Brandon Scott here, the host of the daily Locked On Wizards podcast, with your daily Locked On Wizards newsletter. Each day we bring you the biggest stories about the Wizards and the NBA, including the hottest links to other stories you need to read. Plus, Josh Lloyd delivers daily fantasy notes to crush your league.
On to the city of angels, can the Wizards get back on track in La-La land?
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On to LA. Hollywood, The City of Angels, La-La land. It has many names and many teams. The young rebuilding Wizards (6-35) are in town to face the Lakers (22-18) and the Clippers in games three and four of a 6-game road trip. The Wizards have started the road trip 0-2 after losses in Golden State and Sacramento but there’s nothing like SoCal. Even though the Wizards are heavy underdogs, they have a chance if they revert to culture basketball. When I say culture, I mean the culture of playing hard, playing to win. There are three ways the Wizards can humble the Lakers. Let’s get into it.
Three keys to victory
#1 - Win the paint
The Wizards are a better rebounding team than the Lakers, 18th best that is. If they want to hang with the Lakers, it starts in the paint. While Sarr will have his hands full with AD, the matchup to look at is Jonas Valanciunas vs Jaxson Hayes. I look for JV’s savviness and toughness to shine vs Hayes.
#2 - Defense
Come on now, you already know what I’m going to say, this team’s defense is bad, I mean terrible. You can argue that defense is a frame of mind and the Wizards will have to be a well-balanced yet aggressive defense against the Lakers to have a chance. Getting back in transition and setting up. Making defensive switches and closing out shooters. Overall being aggressive . All should be priorities for the Wizards.
#3 - Outperform their bench unit
The Lakers have a balanced second unit, mixing shooting and defense when you combine Knecht and Finney-Smith. Jonas Valanciunas and Corey Kispert having big games is a must for the Wizards to win.
The tip-off is 10:30, so join me live following the game. See you guys there!
Jan 19, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) dunks against the Brooklyn Nets during the second half at Paycom Center. | Alonzo Adams/Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
Back with the second half of our midseason report specifically focusing on changes with a farther reaching affect than just this season. A midseason report adjusted for inflation, if you will. If you missed the first half, you can find it here.
Shifting hardware
If Shai Gilgeous-Alexander takes home the MVP trophy this season (as predicted in this newsletter back in mid-October), we’re in for a shift. While merit for the award comes down to performance, it also hinges on a slew of other factors, and some of those skew intangible.
The pool of MVP candidates, season-to-season, stays largely the same because athletes who are that good tend to stay good for stable stretches of time and because once someone has gained our attention, we don’t tend to shift it. We’re creatures of habit, and the people tasked with MVP voting are, too.
Thunder fans have been banging the SGA drum for seasons now, but it’s just this year that he’s finally managed to break through into the broader collective consciousness. We give a lot of weight to the concept of “readiness”, as in, when young athletes break through an invisible barrier and are able to handle some combination of the spotlight, leadership responsibilities, consistent high-level competition, and yes, award consideration.
The reality of readiness is that it’s mostly reached through repetition. Occasionally that’s accelerated through a trade — Henry Abbott at TrueHoop wrote a compelling case on how this could be true for Houston’s Jabari Smith Jr.
Household names get that way because we’ve said them so many times, not because some invisible cue or professional marker was met.
Katie Heindl is a credentialed NBA and WNBA writer, her bylines have appeared with The New York Times Magazine, SLAM, The Athletic, Yahoo Sports, Dime, Rolling Stone, among others. She writes the bestselling Substack, Basketball Feelings and is working on a book of the same name.
Home and Away
Rumor With recent developments, the possibility of the Wizards trading Jordan Poole to a contender has increased. Explore the potential scenarios in this trade rumor. (Wiz of Awes)
Preview The Wizards head west to take on the Lakers tonight at 10:30 PM ET. Read the preview.(NBA)
Analysis The Sixers and Suns’ struggles won’t end “Big Threes” in the NBA. (Forbes)
Watch Inside the NBA: On MLK Day, a look back at the movement to overcome. (ESPN)
NBA Tuesday Fantasy Basketball Preview: Streaming Options and Injury Updates
Jan 11, 2025; Portland, Oregon, USA; Miami Heat center Kel’el Ware (7) dunks the basketball during the second half against the Portland Trail Blazers at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images | Troy Wayrynen/Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images
As we look ahead to Tuesday’s NBA action, there are several key storylines and player situations to monitor. With five games on the schedule, fantasy managers have some interesting decisions to make regarding lineups and streaming options.
The Brooklyn Nets are dealing with multiple injury concerns. Ben Simmons is probable to return from illness, while D’Angelo Russell is questionable with hamstring tightness. This creates uncertainty around playing time and roles. Nic Claxton’s value is also in question due to inconsistent minutes and performance. For streaming purposes, Noah Clowney could be worth a look if Simmons sits.
One of the biggest spots to watch is what Miami does with rookie big man Kel’el Ware. Ware started the second half last game, next to Bam Adebayo, and is a guy to grab in case he begins a run of being a starter.
In Orlando, the Magic will be without Franz Wagner, Jalen Suggs, and Goga Bitadze. This opens up opportunities for Wendell Carter Jr. and Cole Anthony to see increased usage. Both are solid streaming options in most formats for Tuesday’s matchup against Toronto.
Other Topics in Today’s Locked On Fantasy Basketball Podcast:
• Schedule analysis for the upcoming week
• Five-game and two-game team outlooks
• Deeper league streaming targets
3peat (ICYMI)
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