Sunday Daily Dose: Dose: The Kobe Conundrum
Between the injuries and inefficient production, it’s getting harder and harder to find a spot for Kobe Bryant on your fantasy roster. That’s the reality of the situation in the Black Mamba’s final chapter, and with the Lakers believed to be emphasizing player development in the second half of the season, Kobe’s arrow is pointing down at the tail end of a career that has always been aimed in the upward direction.
Ben Wallace can apparently still play defense from the stands since he was able to protect his house and send the Golden State Warriors home as losers, John Wall is a man on fire and Rudy Gobert had the night everyone with The Stifle Tower has been waiting for in a romp over the Lakers.
Milwaukee @ Charlotte: Bucks 105, Hornets 92
Michael Carter-Williams predictably saw a lesser workload with Jerryd Bayless (ankle) returning after a six-game absence, and he’s going to have to produce across the board like he did on Saturday (9 pts, 6 reb, 4 ast, 2 blk) to justify his inability to contribute a jump shot of any kind. With a healthy Bayless, Carter-Williams’ ceiling is limited at best, and O.J. Mayo’s (hamstring) return won’t help elevate MCW. Jabari Parker (15 pts, 7-of-9 FG) has now connected on better than 50% of his shots in four of his last five games, but he still hasn’t hit a three all season and is more attractive in a points league where his one-cat game plays better.
Khris Middleton’s early season inconsistency is clearly a thing of the past, and he’s now scored 20 or more points in six of his last seven games…Calling him a top-50 fantasy player would be an insult to his real value. Giannis Antetokounmpo (14 pts, 11 reb, 3 blk) looks like someone ready to turn his monstrous potential into regular nightmares for the opposition, while Greg Monroe’s been worth the price for both the Bucks and fantasy GM’s as he establishes his Moose Crossing in Milwaukee.
Tired and a little beat up on the second night of a back-to-back, the Hornets got disappointing efforts from everyone—including Kemba Walker (12 pts, 6 ast, 2 stl, 4-of-14 FG) and Nicolas Batum (6 pts, 9 ast, 2-of-10 FG)—except for Marvin Williams, who continues to defy the odds with his ability to be a consistent fantasy contributor. Williams’ minutes are worth watching considering he’s been trending in the wrong direction and Frank Kaminsky’s (29.5 minutes) role is growing, but 14 points, seven boards, a steal, a block and two 3-pointers is a solid Saturday night. Walker (L ankle), Batum (L elbow) and Jeremy Lin (ankle) all played through injuries, but Jeremy Lamb’s sprained right toe kept him sidelined once again.
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Brooklyn @ Atlanta: Hawks 114, Nets 86
The revenge game nobody was waiting for from Joe Johnson shockingly didn’t happen, and the Nets were a complete disaster from a fantasy perspective outside of Thaddeus Young. The veteran forward finished with 18 points, seven boards, two steals and a block on 8-of-12 shooting, and there’s no reason he can’t continue to flirt with top-50 fantasy value all season no matter how bad it gets in Brooklyn. Donald Sloan (12 assists) is a low-end point guard at best, and after another underwhelming game, it’s time to move on from the Shane Larkin experiment if you haven’t already.
As an aside, the Nets also lost both Sergey Karasev and Andrea Bargnani in this game to ankle injuries. If that impacts your fantasy team, you’re playing in the wrong kind of league.
Nobody on Brooklyn’s roster was capable of slowing down Paul Millsap, who marched his way to another huge game with 21 points, six boards, three dimes, a steal, a block and a triple on 8-of-13 shooting. He’s been an absolute gem this season, and that’s a trend that should hold true for the full campaign. Kent Bazemore got back on track with 15 points and a triple threat with three boards, three assists and three 3-pointers without a single turnover, and Jeff Teague (12 pts, 7 ast, 4-of-8 FG, minus-2) was once again outplayed by his backup Dennis Schroder (15 pts, 6 reb, 10 ast, 3 stl, 2 3PM), and Nintendo has now averaged 12.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.6 triples over his last five games. Even when Schroder was inexplicably sitting on the bench behind Shelvin Mack, he should have never been cut in your league.
Golden State @ Detroit: Pistons 113, Warriors 95
Harrison Barnes’ first start didn’t go exactly as planned with five points, three boards and two assists on 2-of-11 from the floor, but it wasn’t Golden State’s evening on Ben Wallace night in Detroit. Outside of Stephen Curry splashing it down from everywhere—including a ridiculous triple from Detroit’s midcourt logo—en route to 38 points, seven 3-pointers, seven boards, five dimes and two steals on 13-of-26 shooting, it was a struggle for the rest of the Warriors. Klay Thompson kicked in 24 points and six boards with not much else, and while Draymond Green’s return to Michigan may have included some nerves considering he made just 1-of-7 shots, even a bad night for D.G. involves him producing across the box score: five points, five boards, nine dimes, a steal and two blocks. As good as Green has been this season, I got a question on Twitter this week asking if someone should trade Kevin Durant for him. The answer to that—emphatically—is no.
They say it takes a complete effort to knock off the best team in basketball, and that’s exactly what the Pistons gave the Warriors on a good night to take the underdog. Marcus Morris had one of his best games of the season with 16 points, eight rebounds, six assists and two blocks, and he’s now played back-to-back games with 40 minutes of playing time. Ersan Ilyasova’s nightly lines won’t blow you away, but Saturday’s game (10 pts, 8 reb, 1 stl, 2 blk, 2 3PM) is a good illustration of the type of versatility Ghostface Ilya can haunt your opposition with when he’s playing well. Over his last four, Ilyasova has averaged 13.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, a steal, 0.8 blocks, 1.8 3-pointers and just a single turnover. Get some.
With 14 points, 21 rebounds, one steal and three blocks, the only thing Andre Drummond could’ve done better as a homage to Ben Wallace was shoot a better percentage (6-of-20 FG) from the field… those with AD won’t be complaining too much, but his bad shooting night takes some of the sizzle out of his steak. Reggie Jackson had his first game without a turnover since November 27, adding 20 points, eight assists and a steal , and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope—who came into Saturday’s game averaging 16.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 2.5 triples on 47.8% shooting in January—proceeded to go off for 20 points, five boards, three steals with a block on 9-of-16 from the field. Brandon Jennings (L ankle) was forced to leave after just eight minutes of action.
Portland @ Philadelphia: Sixers 114, Blazers 89
No Jerami Grant (calf), no Nik Stauskas (L shoulder contusion), no problem. Jahlil Okafor’s big double-double (25 pts, 10 reb, 12-of-16 FG) was accompanied without any defensive stats, but Nerlens Noel’s (4 pts, 8 reb, 4 stl, 4 blk) 4×4 game provided the 76ers with all of the interior activity they needed. Without Stauskas, seldom-used Isaiah Canaan was dusted off the bench for 14 points, four dimes, four boards, a steal, a block and two triples in a spot start, but he doesn’t belong on rosters in standard formats. Richaun Holmes (17 pts, 6 reb, 3 ast, 1 blk, 5-of-9 FG) has a game that would lend itself well to fantasy, but the minutes are going to be inconsistent at best. I sound like a broken record, but I hope you didn’t drop Robert Covington (16 pts, four 3PM) from your squad…RoCo is showing signs of life, averaging 16.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, a steal and 3.7 triples over his last three games. He has difference-maker potential.
Over his last five games, Ish Smith is averaging 20.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, 8.0 dimes, two steals and a 3-pointer on 46.8% shooting. He’s been a marvelous fantasy story to follow this season.
Portland probably wants to flush this loss down the toilet, and nothing good is going to happen when Damian Lillard (14 pts, 4-of-18 FG) and C.J. McCollum (13 pts, 6-of-18 FG) combine for 27 points on 36 shots. Since McCollum had to ride the bench due to a coach’s error that kept him in active, he’s really struggled, averaging just 13.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.8 triples on a morose 33.3% shooting.
Put another way: When Meyers Leonard (14 pts, 7 reb) and Mason Plumlee (12 pts, 4 reb, 2 blk) are your most statistically productive players, there really isn’t much to take away from this one. Leonard has been one of the biggest busts of the season, and it’s insane to see guys like Will Barton, Jae Crowder and Kristaps Porzingis with lower ADP’s.
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