Welcome to 2023 and the near halfway mark of the season.
In many fantasy circles there exists some false belief that the NBA trade deadline is in some way the mid- point of the season. The fact is the NBA trade deadline is closer to being two thirds into the season when you factor in the week off for All-Star break. My point being, the earlier you can complete a trade the better it can be for your team as it allows more time to generate the stats you need. This is especially true for rotisserie category leagues as the stats accumulate over the course of the entire season.
So, do not be afraid to get a little aggressive over the next few weeks to secure that player or players you believe will best suit your team. It is time to get in the zone.
“That’s that north-north, that up top….That OVO and that XO”
Fred VanVleet
This is not what GMs signed up for on draft day.
Subpar shooting from Fred is not an anomaly but this season he has plunged the field goal percentage into the abyss and, with it, it has taken his scoring and threes. In addition, tagging along for the ride is Fred’s production across the board and that has him ranked 64th over the past two weeks and outside of the top 200 during the past week. Part of that rank is due to two missed games out of the last four but his production in those two games saw Fred total 11 points on 28% shooting.
On the season, Fred is shooting just 37.6% from the field and, while low 40’s is to be expected, that is still a drastic improvement from his output over the last week. The good news is that Fred’s other stats on the season are where we expect them to be with:
3.8 rebounds, 6 assists, 1.6 steals, 2.8 threes, 0.6 blocks and 87% from the line on 4.2 attempts.
His current GMs know this and may have built their roster in a punt field goal build, but for those in rotisserie formats, the ability to trade for Rockford’s Finest might be easier to do.
As I’ve always cautioned, any trade you execute needs to fit your particular team build but, if you are able to sell high on a say a De’Anthony Melton to secure FVV, I would do it. Alternatively, perhaps you can convince the GM in your league with FVV stock that Jordan Poole’s recent surge is here to stay and not a result of the absence of Steph Curry.
Get your offers out there, as Fred has the ability to turn his shooting around and get hot quickly, so be sure he is on your team when it happens.
Hit me up in the comment section with your thoughts and/ or trade ideas.
Good luck out there,
Peace.
