Down goes Frazier! The OKC Juggernaughts lost for only the second time this season, falling to the San Antonio Wembanyamas in the semifinals of the Emirates NBA Cup. Then the New York Knicks took the crown and hoisted the trophy after dispatching the feisty Spurs in the finals. But the Knicks are too good to have a banner for the NBA Cup chip. I texted my buddy in NYC, asking when the parade was. He responded with, “In June.” HA! I respect the sentiment, but a franchise or its fan base shouldn’t get so high and mighty when the last chip was in 1973! Anyways, here’s what caught my eye over the past week.
What’s wrong with KD?
Kevin Durant was productive the moment he donned an NBA uniform. During his rookie season with Seattle, he averaged 34.5 minutes, 20.3 points, 0.7 treys, 4.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.9 blocks while shooting 43% from the field. He finished as the 84th player in per-game basis fantasy value. Then he rattled off 14 straight seasons inside the top 10, with five of those at No. 1, stuffing the stat sheet while shooting at least 50% from the field in 10 of those seasons.
For the 2023-24 camp, KD “slipped,” finishing as the 12th player. Last season, he was 11th. Through 21 games this season, he’s 30th.
Durant is still providing excellent percentages, converting 50% of his field goal attempts and 89% from the free throw line. But most of the counting stats are down. The 24.8 points are the fewest since his rookie season. The 4.0 assists are the fewest since the 2011-12 season.
But the biggest decrease has been the rebounds. For most of his career, Durant has been in the 6.3 to 8.3 range. He’s pulling down only 4.6 boards this season, the fewest since he was a rookie. The issue: Alperen Sengun is averaging 9.4 rebounds; Steven Adams has been gobbling up 8.6 per game, 4.5 on the offensive end; Amen Thompson is at 7.3 rebounds per game; and Jabari Smith is racking up 6.7.
Finally, the usage rate for Durant is 25.3% this season. This is the first time below 27% in his career.
The Rockets play at the third-slowest pace and Durant’s been asked to play a slightly different role this season. Houston is 16-7, boasting the third-best offensive rating and second-best net rating, so whatever Ime Udoka’s cooking is working. I don’t think Durant gets anywhere close to top 15 levels for fantasy this season.
Changes in Utah
The starting lineup for the Utah Jazz on opening night consisted of Keyonte George, Svi Mykhailiuk, Lauri Markkanen, Kyle Filipowski and Walker Kessler. On December 12, the starting lineup was George, Ace Bailey, Markkanen, Jusuf Nurkic and Brice Sensabaugh.
Kessler has been out since October 31 due to a shoulder injury. Nurkic has started every game he’s played in since then. He’ll likely continue to start, but there’s a good chance he gets traded at some point. Sure, Utah is currently sitting in 10th place in the Western Conference, but Nurkic is being paid $19.3 million this season and will be an unrestricted free agent next season at 32 years old. Kevin Love is also on an expiring contract, but I doubt he drums up much interest. It’s unlikely Nurkic is with the Jazz past the trade deadline, which would elevate Kyle Filipowski into a more prominent role.
Ace Bailey was the No. 5 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. He was in the rotation from the outset, but entered the starting lineup 16 games ago and has averaged 12.4 points, 3.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.0 steals, 0.6 blocks and 2.0 treys while shooting 47% from the field, 38% from downtown, but only 66% from the line. The sky is the limit for the 19-year-old.
Not much needs to be said about George, who’s broken out in his third season, averaging 33.7 minutes, 23.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 6.8 assists and 2.3 treys while shooting 45% from the field, 35% from downtown and 90% from the line. The usage rate is 27.8% on the season and he’s a top 50 player on a per-game basis.
The big question mark for Utah revolves around Markkanen. The Jazz extended Markkanen back in 2024 for five years and $238 million. He’s in the prime of his career at 28 years old, making him a prime trade target. I just have doubts that a team will meet the asking price of Danny Ainge.
Mykailiuk started the first 24 games of the season, averaging 25.9 minutes per contest. He played 80% at shooting guard and the rest at small forward. On Monday, he was a DNP. Brice Sensabaugh got the start and played 22 minutes in an overtime game. Isaiah Collier received 31 minutes, Cody Williams played 22 minutes, Walter Clayton got 14 minutes and Taylor Hendricks received 19 minutes. Sensabaugh is shooting 34% from downtown this season, but he was at 42% last season. Williams is only shooting 13% from beyond the arc, so I think Sensabaugh is ahead of Williams. Collier and Clayton primarily play point guard, but George slides down to shooting guard 38% of the time.
I’m keeping an eye on Sensabaugh if he gets more playing time, especially if I need points and treys, because he’s a professional getter of buckets.
Brice Sensabaugh has put together some nice stretches at the beginning of this season
Through 22 Games
8.6 PPG
2.5 RPG
1.1 APG
40.8 FG%
33.7 3P%
0.7 SPGIt hasn’t quite been the breakout season it seemed like it could be at the end of last year, but Brice has improved pic.twitter.com/adts8Oi1zS
— Jazz Lead (@JazzLead) December 10, 2025
Newell kid on the block
Many of you know that the Montverde Academy boy’s basketball team in 2023-24 consisted of Cooper Flagg and Derik Queen, but Liam McNeeley and Asa Newell were also members of that squad. Damn!
Newell wasn’t a ballyhooed prospect like Flagg or Queen, but he still was selected by Atlanta with the No. 23 overall pick in the 2025 draft. Newell is 6-foot-10 and 220 pounds, with a whopping 7-foot-6 wingspan and 36.5 inch max vertical leap.
Newell played sparingly the first two months of the season, often playing fewer than 10 minutes, with multiple DNPs racked up. He did get over 20 minutes of run in two games, though, averaging 14.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 2.5 treys in those contests. In December, with Kristaps Porzingis out due to injury, Newell appeared in four games and averaged 15.5 minutes, 10.3 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.3 treys. He produced marks of just 0.3 steals and 0.3 blocks over that span, but Newell has shown the ability to get steals and blocks due to his length and athleticism.
The below clip shows everything: offense, defense and special teams.
Asa Newell 10 Points, 3 Rebs, 4/5 FG full highlight vs Pistons I 25-26 NBA Season pic.twitter.com/LX1i8yKdbh
— Hoops Showtime (@HoopsShowtime12) December 13, 2025
Oh, did I forget to mention that Newell is 13-of-25 (52%) from downtown?
I am very intrigued with Newell. He may never get 20 minutes a game and could be relegated to DNPville when Porzingis returns, but life always seems to find a way.
Random Thoughts
Victor Wembanyama returned from a 12-game absence and played an average of 23 minutes in his first two games back. It’s going to take some time before he gets ramped up to the 38 minutes he was playing before he succumbed to injury. That said, in two games, Wembanyama has garnered usage rates of 31.7% and 38.6%. Stay healthy, my alien!
I have really enjoyed watching Jamir Watkins play. Is it because he has a similar build and hairstyle as Stephon Castle? Maaaaaybe. Watkins is 6-foot-6, 215 pounds, with a 6-foot-11 wingspan and 37.5 inch max vertical. A 2025 second-round pick, Watkins played his college ball at VCU and Florida State. Just a 32% shooter from downtown in college, he’s hitting at a 44% clip from beyond the arc in the NBA, albeit on low volume. It’s his energy, hustle and explosiveness that make me smile — during Sunday’s game, Watkins attempted to take a charge in the fourth quarter with the Wizards up by double-digit points.
Wizards rookie Jamir Watkins 15 PTS (6-7 FG, 3-4 3P, 107% TS), 8 REB, 1 AST, 2 BLK vs. Cavs https://t.co/yMIcfKuGjb pic.twitter.com/N5MygPZQO2
— Role Player Performances (@BenchHighlights) December 13, 2025
Watkins’ playing time has come as the result of injuries, so he could disappear like the morning mist, but he’s definitely someone I’m keeping an eye on.
Spencer Jones went undrafted in the 2024 draft, but he’s started the past 10 games for the 19-6 Denver Nuggets, averaging 25.7 minutes, 8.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.6 steals, 0.5 blocks and 1.3 treys while shooting 56% from the field and 44% from downtown. He’s 6-foot-7, 225 pounds and played his college ball at Stanford. Jones possesses a 6-foot-11 wingspan and has some bounce. He drains the open jumper and can attack closeouts with ferocity, but his calling card is defense, as he can switch on the perimeter and cause havoc. He was even giving Stephen Curry fits at times. He’s a low-usage player, so the points will never be robust, but playing alongside Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray provides plenty of cheapies. What he can furnish are defensive stats. When the Nuggets get healthy, Jones will return to a reserve role, but the Nuggets are very banged up on the wings right now.
Jamal Shead is only 6-foot-1, but he’s a rugged 200 pounds. He’s only shooting 36% from the field and 33% from downtown, but he’s dished out 5.4 dimes in 20 minutes a game. On Monday, he dished out 10 dimes in only 23 minutes. Last week, he received his first start and played 34 minutes, contributing 18 points, three rebounds, eight assists, a steal and four treys. He’s another one to keep an eye on, especially if assists are a need.
Zach Edey was playing so well, but he’s again out for multiple weeks. That makes me sad. In the first two games Edey was out, Jock Landale played 27 minutes a night while Santi Aldama started, averaging 33.5 minutes. Aldama went for 22 points in one game but followed that up with three points. Landale contributed eight points in each with a total of 13 rebounds. On Wednesday, Landale played 30 minutes off the bench, producing 20 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, two steals, a block and four treys. Aldama went for eight points, 11 rebounds and three assists in 34 minutes.
Over the past seven games, Danny Wolf averaged 24.6 minutes, 12.7 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 2.1 treys and 2.1 turnovers. I highlight the turnovers because he was at 3.2 in college due to both his ambition and recklessness. He’s toned it down in the pros while still showing off the playmaking. Wolf won’t provide much in the defensive categories, but at 6-foot-11 and 250 pounds, he can abuse smaller defenders in the post while spacing the floor against bigs. Wolf is currently shooting 40% from beyond the arc. At his size, Wolf is fairly agile and showcases some nifty spin moves in the paint, but he won’t ever be invited to the dunk contest.
Tidjane Salaun returned from a 13-game absence and has played six games since. He scored double-digit points in the first three games back, with a high of 21 points. But he’s cooled off in the most recent contests, averaging only 5.3 points. That said, Charlotte head coach Charles Lee has been praising Salaun for his work ethic, defense and developing awareness. But I really wanted to write about Salaun, because every time I watch him play, it looks like an invisible hand is playing with a Salaun action figure — he is so stiff!
Cam Spencer can’t stop, won’t stop and will not stop producing fantasy goodies … even with Ja Morant back in the lineup. In the past two games with Morant starting, Spencer averaged 27.5 minutes, 23.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 6.5 treys. It’s funny that we thought the Grizzlies were super deep at guard because of Scotty Pippen and Ty Jerome.
Speaking of Morant, he missed Wednesday’s game due to an ankle injury and was seen with crutches. Spencer also missed that contest, but that was due to personal reasons. Vince Williams did not get the nod. Instead, Brandon Clarke made his season debut and got 17 minutes in a starting capacity.
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