Another week, another gruesome injury in the NBA… Kristaps Porzingis tore his ACL last night and will be out for the next 9-12 months, meaning he will miss a portion of next season as well. Seems like every week an all-star goes down these days. I can’t remember a season with more replacements needed for the all-star game. Get well soon Unicorn!!
A quick note before moving on with last week’s calls recap. During the aforementioned game, Giannis Antetokounmpo channeled his inner Vince Carter and did this:
Wow…Tim Hardaway Jr. looks so small right there. I just hope the coaching change and Jabari Parker’s return helps the Greek Freak lead them to a deep playoff run. Yes, I’m biased towards a compatriot but he has developed through hard work into a superstar and deserves more team success.
Moving on to the usual review of my suggestions from last week. Reggie Bullock solidified his place as the starting SG in Detroit with 35 minutes and 2.3 triples per game, while Boban Marjanovic is completely out of Doc’s rotation. Rumors about a DeAndre Jordan trade are heating up with Portland reportedly being added to the list of potential suitors, but Boban is a luxury stash for the time being and can be safely dropped if DJ is not dealt. Tomas Satoransky proved the better PG add in Washington, as predicted, and is providing solid production with 10.0/0.8/2.5/4.8/2.0/0.0/1.5 since starting. However, the best call must have been Terry Rozier, who posted a 11-10-17 triple double and followed it up with a 31-point performance against the Knicks. Finally, Bismack Biyombo’s minutes remain too low for my liking and I haven’t regretted the decision to cut him last week.
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Buy
Michael Beasley: Beasley always impressed me with the sheer talent he possesses on the offensive end. His touch around the basket and shooting stroke are both superstar level in my opinion, but his mentality is lacking, to put it politely. Still, when given the opportunity and specifically when Porzingis is unavailable, he has delivered and his usage rate skyrockets to a ridiculous 30.2. He will be the starter going forward and has averaged 20.3 points and 5.1 rebounds while in the starting lineup, so he looks like a must-add, especially if you owned the Unicorn.
Josh Jackson: It took some time for Josh Jackson to get used to the physicality and speed of the NBA game (he even had a DNP-CD earlier in the season), but with the Suns facing another lost season his minutes have steadily risen. During the last two weeks he is averaging 17.5/1.4/6.1/0.8/0.9/0.6/2.3 on 43.4%/79.3% shooting. The percentages and turnovers could be better, but his ROS potential is undeniable and he won’t be available in 51% of Yahoo leagues for much longer.
Isaiah Thomas: The Cavs continue to be a complete mess and even blew a 21-point lead against the lowly Magic yesterday. Thomas has been awful since returning from injury, shooting only 35.5% with 2.7 turnovers and just 1.4 triples, but if the Cavs want to turn their season around they need to help him regain the confidence he had in Boston. He can only improve moving forward and, as we saw in Nicolas Batum’s case, it can take a while to shake off the rust after an injury. This makes Thomas a prime buy-low candidate in my book.
Josh Hart: As long as Lonzo Ball is out, Josh Hart seems determined to grab more rebounds than Brook Lopez has the whole season. In the last three games, Hart is averaging 12 (!!) rebounds. Combine this with the 15 points and 1.3 steals and he becomes a must add in deeper leagues and worthy of consideration in standard or shallower leagues. The Lakers struck gold with both their draft picks this year between him and Kyle Kuzma. Magic Johnson is understandably very happy…
Sell
Tyrone Wallace: It was fun while it lasted for Tyrone Wallace but with Tobias Harris, Avery Bradley, and Danilo Gallinari healthy the minutes are just not there. He played only 14 in the last game and will need a trade of one of the above players to become fantasy relevant again.
As a reminder, the NBA trade deadline is this Thursday at 3 p.m. ET, so be sure to capitalize on any trade information and grab players that are poised for an increase in minutes and production. These adds can make the difference for the rest of the season and can lead you to the fantasy championship.
As always, let me know in the comments your thoughts and your suggestions about players I have not included and of course all your fantasy related questions!
