Celtics drop a shocker to the Bulls
Gotta be honest with y’all, I did not expect the Bulls and their newly benched and angry Zach LaVine to come out and beat the Celtics! I follow the Bulls quite closely, here’s some fantasy gold nuggets (gold, hopefully, not anything derogatory you sickos!)
Bulls:
Zach LaVine: The guy simply has not looked like he has in the past year coming back from his second knee surgery. Look, I know it’s minor, but they’ve cut open the same body part twice for repairs. That’s bound to affect athleticism. LaVine has been slow this year, not attacking on offense and has been even more passive on defense. What you do with the guy is up to you. He was better last night, but still not what he was before the injuries. I recommend dealing him to someone who will pay full price. I’m not sure he’s as motivated to improve as he was before he was handsomely paid.
Ayo Dosumnu: Poor guy is being miscast as a point guard when he’s really a slashing SG. I think his ceiling is reasonably capped by the lack of threes. Or it could be the stupid Bulls roster that has two guys who score in isolation and make Ayo stand out there pretending to be a shooter. The Bulls clearly run better when Goran Dragic is out there, but he’s out there like Gandalf the Grey and can’t go long minutes. Ayo could be a double-digit scorer, but his ceiling is lowered to that of a Tiny House due to lack of 3s and steals. He does play great on-ball defense, but the steals just aren’t always there.
Andre Drummond: There’s a case to be made that Drummond fits the starting lineup better than Nikola Vucevic. It’s a weak case, but still a case. Last night, Drummond had 12 boards in 13 minutes. That’s not bad. For leagues that count offensive rebounds, the Drum is always good for a botched layup or two where he grabs his own miss! He’s a bad real life player, but in builds where you are stacking boards, he’s a good end-of-the-bench guy. The upside is capped because he can’t play with Vucevic, but if Voochie gets hurt, Drummond could get 25 boards. I own him, but am not excited about it unless injuries strike.
Alex Caruso/Coby White: Keep an eye on these two. Goran Dragic went out with a shoulder “stinger” and I expect him to miss time. Caruso is good if you need steals with a few boards and assists chipped in. He is not a shooter at all, though. That is supposed to be White’s job, but he’s not a good shooter. Add him if you need to drop your FG% and add to your assists. No, I’m not a White guy.
Patrick Williams: Here we go, Pat! I’ve been hyper critical of this guy, especially as the 4th overall pick. He’s going to continue to get his minutes, though. He’s the only Bull with any size for the 4 spot. Unfortunately, the Bulls offense is filled with two guys who shoot first and second, then look to drive, then finally pass as a last option, then complain about being fouled, then order a Chicago style pizza, then eat it, then finally find poor Williams in the corner where he only gets a few opportunities to shine. Last night, he hit his shots and did this to Jayson Tatum:
Ok Patrick pic.twitter.com/J01whvnlUt
— Will Gottlieb (@Will_Gottlieb) November 22, 2022
Williams is a guy to monitor. It’s my personal belief that the Bulls are not going to be very good this year. Vucevic is an expiring contract and could be dealt for some young guns. DeMar DeRozan is also aging and would get a haul. And Dallas is already rumored to be chasing Zach LaVine!
If any of these guys go, Williams is a priority add, as well as Dosumnu. Until then, Passive Pat is a low usage 3-and-blocks helper who is valuable in real life due to his solid one on one defense. Seriously, he’s held Jayson Tatum, Scottie Barnes, and Brandon Ingram to terrible shooting nights, and that will keep his minutes around 30 per game. There will be those 9-point games, though, and he’s not a rebounder.
Celtics
Honestly, I’m a Bulls fan so I was hoping all the Celtics would mildly sprain ankles or something.
The Celtics are one of those new NBA teams that likes to have all guys who are the same size and play the same way. Last night, they didn’t hit their threes so they lost. If they hit the three, they win. When they are healthy (I know, Robert Williams isn’t there, but he’s not gonna be healthy all year in my opinion), this is their standard rotation.
Derrick White and Sam Hauser may have value in case of injury to a main rotation member, but not much fantasy wisdom to glean from my vantage point.
