NBA Player Props Forecast This Week: Steph Curry Injury, Evan Mobley on the Rise

The first week of the NBA season has come and gone and it is great to have some NBA hoops back. Despite this, there are always some injuries to react to with the biggest one happening during the final game on Sunday night.

Let's dive into my NBA player props forecast for this week, including NBA predictions for Steph Curry, Evan Mobley and more.

NBA Player Props Forecast This Week

Warrior Down: Steph Curry Turns Ankle

Schedule: 10/29 vs Pelicans, 10/30 vs Pelicans, 11/2 at Rockets

Steph Curry turned his ankle during Sunday night's game against the Clippers and had to leave the game. While he initially returned he made it just 13 seconds before reaggravating the injury.

Considering he did not return and in the post-game Steve Kerr said he described it as "mild to moderate" I think it's safe to assume Curry will miss at least a few games.

The entire Warriors' offense revolves around Steph Curry, so if he misses time, the gameplan shifts dramatically. Andrew Wiggins led the team on Sunday night finishing with 29 points, but this will need to be a whole team effort moving forward.

Some of the biggest swings in Usage without Curry belong to Jonathan Kuminga (+5.51), Moses Moody (+4.42), Brandin Podziemski (+2.19), and Andrew Wiggins (+2.06); interestingly, Draymond Green (-0.82) actually sees a slight dip in his Usage without Curry.

This makes some sense though, as the player who most naturally slots in without Curry would be Podziemski and Kuminga. In 8 games without Curry last year, Kuminga averaged 18.8 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 2.6 assists while Podziemski averaged 14.4 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 4.5 assists.

Both Kuminga and Podziemski are extremely valuable even without Curry because they both are capable of creating for not only themselves, but for their teammates. Even though Podz has struggled to start this season, he could be a great RA target while Kuminga fills in as a scoring threat.

Buddy Hield should also be considered for his 3s and his RA. Even though Hield failed to score against the Clippers, his minutes have been increasing from 15, to 20, to 28 and he has averaged 8 RA per game this season.

The Warriors play the Pelicans twice and the Rockets once this week. Both teams have allowed teams to get to the rim with ease this season – good spots to back Kuminga whose preference is to attack the rim.

I am very curious to see how Draymond Green performs while Curry is out. Over the last 4 seasons, Draymond has played 33 games without Steph Curry. In those games he has averaged just 6.9 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 6.0 assists. He has declined in every stat category when he does not play with Curry. I think some of this has to do with the spacing that Curry provides Draymond along with the two-man game that they run. But considering Steve Kerr closed without Draymond on Sunday, it is definitely something to monitor.

The Rise of Evan Mobley

Schedule: 10/28 at Knicks, 10/30 vs Lakers, 11/1 vs Magic, 11/2 at Bucks

The Cleveland Cavaliers have a new coach in Kenny Atkinson and he has made his impact evident immediately as the team is 2-0 to start the year.

One big chance so far has been in Evan Mobley's Usage. Mobley has seen his Usage jump from 19.4% to 23.5% this season and he is averaging 18 points and 9 rebounds. He has been a focal part of not only the offense, but the defense as well.

Mobley is seeing career highs in the FGA, 3PA, FTA, DRB, Steals, Blocks, and Points. He continues to improve with his increased Usage and Opportunity.

Last season, Mobley was not used nearly as much as a Pick and Roll Handler and he is on pace to blow this out of the water. Last season, he had just 40 possessions as the PnR handler, through just two games he had 9 while averaging 1.33 points per possession, per Synergy. By putting the ball in his hands, he is able to create for himself and attack mismatches as the Cavaliers try some 5-Out lineups.

Another development is he is not only taking 3s, but he is pulling up on his own to make and take them.

If his 3 ball is enough that opposing defenses need to respect and cover it, it changes the defensive geomtry for their opponents. He is not allowing himself to be guarded by smaller defenders either because of his increased ability to attack off the bounce.

Mobley's PR line for Monday is set at 23.5 and that's an over I'm attacking against the Knicks.

The Knicks are allowing their opponents to shoot 83% at the Rim and 47.6% from Short Mid-Range, per Cleaning the Glass. Those are Mobley's top two scoring zones.

Additionally, the Knicks are just 19th in Rebound %, and given that the Knicks are a bit thin in their frontcourt, this is a spot Mobley can thrive.

Mobley has some tough matchups this week against the Lakers, the Magic, and the Bucks, but this will be a true test to see if he's arrived.