It was a bit of a lighter night in NBA preseason action Thursday with only four games on the docket, but that doesn't mean there weren't some noteworthy performances.
Here's Thursday's Box Score Breakdown.
STOCK RISING
Trey Burke -- The second-year point guard seems to be coach Quin Snyder's choice at point guard over rookie Dante Exum, and in Thursday's victory over the Trail Blazers, led the team in scoring, assists and plus-minus. Burke finished with 22 points (9-16 FG, 3-6 3Pt, 1-1 FT), had four rebounds, seven assists, two steals, and just two turnovers in 34 minutes. After averaging just 0.6 steals in his rookie season, Burke has now nabbed three steals in the first two preseason games, as well as shooting 50 percent from the field in the two games -- a far cry from the 38 percent he shot last season. He's going after pick 100 in both ESPN and Yahoo leagues, and if these early returns are indicative of his season, he could be a steal.
TRACKING POSITION BATTLES
Jazz backcourt -- As mentioned, it seems like Burke will pair with Alec Burks as the starting guards for coach Snyder, with Exum serving in a sixth man type role. Along with Burke's big night, Burks was also very solid, scoring 20 points (7-12 FG, 6-9 FT) with two assists, and two steals in 37 minutes, while Exum battled for six points (2-6 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 1-2 FT) and a solitary assist in 21 minutes. It's going to be hard to recommend Exum in standard leagues if this configuration continues.
Pistons rotation -- New coach Stan Van Gundy went with a completely different starting five for the second preseason game against the Bucks, even sitting definite starters Brandon Jennings and Andre Drummond. Both Jennings and Drummond were still productive off the bench, but no real clarity was gained on what Van Gundy has planned for the two, three, and four. This situation bears monitoring, particularly the play of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who has now scored 38 points in his first two games. Against the Bucks, KCP started and scored 20 points (6-9 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 7-9 FT) with three rebounds and two assists in 33 minutes.
Bucks rotation -- Much like the Pistons, new coach Jason Kidd started an entirely different starting five, not helping fantasy owners work out what will happen with this team's playing time. We're going to need a few more games to see if any patterns or standouts emerge.
Warriors small forward -- Andre Iguodala started his second straight game against the Lakers after earlier this preseason, coach Steve Kerr didn't give a ringing endorsement of his status as a starter. For now, he appears to be the starting three and scored seven points (2-3 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 2-4 FT), three rebounds, two assists, and one block in just 16 minutes. Even if he does start over Harrison Barnes and Draymond Green, I'd still expect Green, in particular, to have a lot of fantasy value in standard leagues.
STRANGE STAT LINES
It's the preseason, so there are a ton of lines that don't always add up, but here, I'll touch on a few that stood out on Thursday.
Ronnie Price -- Price scored 11 points (4-7 FG, 0-2 3Pt, 3-6 FT), with two rebounds, four assists, and one steal in 27 minutes to be the Lakers' bench unit second leading scorer behind Julius Randle. The reason for the extra burn for Price was that Steve Nash sat out the game against the Warriors, and then Jordan Clarkson left the game after playing only 17 minutes with a strained calf, leaving Price as the only other point guard on the roster besides Jeremy Lin. With everything being equal, Price would be the fourth point guard and may not make the team out of the preseason, so I wouldn't place any stock on this inflated performance.
FANTASY LINE OF THE NIGHT
Klay Thompson -- Thompson looked unstoppable at times, finishing with 25 points (9-13 FG, 5-6 3Pt, 2-2 FT), three rebounds, two assists, and one block in just 25 minutes. With the prospect of a big deal on the horizon, Thompson could solidify himself as a top 30 player this season and has started things off on the right foot.
ROOKIE OF THE NIGHT
Kostas Papanikolaou -- For the second game in a row, Papanikolaou has looked impressive. He touched every category, scoring nine points (3-6 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 2-2 FT), four rebounds, three assists, one steal, and two blocks in 24 minutes. He projects to be a decent contributor behind Trevor Ariza and is a nice leeper target for deeper leagues, particularly if this impressive preseason form continues.