Razzball Nation! Welcome back to our in-depth look at a player who has been nothing short of underwhelming for at least the past week.
“There are times
When you’ll need someone
I will be by your side
There is a light that shines
Special for you and me”
I am not exactly sure to whom Common was referring to in that J Dilla banger but what I do know is that I have been by your side all season long compadres. So much so that I hope you took your boy’s advice last week and made a stealth move for Zach LaVine before he exploded for that 50-burger and then put up another 30 two nights later. In fact, over the course of three games last week Mr. Lavine scored 101 points, drained 13 threes, 20 assists, and 19 rebounds. WOW! It is that type of late-season surge that could have made all the difference in your league and catapult your team to the top of the standings. Sadly, we are not here to gush about young Zachary and his awesomeness. Instead, we remain in the Windy City to focus on another Chi-Town player who has had a rough go over the past week and beyond.
With the regular season winding down, it is likely that trade deadlines in most formats have come and gone. Therefore, I will not be suggesting trade options moving forward but instead, I will be nudging you towards dropping or benching these players for a hotter pickup.
It is time to move on from…
Lauri Markkanen
Now, I understand that some of you may be holding out hope that somehow Lauri might be able to turn it around down the stretch. You are in all likelihood saying to yourselves, “I’ve held him this long so what’s the harm in seeing if he has something for me over the last 18 games or so”.
“Listen homeboys don’t mean to burst your bubble. But keeping Markkanen ain’t nothing but trouble”.
Sure, he might pop off for a game or two but I would not bet on it and there are players with potentially higher upside you can get from the wire. A further example of why I do not believe in Markkanen is the fact that he is coming off the bench in favor of Thad Young. While coming off the bench is not a fantasy death sentence, Lauri has eclipsed more than 20 minutes only once in the past four games, and during that game, he put up 5 points and 5 rebounds in 27 minutes on 1 of 4 shooting. The ball simply is not coming his way any longer and it certainly seems that his time in Chicago will be concluding this summer.
Now, one thing I want you to keep in mind is that I selfishly love when a young player with potential that I believe Markkanen does possess, struggles down the stretch. The reason being, these are the types of players often forgotten come draft day the following season and that creates an opportunity for him to be had at a discount. You just go ahead and file his name away for later in what I feel will be a bounce-back situation on a new team.
As for today, I would pick up a Moe Harkless who has seen 31 and 34 minutes in his last two outings collecting 4 steals, 3 threes, and 2 blocks while averaging 13 points, 5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists. The numbers are not dynamic but they are certainly serviceable and the stocks are nice for a player currently available in most leagues.
Another player to consider is Facundo Campazzo who has been seeing decent minutes and, with the unfortunate news of Jamal Murray tearing his ACL, Campazzo will be a hot pickup and could provide you with a nice boost in threes, steals, and a sprinkle of assists.
Good luck out there and hit me up in the comments section, as your feedback is always welcome.
Peace.
