ATL 108, BKN 97: Fantasy Fireworks: Johnson vs Minott
Destiny Williams
Math Teacher & Basketball Coach · Atlanta Hawks fan
Hawks Survive Josh Minott's Explosion, But This Game's Fantasy Story Is Way Messier Than The W
Final Score: Hawks 108, Nets 97
Look, I'm not gonna lie. Watching my Hawks grind out a 11-point home win against Brooklyn felt like watching paint dry in a classroom with the AC broken. But from a fantasy perspective? This game was legitimately wild. Two completely different narratives played out on the same court, and if you weren't paying attention, you missed some real action items for your roster.
Let me break down what actually mattered.
The Top Performers
| Player | ESPN FP | Yahoo FP | Tonight | Season Avg | +/- Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jalen Johnson | 54.0 | 49.3 | 21/9/9 | 22.9/10.4/8.0 | -1.9 |
| Josh Minott | 54.0 | 45.1 | 24/3/1 | 6.0/3.3/0.9 | +18.0 |
| Onyeka Okongwu | 42.0 | 41.8 | 13/9/0 | 16.0/7.9/3.2 | -3.0 |
| Zaccharie Risacher | 43.0 | 40.3 | 19/9/1 | 10.2/3.8/1.3 | +8.8 |
| Nickeil Alexander-Walker | 31.0 | 30.4 | 18/2/2 | 20.0/3.4/3.7 | -2.0 |
| CJ McCollum | 15.0 | 21.8 | 14/4/2 | 18.5/3.5/3.7 | -4.5 |
| Drake Powell | 18.0 | 20.7 | 11/1/3 | 6.2/1.7/1.5 | +4.8 |
| Noah Clowney | 17.0 | 17.7 | 10/6/1 | 12.8/4.2/1.7 | -2.8 |
| Danny Wolf | 11.0 | 17.6 | 8/8/2 | 8.9/4.8/2.3 | -0.9 |
| Nic Claxton | 16.0 | 15.8 | 8/4/2 | 12.0/7.1/3.9 | -4.0 |
Josh Minott Just Entered The Building (And The Waiver Wire Conversation)
I need to talk about Josh Minott first because this dude went OFF. 24 points on 6-9 shooting with four threes and 8-10 from the line? That's +18.0 points above his season average. In 24 minutes. This is not a typo. This is not a fluke box score you can ignore.
Here's the thing though: Minott's season average is 6.0 PPG. This performance was genuinely alien compared to what he usually does. You don't get to 24 points on 67% shooting as a bench scorer by accident, but you also don't predict this as a trend. It was volume (9 FG attempts, which is way up), efficiency (6-9 is nasty), and shooting range (4 threes).
For waiver purposes, yeah, I'm looking at him. But I'm not telling you to drop a reliable guy to grab him. If you've got a streaming spot or IR space, absolutely claim him. If he's sitting in your league unclaimed at 0.3% ownership, that's a crime. But let's pump the brakes on penciling him into your starting lineup next week until we see if this is real or a one-game mirage.
Zaccharie Risacher Is Legit Worth Your Attention
Now THIS is the story I'm more interested in. Zaccharie Risacher put up 19/9/1 with 2 blocks in 30 minutes, and he was +8.8 points above his season average. But unlike Minott's one-game explosion, Risacher's profile actually makes sense.
The kid's season average is 10.2 PPG and 3.8 RPG. He went for 19 and 9 tonight. That's not an anomaly, that's an elite role player finally getting consistent minutes and doing exactly what you'd hope. He hit 3 threes, was efficient (6-12 FG), and looked like he belonged on the court. The ownership jump to 84.4% happened for a reason. He's becoming a real fantasy asset.
If he's still available in your league, grab him before someone else does. He won't win you a week, but he won't lose you one either. That's my Teacher's Pet Pick mentality right there.
Jalen Johnson Did His Thing Without Going Crazy
Jalen Johnson came out and delivered 21/9/9, which sounds amazing until you realize it's basically exactly what he does every night. He was -1.9 from his season average. Solid, consistent, boring in the best way possible. Got his 36 minutes, distributed the ball, grabbed rebounds. This is floor play, not ceiling play, but that's what you want from your core guys.
The Nets' Bench Went Rogue (And We Should Notice)
Here's what's wild about Brooklyn: They had nobody. And I mean nobody. Michael Porter Jr. didn't play. Egor Dëmin didn't play. Day'Ron Sharpe didn't play. The Nets rolled out a skeleton crew, and their fantasy points came from straight bench chaos.
Drake Powell went 11/1/3, Danny Wolf grabbed 8 boards while scoring 8 points, Ben Saraf played 30 minutes and actually looked useful. This is what happens when a team is gutted. The waiver wire guys step up and we're supposed to pretend it's sustainable. It's not.
Powell's +4.8 from average is fine, but he's at 0.3% ownership for a reason. Wolf grabbed 3 steals and 8 boards but shot 2-7. Don't go crazy. These are desperation plays on a desperate team.
What This Means For Your Lineups Going Forward
The Hawks won but it didn't feel dominant. CJ McCollum shot 6-17 and was -4.5 from his average. That's your canary in the coal mine. He's a consistent source of points and assists, but off nights happen. If he's on your team, you're still keeping him. If you're thinking about trading for him, don't panic from one game.
Onyeka Okongwu put up 41.8 Yahoo FP with 13/9/0/2/4 in 30 minutes. That's -3.0 from average, so basically a normal game. He got his boards, his blocks, and stayed efficient. The man is a lock for consistency. If you own him, you're set. If you don't, good luck finding value on the waiver wire.
The real lesson here is that Brooklyn showed up with half a roster and the Hawks still won comfortable. That tells you the Hawks' depth is legit, but it also tells you the Nets' fantasy value is question marks until that roster is healthy.
Bottom line: This wasn't a Game Of The Week, but it had some real lessons. Grab Risacher if he's there. Be cautious with Minott unless you've got space to experiment. Keep riding Johnson and Okongwu. Don't get cute with the Nets' bench guys just because they had one good night.