Here we are, at the All-Star break, and it is an extremely quiet time of the year with teams not back in action for a couple more days. I thought about taking the week off and returning next week with a new player to spotlight, but just like the Notorious B.I.G. once said,
“Don’t you know bad boys move in silence…”
So, take it from your highness, now is the perfect time to try and extract some value from a GM in your league who suffers from what have you done for me lately syndrome. Let us take a quick look at a star player who may be able to be acquired for your squad before the next tip off and give yourself a chance at moving up in the standings.
Ja Morant
Hey, it is winning time with only 22 or so games left in the regular season for my roto players out there and, if you are going to take a big swing, it likely needs to be now. Some of you may be wondering, Isn’t Ja still good? Yes, of course he is. So why is he being featured here?
Well, I am so happy you asked so allow me tell you why.
This is a rankings manipulation opportunity for you. Over the past two weeks, Ja has been the 83rd ranked player on Yahoo and the 252nd ranked player over the past week. The biggest reason for his value dropping during that span has been the free throw shooting.
Ja is shooting 55.9% from the free throw line over the past two weeks and a staggering 37.5% from the line over the past week on eight attempts. To be fair, the last week consisted of just one game but with so much time between his last game and now, the sour taste might still be lingering for his current GM. Dangling a player with a positive free throw value, who is a top 60 player may be enough to sway a deal in your favour.
This will all depend on roster structure but, if you are in position to absorb his season average of 73.6% on 8.5 attempts, which can be devastating on the wrong team, then go ahead and make your move. Look for a team that has Morant but is not trying to tank the free throw category. They may be willing to swap him out for some positive gains in that category and willing to take a hit in assists or scoring.
With so few games left in the season, the counting stats can be more impactful than percentages so it is why at this time making a move for Ja could be the type of move to propel you up the standings.
As always, hit me up in the comments section and good luck out there.
Peace.
