The first two weeks of the NBA season are in the book! What better time to check in around the league and see what stands out for good or for worse. In this dynasty roundup, I’lll check in on 15 teams around the association. I’ll point out various trends from usage growth, to skill improvements, to talent declines. If I don’t mention a player, it’s most likely that there isn’t anything notable about their early season performances to make mention of them. I will also tend to avoid discussing any massive swings in FG% or FT%, since the sample size isn’t large enough to draw any massive conclusions. Happy reading!

Brooklyn Nets

Cam Thomas has been the early season standout for this team. The curious thing is that all per-100 possessions stats are in line from the previous season. What this tells me is that the only reason he is producing more is that he is seeing more minutes while only slightly upping his usual high levels of usage. To be clear, that is a positive. It is difficult to perform similarly with greater minutes. If Thomas can avoid the wear and tear of an NBA season, there’s no reason to think this can’t continue.

Nic Claxton took a little bit of time to ramp up his minutes. He has since given us what we want – good boards, good blocks, and high FG%. The low usage is a little disappointing, but with Claxton that was more a hope than a realistic growth spot.

Noah Clowney has started the season slowly, only hitting 31.7% of shit shots from the field. That will improve, but by how much? A little over half of Clowney’s shot attempts are coming from behind the arc. When paired with a below-average three-point shot, that will continue to drag his FG% down. The good news is the blocks and boards are acceptable, so dynasty managers will need to exhibit patience as Clowney develops.

Dennis Schroder is obviously shooting above his head, but he’s providing nice vet guard value in the form of assists. Likewise, Dorian Finney-Smith is providing steady production. Both of these players should be reliable until the trade deadline.

Utah Jazz

Lo and behold! Waker Kessler sees more minutes, and we see the output follow. With John Collins coming off the bench, it seems clear the Jazz are at least conceding Kessler is a better option for now and the future.

Speaking of John Collins, the reckoning may finally be here. His advanced rates like rebounding rate and defensive rates are not worse, but Collins is just seeing fewer minutes now off the bench. The recent blow to Taylor Hendricks will benefit Collins in the short-term, but his days seeing close to 30 minutes per game may be over.

Lauri Markkanen is just shooting poorly, but otherwise I don’t have major concerns over him. The same could be said for Collin Sexton, but it is baffling the Jazz are limiting his minutes. That is something I expect to change sooner rather than later.

Kyle Filipowski looks to be the early benefit of the absence of Hendricks. It’s early for Filipowski, but we are seeing that gamut of offensive stats he can provide in his low rotation minutes. He’s a watch list player for me, but one who dynasty managers should be encouraged by already.

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