Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (PG, LAC) - Week 5 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add In 12-Team Leagues (Especially Category Leagues)

OWNED IN: 36% of leagues

ANALYSIS: It hasn't taken Shai Gilgeous-Alexander long to work his way into the Los Angeles Clippers starting lineup, even on a team deep at the guard position. The 11th pick in this year's draft was always viewed as a promising talent, but the issue for Gilgeous-Alexander appeared to be that Patrick Beverley was never going to lose his usual allotment of minutes because of his immense upside on defense. But that all changed when starting shooting guard Avery Bradley came down with a sprained left ankle and was forced to miss the team's last three games.

Head coach Doc Rivers named Gilgeous-Alexander the starter during Bradley's absence, and while his first career start got off to a slow inception, the 20-year-old has exploded over his past two contests. On Saturday, Gilgeous-Alexander put his full repertoire on display, scoring 16 points to go along with six rebounds, four assists, one steal, three blocks and two three-pointers in 40 minutes of action against the Milwaukee Bucks. With the effort, the Kentucky product became the first Clippers rookie to have a game of at least 16 points, six rebounds, four assists, and three blocks since Lamar Odom on April 19, 2000.

The Clippers have a 102.0 defensive rating when he's on the court, which would be the best team defensive rating in the NBA, and he has averaged 1.5 steals and 1.3 blocks per 100 possessions. His ability to stuff the stat sheet makes him a nine-category must-add in practically any sized league and will give him a nice built-in floor, despite some of the inconsistency that he will possess because of his youth. His upside isn't quite the same in points leagues, but he still deserves to be added in all 12-teamers.