captain slot that scores 1.5x points at 1.5x salary. The slate locks Wed 11/4 at 8:30 p.m. ET (5:30 p.m. PT).
Our model's ranking starts with Alperen Sengun of HOU at $9,800. He carries the highest ceiling on the slate at 59.9 and a DraftKings average of 45.1, which is the best average of any player on the board. Kevin Durant is next among the high-salary options at $8,800, with a 47.8 ceiling and a 38.9 average. LaMelo Ball of MIN costs $9,200 and brings a 51.8 ceiling, the second-highest figure on the sheet, along with a 36.5 average.
The value end is where this slate gets interesting. Oscar Tshiebwe of HOU costs only $1,600, and our model puts his ceiling at 35.4 against a DraftKings average of 6.0. That ceiling is a long way above his usual output, but at that price it takes little to matter. Marcus Smart of HOU is $5,600 with a 43.3 ceiling, and Ayo Dosunmu of MIN is $7,400 with a 49.5 ceiling and a 33.5 average. Amen Thompson is $8,400 with a 46.5 ceiling.
Several names are listed OUT by DraftKings: Anthony Edwards, Terrence Shannon Jr., Enrique Freeman and Donte DiVincenzo for MIN, and Steven Adams and Clint Capela for HOU. That thins both rotations and puts more weight on the players above.
Our model's top lineup uses $49,700 of the $50,000 cap. It puts Sengun in the captain slot at $14,700, then fills the UTIL spots with LaMelo Ball at $9,200, Marcus Smart at $5,600, Bones Hyland at $3,000, Kevin Durant at $8,800 and Amen Thompson at $8,400. Hyland's $3,000 salary is what makes room for the star-heavy build.
Lock is Wed 11/4 at 8:30 p.m. ET.
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