Welcome to the die-hard Razzball readers who, just by virtue of being here, are always looking to sharpen their swords as our beloved NBA regular season nears its end. With under four weeks to go, there are a few scenarios you might be dealing with at this time. For starters, you could be in the thick of the fantasy playoffs, jockeying for any sliver of advantage you can find, which means you are willing to cut bait on a studly player if the games played situation is not beneficial to your week ahead.
You may also find yourself in a rotisserie league where the “silly season” can have adverse effects in your respective leagues. That is why it is important in these formats to remain diligent on your wires, scouring for opportunities as they become available, and they will.
Perhaps, you are out of the playoffs and/or sitting in the bottom of your roto league and are simply here for entertainment purposes. I salute you.
In any event, as the season comes to an end, I will alter the structure of this post to ensure I continue to unearth value for your team. At this stage, there will not be underachievers available via trade as trade deadlines are long over (with the exception of this one league I am in where it does not end until next week).
Instead, I look to teams on a whole and how they may be operating moving forward, embracing the tank so to speak. This strategy by teams at this point in the season will allow for some players who have been dormant for most if not all season, to begin to have some value.
Last week, we looked at the Detroit Pistons and I imagine you were able to scrape some value out of a few of the players I highlighted over the past week. This week, another team has begun to show a proclivity to strap on the helmet and accept the role of tank commander.
Indiana Pacers
It was all good just a week ago, was it not?
I mean, the Pacers were playing their main players, as it seemed that they still believed a postseason appearance was still in the cards for them. However, despite going 6-4 over their last 10 games, they remain eerily close to the outside looking in on the play-in tournament and it seems their front office might be thinking a higher draft pick is more valuable than possibly a one game play-in opportunity.
This is a franchise that is not a desired free agent destination and, therefore, building through the draft is prudent.
You should be looking to pick up Andrew Nembhard who, over the past week, is the 132nd ranked player with 16 points, 3 rebounds and 5.3 assists while shooting 50% from the field and 79% from the line. The other player I would target is Isaiah Jackson who is the 102nd ranked player over the past week with 10 points, 6.7 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 1.7 blocks while also providing 63% field goal. The spike in production is a direct result of Tyrese Haliburton and Myles Turner missing time and, while there is no guarantee this trend continues, it is low risk/ high reward to give them a shot.
Hit me up in the comments below and let me know your thoughts.
Good luck out there.
Peace.
