Lineup notes on a few role players and former first round picks.

  • Cleveland Cavaliers small forward Cedi Osman and Minnesota Timberwolves center Naz Reid have brought a productive spark off the bench in 2021-22. Osman is averaging 11.6 PPG on 43.0% from three point range while Reid puts up 8.7 PPG/3.5 RPG/1.0 BPG. Both have helped their clubs become top 8 seeds in the East & West early on.
  • Phoenix Suns center JaVale McGee & Golden State Warriors small forward Otto Porter are also playing efficient basketball off the bench for their winning teams. McGee averages 10.1 PPG/7.0 RPG/67.4% FG in just 16.0 MPG, providing bench big man minutes that the Suns can count on. As for Porter, he’s currently shooting 43.4% from deep with the much improved Golden State Warriors, bringing his knockdown jumper (career 40.3% 3-PT shooter) to the 6x champs.
  • Former 2019 top 20 picks Jaxson Hayes (#8 pick) & Goga Bitadze (#18 pick) are seeing career lows in minutes this season. Hayes is averaging 12.2 MPG for the New Orleans Pelicans and Bitadze plays 8.6 MPG for the Indiana Pacers. The two certainly bring NBA skills, but if you’re not an all around player in today’s game, it gets hard to stick around.