Reid, LeVert shine on Saturday

With the Timberwolves having Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert in their rotation/starting lineup, Naz Reid isn’t in the best position to offer consistent fantasy value in most leagues. But the franchise thought highly enough of him to ink Reid to a three-year extension worth nearly $42 million this summer, and he’s capable of having big nights coming off the bench. Sure enough, that’s what happened in Minnesota’s win over the shorthanded Heat Saturday night.

Rostered in 28% of Yahoo leagues, Reid recorded a line of 25 points, eight rebounds, one assist, two steals, and four 3-pointers in 28 minutes, shooting 10-of-14 from the field. The 25 points are the most that a Timberwolves reserve has scored in a home opener in franchise history, and this performance showed that Reid should probably have a higher rostered percentage despite his place within the Timberwolves rotation.

He played 24 minutes in the season-opening loss to Toronto, and it appears likely that Reid will hover around 25 minutes per night when both starting big men are available. That can be enough for him to have a big night, as was the case on Saturday.

Let’s take a look at a few other quality pickups from Saturday:

Caris LeVert (23%)

We’re not even a full week into the 2023-24 season, and the Cleveland Cavaliers are already having injury issues. With Darius Garland (hamstring) and Ty Jerome (ankle) already ruled out, Donovan Mitchell (hamstring) joined the list of injured players just before Saturday’s game against the Pacers. Those absences meant a spot start for Caris LeVert, and he took full advantage of the opportunity. Rostered in 23% of Yahoo leagues, LeVert came out hot, scoring 22 points in the first quarter. The Pacers would manage to slow him down in their 125-113 victory, but LeVert’s line of 31 points, five rebounds, eight assists, one steal, and four 3-pointers was one that many fantasy managers will take.

LeVert’s value moving forward will depend on the health of Garland and…