Brandon

Boston Jr.

Boston didn’t have a great night shooting the basketball after making more than half his attempts in Friday’s win over the Nuggets. However, the rebounds and assists will be helpful to fantasy managers in category leagues, and he remains one of the value pickups of the season. Boston is providing 8th-round per-game value in 8- and 9-cat formats and needs to be rostered as long as the Pelicans are shorthanded on the perimeter.

Boston got untracked after struggling with his shot in Wednesday’s loss to the Thunder. In addition to improving the shooting, he cleaned up the turnover category (two) after being responsible for six the game prior. Ranked just outside the top 50 in 9-cat value over the last two weeks, Boston is still rostered in 39% of Yahoo leagues. Given how banged up the Pelicans are, he’s worth the risk in standard leagues.

For the second straight game, Boston Jr. had a poor shooting night. For the second straight game, Boston Jr. found other ways to contribute in the box score. The turnovers were bad, but without a true point guard healthy, the playmaking fell on Boston Jr. and Brandon Ingram against one of the best defensive teams in the NBA. That helps justify things, and the other numbers were still helpful. He’s rostered in just 39% of leagues and should continue to provide strong numbers due to the number of injuries they’re dealing with.

Alvarado has been on of the Pelicans’ most consistent players as of late, and his absence will leave a glaring hole at point guard. Brandon Ingram is most likely to take over as the team’s primary ball handler and initiator. Brandon Boston Jr. will get some opportunities as well.

This is the type of performance that will get this man paid. Sure, the 20-point games were nice, but he showed that he can still make a big impact when his shot isn’t falling. There are a lot of players in the NBA that can’t say the same. Boston Jr. is certainly benefitting from the injuries around him, but he is taking advantage of the opportunity. He may not hold much value when the team gets healthy, but he is worth streaming until that happens. Long-term, it wouldn’t be surprising if he has a lengthy career despite a choppy first few years.

Murphy will make his season debut in this game against the Nets, but they’ll ease him in slowly. Still, more than 20 minutes should be enough time for him to make an impact in the box score, especially with how many other injuries the team is managing.

Out of necessity, Pelicans coach Willie Green has entrusted Boston with a prominent role in the team’s current rotation. He’s answered the call, scoring 14 points or more in five straight games (20 or more in two of the last three). Friday was Boston’s most productive night, dropping in a season-high 26 on quality percentages. Boston is rostered 11% of Yahoo leagues, which is way too low given his production and who the Pelicans are without (Dejounte Murray, CJ McCollum, Herb Jones, Trey Murphy, and Zion Williamson).

Unlike the first nine games Murphy has missed, he’s considered “doubtful” for Friday instead of being immediately given the “out” tag. That could mean he’s making progress and closing in on a return, but it’s unlikely to happen against the Magic. Murphy remaining sidelined will protect Brandon Boston Jr.'s streaming value in deep leagues.

Making his first start as a Pelican, Boston played well in a losing effort. The 20 points, seven shy of his career-high, were the most Boston’s scored in a game since February 10, 2023 (20 vs. Milwaukee as a member of the Clippers). With Jordan Hawkins dealing with back spasms and starters Dejounte Murray, CJ McCollum, and Herb Jones are all out for extended periods. Boston is worth a roll of the dice in deep leagues.

With Jordan Hawkins joining a long list of injured players for the Pelicans, Boston Jr. will enter the starting unit after logging 30 minutes off the bench on Sunday. He should be in for a big scoring night, but he likely won’t provide much value across the board in category leagues despite an expanded role. Robinson-Earl will also replace Javonte Green in the opening lineup.