Sean Barnard makes his DraftKings Pick6 selections for the October 23rd slate of NBA games.
The long months without NBA basketball are officially over, and the 2024-25 NBA season has arrived. While the season kicked off with a two-game slate last night, the NBA returns with a full 10-game slate of action tonight.
This provides many options for what to watch and plenty of ways to get involved in the action. One of the more unique features on DraftKings this year is Pick6 Fantasy Basketball!
This article will look at my top Pick6 plays for Oct. 23 as we simply choose if a player will record more or less of the set statistic. Here are my six favorite plays for the true opening night of action.
Brook Lopez has produced one of the most impressive evolutions of any player in NBA history. After attempting just 31 total three-point attempts through the first eight seasons of his career, Lopez has launched 281 or more three-point attempts in every season he has been fully healthy since the 2016-17 season. He has attempted at least four three-point attempts per game in each of these seasons and connected at a 34.9% rate in his career.
The 36-year-old has managed to keep up with the evolution of modern basketball and found an important niche for himself. He is also an ideal pairing with Giannis Antetokounmpo due to his ability to reliably knock down three-pointers and keep the paint open while still being the primary paint protector on defense.
The Milwaukee Bucks are set to face off with the Philadelphia 76ers tonight to start the 2024-25 season. Philadelphia has traditionally struggled against stretch big men and Lopez has had success in these matchups. While Joel Embiid will not be playing, expect Andre Drummond to share some similar struggles as he is more comfortable as a rim protector.
The last time Lopez played the Sixers he knocked down five three-pointers in the matchup. Since joining the Bucks, he has hit two or more long-range shots in 11 of the 17 games he has played against the Sixers. Lopez also has two or more three-pointers in 40 games last year, finishing with an average of 1.9 three-pointers made per game last season. Expect Giannis’ ability to attack the paint to force the Sixers’ defense into some difficult spots and for Lopez to be one of the biggest beneficiaries. Count on him to get at least five three-point attempts in the game and to make more than 1.5 of these opportunities.
The excitement to see Paul George in a Sixers uniform will have to wait as both the prized free agent addition and franchise centerpiece Joel Embiid are set to miss opening night. Enter Tyrese Maxey, who makes up the third part of the Sixers’ big three, and still has plenty of youth in his legs.
The 23-year-old has taken massive strides forward in his development each season thus far. He finished last year with averages of 25.9 points and 6.2 assists per game, paving the way to his first All-Star appearance. Don’t expect the developmental arc to be slowing down just yet and for Maxey to take another leap forward as he enters his fifth NBA season.
Without the two stars suiting up, Maxey will be the focal point of the Sixers’ offense. He saw his usage rate grow to 31.7% last season in games without Embiid, which would have been tied for seventh in the NBA if that were to stand throughout the season. Maxey averaged 26.6 points per game in his last 10 starts without Embiid. He also averaged 28.3 points per game in the three matchups with the Bucks last year, with him scoring 30+ points in two of these matchups. He is coming off a playoff series against the Knicks in which Maxey averaged 29.8 points per game against the Knicks and he is still trending upwards.
While the Sixers will not reach their peak until the two older stars get healthy and return to the floor, expect Maxey to showcase how he is capable of keeping things afloat. The Kentucky product is a dangerous combination of speed and three-point shooting while being one of the best finishers around the rim in the NBA. Count on a big performance from the rising star against his former head coach and for Maxey to record more than 28.5 points in his 2024-25 debut.
The Houston Rockets are a young, exciting team looking to take a leap forward this year. They are loaded with talent and coming off a 41-41 record last season. Houston also made its commitment to former No. 2 pick Jalen Green by handing him a three-year, $105 million extension shortly before Monday’s deadline.
While there are plenty of reasons to be excited about Green moving forward, expect him to struggle a bit to start the season. The Rockets have an overwhelming amount of young talent and still have to fully identify their pecking order. While Green is expected to be at the forefront of this, this is not as much of a sure thing as it should be. Green took a step back in scoring production last season, producing 19.6 points per game after averaging 22.1 during the 2022-23 season.
Reed Sheppard should be looked at as the biggest threat for taking up Green’s shots and ball-dominant nature. The reigning third-overall pick has looked impressive in summer league and preseason and it is to be determined how large his role will be.
Expect Green to remain relevant to the offense and have his opportunities to get points, but the 20.5-point total is too high for opening night. As the Rockets face off with the Charlotte Hornets, expect Green to get lost in the shuffle a bit too much as the Rockets attempt to figure out who they are as a team.
When it comes to filling up a stat sheet, a few players are in a class of their own. Luka Doncic led this category last season with a combined 51.35 points, rebounds and assists per game with Giannis Antetokounmpo following right behind him with an average of 48.48 per game. Both Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid are also in this upper echelon of conversation, but the tier is cut off there.
Heading into this season, expect a similar output for Giannis. The two-time MVP averaged 30.4 points, 11.5 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game last season. Without Embiid and Paul George out there, Giannis is set to be the best player on the floor by a comfortable margin. Philadelphia does not have a player capable of matching his size and physicality, with its best option possibly being Olympic standout Guerschon Yabusele.
Expect Giannis to be active in attacking the basket and for the stat sheet to be filled up rather quickly. The Bucks standout can be effective in a variety of ways and should especially be counted to have an effective rebounding game. The Sixers were the 11th-worst rebounding team last season and though Andre Drummond will help, he may be the only true plus rebounder on the team.
Expect the Bucks’ superstar to produce to his usual level and for Antetokounmpo to have no problem recording more than 47.5 points, assists and rebounds in tonight’s matchup.
Expectations for the Miami Heat are less clear than is usually the case. However, Bam Adebayo is at the center of their plans. Adebayo is coming off a season in which he averaged 19.3 points, 10.4 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game while ranking third in Defensive Player of the Year voting. He also had a successful summer, which involved playing with Team USA and showcasing a three-point shot that is expected to show up in the Miami offense this season.
Adebayo is capable of impacting the game in a variety of ways and has grown into one of the better stat stuffers across the NBA. The 30.5 total is too low for his combined production, so expect this number to shoot up moving forward. Adebayo recorded more than this number in 47 of the 71 games he played in last season and averaged 33.4 combined points, rebounds and assists last season.
Expect Miami to continue putting more on Adebayo’s plate offensively and for him to have no problem clearing this number in the opening matchup of the 2024-25 season. The three-time All-Star will have his opportunity to showcase his three-point shot and could also become more of an active playmaker in the offense. It was a relatively quiet offseason for the Heat, who will be hoping to take the next step with the same core. Expect Adebayo to be at the center of this and for him to record more than 30.5 combined points, assists and rebounds against the Orlando Magic.
It feels like the NBA community has forgotten about LaMelo Ball a bit more than should be the case. While injuries have prevented him from fully finding his stride, Ball has been productive when he has been on the court. He has been limited to just 58 games across the past two seasons but has averaged 23.5 points and 8.3 assists during this time.
As he enters his fifth NBA season, Ball still has plenty to prove. The Hornets are tentatively constructed for him to be the face of the franchise, but he must prove he can be more consistently available for this to be the case. Heading into the season, Ball has a clean bill of health and will be looking to be the best version of himself.
While the flashy stepbacks and finishes around the rim may take the spotlight, there is an argument to be made that Ball is most effective as a passer. Expect him to showcase both skills in this matchup and record more than 31.5 combined points and assists. Charlotte has done a nice job of building up the talent around Ball in his absence and there should be an increased number of options for him to pass to and grow his assist total. Don’t be surprised if he ends up among the league leaders for assists at the season’s conclusion, but roll with the combined points and assists total for the opening night matchup.
Pick6 is a peer-to-peer fantasy variant where you build a lineup (your “Pick Set”) of at least two players and select whether 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 cannot pick the same player twice and you must select 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.
Play at DraftKings Pick6 or by downloading the DraftKings Pick6 app on Apple or Google!
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is seanbarnard) 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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