During the regular season there may not have been a more impressive and surprising performance than the Philadelphia 76ers sticking it to the Milwaukee Bucks on Christmas Day. Giannis Antetokounmpo appeared overmatched for the first time in over a season. Joel Embiid dominated with 31 points. I still, to this day, think this game is the sole reason why most people believe the Sixers can win it all. Upending the championship favorites in the national spotlight will do that to a team. I just wanted to remind everyone of that lovely basketball game while we have no lovely basketball to watch. Let’s head to the sim contest lobby ...
Captain’s Picks
Something I’ve suggested in the past is Khris Middleton ($14,100). His price will almost always be cheap relative to the player pool. This is especially true in simulated basketball contests since it’s a random roll of Middleton’s box scores this season. Middleton gives you leverage against Giannis ($19,200) and Embiid ($16,200), and is cheaper by a decent margin. In this new format, players like Middleton are the most appealing. Guys who are generally consistent but possess a handful of ceiling games ... 39 points, 41 points, 51 points, Middleton has done that this season. The chalky picks are Giannis and Embiid. The sharper play may be Middleton.
FLEX Options
This is where we decide if we want to go all studs or mix it up a bit. I think we have the depth in the player pool to go for some value and mid-range. Josh Richardson ($4,200) and has started most of the season for the Sixers. He has plenty of games that would exceed value at this price. The reason his price is low is he has a bunch of poor performances. That’s the risk we incur and I’m willing to it with J-Rich.
There’s a lot of super value and one guy sticks out ahead of the rest. Shake Milton ($1,000). Milton is like a built in lottery ticket for your lineup. He’s min-priced and has started in half of the games he’s played this season (16 of 32). So in 50% of the box scores we can get, it’s Milton starting in them. Earlier in the season, things were bleak. I still think rolling the dice on Milton is the smart play. You have the chance to return 25-30x value.