Bryan Armetta makes his DraftKings NBA Pick6 selections before Saturday night’s games.
The NBA is back, as 20 different teams take the floor tonight. With so many games to choose from, there’s plenty of ways to get in on the action with DraftKings Sportsbook, including DraftKings NBA Pick6 selections ahead of Saturday’s matchups.
Once again, the juggernaut Celtics are tasked with an incredibly beatable opponent in the Detroit Pistons. Normally, asking a player like Jrue Holiday to clear 12 points wouldn’t sound like much, but there’s real blowout potential in this one. The veteran only played 23 minutes during Thursday’s 122-102 win over the Wizards, so it’s clear head coach Joe Mazzulla has no issue resting his guys early.
The thing is, this is the NBA. No team, even a historically good one like Boston, is guaranteed easy wins the entire season. Banking on a lopsided score is risky, and I’d like to think the Celtics will let Jrue come closer to 30 minutes tonight. As we saw during Tuesday’s 18-point performance against the Knicks, the two-time champion might not even need three quarters to clear this total.
Jordan Poole was one of the lone bright spots for the Wizards during Thursday’s loss to the Celtics. The much-maligned guard was everything he wasn’t last season: efficient, explosive, and in control of the offense. Over 32 minutes, he put up 26 points on nine of seventeen shooting, including knocking down six of his eleven three-point attempts.
However, one thing the former Warrior has never been is a pass-first player. Poole has averaged just 3.6 assists per game over the course of his career. Against a Cavaliers team that gave up the sixth-fewest dimes to opponents last season, it’s hard to think that will suddenly change. I’ll glady fade Poole’s ability to share the basketball on Saturday.
Jeremy Sochan is one of the association’s toughest players to pin down. Despite immense physical tools and even some ball-handling skills, the 6’8 forward has been incredibly inconsistent since entering the NBA in 2022. Thursday’s game against the Mavericks was a step in the right direction, as Sochan put up 18 points on six of eleven shooting.
While there’s definitely long-term potential for the former Baylor Bear, it’s hard to imagine he’ll continue to be an efficient scorer. Over the course of Sochan’s brief career, he’s shooting a subpar 44.5% from the field and 28.7% from three-point range. There’s always the chance a young player has improved dramatically over the summer, but I’m willing to back precedent at this early point in the season.
When the Spurs signed Chris Paul to a one-year, $10 million dollar contract this offseason, it was clear that the team wanted a veteran point guard to distribute the ball. After one game, that’s what they got (and not much else). The future Hall of Famer only scored three points over 29 minutes in Dallas on Thursday, but he was able to dish out eight assists and pull down seven rebounds.
The poor shooting wasn’t ideal, but San Antonio needs Paul in the starting lineup if they want to evolve into a decent NBA offense. No Spurs starter played more than 30 minutes against the Mavs, as the game was essentially over by the start of the fourth quarter. A closer game at home against the Rockets should be on tap, in which case we should expect to see plenty of Paul on the floor. As long as he gets a decent workload, I’m backing the Point God to give his teammates some open looks.
Jalen Williams made a name for himself last season, averaging 19.1 points, 4.5 assists, and 4.0 rebounds per game. While a 12-point showing against the Nuggets wasn’t an ideal first game, there’s no doubt that J-Dub is one of the NBA’s brightest young stars. He should have a much easier time putting up numbers on Saturday when the Thunder travel to Chicago.
The Bulls, playing in the second leg of a back to back, aren’t known for their stifling defense. Last year, they gave up 122.5 points per game, third-worst in the NBA. Although the team employs solid perimeter defenders in Josh Giddey and Lonzo Ball, they’ve already allowed more than 120 points in both of their games this season. With the defense honing in on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams should be able to pick his spots in this advantageous matchup.
Sometimes, we can dumb down our picks a bit. While steals are one of the more random statistics in basketball, they do have a direct correlation to minutes played. If you’re logging close to 30 minutes a night, it’s reasonable to expect close to one forced turnover per game.
Former St. John’s star Julian Champagnie showed some flashes last season, earning close to 20 minutes a night in the Spurs’ rotation. Entering his third year in the league, the young forward could be poised for an even bigger role. During Thursday’s game vs. the Mavs, he recorded 18 points, seven rebounds, two blocks and a steal in 27 minutes of play. There’s no reason to think the workload is a fluke, considering San Antonio’s need for scoring off the bench. As long as Champagnie is playing more than half the game, he’ll be able to pick up a steal or two on Saturday.
Pick6 is a peer-to-peer fantasy variant where you build a lineup (your “Pick Set”) of 2+ players and select whether or not you believe each will outperform their listed stat projection. Enter your Pick Set in Pick6 contests to compete against other users. Get enough picks correct and win a share of cash prizes.
Create a Pick Set by choosing 2+ players from the same sport and Pick Group (a set of picks available from a group of set competitions). For each player, simply select if you think they’ll have more or less than their listed stat projection. In each Pick Set, you can not pick the same player twice and you must pick players from at least two different teams.
Once you finalize your Pick Set, choose your entry fee amount. Your entries will be automatically distributed into available contests, subject to your confirmation.
When the games go live, use the My Picks tab to follow your picks in real time to track how your players are performing against their projections and how they stack up against other users.
Make enough correct picks and win a share of the contests’ guaranteed prizes. Any prizes won will be credited to your DraftKings account after contests are finalized.
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is barmy) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
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