Kristaps Porzingis ($8,900)
There’s no doubt that Kristaps Porzingis has taken a leap this year. With Carmelo Anthony gone, it was KP’s team to run and he not only rose to the challenge but exceeded expectations.
On the year Porzingis is averaging 27.3 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game. His usage rating has gone from 24.4 percent in the 2016-17 NBA season to 34.5 percent this season. That’s an incredible increase, and even crazier, with the increase in usage rating his field goal percentage has actually gone up.
What makes Porzingis such a great play for Friday is a combination of his matchup and his recent performance. The New York Knicks are playing the Atlanta Hawks, a team in the bottom five in defensive rating.
His matchup, Taurean Prince has a defensive rating of 108.0. On top of Atlanta’s poor defense, Prince is only 6’8″, giving Kristaps a whopping seven inches over him. And if it wasn’t bad enough already, the Hawks are the fourth-worst team in the league in rebound percentage, meaning KP should be able to pickup some boards this game as well.
Look for KP to continue shooting a high volume of shots, use his height advantage and rebound well.