Sorare NBA | Game Week 23 Primer

Welcome to the Sorare NBA Game Week 23 Primer — happy Friday, managers! 

The next round of action kicks off today, and we're here to break down all the relevant information for the upcoming slate. Lineups lock at 6:50 p.m. EST — with the upcoming contests running Friday-Sunday. 

If you haven't already, hop in our Lucky Trader League and compete against our staff and community!

A couple of new age-related game formats are being introduced this week, with a Common Veterans (lineup must feature all players over 30 years old) and Limited Under 23 (lineup must feature all players under 23 years old).

P.S. — If you'd like to receive the Sorare NBA Primer in your inbox, we'll be getting a newsletter version rolling soon! Subscribe below: 

Let's get into all the action for this weekend of hoops: 

Game Week Rewind ⏮

Donovan Mitchell has done it. Points 70 & 71 in a historic performance. pic.twitter.com/FLuxoFOX5O

— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) January 3, 2023

Donovan Mitchell, welcome to the history books. 

Spida broke the slate (against my Bulls) on Monday, pouring in 71 points, 8 rebounds, and 11 assists in a majestic performance. His 100 Sorare Points (before any XP/boosts) were 25 above the next-highest player, and anyone who had him in lineups this week has to be riding high. 

Some other notable players that provided significant value included:

• Klay Thompson (75 Sorare Points, +39) 
• Dennis Schroder (54 Sorare Points, +36)
• Brook Lopez (61 Sorare Points, + 34) 
• Tre Mann (47 Sorare Points, +33)
• Montrezl Harrell (40 Sorare Points, +31)

There has been something in the water in the NBA over the last few months, with some absolutely eye-popping stat lines seemingly every night. In addition to Mitchell's 71 and Klay Thompson's 54, we've also seen a pretty wild 5-game stretch from Giannis Antetokounmpo — who became the first player since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to drop 200+ PTS, 80+ REB, and 30+ AST over a 5-game span.

Multi-Game Monitor 🗓

In Sorare NBA, having a player with several games during a competition can be a big advantage — with an extra chance at a ceiling performance.

2 Games: Atlanta Hawks, Brooklyn Nets, Charlotte Hornets, Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Dallas Mavericks, Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, Minnesota Timberwolves, New Orleans Pelicans, Oklahoma City Thunder, Philadelphia 76ers, Phoenix Suns, Portland Trail Blazers, San Antonio Spurs, Toronto Raptors, Utah Jazz

Injury Info 🏥

Here are some notable (not all-inclusive) injury/lineup situations to monitor and plan for ahead of this week's games.

• Zion Williamson will miss at least the next three weeks with a hamstring strain. With Brandon Ingram yet to return from his toe injury, CJ McCollum once again vaults into a heavy usage situation — and Naji Marshall should continue to see elevated minutes as long as the Pelicans stars remain out. 
  
  
• Andrew Wiggins is expected to make his return to action for the Warriors on Saturday after missing 15 straight games due to a groin injury and illness. Stephen Curry (shoulder) is targeting next Friday, Jan. 13 for his return. 
  
  
• Bradley Beal re-aggravated his hamstring injury on Wednesday, and will reportedly miss at least the next three games.

The info below is for Friday, Jan. 6 but also gives insight into future availability for the rest of the Game Week:

Ruled Out  ❌

• Austin Reaves, LAL (hamstring), Lonnie Walker, LAL (knee), Clint Capela, ATL (calf), Donovan Mitchell, CLE (rest), Cam Payne, PHO (foot), Jaylin Williams, OKC (ankle), RJ Barrett, NYK (finger), Brandon Ingram, NOP (toe), Khris Middleton, MIL (knee), Joel Embiid, PHI (foot), Bradley Beal, WAS (hamstring), Bol Bol, ORL (health protocol)

Doubtful 🤕

• Gordon Hayward, CHA (hamstring), Nicholas Batum, LAC (ankle)

Questionable ❓

• Willy Hernangomez, NOP (ankle), Damian Jones, LAL (toe), Troy Brown Jr., LAL (quad), Darius Garland, CLE (thumb), Caleb Martin, CHA (quad), Taj Gibson, WAS (groin), Josh Richardson, SAS (quad), Bryn Forbes, MIN (shoulder), Naz Reid, MIN (back), Larry Nance Jr., NOP (shoulder), TJ Warren, BKN (ribs), Gary Payton II, POR (ankle), Jerami Grant, POR (quad), Alex Caruso, CHI (ankle)

The designations above are as of Monday at 1:00 p.m. EST. As injury information is breaking at all hours prior to lineups locking, an excellent resource for up-to-date news is the Underdog NBA Twitter account.

Value Plays 🤑

Last Game Week's Value Pick Performances:

Player | L10 | GW 21 Performance 

• Thomas Bryant, 24 L10, 41 Sorare Points (+17) 🔥
• Jordan Poole, 28, 39 Sorare Points (+11) 🔥
• Draymond Green, 22 L10, 50 Sorare Points (+28) 🔥🔥
• Cory Joseph, 9 L10, 9 Sorare Points (0)  ❌

Game Week 22 Value Picks:

*Note — these selections are based purely on L10 value in lineups — and do not consider the auction or market prices of the players listed.

Dennis Schroder | 20 L10 — Dennis the Menace has been seeing all the minutes he can handle of late, and is coming off a massive 54 Sorare Point performance on Wednesday (albeit without LeBron James in the lineup). With both Lonnie Walker IV and Austin Reeves already ruled out for Friday's contest, Schroeder should continue to be a large part of the offense — and his projected usage and minutes allocation at a 20 L10 cap is hard to find. 

Also Consider: Thomas Bryant, 27 L10, Kendrick Nunn (7 L10), Max Christie (7 L10, dart throw if Troy Brown Jr. sits) 

Montrezl Harrell | 11 L10  — While many anticipated that backup center Paul Reed would slide into heavy minutes with Joel Embiid (foot) out on Wednesday, it was veteran Montrezl Harrell who stepped into a major role — putting up 28 Sorare Points in 27 minutes of action. Embiid has already been ruled out for Friday's matchup against the Bulls, meaning we could see at least one more high-volume game for Harrell in the short term. And the 76ers backup bigs are also nice holds in general, given Embiid's lengthy injury history. 

Also Consider: James Harden (49 L10, ceiling performance possible with Embiid out), Tobias Harris (31 L10, expanded role) 

Killian Hayes | 25 L10 — Hayes returned from his three-game suspension on Wednesday, going for 35 Sorare Points and immediately slotting back into a prominent facilitating role in the Detroit offense. With Cade Cunningham out for the season with a shin injury, Hayes should continue to pair with Jaden Ivey as the primary ball-handlers and is a good bet to go over his lagging 25 L10. 

Also Consider: Alec Burks (24 L10), Bojan Bogdanovic (29 L10) 

Jalen McDaniels | 22 L10 — I've mentioned this previously, but the McDaniels brothers always seem to give me problems. So I will put Jalen here fully acknowledging that I continually get burned by him. But with Kelly Oubre (hand) out four-to-six weeks after hand surgery, and Gordon Hayward (hamstring) doubtful, McDaniels should be locked into a primary role with the ability to provide some nice juice across stat categories. The wing has gone for over 20+ Sorare points in five straight contests and finds himself without much competition for minutes on a shallow Hornets squad. 

Also Consider: Mark Williams (16 L10, boom or bust option)