FanDuel NBA Daily Picks: Fantasy Basketball Lineup For December 4
Chris Paul has plenty of reasons to smile, as he has guided the Clippers to a 16-5 start and is among the most consistent FanDuel NBA performers this year.
Well before the final buzzer sounded for the Clippers’ first victory in Cleveland since 2002, Chris Paul was relishing the moment.
After posting 16 points, nine assists, six rebounds a steal and no turnovers in 25 minutes, the nine-time All-Star happily posed for selfies with fans while watching the game along the sidelines.
The following night, Paul was even more efficient, totaling 17 points on just 11 shots, to go along with 13 assists, eight rebounds and a steal.
In 21 games, more than a quarter of the entire regular season, Paul has yet to finish a game without a steal and is on pace to lead the NBA in the category for the seventh time in his career. Paul is posting 2.6 steals per game and his total of 55 is 12 more than anyone else in the league.
If Paul manages 95 more steals, he will join John Stockton and Mookie Blaylock as the only players ever to record 150 or more steals 10 times in their career.
Along the way, Paul could surpass Kevin Garnett, Isiah Thomas, Kobe Bryant and Derek Harper to move into 13th place on the all-time steals list. Paul is 152 steals away from becoming just the 11th player ever to post 2,000 career steals.
When he isn’t shutting down the opposition, Paul is busy generating points, either creating scoring chances for teammates or knocking down crucial shots himself from all over the court.
The @LAClippers bench erupts as Chris Paul ties up the game with seconds remaining in the 4Q! #ItTakesEverything pic.twitter.com/7ECEQrV2Fa
— NBA (@NBA) November 30, 2016
The Clippers are scoring 20.9 points per game off Paul’s passes, the fifth most in the NBA and entrusting him to handle the ball for more than seven minutes a game. Perhaps even more importantly for FanDuel NBA rosters, Paul is nearly flawless when the ball is in his control. The 4.04 assist-to-turnover ratio he is posting is the third highest in the NBA.
Paul is no stranger to lofty assist totals and marginal turnovers, as he is the only player in league history to ever dish out 900 assists and fewer than 220 turnovers in the same season.
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In the past two games, Paul has totaled 22 assists and two turnovers. His zero turnover performance against the Cavaliers was his fourth of the season, a year ago Paul finished with no turnovers on just five occasions in 74 appearances.
Paul is averaging 9.0 assists per game, the fifth most in the NBA. Draymond Green is the only other player ranked in the top-12 in assists per game with an assist-to-turnover ratio above 3.0.
In any format, especially FanDuel NBA tournaments, Paul is a top-5 player, posting 30 or more fantasy points in 20 of 21 appearances, with his season low standing at 28.4.
Even with his exceptional output, three players are commanding a higher salary than Paul in FanDuel NBA play Sunday, making him an exceptional value.