Three game slate last night… I watched the TNT game; Sixers vs. Nuggets, and was highly entertained.
The Nuggets continue to have a very stable rotation and there’s not really any takeaways unless someone gets hurt. Nobody got hurt. Same with the Sixers. Just sit back and enjoy Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid go head-to-head, right?
Grayson Allen went bonkers for the Suns last night, hitting 9 threes and taking more shots than anyone else on the Suns. It’s not as weird as it looks in print. Grayson is the spot up shooting option. Did you catch the part where I said he had NINE THREE POINTERS??????????? Second time he’s hit that number this month. He’s hit a 3 pointer in 21 consecutive games. He’s already valuable, but if/when Bradley Beal goes down he’ll keep up nights like last night, chipping in a decent amount of assists and surprising blocks (2 steals AND 2 blocks). I’m sure he’s owned, but give it a peek just in case your league still hates this guy.
Kevin Huerter is a sad, sad man right now. He’s not even averaging 10 PPG for the season. It seems like his place in the rotation is based on if he hits shots to start it off. If he’s missing, the minutes will be below 20. Hitting some shot early, he’ll get in the 30s and have a 20 point outburst and guys like me will be like “Hey, look, watch for a hot streak,” and then won’t do it again for 5 games when his minutes are down. He’s rumored to be traded, though, so keep him on the watch list.
I’m an east coast guy, and fell asleep during the Clippers/Thunder matchup at some point. I did notice enough to think that the Clippers are NOT a team you want your stars going up against. Look at what they did to the Thunder:
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: 19 points on 6-16.
Chet Holmgren: 8 points; I’m watching Abe Lincoln here for signs of being tired.
When Shai is the third leading scorer, that speaks to the Clippers having a great plan to key in on certain guys. Stars will have a hard time against the Clips it seems.
The Clippers big-man rotation is worth monitoring for a month because their starter is out. Mason Plumlee got the start last night and did well, 14-5 and 3 blocks. Daniel Theis was the starter the previous game against the land of 10,000 lakes and 7-footers Timberwolves, so both guys are probably just on the watch list for now. Though, I’d add Plumlee right now if you are in need of a center; he’s a better fantasy asset.
Trade Rumors
Pascal Siakam is rumored to be heading to the fields of Indiana. Well, not exactly the fields, Indianapolis is kinda a big city. But a lot of Pacer fans probably live near fields. This would be a huge boon to Siakam’s value. His rebounds have been down, his usage has been down, and his overall usage has been de-prioritized over Scottie Barnes. If you put him in the high speed microwave offense of Indiana, I would expect just on sheer volume for all of his stats to go up, possibly tremendously so. Hold if you have him, and I’d trade for him anywhere I could. This, if it goes through, is exactly what Siakam owners have been waiting for.
The Hawks have been bad, and they blame their guard pairing of Trae Young and DeJounte Murray for it. So one of them will be traded, rumor says, and probably help both of their values when it’s done. Jalen Johnson is the big winner here, and keep an eye on Onyeka Okongwu if they finally, finally, FINALLY FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THINGS PETE give him the center position.
Bulls fans can’t make up their mind on Zach LaVine. LaVine, on the other hand, has made up his mind on Bulls fans and wants to leave. The Bulls have made up their mind too that they overpaid LaVine like a year ago and want to deal him. He’s for sure been a slog; injured and only averaging 17 PPG when he was only drafted for his scoring. What in the name of Gary Trent, Jr. is going on with him? If he’s dealt, and it’s no sure thing because apparently nobody likes him, these would be the adds:
Patrick Williams (you should drop him now though, he’s got a bad ankle and doesn’t get any opportunities so he just stands around)
Ayo Dosunmu (volume add, steals and boards for a guard)
Dalen Terry: Would get minutes and would be a deep league add.
If he stays, it’s a drain on the entire Bulls roster, but any young Bull besides Coby White is then droppable. Droppa-Bull, amirite!
That’s all folks for this Wednesday! Hope y’all are staying warm and enjoying the season.
