Chet Holmgren Breaks the Slate
The May 5, 2026 player slate was headlined by Chet Holmgren, but the real story goes deeper than one box score. This recap breaks down who actually created fantasy separation, who carried specific stat categories, who crushed expectation, and who came in light versus baseline.
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Slate Snapshot
- Date: May 5, 2026
- Games: 2
- Players logged: 46
Slate MVP: Chet Holmgren Delivered the Hammer
Chet Holmgren posted the kind of line that decides slates.
He finished with 24 points, 12 rebounds, 1 assists, 1 steals, 3 blocks, and 2 made threes, good for 51.9 fantasy points.
That was a high-end fantasy result with a glass work, defensive juice profile. This was not empty scoring — the production hit across enough categories to separate from the rest of the player pool.
Fantasy Leaders
The top of the fantasy leaderboard was defined by players who either carried massive usage, filled multiple categories, or spiked in the right stat buckets. James Harden was right behind him with 44.1 FPTS, giving the slate a strong second anchor instead of a one-player runaway.
- Chet Holmgren — 51.9 FPTS
- James Harden — 44.1 FPTS
- LeBron James — 41.8 FPTS
- Cade Cunningham — 39.1 FPTS
- Evan Mobley — 37.3 FPTS
Scoring Leaders
LeBron James set the scoring pace with 27 points. These were the players who carried the raw bucket-making load, but scoring only told part of the fantasy story.
- LeBron James — 27
- Chet Holmgren — 24
- Cade Cunningham — 23
- Donovan Mitchell — 23
- James Harden — 22
Rebounding Leaders
Chet Holmgren controlled the glass with 12 rebounds. Rebounding remains one of the cleanest ways for players to build fantasy floors when the shot volume is not enough by itself.
- Chet Holmgren — 12
- Deandre Ayton — 12
- Jalen Duren — 12
- Evan Mobley — 9
- Isaiah Hartenstein — 9
Assist Leaders
Cade Cunningham owned the creation role with 7 assists. High-end assist games usually point to usage beyond scoring — the player is controlling possessions, dictating pace, and creating fantasy value through teammates.
- Cade Cunningham — 7
- James Harden — 7
- Marcus Smart — 7
- Austin Reaves — 6
- LeBron James — 6
Defensive Stat Leaders
Defensive stats were slate separators. Steals and blocks can turn ordinary lines into tournament-winning scores fast, especially when they stack on top of scoring and minutes.
Daniss Jenkins led the slate with 4 steals, while Chet Holmgren controlled the block category with 3 blocks.
Steals Leaders
- Daniss Jenkins — 4
- Marcus Smart — 4
- Cason Wallace — 3
- Cade Cunningham — 2
- Duncan Robinson — 2
Block Leaders
- Chet Holmgren — 3
- Evan Mobley — 2
- Jalen Duren — 2
- James Harden — 2
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander — 2
Three-Point Leaders
Duncan Robinson delivered the biggest perimeter spike with 5 made threes. Three-point volume is one of the fastest ways for a player to jump tiers, especially when the peripherals also show up.
- Duncan Robinson — 5
- Donovan Mitchell — 4
- Jared McCain — 4
- Max Strus — 4
- LeBron James — 3
Free Throw Leaders: Who Forced the Issue
Cade Cunningham put the most pressure on the defense, leading the slate with 11 free throw attempts. Free throws matter because they create efficient scoring, foul pressure, and a more stable path to fantasy production.
Free Throw Attempts
- Cade Cunningham — 11
- James Harden — 9
- Tobias Harris — 8
- Ausar Thompson — 4
- Chet Holmgren — 4
Free Throws Made
- Cade Cunningham — 9
- James Harden — 9
- Tobias Harris — 7
- Chet Holmgren — 4
- Luke Kennard — 4
Turnover Leaders: Usage With a Cost
High turnovers usually come from players handling the ball, creating offense, or absorbing defensive pressure. That usage can still be valuable, but the mistakes matter.
James Harden led the slate with 7 turnovers.
- James Harden — 7
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander — 7
- Austin Reaves — 4
- Cade Cunningham — 4
- Dennis Schröder — 4
Best All-Around Lines of the Slate
These were the players who did more than score. Multi-category production is what creates the strongest fantasy profiles because it gives players multiple paths to get there.
- Chet Holmgren — 24 points, 12 rebounds, 1 assists, 1 steals, 3 blocks — glass work, defensive juice
- James Harden — 22 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steals, 2 blocks — balanced production
- LeBron James — 27 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steals — balanced production
- Cade Cunningham — 23 points, 3 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals — rim pressure
- Tobias Harris — 20 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assists, 2 steals — balanced production
Double-Double Tracker
Double-doubles are not automatic slate-winners, but they usually signal strong minutes, stable role, and real involvement in the game environment.
- Chet Holmgren — 24 points, 12 rebounds
- Jalen Duren — 11 points, 12 rebounds
- Deandre Ayton — 10 points, 12 rebounds
Triple-Double Watch
No triple-doubles on this slate, but several players still flirted with complete stat profiles.
Overperformers vs Baseline
This is where the recap gets more useful than raw leaderboards. These players beat their blended baseline the most, using season average plus prior last 3, last 7, and last 10 fantasy-point form.
- Daniss Jenkins — 35.9 FPTS (clear overperformance). Baseline: 16.4 | Delta: +19.5 | Profile: defensive juice.
- Chet Holmgren — 51.9 FPTS (useful bump over baseline). Baseline: 40.4 | Delta: +11.5 | Profile: glass work, defensive juice.
- Jared McCain — 17.4 FPTS (useful bump over baseline). Baseline: 7.1 | Delta: +10.3 | Profile: balanced production.
- Max Strus — 30 FPTS (useful bump over baseline). Baseline: 21.8 | Delta: +8.2 | Profile: balanced production.
- Jalen Duren — 36.4 FPTS (useful bump over baseline). Baseline: 28.6 | Delta: +7.8 | Profile: glass work.
Underperformers vs Baseline
These were the biggest misses relative to expectation. Some players had bad shooting nights, some lost category volume, and others simply failed to match their normal role.
- Jarrett Allen — 9.1 FPTS (major underperformance). Baseline: 29.5 | Delta: -20.4 | Profile: balanced production.
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander — 31.4 FPTS (clear miss versus baseline). Baseline: 47.7 | Delta: -16.3 | Profile: balanced production.
- Sam Merrill — 0.5 FPTS (below-expectation result). Baseline: 10.8 | Delta: -10.3 | Profile: balanced production.
- Cade Cunningham — 39.1 FPTS (below-expectation result). Baseline: 48.0 | Delta: -8.9 | Profile: rim pressure.
- Luke Kennard — 15.5 FPTS (below-expectation result). Baseline: 22.4 | Delta: -6.9 | Profile: balanced production.
Top Slate Surprises
These are the outcomes worth flagging. Not just “good games,” but performances that came from players who were not already projected to dominate the slate.
- Daniss Jenkins — 35.9 FPTS against a 16.4 blended baseline, beating expectation by +19.5 (clear overperformance, defensive juice).
- Jared McCain — 17.4 FPTS against a 7.1 blended baseline, beating expectation by +10.3 (useful bump over baseline, balanced production).
- Max Strus — 30 FPTS against a 21.8 blended baseline, beating expectation by +8.2 (useful bump over baseline, balanced production).
- Jalen Duren — 36.4 FPTS against a 28.6 blended baseline, beating expectation by +7.8 (useful bump over baseline, glass work).
- Duncan Robinson — 28 FPTS against a 20.8 blended baseline, beating expectation by +7.2 (useful bump over baseline, shooting spike).
Final Takeaway
The slate started with Chet Holmgren, who delivered the clear headline performance and forced the rest of the leaderboard to chase.
Beyond the top score, the important signals were category control: Cade Cunningham owned creation, Chet Holmgren controlled the glass, Cade Cunningham generated rim pressure, and Duncan Robinson delivered the shooting spike.
The baseline sections are where the real edge comes in. Raw points tell you who was good. Baseline deltas tell you who actually beat expectation — and who failed to live up to their role.
Explore the Slate Further
For deeper analysis, player logs, and interactive filtering: