The NBA summer league hadn’t gone quite as planned for the Toronto Raptors, starting with an 0-3 record and heading into the tournament as just the 29th seed. However, the tides turned yesterday as the Raps knocked off the 4th seeded Denver Nuggets by a score of 85-77. Now, OG Anunoby and company will shift gears to a second round matchup on Saturday against the Charlotte Hornets.
Whether another win is a lock or not remains to be seen, but there is an argument to be made that the
Raptors could at least provide some value in this matchup.
Charlotte appears to have the better summer league roster to this point, but with Malik Monk
being shut down for the rest of the summer due to injury, Toronto fans could cash in on betting
opportunities that position the Raptors as the underdogs.
Anything goes in NBA summer league action, especially with random injuries and players being
rested. Because of that, the Raptors remain a solid underdog play come this weekend.
On top of that, there could be money to be made in daily fantasy basketball.
With DraftKings hosting NBA DFS summer league contests, the Raptors garner even more
attention as part of a mild three-game slate on Saturday. Whether you plan on betting on the
Raptors or not, that vaults them into the conversation for NBA DFS sleepers, should you plan to
build a roster.
If that’s the case, consider these three players before finalizing your DraftKings lineup:
OG Anunoby
There are obviously other Raptors players to consider on their summer league roster, but
whether you plan on wagering in their favor or using them for DFS, it starts and ends with
Anunoby.
Anunoby needs to be on the floor if you opt to bet on Toronto this weekend, while he also
should be the first Raptors player you seek out for DFS purposes.
As I mentioned before, Toronto hasn’t had much luck in terms of wins this summer, but they
have gotten solid play out of OG, who thrives at both ends of the court.
He’s really come alive as a scorer recently, popping off for 19 and 22 points over his last two
outings. Thanks to good rest via a break in the schedule, there’s no real reason he shouldn’t be
out there against the Hornets on Saturday.
Player pricing at DraftKings isn’t out yet for the Saturday slate at the time of this writing, but you
better believe OG will cost a pretty penny.
Considering the small slate and a lack of amazing options, he has to be near the top of your
priority list.
Malachi Richardson
Perhaps ranking second behind Anunoby is Richardson, as the former Syracuse star has
busted out a bit this summer.
Much like OG, he’s flashed some scoring ability, putting up over 12 points per contest in Las
Vegas. That really shouldn’t surprise anyone, as the former first round draft pick flashed a knack
for scoring in his lone season of college ball.
Efficiency is still something Richardson needs to master, but he profiles as a nice bench spark
for the Raptors if he can continue to prove himself.
He’ll have a chance to do that Saturday, and judging by what he’s done so far, he could return
solid value at a discounted price on DraftKings.
Cody Miller McIntyre
The best overall NBA DFS pick out of Toronto has to be Miller McIntyre, who has a nice,
balanced game and has chipped in timely scoring to go with his playmaking ability.
Miller McIntyre isn’t lighting the world on fire with his scoring ability, but he’s handed out seven
assists per game and picking his spots as a scorer. He’s also making a solid impact on defense,
as he’s been able to snatch 3.5 rebounds per game, as well as 2.5 steals per contest.
This isn’t a guy that is a lock to blow up as a scorer, but Miller McIntyre does a little bit of
everything and could end up being the perfect value pick to help piece together your NBA DFS
summer league squad on Saturday.
Overall, it’s just fun to track the young Raptors talent, both to gauge which young players may
be brought back to training camp and who may actually make a big impact during the regular
season.
The jury is still out for both and if you pick the right guys (starting with these three) you just
might be able to profit from their talents in daily fantasy basketball.
