Being an avid basketball fan encourages you to make decision that might not look logical from a sane perspective. A good example is how much you are willing to travel to see a 40 or 48 minute game of your favorite team. Take for example a young fan of the Miami Heat who allegedly traveled 4405 miles to see his favorite team and more specifically his favorite player, Jimmy Butler.
Yes, you understood it correctly, Jimmy Butler was ruled out one hour before the game and the camera captured the young fan’s reaction. This is the downside of the load management of star players that has become quite common in the last decade, although I do understand why teams do it. And I’m sure the Heat organization will do good for the kid with a signed jersey or tickets for another game.
Regarding last week’s suggestions, Terance Mann failed to impress in his increased opportunity and is a drop and the same can be said for Naz Reid, as he was both underwhelming and Rudy Gobert is back. On the other hand, Kyle Anderson had a great week, but he will also be impacted by Gobert and eventually Towns returning, while Wenyen Gabriel did not provide the blocks he was advertised for and is a clear drop with Anthony Davis closing in on a return. A bad week in suggestions to be honest, let’s hope it’s the exception to the rule.
Buy
Jalen Duren: Detroit is having another season that is heading quickly to the lottery and is projected to have the best odds for Victor Wembanyama. One of the few bright spots and a reason for optimism is the play of rookie Jalen Duren, who has steadily improved as the season progressed. He is already great in rebounding and a competent rim protector. He could elevate his game if he starts creating for himself or if there was a true creator in the backcourt for the Pistons. Regardless, he is a big man to target off the wire as his role should only increase and the floor is also pretty safe (61% owned).
Deni Avdija: In a surprising development, Kristaps Porzingis is injured again and Rui Hachimura will be in a Lakers jersey moving forward, so for the next weeks Deni Avdija has a very clear path to minutes. He did not start yesterday, but he played 32 minutes with 15 points, 10 rebounds and 3 steals. Despite the low usage, he is the kind of player that can contribute across the board and a clear must add in my book. He will not remain so readily available for long so act proactively and add him, especially if you are a Porzingis owner (20% owned).
Xavier Tilman: Steven Adams is slated to miss the next 3-5 weeks with a knee injury and in the first game without him the Grizzles opted to start and give 30 minutes to Xavier Tilman. While the final result was not good (a 33 point loss to the Sacramento Kings), for fantasy purposes Tilman provided 2 steals, 1 block and 6 rebounds and played almost double minutes in comparison with Brandon Clarke (53% owned) and Santi Aldama (17% owned). It could all result in a value killing timeshare for those three but if the first game is an indication, Tillman could provide some deeper league value and is worth a speculative add. Be ready to drop him for one of the other guys though, if we see a different development in their playing time (8% owned).
Sell
Bojan Bogdanovic: Bogdanovic stands on the other spectrum from Jalen Duren as a “Sell” suggestion, as a contributing veteran in a team that is going nowhere. We can safely say he has exceeded expectations this year, by shooting a career high 49% from the field and scoring 21.5 points and is ranked inside the top 80 in per game value for the season. Furthermore, he has been especially hot during the last two weeks, with 56% form the field and 3.8 made triples. A contribution of an expected regression in his shooting along with the possibility of a trade to a less favorable situation in a contender close to the trade deadline makes Bojan a good sell high for me and I would explore any offers for a top80 player in return.
