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The 2020-21 NBA season is upon us and we’ll kick off the year with a two-game slate on Tuesday. The Golden State Warriors will kick things off against the Brooklyn Nets at 7:00 p.m. ET and the Los Angeles Lakers will tip-off against the Los Angeles Clippers at 10:00 p.m. ET.
There’s tons of star power in both of these games but we’ve identified some key bench players that could return significant value in DFS contests on DraftKings centered around the main slate. Here are some options you should consider.
Luke Kennard, SG/SF, Los Angeles Clippers, $3,600
Kennard is grossly underpriced in this slate. The former Detroit Piston averaged 28.1 DKFP last season. He could act as the Clippers’ top playmaker off the bench and averaged 15.8 points while nearly shooting 40 percent from deep last season. Kennard can do just as much as Lou Williams ($5,400) for cheap. It’s unlikely that we’ll see him this cheap again anytime soon.
Montrezl Harrell, PF/C, Los Angeles Lakers, $5,300
Marc Gasol isn't capable of playing a boatload of minutes at 35 and split time down the middle with Serge Ibaka in Toronto last year. The reigning Sixth Man of the Year averaged career-highs in points and rebounds per game off the bench and will likely relieve Gasol early while pairing with Anthony Davis in the frontcourt.
Caris LeVert, SG/SF, Brooklyn Nets, $6,500
LeVert is pricier than three of the Nets’ starters for a reason. While he’s coming off the pine now that Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant are healthy he’ll likely be the second unit’s top distributor and scorer. We saw what he was able to do running the show in the bubble when he averaged 23.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 7.8 assists per game. He can stuff the stat sheet and will likely have a starter’s workload.
Jarrett Allen, C, Brooklyn Nets, $6,200
Allen nearly averaged a double-double last season and was a true glass eater in the playoffs but has found himself taking a backseat to DeAndre Jordan. While the two bigs have similar numbers expect Allen to get more time. Jordan only started six games last season and I wouldn’t be surprised if Allen took his starting spot back soon as the younger player with more upside.