The Milwaukee Bucks lifted the second NBA Cup and deservedly so, as they were perhaps the most consistent team in those cup games, spearheaded by the awesome play of Giannis, who seems more determined than ever and is all around the floor for the whole season. But apart from his on-field heroics, he provided another example of his unique kindness with this postgame inteview regarding the money his teammates got as a bonus from the Cup win.
The rough times he had growing up in Greece certainly has made him more kind and is obviously not the typical NBA superstar. One more reason to love him.
Besides that, the final game was a perfect example of the trend the game has embraced lately, with the Bucks shooting 40 triples and the Thunder shooting 32 and making only 5 of them. I get that in a lot of possessions Giannis was double and triple teamed, but it is still a testament to the way modern NBA is played, for better or for worse. Oh and never forget that Darvin Ham is 2/2 in NBA Cup wins, as a head coach and now as an assistant coach, as well as Taurean Prince, with the Lakers last year and with the Bucks this year. I might put some money on the team those 2 are next year to win it…
Regarding last week’s suggestions, Yves Missi continued starting for the Pelicans and also continued grabbing rebounds and blocks, with 39 and 4 respectively in his last 3 games, while Gradey Dick increased his usage sans Scottie Barnes and had 2 good games with 27 and 22 points. Both look like good bets for the rest of the season, but the same can not be said for Trayce Jackson-Davis as he did nothing in his 15 minutes per game to change my mind that he is a clear drop in all fantasy leagues.
Buy
Bilal Coulibaly: I usually try to suggest players with less than 50% ownership as waiver targets, as I feel higher owned players are not that available in most leagues. That was the reason I had mentioned Bilal Coulibaly only in the first article of the season, almost 2 months ago and never thought to bring him up again, as I was sure he was in a fantasy team in every league. However, as of today his ownership is at 44% in Yahoo leagues and so he is a clear priority add in my book. Ranked 105th in per game value and with a bad shooting spell behind him, Coulibaly is playing all the minutes he can handle at 35 per game and is a great source of defensive stats. He is also given more play-making duties as the season progresses so his value will only climb. This is your last call to go grab him.
Fred VanVleet: Despite the Rockets having an excellent season to date, Fred VanVleet has been a bit of a disappointment in terms of fantasy production. His usage has not taken a hit, but his shooting percentages are both career lows and especially during the last 2 weeks he is shooting a putrid 28% from the field which might have his fantasy owner irritated. I firmly believe in his talent and because the rest of his averages are not lacking far behind his career marks, a buy low is in order for VanVleet as this feels like the lowest point of his value for the whole season.
Sell
Collin Sexton: I know that he is a starter with respectable usage in the backcourt of a bad team bu the numbers have been awful for Collin Sexton all season. Despite a slight increase in playing time his shot attempts have dropped by 1.5 per game and with his non existent rebounding and defensive contributions there is not a lot of room for fantasy value. He is still a major positive in the ft% but that is the extent of his positive contributions so if your team is already strong there, or you think of punting the category, I would try to move on or flat out drop him, as he is valued 178th in per game value for the season, his minutes are on the decline and most importantly if you exclude ft% impact he moves all the way outside the top230 (81% owned).
