In this week’s Rotation Notes, even with the lack of games, there’s never a shortage of news. Let’s dive in!
San Antonio Spurs: Storm the Castle
The Spurs are rolling and are nearly whole again. Stephen Castle returned and right way played 25 minutes. Dylan Harper also has been playing the same amount. And to complete their ultra talented young trio, Victor Wembanyana has been seeing practice action. Luke Kornet’s time of fleeting relevance is about over, as mid as it has been. He’s safe to move on from. Devin Vassell did get minutes, but only five shots in Castle’s return. He’s not a priority in the offense, and probably safe to move on from.
The Pellies: I Miss Missi
Yeah, yeah, Zion Williamson is out. We expected that. What we didn’t expect was to see Herb Jones come in and play productive minutes. Yes, you should see if he’s available. Yves Missi, by the way, only played 7 minutes even without Zion and Kevon Looney. Just, you know, putting the bad news out with the good. He’s a clear drop.
The Kangz: Maxime-ize your roster
Everyone’s least favorite dysfunctional franchise did have a notable rotation switch. Rookie Maxime Raynaud out of Stanford is looking like a rotation lock. Even when Domantis Sabonis returns, Raynaud should be able to play 20-25 minutes. Drew Eubanks? His time has passed. Raynaud was a bit underrated out of college, but having watched him play he was a very good player in a really bad team situation. With NBA space and not being the only player in opponents’ game plan, Raynaud is showing he can contribute. Gotta add.
Celtics: Walsh your roster clean
Just a quick highlight on Jordan Walsh, who is SG-SF-PF eligible. He’s nailed down a starting spot and at age 21 is only getting better. In four games in December, he’s averaging almost two steals per game, 6 rebounds, a block, and 1.5 threes. He’s the quintessential fill in the blank player. I’m all in on Walsh, especially in a punt points league. He’s good everywhere. Did I mention that he’s shooting 82.5% for the month? He’s locked in and you should be too.
Magic
Franz Wagner somehow avoided a major injury and his owners should be eternally grateful. So basically, when Paolo Banchero returned, he just takes the Wagner role, and nobody loses minutes or anything. Ya boy here just wrote a paragraph saying nothing changed. Anthony Black, Desmond Bane keep value, and Tristan da Silva for deep leagues still. They did dust off Jonathan Isaac for 12 minutes and he didn’t take a shot, but if he can get that up higher he’s good for defensive stats maybe. Ignore and monitor.
Heat: Worried about Ware
We got a look last night at the Heat at full strength, and it’s bad news for Kel’el Ware owners. The burly forward only played 12 minutes against the Magic. Perhaps it was matchup dependent. I guess you can’t drop him but I’m here to validate your worried feelings.
Knicks: Fine, it’s Jordan Clarkson
If you’re in an insanely deep league, you can stream Jordan Clarkson. He’s getting around 25 minutes. He did have a scoreless game Sunday, so temper the old expectations.
That’s all for this week. We’ll catch you up after the NBA Cup tournament thing, or whatever it’s called. Enjoy the light load at least?
