First, we lost Gilligan’s Island. Then, Fantasy Island. Now, the unthinkable has happened. Waiters Island has been shut down for the season. Dion Waiters is expected to have season-ending surgery on his left ankle, according to Shams Charania of Yahoo.com. The Heat can go in many directions. Tyler Johnson can start at shooting guard with Josh Richardson at small forward and Wayne Ellington the main guy off the bench. Or, Derrick Jones Jr. could start at shooting guard, which would keep Tyler Johnson in a reserve role to back up Goran Dragic. Since Waiters hasn’t played since late-December, the preferred lineup has been Dragic at the point with Johnson at shooting guard and Richardson at small forward. Ellington has been the main scorer off the bench and should continue to be an excellent source for 3s. It’s safe to drop Waiters if you haven’t already. I’m going to miss the antics of Waiters for the remainder of the season, but at least he should return next season, unlike the other famous islands of tv past.
Here’s what else I saw last night:
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Al Horford:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 13 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1/3 | 5/10 | 2/2 |
Literally does it all. Top 40 player for fantasy and only has an 18.3 usage rate on the year.
Jaylen Brown:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 21 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2/4 | 8/15 | 3/5 |
56% free throw percentage is doo doo Brown. With that said, I think Jaylen has a chance to be Kawhi Leonard-esque. The numbers in the second year for both players are pretty similar.
Marcus Morris:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 19 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3/7 | 7/13 | 2/2 |
Played 24 minutes. Morris probably won’t get more than 25 minutes of run, but he breathes and occassionally puts the orange ball through the hoop.
Robert Covington:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1/5 | 2/8 | 0 |
Played 30 minutes. Lord Covington has been bad of late, but I’ll side with history and wager that he’ll turn it around sooner rather than later. Since the game was in London, it’s possible that he partied too hard at the manor the night before.
Joel Embiid:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 15 | 10 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 1/5 | 6/17 | 2/3 |
Played 31 minutes. Who gonna sex Embiid? I can’t wait to see when Embiid is fully unleashed. Will we be able to handle it? I think we’d end up prancing around like a bunch of college kids on ecstasy at a rave.
TJ McConnell:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 12 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6/11 | 0 |
Played 26 minutes. His hair looks like it takes hours to prepare every day. When does he have time to practice? TJ gets around 25 minutes of run a game and contributes in boards, assists, and steals. There’s value in what he brings to the table. I didn’t say how much.
Kevin Love:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 10 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0/1 | 2/8 | 6/7 |
Maybe Love is not the answer for all. Since Isaiah Thomas returned (five games), Love has not played more than 28 minutes and has scored 10, 3, 27, 2, and 19 points.
Speaking of Isaiah Thomas:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 4 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0/6 | 2/15 | 0 |
Momma said there’d be days like this. IT played 25 minutes and should continue to play more as the season rolls on. Let’s not forget that he missed most of the season due to a hip injury. It’s going to take time, but I’d be skeptical to believe that he returns to last year’s form.
LeBron James:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 26 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0/1 | 9/16 | 8/10 |
The LeBrons have given up 133, 127, and 127 points the past three games. It’s time for LeJuggernaut to come out and play….and smash….and bring order to the chaos that reigns in Cleveland.
Jonas Valanciunas:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 15 | 18 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0/1 | 6/9 | 3/4 |
Played 19 minutes. JV is a nightly double-dub threat, but Casey does like to go small, which limits his upside. Too bad because 20/20 games would seem to be a viable proposition.
With Kyle Lowry still nursing an injury, Delon Wright got the start and played 18 minutes.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0/3 | 3/9 | 0 |
The Raptors defeated the Cavs, 133-99, so the blowout probably had a lot to do with the limited minutes. Fred VanVleet played 24 minutes and Lorenzo Brown played 19 minutes at the point guard position.
Fred VanVleet:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 22 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6/8 | 8/11 | 0 |
There’s a reason many call him Fred VanElite. Unfortunately, he’s behind Lowry and Wright on the depth chart, so minutes will be tough to come by.
Pascal Siakam:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 16 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0/3 | 7/10 | 2/3 |
Played 24 minutes. With Serge Ibaka out due to suspension, Siakam was expected to start. Instead, Casey chose to go with CJ Miles. Regardless, Siakam got some run and was very productive. Ibaka should be back for the next game.
Jakob Poeltl:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 12 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 5/8 | 2/3 |
Played 26 minutes. So this is where JVs minutes went. Normally, Casey goes small with Ibaka at the 5, so I wouldn’t expect this performance to be the beginning of a trend.
Norman Powell:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 14 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2/5 | 6/15 | 0/1 |
Played 27 minutes and 24 the prior game. I miss Jack Bauer. Anyways, I’d keep an eye on if Powell continues to get mid-20s minutes. If so, he could have some value, as he’s very athletic and could contribute across the board.
Blake Griffin:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 18 | 12 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2/7 | 5/14 | 6/6 |
Returned to action after missing two games and played 33 minutes. Blake is awesome when healthy, but you all know my puzzlement regarding his lack of blocks. As a result, we must get rid of the B. From this day forward, he shall be known as Lake Griffin. Here here. I decree this on the 11th day of the first month in the year 2018.
DeAndre Jordan:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 8 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4/4 | 0 |
Played 11 minutes but left the game early due to an ankle injury.
Milos Teodosic:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 10 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2/5 | 4/9 | 0 |
Returned to action after missing three games and played 26 minutes. Should continue to get run with the plethora of injuries in the Clippers backcourt. That is, until he re-injures himself.
Lou Williams:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 30 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 5/12 | 10/24 | 5/5 |
Not a bad encore to his performance last night. He’s starting, getting a ton of minutes, and hoisting up shots like they about to get repossessed.
Montrezl Harrell:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 25 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 11/12 | 3/9 |
Played 27 minutes after getting 26 the game before. 12 shot attempts last night and 13 the prior game. Fantasy ain’t rocket science. Minutes + shot attempts = good times. Usually.
George Hill:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 21 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1/6 | 5/13 | 10/13 |
Returned after missing two games and played 35 minutes. Why is he on this team? Why is he getting 35 minutes of run? Why? Why? Why?
Why is Kosta Koufos getting 25 minutes?
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 14 | 14 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7/8 | 0 |
That’s 14 and 15 boards in back-to-back, but he just doesn’t get consistent run to be viable.
Bogdan Bogdanovic:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 22 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4/6 | 7/11 | 4/4 |
Has scored double figures in five straight games and received over 30 minutes of run in four straight.
Buddy Hield:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 14 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2/7 | 5/13 | 2/3 |
You’re not getting me off the Trading Places bet that Vlade and Vivek have. I imagine that the conversation started with, “American players are much better than European players.” “No way, Vivek. Let’s wager. My guy will be Bogdanovic.” “You foolish, foolish man, Vlade. No way he’s better than my Buddy.” This is all I care about now.
Dejounte Murray:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 14 | 11 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7/14 | 0 |
Got the start at point guard and played 26 minutes. Damn, stat sheet stuffer.
Bryn Forbes:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 18 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4/7 | 7/12 | 0/2 |
How could he not be money?! His last five games: 37, 30, 27, 32, and 41 minutes. He’s scored 18, 12, 10, 16, and 15 points. Granted, not much contribution in the periphery categories, but he will continue getting minutes for as long as Danny Green is out.
Julius Randle:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 0 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0/6 | 0 |
Played 18 minutes. Shut down by LaMarcus Aldridge. LMAO!
Larry Nance Jr.:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 14 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 6/9 | 2/2 |
Randle’s pain was Nance’s gain. Played 30 minutes, which was the first time he had received that much run since December 3rd. He had been getting around 20 minutes per game, which had nuked his value. I don’t think this is a sign of things to come. Just an off day for Randle. With that said, there are trade rumors and Nance could be in line for more minutes. Keep an eye on the situation.
Brandon Ingram:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 26 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2/5 | 11/21 | 2/5 |
Choo choo!!!! Played a team-high 37 minutes and continues to develop nicely. Ingram can improve in so many areas, which makes me super bullish about his prospects.
Lonzo Ball:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 18 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 4/7 | 7/11 | 0 |
F Lithuania.
Kyle Kuzma:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 10 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2/9 | 3/12 | 2/2 |
Played 30 minutes. He had been averaging around 24 minutes a game since the start of the new year. While he probably won’t be playing the 40 a night he was getting in December, it’s good to see Kuz contributing in the periphery categories outside of just scoring. We know he can do that. Kuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuz!
