DraftKings NBA picks January 24: Kawhi or Russ?

4 of 7

Norman Powell #24 of the Toronto Raptors looks on during the second half of an NBA game against the Los Angeles Clippers at Scotiabank Arena on December 11, 2019 in Toronto, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images) /

DraftKings NBA Small Forwards:

Best Bets:

Kawhi Leonard ($10,300): Forget about the matchup against the Heat. Kawhi is money with George off the floor. Kawhi has four straight games of 50 or more DraftKings points with three of those topping 60. He has another gear that most just don’t have. We see it every time George is off the floor. I expect to see it again tonight.

DeMar DeRozan ($7,900): DeRozan’s subpar total against the Pelicans on Wednesday wasn’t entirely his fault. DeRozan still shot 50% from the field and hauled in a handful of rebounds. The lacking thing was the assists, and you can thank his teammates’ poor shooting on his passes for that. I expect the assists to be back up for Phoenix, so DDR is a very reasonable price for what he’s done in January.

Honorable Mention:

Robert Covington ($5,800): If Porter plays, use him. If not, Covington put up 69.5 DraftKings points in the first two games against Houston. His numbers have waned with Towns back and Wiggins acting like he cares again, but this is obviously a weak spot for the Rockets. This may be a time to roll the former Rocket out there tonight and see what happens.

Norman Powell ($5,800): Powell has four straight games of at least 30 DraftKings points and has at least 26 in every game since his return on January 12. The Raptors obviously still have room for Powell in their rotation. Once Siakam gets back up to speed, that may cut into Powell’s production, but not enough to avoid him when he’s this reasonably priced.

Dark Horses:

Torrey Craig ($4,400): I only trust Craig if they are still without Porter. The absences of Murray and Harris aren’t quite enough on their own. Still, Craig is cheap enough that I might take the plunge anyway against the Pelicans. He can put up points in a hurry for a team that sorely needs them.

Doug McDermott ($3,600): McDermott continues to be a key piece of the Pacers bench. He’s not just a sharpshooter anymore. We’ve seen McDermott try and take people on the dribble if they get too close to him. That new tricks to old dogs thing may not be completely accurate anymore. McDermott’s ceiling isn’t all that high, but there’s going to be some production for the taking with Brogdon out.