With the second week of the season behind us, the rookie race is underway with 3 rookies providing top 30. This has come at great cost as we've lost several top 30 players to injury with Haliburton, Edwards, Williams, Kawhi and Duren out for sigificant periods. Banchero is also injured, so his lack of efficiency can't hurt us anymore.

• Yaxel Lendeborg has been getting starters minutes on the Warriors, Yaxel has put respectable counts of 3s, points, rebounds and assists. His scoring is coming from 3 levels going 12/13 from the line one night, hitting 6 3s on 2 occaisons and hitting 55% on 20 attempts on another occaison.

• Darius Acuff Jr. on the kings has been putting up similar numbers to Yaxel with smaller rebound contribution but put off a showcase of a performance with 34 points and 14 assists.

• Cameron Boozer on the undefeated Grizzlies has improved his fg% considerably since last week raising from sub 30% to a modest 50%. His playing time has been slighty more managed with him only getting 28 minutes a night.

• It is still Lukas league with him ripping 20 3pointers and shooting 91% from the line, and even averaged 9 boards a game. He has been on an absolute rampage since his confrontation with Yaxel Lendeborg

C

598

Victor Wembanyama

Volume

Efficiency

FG

FT

3PT7

PTS108

REB31

AST11

STL6

BLK13

TOV3

This week we have a massive 100+ point week combined with a league leading 13 blocks. 80 shot attempts and 14 assists on only 3 Turnovers on the week! Providing us with cross board contribution to keep owners happy, this weeks bread and butter pick of the week is none other than Victor Wembanyama.

Welcome to season six of picklytics sports analytics, your brine-based analytics source. With the first week in the books we are excited to break down which players are seizing opportunity and who is best left on the waiver wire. Lets highlight a couple lines from the week.

• Ty Jerome (Milk) is having a breakout, scoring 28, 34 and 45 to lead the Grizzlies to a 3-0 start. This is a player who 250 games into his career is getting starting minutes for the first time. After playing only 15 games last year there was little to predict this type of performance from a very crowded, very mid Memphis backcourt.
• Dejounte Murray is off to a great start in new Orleans, and Zion is playing efficiently while contributing 8 steaals on the week.
• Finally after 3 games, Josh Giddy has hit his first Free throw of the season. He's at a single triple and shooting 0.27%. This combined with his Tyler Herro defensive stats, it's likely we see some improvment over the course of the season.
• The Sabonis-LaVine connection is in full effect in Sacramento, with Sabonis getting an insane 52 boards and LaVine scoring 87 in 3 games.
• Cameron Boozer has been getting starter minutes and has been chucking, hitting only 14/51 from the field. However he is sinking his free throws at 5 per game and generating almost 12 rebounds a game while contributing in assists, steals and blocks . If he can stop shooting he can provide solid 3rd round value this season

PG

567

Luka Dončić

Volume

Efficiency

FG

FT

3PT15

PTS103

REB22

AST24

STL5

BLK1

TOV21

Oh Crap guys Luka has been hitting his free throws. 24/27 from the line so far. Leading the league with triples at 15 and turnovers with 21. He dropped a 50 piece and is averaging 34/7/8. This is nuts even for Luka. So our inauguarl bread and butter pick of the week is non other than Luka Dončić.

And just like that we are off to another fantasy playoffs, Just in time for stashed players like Tatum, Trae and Giannis to make their return and hopefully move the needle for their owners. On the reverse some we've seen some critical losses to rosters such as Zion, Jalen Williams (again), Embiid, Lauri Markkanen. Well best of luck to all those lucky enought to make the playoffs this season. Lets take a look at some emerging talent currently on the waiver wire.

• Precious Achiuwa has stepped into a larger role with Sabonis being done for the season and Drew Eubanks seeing a reduction in minutes. Precious brings a nice combination of blocks steals and rebounds at the center position with awful scoring consistency. However most teams don't bother to foul him so you don't have to worry about him crushing your FT%

• In OKC, Isiah Joe leads the team in 3 points per game as well as showing a considerable increase in steals that has held up over the last 30 days. He's had a couple 30+ minute games over the last 2 weeks and with Williams down that could provide an opportunity for the 26 year old.

• If you are looking for just a little bit more assist power, Javon Small, the memphis rookie seems to be a lock for 4 assist, while chipping in a few rebounds and steals on high effeciency.

• Keon Ellis who came back to Cleveland as alongside Dennis Schroder has been playing 25 minutes the past week and provides a great combination of Steals and blocks.

• Finally if you are looking to just top up on scoring, Micah Potter has been seeing increased run time on a depleted Indiana roster averaging 15 points over the last week.

PG

548

Derrick White

Volume

Efficiency

FG

FT

3PT17

PTS75

REB23

AST26

STL5

BLK10

TOV9

And for our final accolade of the season we look to the Eastern Division where we have had a multicat monster from Boston. Defensively blessed with 23 rebounds 5 steals and 10 steals counterset against 17 triples, 26 dimes and 75 points. The only knock against the line was 89% free throw shooting limited to only 9 attempts on the week. So for the final time this season we are proud to declare Derrick White our bread and butter pick of the week.

• Donovan Clingan had a massive week leading the league in blocks wiht 13 and putting up a solid 84 points and 56 rebounds

• Balls are flying in Charlotte with LaMelo and Kon Knupple both hitting 24 on the week.

• Jokic struggled a little behind the line last week but more than made up for it with a 137/75/47 line where he lead the league in both rebounds and assists.

• Both James Harden and Kawhi Leonard seem to be thriving while apart, with Kawhi hitting 142 points on the week and Harden sending 44 dimes.

• Watch out for Iasiah Joe who put together 22 Triples 90 points and 9 steals.

SG

543

Desmond Bane

Volume

Efficiency

FG

FT

3PT22

PTS143

REB18

AST12

STL8

BLK3

TOV9

Desi Bane hit 22 triples at a 61% clip on his way to assembling a 143 point week, He's no slouch defensively either with 18 rebounds, 8 steals and 3 blocks. All in all he kept it efficient by shooting 67% on the week and keeping it to only 9 turnovers. With tiny arms and a giant heart we are proud to declare Desmond Bane bread and butter pick of the week

• Kawhi Leonard has become the system for the clippers, googling up an efficient 126 point week wiht 10 steals, triples and turnovers.

• Jalen Brunson has been seeing an uptick in steals and rebounds, at the cost of a slight downtick in scoring. Provided he's been a empty calorie scorer in past seasons, many owners will take this trade.

• Isaiah Collier of Utah to lead the league in assists with 43 by a margin of 12 assists!

• Joel Embiid and Cooper Flagg put up very similar lines over the past week with 6 3s 2 steals,6 turnovers, 21-19 rebounds, and 13-14 assists. Flagg grabbed 2 extra blocks, and Embiid had 10 extra points through careful application of an extra 13 free throws.

C

527

Alperen Sengün

Volume

Efficiency

FG

FT

3PT1

PTS76

REB46

AST24

STL5

BLK5

TOV10

This weeks pickle has been the reward of a very patient farmer. Anchoring his performance with a 17/12/11 triple double combined with 3 steals and 3 blocks, Alperen Sengün leveraged a huge week ending up wiht 76 points, 46 rebounds and 24 assists. No longer a baby gherkin Jokic, we are proud to declare Sengün bread and butter pick of the week.

• Praise be, Amen Thompson has been seeing an uptick in assists and steals over the past month, as he takes over additional responsibilities in the back court

• Naz Reid has been cranking along at 4 triples and over 2 steals a game seemingly after a quiet campaign from the 2024 sixth man of teh year.

• Brandon Millers hasn't missed a free throw in 2 weeks hitting 37 consecutive free throws while averaging 4 triples on his way to a 105 point week.

• Dillon Brooks has been making a name for himself in phoenix witha 115 points week bolstered by 32 free throw attempts and a .545 3point%

PG

608

Luka Dončić

Volume

Efficiency

FG

FT

3PT22

PTS142

REB38

AST39

STL3

BLK0

TOV13

Leading the league in both points (142) and triples (22) combined with of 38 rebounds and 39 assists Luka Doncic has been on a terrific string of games, featuring a 46 point game with 12 assists and a 37/11/13 with 3 steals. It seems every night Luka puts a bit of extra gravy in your scoresheet every night and we are proud to select him as the bread and butter pick of the week.

It was an unlucky week 13 for Ja Morant after going down with an elbow injury in his first game of the week. They say he will be evaluated in 3 weeks, but the hope is that the frequently wounded former MIP winning point guard can find a home with another team. With this latest injury we may have to wait for the offseason for the exciting conclusion to the Morant in Tennessee saga. This week we saw some fantastic performances around the league lets see who impressed:

• Bam Adebayo put together the rare offensive showing hitting 11! 3s and 109 points alongside 51 rebounds. He's been on an absolute rip from 3 the last few weeks, helping boost his generally weak offensive production

• Jusuf Nurkić has reasserted himself as a rock distribution system leading the league with 41 assists for the week and pulling in an additional 70 points and 48 rebounds. Considering he was unrosterable a few months ago this could be a great window for the veteran center.

• Dylan Cardwell has decleared himself with a 10 block 5 steal week with 37 rebounds without requiring large amounts of playtime.

• SGA continues to be the leading scorer in the NBA but has seen a pretty significant dip in his 3 pointers, rebounds and steal rate. These marginal drops have taken still have been offset by scoring 32 per game and career high effeciency keeping him a clear top 3 pick.

PG

588

Immanuel Quickley

Volume

Efficiency

FG

FT

3PT16

PTS101

REB27

AST27

STL8

BLK0

TOV7

The Toronto Raptors are on a 5 game winning streak. Scottie, Ingram and Mamukelashvili all put forward top 75 performances this week but those are not the raptor we seek this week. This guard quickly started the week with a 40 point performance and kept running with incredible peripherals, 4 3s, 7 boards, 7 dimes 2 steals, while keeping it under 2 turnovers. This weeks bread and butter pick of the week is none other than Immanuel Quickley who after a sluggish start to the season have been absolutely huge in the raptors success.

If i were to describe the 2026 All star starters in a single word that word would be "Picklestravaganza" as we have some godfathers of the pickle game in SGA, Joker, Wemby, Steph, and Luca. Now if that doesn't show the western dominiance let these lines convince you:

• The rockets as a whole seemed to put together a week where they met expectations, Amen, KD, Senguin, and even little Jabari Smith Jr all had great weeks across multple categories.

• With the Mavericks absolutely toasted by injuries Naji marshall has been elevated to starters minutes averaging 16/4/4 per and providing a stead stream of steals.

• Klay Thompson drained 20 3s the past week, leading the league and giving us a glimpse of past Klay, however even dropping six trebles a games isn't enough for the former great to break the top 100.

• Our boy Wussell shots over 50% from 3 on 29 attempts. Over the last few weeks he's gone from cooked to cooking over the past months providing 15 3s 90 points and 31 dimes!

SF

660

LeBron James

Volume

Efficiency

FG

FT

3PT8

PTS126

REB35

AST34

STL5

BLK6

TOV17

Father Time be damned, thanks to a blessed 5 game week, the supposedly geriatric phenom was able to assemble a devastating 126 points, 35 rebounds and 34 assists with 11 stocks while going 93% on 30 free throws. Now I know he'll have to sit every other game afterwards but for now Lebron James you are the bread and butter pick of the week!

There are just over 3 weeks until the trade deadline and with Miles turner unlikely to be traded from the Pacers this year we have to search around for this years big deadline stories. Yer a wizard already Trae, or at least your salary is. As of now Trae Young's player option next season makes up over half of the wizards salary commitment for next season. Ja Morant has had a falling out with the Grizzlies leaving the shooter vulnerable to trade offers but what is the market value on a player who has only played 138 games over the last 4 seasons and is shotting at a career worst 40% and commiting 3.6 TO a game despite not getting over 30 minutes per game. Which of the kings spare parts will be able to fetch any return, with Lavine going quietly into the cold night and the only true signs of life seem to be coming from a 36 year old DeRozan.

So lets take a look at some of the breakout performances by players who might be moving around during the deadline:

• With Zubac out and Brook Lopez being old and slow the clippers have been looking for some creativity from their front court. And John Collins has answered the call. Putting together a league leading 11 blocks with 5 steals and 25 rebounds the defense was solid, and followed up with 13 3s and 77 points. This is likely Collins best week as it required him to shooting 65% from 3 to end up in the top 50% of scorers.

• Collin Murray-Boyles has been capitalizing on getting a run of starters minutes, putting up 39 rebounds and 10 steals on the week while keeping at nearly 60% on field goals.

• Donte DiVincenzo may not be part of the future in Minnesota but a hot streak from 3 had him sinking 18 this week with strong showings in points, rebounds assists and steals.

• Now unlikely to be traded with the current mile high big man situation Peyton Watson has been playing massive minutes and demonstrating a scoring touch that no one could have seen coming. Now the 70% from 3 is going to come down but even if it halves we are looking at going from 24 to 18 points a game and he will maintain his blocking and rebounding upside.

PG

570

Stephen Curry

Volume

Efficiency

FG

FT

3PT16

PTS116

REB13

AST28

STL4

BLK2

TOV7

We've got an oldie but a goodie this week, a perennial first round player with a few extra miles, this 37-year-old is seeing a 3-year high in usage and has offset a loss in rebounding with generally improved efficiency. A week featuring 116 points with 18 3s combined with 28 assists and a reasonable 7 turnovers, this was done while shooting 8% below his career average on the long ball. This week we are proud to welcome back to the club Steph Curry to be our bread and butter pick of the week.

New Year new grove, lets look at the who's been ringing in 2026 with style:

• Despite losing their last six, Chet Holmgren did heavy lifting in the defensive end all week with a league leading 15 blocks, 43 rebounds and 4 steals.

• Paolo Banchero has been providing a standout performance since Franz went down giving the magic a 111 point week combined with 43 rebounds, while showing rare effeciency with 53% field goal shooting

• Despite playing fewer games than his brother, LaMelo Ball has been hammering 3s with 18 on the week and 8 steals.

• Norman Powell has been making the most with backcourt injuries and gambling investigations, with some additional playing time he's hot off a 115 point week powered by 21 triples.

SF

585

Deni Avdija

Volume

Efficiency

FG

FT

3PT8

PTS107

REB57

AST39

STL5

BLK3

TOV17

This has been a player to watch all season since getting promoted to starter in the West. He's been averaging 25/7/7 on the season (and leads the league in Turnovers by a staggering 13). This past week he provided amaing contributions in points, rebounds and assists, while shoring up solid numbers in triples and steals on passable effeciency. Likely to go down as the steal of this years fantasy draft and likely another stain on the wizards talent evaluation Deni Avdija is this years first bread and butter pick of the week.