Chet Holmgren Breaks the Slate
The May 7, 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 7, 2026
- Games: 2
- Players logged: 44
Slate MVP: Chet Holmgren Delivered the Hammer
Chet Holmgren posted the kind of line that decides slates.
He finished with 22 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 steals, 2 blocks, and 3 made threes, good for 53.3 fantasy points.
That was a high-end fantasy result with a 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. Cade Cunningham was right behind him with 47.6 FPTS, giving the slate a strong second anchor instead of a one-player runaway.
- Chet Holmgren — 53.3 FPTS
- Cade Cunningham — 47.6 FPTS
- Donovan Mitchell — 46.7 FPTS
- LeBron James — 40.4 FPTS
- Tobias Harris — 40.4 FPTS
Scoring Leaders
Austin Reaves set the scoring pace with 31 points. These were the players who carried the raw bucket-making load, but scoring only told part of the fantasy story.
- Austin Reaves — 31
- Donovan Mitchell — 31
- Cade Cunningham — 25
- LeBron James — 23
- Chet Holmgren — 22
Rebounding Leaders
Deandre Ayton controlled the glass with 10 rebounds. Rebounding remains one of the cleanest ways for players to build fantasy floors when the shot volume is not enough by itself.
- Deandre Ayton — 10
- Jalen Duren — 10
- Chet Holmgren — 9
- Isaiah Hartenstein — 9
- Ausar Thompson — 7
Assist Leaders
Cade Cunningham owned the creation role with 10 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 — 10
- Ajay Mitchell — 6
- Austin Reaves — 6
- LeBron James — 6
- Dennis Schröder — 5
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.
Chet Holmgren led the slate with 4 steals, while Evan Mobley controlled the block category with 3 blocks.
Steals Leaders
- Chet Holmgren — 4
- Duncan Robinson — 3
- Evan Mobley — 3
- LeBron James — 3
- Alex Caruso — 2
Block Leaders
- Evan Mobley — 3
- Cade Cunningham — 2
- Chet Holmgren — 2
- Isaiah Hartenstein — 2
- Max Strus — 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
- Jared McCain — 4
- Rui Hachimura — 4
- Austin Reaves — 3
- Cade Cunningham — 3
Free Throw Leaders: Who Forced the Issue
Austin Reaves put the most pressure on the defense, leading the slate with 10 free throw attempts. Free throws matter because they create efficient scoring, foul pressure, and a more stable path to fantasy production.
Free Throw Attempts
- Austin Reaves — 10
- Jarrett Allen — 10
- Donovan Mitchell — 9
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander — 9
- Cade Cunningham — 8
Free Throws Made
- Austin Reaves — 8
- Cade Cunningham — 8
- Jarrett Allen — 8
- Donovan Mitchell — 7
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander — 7
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.
Austin Reaves led the slate with 5 turnovers.
- Austin Reaves — 5
- Cade Cunningham — 5
- James Harden — 4
- LeBron James — 3
- Marcus Smart — 3
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 — 22 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 steals, 2 blocks — defensive juice
- Cade Cunningham — 25 points, 3 rebounds, 10 assists, 1 steals, 2 blocks — creator role
- Donovan Mitchell — 31 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals — scoring-driven
- Austin Reaves — 31 points, 2 rebounds, 6 assists — scoring-driven, rim pressure
- LeBron James — 23 points, 2 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 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.
- Cade Cunningham — 25 points, 10 assists
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.
- Donovan Mitchell — 46.7 FPTS (useful bump over baseline). Baseline: 34.9 | Delta: +11.8 | Profile: scoring-driven.
- Duncan Robinson — 33.1 FPTS (useful bump over baseline). Baseline: 22.2 | Delta: +10.9 | Profile: shooting spike.
- Chet Holmgren — 53.3 FPTS (useful bump over baseline). Baseline: 42.6 | Delta: +10.7 | Profile: defensive juice.
- Jarrett Allen — 39.9 FPTS (useful bump over baseline). Baseline: 30.6 | Delta: +9.3 | Profile: rim pressure.
- Daniss Jenkins — 26.2 FPTS (useful bump over baseline). Baseline: 17.5 | Delta: +8.7 | Profile: balanced production.
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.
- James Harden — 20.7 FPTS (clear miss versus baseline). Baseline: 37.6 | Delta: -16.9 | Profile: balanced production.
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander — 27.4 FPTS (clear miss versus baseline). Baseline: 44.3 | Delta: -16.9 | Profile: balanced production.
- Deandre Ayton — 13 FPTS (clear miss versus baseline). Baseline: 26.4 | Delta: -13.4 | Profile: glass work.
- Luke Kennard — 11.2 FPTS (below-expectation result). Baseline: 21.0 | Delta: -9.8 | Profile: balanced production.
- Javonte Green — 0 FPTS (below-expectation result). Baseline: 9.2 | Delta: -9.2 | 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.
- Duncan Robinson — 33.1 FPTS against a 22.2 blended baseline, beating expectation by +10.9 (useful bump over baseline, shooting spike).
- Jarrett Allen — 39.9 FPTS against a 30.6 blended baseline, beating expectation by +9.3 (useful bump over baseline, rim pressure).
- Daniss Jenkins — 26.2 FPTS against a 17.5 blended baseline, beating expectation by +8.7 (useful bump over baseline, balanced production).
- Jared McCain — 17 FPTS against a 8.8 blended baseline, beating expectation by +8.2 (useful bump over baseline, balanced production).
- Caris LeVert — 11.9 FPTS against a 7.1 blended baseline, beating expectation by +4.8 (near baseline, balanced production).
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, Deandre Ayton controlled the glass, Austin Reaves 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: