The first month of the NBA regular season is behind us and superstars like Steph Curry and Joel Embiid dominated in week 4 with both having multiple 40+ games. Players like Ben Simmons continue to struggle especially offensively and the Spurs have 5 games this week so someone like Charles Bassey should be rostered. With the excitement of week 4 in the rear view mirror let’s look ahead to our Starts and Sits for week 5.
Week 5 Starts and Sits
Start of the Week
Killian Hayes – Pistons (PG/SG)
Last Wednesday when Cade Cunningham was first limited by his shin injury, Hayes had a season-high 16 points off the bench. With Cade out for Friday and Saturday’s games, Hayes stepped into a much larger role. On Friday against the Knicks, he had 11 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds, and 3 steals in 34 minutes. On Saturday, Hayes had 15 points, 7 assists, and 6 rebounds in 35 minutes against the Celtics. These numbers are a small sample size but are very Cade-like as Hayes filled up the stat sheet. He has recorded 20.9% usage and a 29.2% assist rate in 34.7 minutes per game with Cade out. If he’s still on your league’s waiver wire, definitely pick him up as Cade will be out the entire week.
Sit of the Week
Joel Embiid – Sixers (C)
I know The Process had monster performances last weekend, but I have him as the sit of the week because the Sixers have only 2 games this week along with the Lakers, Bulls and Timberwolves. I can add Lebron, AD, and Zach Lavine to this list as well. The Sixers have a back-to-back and don’t play until Friday and Saturday. Embiid might sit out one of those games as the big man has seen increased usage since the injury to Harden. He can very well play both games, but 2 games is too little in a week and he most likely won’t put up the historic stat lines he did last weekend. Also due to Embiid’s injury history, the Sixers should be cautious all season with how they monitor his minutes, especially on a back-to-back.