The 2025-26 NBA season has officially kicked off, while the now-ongoing PBA Philippine Cup kickstarts the second-oldest pro basketball league in the world’s golden anniversary, and there are a couple of matchups that I’m looking forward to competing in.
In partnership with Daily Fantasy, I’m here to share my must-roster players for this week's slate of games in the NBA and PBA — and why you should consider making them part of your lineup.
HOU v. ORL (Nov. 17)
Must-Roster:
HOU: Kevin Durant, Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson
ORL: Desmond Bane, Franz Wagner
The Orlando Magic find themselves in a tough spot as Paolo Banchero will be on the shelf for an undetermined amount of time due to a groin issue that recently came up. That opens the door for both Franz Wagner and Desmond Bane to step up in his absence and hopefully lead the Magic to a win.
On the other side, the Houston Rockets are starting to find their footing. That means having Kevin Durant and Alperen Sengun anchoring them on both ends of the floor. Meanwhile, Amen Thompson should have a big day in his defensive matchups against Orlando’s backcourt.
LAL v. UTA (Nov. 19)
Must-Roster:
LAL: Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, Deandre Ayton
UTA: Lauri Markkanen, Keyonte George
The Los Angeles Lakers have been looking mighty fine in recent games, and there’s no reason for me to believe that they will suddenly go on a backslide. Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves’ partnership as their lead guards has produced magic, while Deandre Ayton appears to have found his footing. He should have a strong night as the Jazz’s Walker Kessler has been ruled out for the season.
Jumping off that point, Lauri Markkanen will be asked to take on a huge chunk of the load on both ends of the floor due to Kessler’s absence, and will likely do so for the remainder of the season. In terms of importance to the Jazz’s chances of winning, Keyonte George will be the most crucial factor because if he puts up big numbers, that puts pressure on the Lakers to prioritize either him or Markkanen on defense.
MIL v. PHI (Nov. 21)
Must-Roster:
MIL: Ryan Rollins
PHI: Tyrese Maxey, Kelly Oubre, Andre Drummond
If you’re wondering why I didn’t make Giannis Antetokounmpo a must-roster player, it’s because he costs 25 credits — that’s 25 percent of the credit balance already. So I decided to balance it out. From the Milwaukee Bucks, Ryan Rollins is my only must-roster guy because he has stepped up admirably in the absence of Kevin Porter Jr., and I think he’ll keep it going.
As for the Philadelphia 76ers, Tyrese Maxey and Kelly Oubre are easy picks. They’ve been leading the charge thus far, with both Joel Embiid and Paul George being extremely limited to start the season. Andre Drummond, as he did last season, has been a more-than-sufficient cover for the games without Embiid, with him and Adem Bona sharing the duties.
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