G - Shabazz Napier - EA7 - 11.0 - vs BAY
We have seen this movie in the past and we are not gonna let it go to waste this time. Last year, Shabazz' move to EA7 transformed the team's second round as they found the leading guard they were looking for. The transformation was not enough to get them into the playoffs but made it clear how important the presence of a top guard is for the pursuit of a Top-8 position. EA7 made again the same mistake this year and naturally, they are looking for the same "medicine". Shabazz is back and we expect him to have an impact from the very early days, at least for as long as Mirotic is out.
G - Nick Calathes - FNB - 9.9 - vs MTA
It has been 5 games since Jasikevicius took over as head coach and Calathes has been playing 25+mins in the same period. Despite the two not being on best terms during their time at BAR, it seems that Calathes is the safe hands that Saras trusts in this initiation phase. The game vs MTA will be a fast paced one that both coaches will target for their own reasons, FNB to bounce back after the unexpected home defeat by CZV and MTA to continue building momentum in their race for a Top-6 position against what now seems a "mortal" team. Double weeks are characterized by a very illustrative pattern. Good players with lots of playtime are unlikely to play bad twice (same goes the other way around almost as often). Calathes is coming from a very mediocre game against CZV. Let's see if the pattern will hold with this one.
C - Damien Inglis - VBC - 9.5 - vs PAO
We will trust a pattern noticed in a few rounds: C/PF (hybrid) players, i.e., big guys that can play both close to and far from the basket, often shine against PAO! Take for example their opponents in the last five games: Moneke (34), Mitrovic (19), Meli (18) and Lauvergne (16) had the highest PIR of their team regardless the game result! This did not happen with Donta Hall (even if PIR 11 is a good performance index) who is a pure C playing mainly under the basket. We have no doubt that Damien Inglis can follow this pattern, especially as he is in a great mood after the career high PIR (28) he achieved in the previous round! In the past, we have praised Damien for his stability. It seems like the volatility in his performance has increased lately, however, we have faith in him that he can close the first double round of the new year with another great performance!
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