NBA DFS Picks: The SuperDraft Starting Five | Aug. 25

Happy Tuesday, everyone! I’m here to give you my starting five picks for your NBA DFS lineups on SuperDraft — two guards, two forwards, and a center — for today’s main slate. And with Kristaps Porzingis already ruled out with knee soreness, it’s bound to be a wild one.

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SuperDraft Starting Five

LUKA DONCIC (1X MULTIPLIER)

I normally try to avoid writing up 1x plays, as finding upside with the multipliers is generally my preferred route. That should further emphasize how good of a play I believe Doncic is today. His numbers with Porzingis off the court this season are truly video-game-esque, sporting a 38.6% usage rate and 61.19 SuperDraft points per 36 minutes. And considering I expect him to play north of 40 in this one, his projection sits around an astounding 66 SuperDraft points for me. I don’t expect another 90-spot like Sunday, but on a two-game slate just lock in the raw points and move on.

LOU WILLIAMS (1.65X MULTIPLIER)

Some will focus on Williams’ 50.5 SuperDraft points as the reason to go back to the well, but I’m going to focus on the minutes: 34 was a season-high for him and the most of his bubble tenure. I know it was an overtime contest, but with Paul George‘s struggles, Doc Rivers should have no problem extending Williams’ minutes if need be to keep the offense rolling. Add in that this game has a 235.5 total, and I prefer his upside at this multiplier to the guards in the slower Utah/Denver matchup (219 total).

KAWHI LEONARD (1.25X MULTIPLIER)

Leonard was the man for the Raptors in their 2019 title run, and now the Clippers need him to be theirs today. He has been filling up the stat sheet in this series, scoring at least 29 points and hauling in at least 9 rebounds in all four games. After the letdown overtime loss in Game 4, expect Leonard to impose his will on the Mavericks early and often. One other interesting bit of news will be Dorian Finney-Smith‘s questionable status, as he’s been Leonard’s primary defender in this series. If he can’t go, there will truly be no stopping Leonard in this one.

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TIM HARDAWAY JR. (1.6X MULTIPLIER)

I’m going off the board with my other forward selection, although I want to note Marcus Morris‘s 1.8x multiplier is an intriguing tournament dart as well. With Porzingis’ absence, I expect the Clippers to do everything in their power to slow Doncic down after his transcendental Game 4. That’s where Hardaway comes in. With Porzingis off the court this year, he’s seen a 3.4% usage boost, the most of any regular starter. If Doncic draws more Leonard on-ball defense in this one, the Mavericks could be forced to lean on Hardaway more than normal. It’s hard to find viable under-the-radar plays on a two-game slate, but that feels like what we’ve got with Hardaway at this 1.6x multiplier.

NIKOLA JOKIC (1.3X MULTIPLIER)

I’ll give you one play from the Nuggets/Jazz game, and expect it to be a doozy. Jokic showed some spark in Game 4 with a 29/7/6 line, albeit in a losing effort. In a win-or-go-home scenario, he should get extended run with no blowout risk. The other interesting thing here is how well the star center has fared against reigning Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert. In their seven matchups this season, Jokic averaged 27 points per game on 52.4% shooting. And more importantly for our purposes, he averaged 54.2 SuperDraft points per outing. At a 1.3x multiplier, he’s by far my favorite center play on the board.

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Author

Eric Lindquist

Eric Lindquist hails from Sioux Falls, South Dakota (yes, that’s the one with Mount Rushmore). A steady diet of three SportsCenters a day at an early age led to his obsession with sports, one that 30 years later is paying dividends for him as a successful DFS player and sports bettor. Despite over half a million dollars in net career earnings, he’s most passionate about helping others achieve their financial goals, an energy you can witness on the daily in his current role as a host and analyst at Stokastic. He’s a former Division I golfer at Iowa State, wishes he was a former Minnesota sports fan, and is a proud father to a 100-pound Bernese Mountain dog named Duke that wishes he could just eat people food instead of the crap he and his wife feed him on the daily.