Basketball Daily Dose: Dose: The Davis Shutdown
Games Played Week 21
4 Games: ATL, CHA, CHI, CLE, DEN, DET, GSW, HOU, IND, LAL, MIL, MIN, ORL, PHI, PHX, SAC, SAS, WAS
3 Games: BOS, BRK, DAL, LAC, MEM, MIA, NOP, NYK, OKC, POR, TOR, UTA
The Brow is Done
Alvin Gentry made it official on Sunday, announcing that Anthony Davis (torn labrum in left shoulder, left knee injury) will undergo surgery and miss the final 14 games of the season for New Orleans. Though riddled with upside, Davis’ inability to make it through a full 82-game season has been a major hindrance to his fantasy value, and at this point it’s safe to attach the injury-prone label to AD. Through four years of NBA experience, Davis has sat out a total of 68 games, and he just seems to have a knack for finding his way to the sidelines. If there’s anything positive to take away from this report, it’s that Davis should have plenty of time to rest up for the 2016-17 season, although it’s safe to say he will by no means be the consensus No. 1 overall selection in fantasy drafts next season.
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So who benefits most sans Davis? Well, on Sunday with both Davis and Ryan Anderson (strained groins) on the sidelines, it was Jrue Holiday and Tim Frazier posting the most robust usages rates for New Orleans with Holiday at 27.4 through 39.3 minutes and Frazier at a whopping 32.7 through 20.1 minutes of play. Obviously Holiday is going to be logging major minutes and posting gaudy stat lines to close out the year, but that probably doesn’t help most fantasy GMs much as he’s already owned 87 percent of Yahoo! Leagues. Frazier, on the other hand, is owned in just six percent of Yahoo! Leagues, and he’s worth a look just about everywhere with how well he’s played since donning a Pelicans’ jersey. It’s a small sample size, but through three games with New Orleans Frazier has posted averages of 14.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.7 steals and 3.0 turnovers per game on 62.5 percent shooting from the field and 85.7 percent from the stripe, which has been good enough for top-60 value in standard 9-cat leagues. Let’s take a look at his shot chart during that span.
That’s a lot of green. Obviously the shooting percentage is unsustainable, but if you’re looking for a low-end point guard with some upside, Frazier is worth swooping up to see just how long he can keep this up.
Luke Babbitt also stepped up on Sunday, tallying 14 points on 4-of-9 shooting to go with eight rebounds, one 3-pointer and two turnovers through 29 minutes of action. Babbitt posted a usage rate of 21.2 in this one, and he could potentially draw another start Tuesday vs. Miami if Ryan Anderson (groins) is again unavailable. He’s on the radar in deep leagues.
Dante Cunningham played a game-high 40 minutes for the short-handed Pelicans and produced 19 points on 6-of-10 shooting to go with six rebounds, two steals and one 3-pointer. His minutes should be trending up as one of the few remaining healthy bodies in New Orleans, but his stat lines are typically empty, making him an unattractive addition to most fantasy rosters.
Toney Douglas continued his impressive play as of late, registering 15 points on 5-of-12 shooting to go with seven boards, nine assists, one 3-pointer, one steal and four turnovers in 37 minutes. Since joining the starting lineup, Douglas has emerged as a solid mid-round asset with averages of 12.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 1.8 steals, 2.0 triples and 2.2 turnovers per game on 41.9 percent shooting. His usage rate has jumped to 19.6 during that six game span, and he should continue to hover around his mid-round value with Norris Cole (back) out and the Pelicans having little other scoring options on the team.
Omer Asik posted one of the more surprising stat lines amongst the Pelicans during Sunday’s upset of the Clippers, tallying 15 points (6-of-9 FGs, 3-of-5 FTs), 14 boards, two assists and three turnovers while logging a season-high 30 minutes. His usage rate soared to 21.5 in this one while he posted an elite defensive rebounding percentage of 40.6, but given how horrible he’s been for the past couple years, I’d like to see him do this again before rushing to the wire to swoop him up. The minutes and usage feel particularly fluky given that Alexis Ajinca (sternum) played a mere 1.6 minutes, and Anderson (groin) took the night off, and to throw some more salt on this stat line; he characteristically failed to bring any defensive statics to the box score. If Anderson does sit out again Tuesday vs. Miami, Asik will be worth a look as streamer option or punt in DFS, but I’d wait until then before considering making the add.
So what’s up with Ryno? Anderson is obviously going to be one of the primary beneficiaries with Davis done for the year, but he’s also dealing with some injuries of his own. A strain to both his left and right groin sidelined him for Sunday’s game, and it’s unclear if he’s going to be available Tuesday vs. Miami. His 29.1 usage rate sans Davis will be distributed amongst the aforementioned players for however long he’s forced to watch the games from the sidelines.
On the Radar
Jerian Grant (3% Yahoo! Leagues) logged 27 minutes off the Knicks bench during Sunday’s loss to the Kings, registering 14 points on 6-of-15 shooting to go with two assists, two triples, one rebounds, two steals, one block and three turnovers. The Knicks are clearly out of the playoff hunt, so they could look to give Grant some extended run down the stretch, which would result in less burn for Jose Calderon. He’s not worth swooping up after just one solid outing, but he’s officially on the radar in deep leagues.
Jerami Grant (25% Yahoo! Leagues) swatted away two more shots on Sunday, to go with 11 points, eight rebounds, two assists and one 3-pointer in 26 minutes. Since Jahlil Okafor (knee, out for season) hit the sidelines, Grant has been earning 31.4 minutes a night to go with averages of 10.2 points, 5.8 boards, 2.0 assists and 2.0 swats per contest on 35.3 percent shooting. The lame shooting percentage will weigh down his value, but he’s certainly worth owning as a shot blocking specialist in deep leagues.
John Henson (8% Yahoo! Leagues) logged 26 minutes off the Milwaukee bench during Sunday’s loss to Utah, scoring eight points on 3-of-6 shooting (2-of-2 from the stripe), to go with two boards and three swats. Henson doesn’t do a whole lot aside from swat shots, but with a 6.3 block rate, he’s clearly elite at the one thing he does do well. He’s another shot blocking specialist worth ownership in deep leagues.
Hollis Thompson (13% Yahoo! Leagues) busted loose for 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting during Sunday’s loss to the Celtics, adding three 3-pointers, one rebound, two assists, one block and one turnover. He’s been putting up steady late-round value over his past 10 games with averages of 12.7 points, 4.6 boards, 1.9 assists, 0.5 steals, 2.2 triples and just 0.5 turnovers during that span. He’s worth a look in most leagues while he’s this hot.
Terrence Ross (13% Yahoo! Leagues) hit 5-of-10 shots on his way to 13 points during Sunday’s win over Orlando, adding one 3-pointer, three boards, one assist, one block and one turnover in his 28 minutes of action. He’s a solid streamer option for those seeking some 3-point shooting.
Allen Crabbe (10% Yahoo! Leagues) drained a career-high six trey-bombs during Sunday’s overtime loss to the Mavericks, hitting 7-of-13 shots on his way to 24 points, five boards and one turnover in 36 minutes. Crabbe will be inconsistent, but Portland is one of five teams playing next Thursday, making him an intriguing streamer option next week for those looking for a 3-point specialist.
Salah Mejri (1% Yahoo! Leagues) started the second half over Zaza Pachulia (Chandler Parsons was unavailable with a hamstring injury) during Sunday’s overtime win over the Blazers and produced 13 points, 14 rebounds, one assist, one steal, two turnovers and six swats through 33 minutes of action. The Mavs have a rematch against the Blazers on Wednesday in Portland, and if Parsons is again unavailable for that one, Mejri will be someone to consider as a streamer or punt play in DFS.
Ray McCallum (8% Yahoo! Leagues) entered the starting five on Saturday and put up 14 points, three assists, two 3-pointers, two boards, two swats and two turnovers through 35 minutes of action. The Grizzlies are one of four teams playing on Tuesday, and the Grizzlies have cut Briante Weber in order to make room for Jordan Farmar, meaning that McCallum will likley be earning another start on Tuesday night. He’s someone to consider as a streamer option in competitive leagues.
