Fantasy Basketball Recap After Six Weeks: Norman Powell, Jalen Green, LaMelo Ball and Naji Marshall

We are about 25 games into the NBA season, and a lot has transpired so far. Each of these games has given us valuable fantasy basketball insights for you owners.

Let’s hop straight into some of the biggest stories to start this year.

Big Leap

Los Angeles Clippers guard Norman Powell came into the offseason preaching that the Clippers got better with addition by subtraction after losing star forward Paul George. Many people questioned this statement, including myself, but Powell has started this season better than he has ever done in the past.

On a team full of defensive-minded players, Powell has been one of the Clippers most consistent offensive engines. Whether that be movement shooting, on-ball creation, or being a catch-and-shoot player, Powell has done it all at a high level this year.

On the season, he is averaging 23.9 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 2.4 assists on 50% shooting. Powell being as efficient as he has been has been one of the driving forces behind this Clippers team overachieving early in this season. If he continues playing at this level for the rest of the season, he easily will finish the year as one of the most productive fantasy players.

Sophomore Slump

Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green was rewarded with a mega extension for three years, 106 million, in the offseason. But so far, he has been the lone struggling player on the Rockets.

Though they have taken an obvious leap toward contention, they need Green to play a lot closer to the way he did to finish last year. To be honest, he just hasn't been an efficient scorer, and it has hurt them in a lot of ways, so much that he has ended a fair amount of games on the bench in favor of other players.

Green is averaging 19.6 points, shooting an abysmal 39.6% from the field and 32% from three. On top of that, Green is also averaging a career-high in turnovers, so to be blunt, he has been a negative towards the team so far. I still think he has all the tools to take the leap the Rockets paid him for.

But, that depends on if he can get back into the rhythm while also taking a different approach to his shot diet. We saw last season all the glimpses of a superstar; he just has to apply what worked for him last year. If he can get back to that, then he will be one of the best fanstay players and the Rockets will have a serious bid in contention come playoff time.

Taking Advantage of Opportunities

Dallas Mavericks forward Naji Marshall has been an excellent addition to their team. He has brought an element of toughness and grittiness that they desperately needed when they lost Derrick Jones Jr.

He essentially does all of the dirty work - offensive rebounds, loose balls, chasing superstars, etc. But the reason why I’m talking about him today is because of the way he stepped up and helped keep the Mavericks afloat while superstar Luka Doncic was sidelined with an injury. 

He had a four-game stretch where he had 20-plus points in all outings; he totaled 90 points in those games. Marshall’s ability to be the ultimate Swiss army knife for the team has been amazing; he also had huge games when forward P.J. Washington Jr. was sidelined. He has averaged 11.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.4 assists on the season in 24 minutes of action. As long as Marshall continues to play this way, he will not only be great for all fantasy owners, but also for the Mavericks.

Injury Bug

Charlotte Hornets superstar guard LaMelo Ball is sidelined yet again with another injury. It is not his fault, but it has almost been too common for the young guard. Not only are these injuries stunting his growth as a player, but it's also stunting the Hornets growth as a team.

They already were up and down to start the season, so it's difficult to ask them to win games without their best player. Hopefully, this can just be another bump in the road for Ball's journey towards greatness.

LaMelo was averaging 31.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 6.9 assists before being sidelined by this injury. This is a huge loss for many fantasy owners as well. He was easily a top-10 fantasy player, so it will be hard to find that production just lying around in the waivers. He will be evaluated next week, so hopefully, it will be good news for the Hornets and fantasy owners.