Hoops Rumors is examining the fantasy basketball landscape in order to help you dominate the competition both during championship week and in daily fantasy. Check back weekly for more analysis.
Band-Aids In Atlanta
Right as the league enters a crucial stretch for playoff spots and seeding, the Hawks get ravished with injuries. Being undermanned has caused Atlanta drop seven straight games and fall out of contention for a top-4 seed in the Eastern Conference.
Help may be on the way. Kent Bazemore is planning to re-join the team on Wednesday night against the Sixers. For those of you in your fantasy championships (Congrats!), I’d wait to see Bazemore’s workload before adding him. However, if sees 20-30 minutes and doesn’t suffer any setbacks, he’s becomes quite valuable.
Tim Hardaway Jr. will see his value drop upon Bazemore’s return and even more so when injured swingman Thabo Sefolosha is able to see the court. The shooting guard has seen 32.9 minutes per game in the month of March and he’s averaged 20.1 points and 1.2 steals per contest while shooting 48.9% from the field since the calendar turned. He’ll still deliver quality production once everyone is healthy, just don’t expect the gaudy stat lines we’ve seen recently.
Paul Millsap will be sidelined until at least Sunday’s tilt with the Nets and it’s not certain that he’ll be back then. The power forward was enjoying an excellent season, averaging 18.1 points and 7.7 rebounds while adding 1.3 steals and a block per contest. In his absence, Ersan Ilyasova has started and he’s produced in the points and rebounds categories, averaging 11.8 and 9.0 respectively over his five starts. The 37.7% shooting is troubling, but if field goal percentage is not a concern, he makes a solid waiver-wire pickup or cheap play in daily fantasy.
One more player to keep an eye on is Taurean Prince. He played 38 minutes against the Nets on Sunday, contributing 17 points, six rebounds, three steals, and a block. He’s a nice play against the Suns tonight, but when Bazemore and Sefolosha return, he may not have much of role.
Here’s more fantasy notes and analysis from around the league:
- Gordon Hayward is nursing a left quad injury and if can’t play this week, Rodney Hood could be a nice fantasy option. Hood scored 20 points on 16 shots and added six rebounds and three assists against the Pelicans on Monday. Joe Ingles also belongs on the fantasy radar while Hayward is sidelined. Later this week, the Jazz will take on the Kings (a team that has the fifth-worst defensive rating since the All-Star break) and the Wizards, (sixth-worst defensive rating since the break).
- The Wizards are also giving the third-most points and second-most made 3-pointers while allowing the second-best field goal percentage to the opposing shooting guards over their last 10 games. Washington takes on the Lakers tonight before playing the Clippers, Jazz, and Warriors later in the week.
- The Wolves are having a hard time containing opposing shooting guards over the last 10 games, allowing them to make 51% of their shots (worst mark in the league).
- The Knicks are doing something right. Over their last 10 games, no team has allowed fewer points per contest to the shooting guard position. New York has allowed opposing twos to shoot just 35.6% from the field over that stretch, which is the stingiest mark in the league.
- The Pacers have been a particularly terrible match-up for opposing point guards lately. Over their last 10 games, they’ve given up just 16.4 points (stingiest in the league) to the position. Indiana has also allowed opposing ones to make 38.6% of their shots, which is the second-best mark in the league (behind only the Spurs).
Fantasy questions? Take to the comment section below or tweet me at @CW_Crouse.
Statistics are current through Tuesday afternoon.