DraftKings EuroLeague Basketball Picks October 4
By Mike Marteny
DraftKings EuroLeague Guards:
It’s hard to imagine a scenario in which Mike James doesn’t have a big game here. James takes a ton of shots and makes a good percentage of them. With Shane Larkin showing up on the questionable list, James is now my favorite play of the day. Larkin put up 30+ actual points on Barcelona in both regular season meetings last year, so if Larkin plays, I’m all in there.
Vasilije Micic isn’t the scorer Larkin is, but he still averaged almost as many DraftKings points per game as Larkin did. If Larkin is out, Micic is a lock. Even if Larkin plays, Micic is a strong play if you have the cash. Krunoslav Simon is the guy you want to go after if Larkin is out as a secondary piece to Micic.
Former Memphis guard Wade Baldwin should have a big role for Olympiacos, especially if Spanoulis is forced to sit out the first game. Baldwin’s ball handling and passing skills translate well to the EuroLeague style of play. We saw some former NBA guys translate well to the EuroLeague yesterday. That could be the case again today.
Marcus Eriksson made the jump from Gran Canaria to Berlin, so he’s back in the Euroleague again this year. Berlin is down a few guys for the opener so Eriksson and Martin Hermannsson could take on larger roles than normal. I like both in the opener, but Eriksson more.
Jordan Taylor has started the last two games in the French league for Villeurbanne. That gives Taylor a lot of bargain potential here as a starter for the price.
Marius Grigonis had two good games against Baskonia last year. If he can hit that average of 20.1 DraftKings points here in the opener, Grigonis is going to be a very nice value play. Thomas Walkup is solid here too, but Grigonis was better in both games against Baskonia last season.
Janis Strelnieks was one of the more dangerous long range shooters in the EuroLeague last season. He doesn’t do much else, but there’s nothing wrong with chasing points in a GPP. Matt Janning and Arturas Milaknis also fit that role if you want to take a chance on a bunch of shooters.
Pierria Henry played a whopping 33 minutes in Baskonia’s last Spanish league game. If he gets that kind of minutes here, he’s going to crush value. With Stauskas and Granger out, Henry’s the guy you want to chase.