MEM 123, UTA 114: Collier Stars With 54 ESPN FP
Destiny Williams
Math Teacher & Basketball Coach ยท Atlanta Hawks fan
Memphis Bench Mob Carried the Load While Jazz Rolled the Dice on Minute Distribution
Jazz 114, Grizzlies 123
Alright, so here's what I'm seeing: the Grizzlies won a game they probably shouldn't have won with the roster they had available, and the Jazz? They got contributions from literally everyone not named Lauri Markkanen. This was a weird one, and it's got some real fantasy implications if you're paying attention.
Let me start with the obvious stuff.
Top Performers
| Player | ESPN FP | Yahoo FP | Tonight | Season Avg | +/- Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Isaiah Collier | 54.0 | 47.9 | 24/2/5 | 10.7/2.6/7.4 | +13.3 |
| Javon Small | 44.0 | 41.3 | 16/4/5 | 6.5/2.3/3.3 | +9.5 |
| Kyle Filipowski | 44.0 | 38.7 | 20/6/3 | 9.9/6.6/2.1 | +10.1 |
| Olivier-Maxence Prosper | 39.0 | 36.5 | 23/5/1 | 6.9/2.9/0.7 | +16.1 |
| Lawson Lovering | 34.0 | 33.7 | 11/11/3 | 7.0/7.5/1.5 | +4.0 |
| GG Jackson | 31.0 | 32.3 | 20/4/3 | 9.3/3.6/1.3 | +10.7 |
| Ace Bailey | 28.0 | 31.7 | 20/6/3 | 11.9/3.9/1.7 | +8.1 |
| Cam Spencer | 39.0 | 31.6 | 10/3/10 | 11.6/2.7/5.7 | -1.6 |
| John Konchar | 32.0 | 29.2 | 6/6/4 | 3.2/3.2/1.5 | +2.8 |
| Jahmai Mashack | 26.0 | 28.0 | 11/5/2 | 4.5/1.6/1.1 | +6.5 |
Isaiah Collier Went Absolutely Stupid and We Need to Talk About His Role
Isaiah Collier dropped 47.9 Yahoo points on 9-16 shooting with 24 points, 5 assists, 4 steals in just 24 minutes. That's not a role player performance, that's a starter's workload compressed into a backup's minutes. He's averaging 10.7 points usually. This is a +13.3 jump, meaning he just put up half a game's worth of extra production in half a game.
The thing is, I'm not sure if this is sustainable or a one-time explosion. But here's what I know as someone who watches film in my coaching prep: when a bench guy gets that kind of efficiency (56% FG, 67% FT), the team probably trusted him because they had to. Maybe the Jazz were missing someone, maybe Keyonte George was out and they needed the depth. Either way, Collier isn't some hidden gem we're suddenly discovering. He's a third string guy who had a great night. Don't burn your waiver wire on this.
The Grizzlies Were Literally Running a G League Squad and Still Won
This is insane to me. The Grizzlies were missing:
- Ja Morant (19.5 ppg average)
- Lauri Markkanen (26.7 ppg)
- Santi Aldama (14.0 ppg)
- Scotty Pippen Jr. (10.7 ppg)
- Walker Kessler (14.4 ppg, 10.8 rpg)
That's like 85 points per game of regular production, gone. And Memphis still wins at home? That's a defensive battle win, and it means the guys who showed up have to be credited.
Olivier-Maxence Prosper absolutely cooked for 36.5 Yahoo points (23 points on 10-16 shooting). That's a +16.1 jump from his 6.9 ppg average. Kid was 62% from the field and took only three free throws. He got buckets. Real buckets. But again, this is a massive outlier, and I'd be careful. This is what happens when your whole squad is out and someone gets 29 minutes. It's not the new normal.
Javon Small (41.3 Yahoo) and GG Jackson (32.3 Yahoo) also went off. Small hit 5-12 with 4 steals (steals are 3 points on Yahoo), and Jackson put up 20 on good efficiency. These are the guys filling the void, and they're both exceeding their season averages by 9-10 points respectively. Good, but they don't have last names that make ESPN push notifications.
The real glue guy move? Lawson Lovering with 11 rebounds and 33.7 Yahoo points. This is what I'm always looking for, the dude who gives you boards when nobody else is available. He's averaging 7.5 rebounds normally and pulled down 11 tonight. That matters.
The Jazz Depth Chart Was A Roulette Wheel
Kyle Filipowski got 38.7 Yahoo points (20 points, 6 rebounds) and looked great doing it. Ace Bailey put up 31.7 Yahoo points with 20 points and 6 rebounds in 32 minutes. These are both solid bench pieces for a Utah team that's apparently just collecting young talent.
But here's what I notice: neither of these guys is carrying the load. They're getting their shots, sure, but this doesn't look like either one became the alpha. It looks like the Jazz are just spreading minutes around because they can. When everyone can have a good game, sometimes nobody is the real story.
Cody Williams is interesting though. 20.8 Yahoo points on 37 minutes played, but just 5 points. He went +6.5 on rebounds (9 tonight vs 2.5 average) and that's literally the only thing keeping his fantasy value alive. If you needed boards and he was available, he helped you tonight. That's solid depth piece work right there. The kind of thing I teach my students, actually. Sometimes your value isn't your name, it's your role.
What This Means for Your Waiver Wire Monday Morning
Kyle Anderson went from basically unowned (0.7%) to getting added because he got 18 minutes tonight. Don't chase this. He's a 18-minute guy who went +2.5 on his scoring. That's not a pickup.
Santi Aldama is getting dropped (now at 65.0% owned, down 0.4%) because he was out. When he comes back, he's your guy. Don't panic drop him if you have him. This is a short-term absence.
The bigger play here is realizing that if your league has anyone panic-dropping based on depth wins like this, you should be adding anyone from the Grizzlies that's available. But don't do it thinking Prosper is suddenly a scorer. Do it because Memphis has injury depth issues and if the starting guys ever get healthy, the new guys won't matter. But right now? They're the only game in town.
Real Talk
This game was chaos caused by injuries. When you see someone go +13 points above their average, ask yourself: why? Usually it's "their whole team was out." That's not a trend, that's a one-night thing. Collier might be a waiver add in deep leagues just for the next game if the Jazz are still shorthanded, but if Keyonte comes back, he's back to the bench.
The Grizzlies won ugly against a team that was running on fumes. That's Memphis basketball when they're healthy-ish. Not the most exciting fantasy takeaway, but it's the real one.