Fantasy 30: Adebayo’s versatility, Whiteside’s big season
To help, I’ve done the work for you and compiled a look at the most fantasy-relevant news and notes for all 30 teams around the league.
Atlanta Hawks: Little-known point guard Brandon Goodwin came up big in the absence of Trae Young on Monday night against Orlando, scoring 21 points and adding six assists in 22 minutes. This is just one game, but it’s a glimmer of hope for the Hawks, who have been unable to find adequate production out of the PG spot when Young has been out of the lineup.
Boston Celtics: Kemba Walker (illness) didn’t practice on Thursday and is questionable for Friday’s game against the Hawks. The Celtics play a back-to-back on Friday and Saturday. Given that the Hawks are the worst team in the league, there is a decent chance Walker could sit out Friday to give him an extra day to feel better.
Brooklyn Nets: During the past 30 days, Spencer Dinwiddie‘s 26.8 PPG ranks seventh in the NBA. That puts him behind only James Harden, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Anthony Davis, Trae Young, Karl-Anthony Towns, Bradley Beal and Russell Westbrook. It’s going to be very interesting to see what happens once Kyrie Irving returns to the lineup, but it’s a virtual lock that Dinwiddie won’t be able to continue this type of scoring. Now is the time to sell high on Dinwiddie if you can.
Charlotte Hornets: We continue to be amazed by Devonte’ Graham, who isn’t just a scorer and a passer but one of the best 3-point shooters in the league. In fact, during the past 30 days, Graham’s 4.4 3PG ranks second to only James Harden (5.5). He also has chipped in with 20.1 PPG and 7.6 APG during that span.
Chicago Bulls: Kris Dunn is playing a role similar to the one Marcus Smart had performed for Boston in recent years, at least from a fantasy perspective. Not a great scorer or shooter, Dunn contributes rebounds and assists but often goes overlooked — despite being one of the league’s best at getting steals. For the season, Dunn’s 2.1 SPG is second in the NBA behind only Ben Simmons (2.2), but he is still rostered in only 10.2% of ESPN fantasy leagues.
Cleveland Cavaliers: Collin Sexton leads the Cavaliers in scoring in this, his second season in the league. While scoring is his thing, his assists and rebounds have stayed similar to what they were in his rookie season. What’s changed, though, is that he has become less of a 3-point threat (0.8 3PG, 27.3% this season) and more of a steals guy (up from 0.5 SPG last season to 1.0 SPG in 2019-20).
Dallas Mavericks: Tim Hardaway Jr. (left hamstring) has been ruled out for Thursday’s game against Brooklyn. Look for Jalen Brunson, Delon Wright and Seth Curry to play more prominent roles without Hardaway available. Hardaway also missed the New Year’s Eve game against Oklahoma City. It’s unclear when he’ll be back in the lineup.
Denver Nuggets: Earlier this week, Michael Porter Jr. showed what he could do by scoring 19 points in his first NBA start, adding six rebounds and an impressive tip-jam. With the height of a power forward but the skills of a wing, MPJ has a bright future in this game, if he can stay healthy. The hard part for fantasy managers will be figuring out when to add him to their rosters. He can only help if he plays, and his playing time remains inconsistent, even if the talent is there.
Detroit Pistons: Blake Griffin is considered to be doubtful for Thursday’s game due to lingering knee pain. At the age of 30, the All-Star power forward is a shell of himself this season. He has managed to play in only 18 games, while seeing his playing time fall to 28.4 MPG as the Pistons manage his workload. As a result, his scoring and rebounding have plummeted from last season: 24.5 to 15.5 PPG and 7.5 to 4.7 RPG. Griffin remains rostered in 89.3% of ESPN leagues, but given his shaky production and constant durability issues this season, he might become more of a fixture on the waiver wire in the months ahead.
Golden State Warriors: Willie Cauley-Stein (illness) isn’t with the Warriors on their current two-game road trip and has been ruled out for Thursday’s game against the Timberwolves. With D’Angelo Russell (shoulder) also out, the Warriors will rely on Draymond Green, Marquese Chriss, Glenn Robinson III, Alec Burks and Damion Lee to play huge minutes, as they did in Tuesday’s overtime loss to the Spurs.
Houston Rockets: Clint Capela is having another strong season in Houston, with a 20.7 PER (player efficiency rating) entering Friday’s game against Philadelphia, but free throw shooting is one area of concern. Once the worst free throw shooter in the league, Capela looked to be making strides by shooting a career-high 63.6% from the line last season. This season he’s down to 48.6%, his lowest since the 2015-16 season. The good news for fantasy managers is that Capela’s 2.6 FTA limits the damage in category leagues.
Indiana Pacers: The evolution of Domantas Sabonis has been fun to see this season, as his playing time has increased and his numbers have blossomed. Playing 9.3 more minutes per game this season than last, the efficient big man remains a nonfactor in the defensive categories (0.8 SPG, 0.6 BPG) and from 3-point territory (0.3 3PG). However, his 17.5 PPG, 13.3 RPG and 4.0 APG gives him three categories where he is very useful at the power forward position.
LA Clippers: Patrick Beverley (sprained wrist) will remain sidelined on Thursday for the second game in a row. Without Beverley, Lou Williams and Landry Shamet should get a slight boost in fantasy value for the game against the Pistons. Shamet played 25 minutes with both Williams and Beverley out of the lineup in Tuesday’s win over the Kings.
Los Angeles Lakers: Veteran free-agent point guard Darren Collison, who retired abruptly this past offseason, is entertaining the idea of returning to the league in February, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowksi. The Lakers are thought to be one of the leading contenders to land him. If signed, Collison likely would take most of Rajon Rondo’s minutes and provide more scoring from the PG position. Stay tuned.
Memphis Grizzlies: Statistically speaking, Jaren Jackson Jr. has a little Myles Turner in him. By that I mean he’s a big man who can shoot the 3-ball and block shots, but he isn’t a huge rebounder. Jackson got off to a slow start in his second NBA season, but during the past 30 days, he has averaged 20.1 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 1.6 BPG and 3.2 3PG, giving a sense of the upside that is there for the second-year pro.
Miami Heat: Bam Adebayo does so many things well on the court, it’s easy to lose track. He averages a double-double in terms of points and rebounds. He averages more than 1.0 steal and 1.0 block per game. Still, maybe the most impressive thing the center does is that he distributes, like so many big players tend to do under head coach Erik Spoelstra. Adebayo’s 4.6 APG puts him in the caliber of a point guard by today’s standards, and makes him especially useful in category fantasy leagues.
Milwaukee Bucks: Eric Bledsoe is on a minutes restriction as he works his way back from a fractured right fibula, which will limit his fantasy value in the short term. Bledsoe played just 16 minutes when he returned to the court after almost three weeks on Monday, and he followed that up with only 20 minutes in Wednesday’s game against Minnesota. Bledsoe is already a bit of a fringe player in 12-team leagues, so keep an eye on his production in the weeks ahead as he returns to full strength.
Minnesota Timberwolves: Gorgui Dieng has filled in admirably while Karl Anthony-Towns (back) has been out of the lineup for the past eight games, averaging 13.6 PPG, 10.3 RPG, 1.1 APG, 1.8 SPG and 0.9 BPG. While KAT figures to be back in the lineup soon, Dieng’s production shows what he’s capable of anytime he gets extended minutes — and that’s worth filing away in the back of your mind.
New Orleans Pelicans: On Thursday, Zion Williamson went through his first full practice since undergoing knee surgery, but he will miss the team’s two-game road trip. It remains unclear how soon he will be able to make his NBA debut. The No. 1 pick in the 2019 NBA draft could be just a few weeks away from playing in games, which would be a welcome sight — not only for the Pelicans but also for NBA fans everywhere.
New York Knicks: The Athletic had a story this week about Julius Randle‘s improved play under interim head coach Mike Miller, and the numbers bear that out. Randle has seen his numbers improve to 22.6 PPG, 9.9 RPG, 2.9 APG and 1.9 3PG since the coaching change, and his 50.5 FG% and 83.9 FT% during the past two weeks are major trends in the right direction as well.
Oklahoma City Thunder: Nerlens Noel has averaged less than 19 MPG this season, but by averaging 1.1 SPG and 1.5 BPG, he is in good company. Only 14 players in the league average at least 1.0 steal and 1.0 block per game — and the vast majority of them are elite fantasy options with Cauley-Stein and Dieng being two of the exceptions. Yet, Noel remains available in 92.3% of ESPN fantasy leagues.
Orlando Magic: Jonathan Isaac suffered a hyperextended left knee during Wednesday’s 122-101 win at Washington, and he was set to undergo tests on Thursday. Isaac said after the game that he is optimistic that the injury isn’t as serious as initially feared. More good news is that Aaron Gordon (Achilles) is expected to be back for Friday’s game against the Heat.
Philadelphia 76ers: Al Horford had some interesting things to say about the way he’s being used on the court in his first season with the 76ers. “I’m out [there] for the team and doing what I can to help us,” Horford told The Philadephia Inquirer. “But offensively, I’m very limited with the things that I can do. So I can’t control that stuff.” Interestingly, Horford’s 30.5 MPG and 11.3 FGA are both more than last season in Boston (29.0 MPG, 10.6 FGA), while the rest of his numbers are comparable across the board.
Phoenix Suns: Don’t be surprised if Ricky Rubio misses the Suns’ next game. Rubio complained of a sore hip following Wednesday’s game. With Phoenix playing the lowly Knicks on Friday, it could be wise to let the veteran point guard sit out and heal up.
Portland Trail Blazers: Statistically, this might not be Hassan Whiteside‘s best season of his career as many would argue that it came in 2016-17 with Miami. That said, if this isn’t his best statistical season, it’s darn close. His 15.5 PPG is the second best of his career, as are his 13.6 RPG and 2.8 BPG. On top of that, his 60.0 FG% is his best mark in four seasons. Whiteside is shaping up to be one of the biggest fantasy steals of 2019-20.
Sacramento Kings: Marvin Bagley III‘s sprained left foot has cost him the past three games and he’s already been ruled out for Thursday as well. Durability continues to be the second-year forward’s biggest bugaboo, and it sounds likely that he’ll miss additional games beyond Thursday. Richaun Holmes and Nemanja Bjelica both see a good bump in fantasy value for as long as Bagley is out.
San Antonio Spurs: Although it has been a disappointing season for the Spurs and Dejounte Murray thus far, one thing Murray is doing as well as anyone is racking up steals. During the past 30 days, Andre Drummond (2.8) is the only NBA regular who has averaged more steals per game than Murray (2.4). Murray remains available in 48.2% of ESPN fantasy leagues.
Toronto Raptors: Head coach Nick Nurse said Thursday that Pascal Siakam, Marc Gasol and Norman Powell are all able to get on the court but each is still a ways away from returning to the lineup. Adjust your lineups accordingly, with Siakam stashed in your IR spot. Gasol and Powell are likelier candidates for the waiver wire.
Utah Jazz: Joe Ingles remains available in 31.3% of ESPN leagues, but that number is going to fall if he continues to play the way he has during the past month. Ingles has started the past 12 games. He has also put up 16.7 PPG, 5.4 RPG and 5.4 APG during the past 10 games, while shooting 54.5% from 3-point land.
Washington Wizards: Davis Bertans (finger/quad) and Thomas Bryant (right foot) both practiced with Washington’s G League team on Thursday. The Wizards play a back-to-back on Friday and Saturday, but it’s unclear if either player will be ready to go for either of those contests. Bertans has been out since Dec. 21, and Bryant has been sidelined since Dec. 1.