The news around the Association had an interesting interaction at Philadelphia after the Bucks-Sixers game. Giannis Antetokounmpo wanted to practice his free throws after going 4/15 from the line but this coincided with a fan event planned by the Sixers. Chaos ensued after Montrezl Harrell intervened with Giannis shooting and walked off with his basketball, then a ladder was placed in front of the basket.
At the end of the day, what caught my eye was the way Giannis threw shade at Harrell but in the most polite way possible. “I respect every player, I know some players don’t play now, they want to get some extra work, want to work on their skills and stuff, and I said, obviously we can shoot together. They said, they told me no, this is their court, I should leave”. What is not to love from Giannis, even when he is riled up.
Regarding last week’s suggestions, Larry Nance Jr. continued his impressive performances and is now top 65 for the year in per-game value, Jevon Carter was serviceable and Charles Bassey concluded his 5-game week, so you can safely drop him again. On the Sell front, Jerami Grant had some down performances, so the sell high window might be closing and Onyeka Okongwu showed no signs of being a standard league player moving forward.
Buy
Terry Rozier: After shooting above 44% from the field for two consecutive seasons, Rozier is cosplaying as an anchor this year for your fantasy team’s fg%.
He is currently shooting with 36.8% from the field on a hefty 21 attempts per game, and it is only logical to assume that there is only one way to go from here. His assists have actually increased without LaMelo Ball and those are bound to normalize, but I predict that the increased attention LaMelo will command from opposing defenses will help Rozier find his groove again. A return to 44% might be a bit optimistic at this point but I think his value will only improve along with his shooting touch, so this feels like a good buy low opportunity.
John Konchar: Although Ja Morant returned in record time form his ankle injury, Konchar has been performing admirably filling in for both him and Desmond Bane. He has provided sneaky value for the season, ranking inside the top 90 in per game value due to his balanced statistical output and, as long as Bane is out and he is getting around 30 minutes, he is worthy of a roster spot on your team. He has also been a great feel-good story after going undrafted in 2019 but fighting his way through summer league and G-league with the Grizzlies until he found his spot in their rotation (44% owned).
Paul Reed: Albeit a suggestion with a clear expiration date, Reed has value for this week as long as Joel Embiid is out. Montrezl Harrell got the starting nod but only played 16 minutes compared to 31 for Reed. He also has the most fantasy-friendly game of the two, so he is looking like the better pickup currently (13% owned).
Sell
Anthony Davis: I know he is playing out of his mind currently. I know he is carrying the Lakers on his back. And that is exactly the problem. Without LeBron, Davis is literaly carrying the Lakers on his oft-injured back and very injury-prone knees. That is not a recipe for lasting fantasy value. That is a recipe for a textbook Sell High in order to try and extract as much value as possible for Davis now that he is healthy. Need I remind you that there is twitter account dedicated to whether Davis is injured or not? Also how many players have their own injury compilation video?
I think you can even find part 2 for that video if you want more. My exaggerated point here is that I would trade him for any top 10 player in a heartbeat now, to have more security as the season progresses.
Marvin Bagley: I don’t see a reason why this guy is rostered in so many leagues, even with Isaiah Stewart sidelined. He is a bad real-life basketball player, he has a very unfriendly fantasy game and, even while shooting 91.7% from the line this year, compared to 66.3% last year, which feels very fluky, he is still outside the top 150. Drop him, stream his spot and don’t look back (36% owned).
