Roundball Stew: Stew: Gary Harris Era
The playoffs got underway in the 30-team expert league known as 30-Deep this week. I was fortunate enough to secure one of the top records and a first-round playoff bye with the help of No. 1 overall pick Anthony Davis*. For me, the playoffs starting in that league is always a reminder that urgency is heightening in the fantasy hoops world, and in the spirit of not wasting any more time, here are five developments that have caught my attention recently:
Gary Harris is Surging: Another stalwart of my team in 30-Deep is Denver’s second-year shooting guard, who is suddenly aligned for an exciting stretch run. Harris was already playing well before Danilo Gallinari got hurt, and now comes the news that Gallinari (ankle) may be shut down for the season. Over his last nine games, Harris has posted 13.9 ppg, 1.8 spg and 1.6 3s in 36 minutes per game, including 16.3 ppg and 2.8 3s in his last four. Adding to the appeal of this equation is a strong schedule: The next four weeks, Denver goes 3-4-4-4.
Bobby Portis may be hinting at a big finish: As you can discern from the italics, the key word to keep in mind here is “may”. We’ve been clamoring for Portis to get more minutes for much of the season, and over the last month or so, Fred Hoiberg has partially complied. Since early February (12 games), Portis has played an average of 25 minutes a night. The only problem is the numbers that have followed aren’t exactly electric: 10.2 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 0.8 spg, 0.4 bpg, 0.5 3s (43.1 FG / 66.7 FT). The most discouraging thing to me is that he’s been pretty quiet defensively, including just five blocks in 12 games. In fairness though, Portis hasn’t hit the 30-minute mark once during this stretch.
All things considered, Portis still looks like more of a stash than a starter right now, but the thing that makes me certain he’s worth keeping on your roster is the schedule. After three games next week, Chicago goes 4-4-5, making them one of just three teams (along with Brooklyn and Toronto) with a five-game week remaining. If the Bulls continue to lose (they’re now 3-9 in their last 12), Portis could be getting enough playing time during that five-game week to make up for a lack of defensive stats with sheer volume.
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Otto is suddenly erratic: For much of this season, Otto Porter was an ideal player to throw into your fantasy lineup because you didn’t have to worry much at all about his consistency, or his quietly useful production. Lately though, he has transitioned to something closer to a fantasy headache. In his last nine games, he has just three double-digit scoring outings, and has been held under 20 minutes twice, including five points in just 18 minutes on Wednesday. We have certainly seen Porter bounce back from slumps before, but the disconcerting thing is that he already broke out of a slump with 21 points on Sunday, only to struggle again this week.
So what to make of all of this? Overall, I maintain a relatively sunny attitude here, in large part because despite his recent scoring issues, Porter is still salvaging value elsewhere (last nine games: 8.9 ppg, 1.1 spg, 0.7 bpg, 1.4 3s, 46.2 percent from the field with just 1.0 TO). Now we just need him to rediscover consistency in time to take advantage of a good schedule. After a three-game week next week, his schedule goes 4-4-4 the following three weeks.
A poorly-timed drought for Nerlens Noel: After so much early-season frustration, Noel spent a long time playing more or less as well as fantasy owners could hope. During a 20-game stretch from late December to early February, he posted 12.1 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 1.9 spg and 2.4 bpg. Since then though, his numbers have dropped in a few key areas, but most notably in blocks (last nine games: 11.3 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 1.9 spg and 1.0 bpg). During that nine-game run, Noel has had more than one block just one time. It’s certainly something to watch, but I still think we’re far from the point of panic here. Even without boards and blocks, Noel is still putting up some useful lines (including a 17-3-4 with two steals on Wednesday). Overall, I’m looking at this from the angle that Noel remains very much involved, and the shot-blocking slump has, in part, been the product of some recent foul trouble. I stayed patient with Noel earlier in the year when he was struggling, and that paid off nicely for a while. And I think we have reason to hope (if not believe) that the dip in rebounds and blocks should correct itself soon.
The reemergence (again) of Elfrid Payton: It’s pretty exhausting following the random bursts of value followed by prolonged lulls, but once again Payton is playing too well to completely ignore. After a 9-4-12 line on Wednesday (with a steal, a 3 and a block), he’s now at 10.4 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 8.0 apg, 1.0 spg and 1.0 3s in his last five games, a stretch that has seen him shoot 53.7 percent from the field. Those obviously aren’t high-end stats, but it only enhances his potential value that Orlando plays four times each of the next four weeks.
Other Random Thoughts: D.J. Augustin since joining Denver: 13.0 ppg, 3.7 apg, 0.9 spg and 1.9 3s in just 23 minutes per game. He’s making it harder and harder for Michael Malone to keep him off the court, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see his minutes rise toward the upper 20’s. … Myles Turner has been pretty quiet recently (last three games: 9.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 0.7 spg, 1.7 bpg on 40.0 percent from the field), but I’m much more concerned about his rebounding (last nine games: 5.4 rpg) than I am about his brief scoring drought. One encouraging note to keep in mind as well: Turner’s 3-pointer on Wednesday makes him 2-of-5 on 3s in his last eight games. That’s obviously a small sample size, but the prospect of Future Turner adding 3s to his repertoire is pretty exciting.
*Whoops
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