Happy New Year! Welcome to the 2022-23 Fantasy Basketball Week 12 Planner!
As the first article on the 2023 side of things, I thought it would be fun to provide some predictions for the rest of the NBA season.
However, first, we will do our usual deep dive into the week 12 schedule, and review which teams to avoid and which to target.
Following that, I will give my predictions for the 2023 side of the NBA year. Let's jump in!
2022-23 Fantasy Basketball Week 12 Planner
Schedule Overview
Weekly Leagues
On Aaron Nesmith's dunk and what it allowed the Pacers to do down the stretch last night.
"It was amazing. It was probably the best dunk I’ve ever seen in person," Tyrese Haliburton said. "I just saw his confidence rise," Myles Turner added: https://t.co/7JniNHIRDR
— Tony East (@TEastNBA) December 30, 2022
This is a heavy-loaded week of games. 70% (21/30) of the NBA teams have four games. In fact, only one team has two games, and it's the Washington Wizards. So cool your jets on your Daniel Gafford pickups. This probably isn't the right week to roster him, even with his recent run of strong games.
Marcus Morris is a reliable four-game streamer for points and threes with some rebounds and decent percentages. The Clippers play a back-to-back, so Kawhi Leonard will sit, and give a usage boost to Morris. Aaron Nesmith has been a top-75 player for the past two weeks since being promoted to the starting lineup, and Indiana has four games as well.
Daily Leagues
Despite the heavy games schedule, Tuesday and Thursday have just three and four games, respectively. So in daily leagues, target players from the Boston Celtics and the Utah Jazz. Both teams play Tuesday and Thursday.
If you're in the 34% of leagues where Malcolm Brogdon is available, grab him. Look to grab Malik Beasley and Walker Kessler from the Jazz side of things. You can also consider Donte DiVincenzo for one more week safely until Stephen Curry is likely to return. The Warriors play three times in Week 12. There are also no glaring rest candidates from back-to-backs this week, aside from Kawhi Leonard and maybe Paul George.
Week 12 Schedule
| TEAM | GAMES | SUN: W11 | MONDAY | TUESDAY | WEDNESDAY | THURSDAY | FRIDAY | SATURDAY | SUNDAY | MON: W13 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # Games Played | 3 | 11 | 3 | 12 | 4 | 11 | 5 | 9 | 6 | |
| Atlanta Hawks | 4 | @GSW | @SAC | @LAL | @LAC | |||||
| Boston Celtics | 3 | @DEN | @OKL | @DAL | @SAS | CHI | ||||
| Brooklyn Nets | 4 | SAS | @CHI | @NOP | @MIA | |||||
| Charlotte Hornets | 4 | LAL | MEM | @MIL | @IND | |||||
| Chicago Bulls | 4 | @CLE | BRO | @PHI | UTA | @BOS | ||||
| Cleveland Cavaliers | 4 | CHI | PHX | @DEN | @PHX | |||||
| Dallas Mavericks | 4 | @HOU | BOS | NOP | @OKL | |||||
| Denver Nuggets | 3 | BOS | @MIN | LAC | CLE | LAL | ||||
| Detroit Pistons | 4 | @POR | @GSW | @SAS | PHI | |||||
| Golden State Warriors | 3 | ATL | DET | ORL | ||||||
| Houston Rockets | 4 | DAL | @NOP | UTA | MIN | |||||
| Indiana Pacers | 4 | TOR | @PHI | POR | CHA | |||||
| Los Angeles Clippers | 4 | MIA | @DEN | @MIN | ATL | |||||
| Los Angeles Lakers | 4 | @CHA | MIA | ATL | @SAC | @DEN | ||||
| Memphis Grizzlies | 3 | SAC | @CHA | @ORL | UTA | SAS | ||||
| Miami Heat | 4 | @LAC | @LAL | @PHX | BRO | |||||
| Milwaukee Bucks | 3 | WAS | WAS | @TOR | CHA | @NYK | ||||
| Minnesota Timberwolves | 4 | DEN | POR | LAC | @HOU | |||||
| New Orleans Pelicans | 4 | @PHI | HOU | BRO | @DAL | @WAS | ||||
| New York Knicks | 3 | PHX | SAS | @TOR | MIL | |||||
| Oklahoma City Thunder | 4 | BOS | @ORL | WAS | DAL | |||||
| Orlando Magic | 3 | OKL | MEM | @GSW | @SAC | |||||
| Philadelphia 76ers | 4 | NOP | IND | CHI | @DET | |||||
| Phoenix Suns | 4 | @NYK | @CLE | MIA | CLE | |||||
| Portland Trail Blazers | 4 | DET | @MIN | @IND | @TOR | |||||
| Sacramento Kings | 3 | @MEM | @UTA | ATL | LAL | ORL | ||||
| San Antonio Spurs | 4 | @BRO | @NYK | DET | BOS | @MEM | ||||
| Toronto Raptors | 4 | @IND | MIL | NYK | POR | |||||
| Utah Jazz | 4 | SAC | @HOU | @CHI | @MEM | |||||
| Washington Wizards | 2 | @MIL | @MIL | @OKL | NOP |
2023 Predictions
Second-half Rookie Explosions are Incoming!
Jabari Smith Jr. in the first quarter:
14 PTS | 6-7 FG | 2-2 FT
Mid range assassin. pic.twitter.com/3jZRRA2luc
— Bradeaux (@BradeauxNBA) December 30, 2022
There are a ton of skilled rookies this year, but many of them haven't received the usage or playing time needed to excel. Several of those players are even on tanking teams. Look for big second halves from Jabari Smith Jr., Walker Kessler, Mark Williams, Jalen Williams, Jalen Duren, and possibly Tari Eason.
Jabari and Duren
Jabari and Duren are the only aforementioned rookies who have locked in their starting gigs. However, both should continue to improve as they become more comfortable with the speed of the NBA game and build a flow with their teammates. I expect both to finish strong on the year.
Other Rookies?
Mark Williams last night:
17 points on 7/7 FG
13 rebounds
2 assists
2 blocks
2 steals
21 minutesNow his third game in a row playing well on both ends after excelling in the G League to start his rookie season. The Hornets should deal Mason Plumlee to get Williams more minutes. pic.twitter.com/EJttX3OXEK
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) December 30, 2022
Meanwhile, Kessler, Jalen Williams, and Tari Eason are all very likely to see their minutes climb in the second half of the year. Kessler is at 18.4 mpg, Eason at 18.8 mpg, and Jalen Williams at 25.1 mpg. I expect each of them to improve their allotted minutes by about five minutes per game, per player, in the second half.
Mark Williams has just recently been given an opportunity to shine, with Nick Richards missing a few games. He took advantage in a big way and looks like he will put a lot of pressure on Steve Clifford to give him a consistent run.
John Collins and Myles Turner are Finally Getting Traded
The Atlanta Hawks are engaged in trade talks on John Collins, per @wojespn pic.twitter.com/h7CQcrHphe
— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) December 21, 2022
No two players have been in the rumor mill more over the last few years than Collins and Turner. Yet every year the deadline comes and goes, and both remain in place. But it is time for Atlanta and Indiana to pull the trigger.
Never mind that Indiana is above .500 and in the 6th seed. They know they are several tiers below the five teams ahead of them: Boston, Brooklyn, Milwaukee, Cleveland, and Philadelphia. They want to build around Tyrese Haliburton, and their best chance to do so is by moving Myles Turner in a year where they can get big-time value for him.
Atlanta meanwhile is in a much more clear-cut situation. They're the 9th seed and they have had recent turmoil surrounding their young star, Trae Young. They need to make moves to improve the future of this franchise, and the John Collins experiment has failed for six years. When both Turner and Collins find their new homes, I expect them both to improve their overall fantasy values.
The LeBron James Shutdown Risk is Real
Lakers front office is still looking at trade options but doesn’t want to ‘compound its previous mistakes with more win-now moves,’ per @jovanbuha pic.twitter.com/iLiCRCQ9yL
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 26, 2022
The Lakers sit in the 13th seed in the West, with a 14-21 record. In a conference loaded with teams like New Orleans, Denver, Memphis, LA Clippers, Phoenix, Dallas, Sacramento, Portland, Utah, and the Golden State Warriors, this Lakers team just can't cut it.
There have already been rumors that Rob Pelinka refuses to trade any of the Lakers remaining future picks to try and salvage the season. This means that by the time Anthony Davis gets back from injury, this team will likely be too far gone to have a chance at recovering a playoff spot.
LeBron's truly valuable years are fading, and he will break the all-time points scored record sometime in the next 23-25 games. Once he's accomplished that, his rest risk goes through the roof. And if a nagging groin injury resurfaces, that will be enough for him not to waste his talents for a tanking team. If you're buying Lebron, don't overpay.
Thank you for reading the 2022-23 Fantasy Basketball Week 12 Planner. Good luck with the week ahead, and see you in Week 13!
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