Even though NBA players get to rest up over the next few days before they hit the basketball court again on Thursday, it doesn’t mean that injured players will be ready to return to action in the first game out of the all-star break. It wouldn’t be surprising seeing Suns forward Kevin Durant miss games and then have his minutes monitored for the first few games upon returning. The Portland Trail Blazers are dealing with injuries as we just found out that Anfernee Simons could miss a month of action with an ankle injury and short-term solutions from the fantasy basketball waiver wire could present themselves as he’s leaving 15-20 shots per game on the table while recovering. Here are a few players to look to add from your fantasy NBA waiver wire.

 

Fantasy Basketball NBA Waiver Wire Pickups

Shaedon Sharpe, Portland Trail Blazers SG/SF – 23% rostered

The Blazers are feeling the effects of Josh Hart being traded and Anfernee Simons getting injured, and the Blazers will be relying more on Sharpe to play multiple positions. He scored 13 points or more in four straight games. He’s not hanging around the arc as much as the Blazers have needed him to play at the top of the paint more because of lack of depth. Sharpe shoots nearly 48 percent from the field, and we should see him play around 30 minutes per game until Simons returns to action. He’s also been rebounding more and has pulled down five or more boards in two of his last four matchups. He stole the ball four times total during that span. He has good ups and has been blocking shots lately as well. Sharpe can theoretically play three to four positions and should continue seeing an uptick in minutes and shots while Simons recovers. 

Drew Eubanks, Portland Trail Blazers PF/C – 13% rostered

We haven’t received much of an update regarding Jusuf Nurkic being ready to return from his calf injury on Thursday meaning that Eubanks is still a good short-term big man to rely on. He’ll continue playing 25-30 minutes per game while Nurkic is sidelined, and he’s pulled down eight or more boards in three straight contests. Eubanks is an inside-exclusive center who will produce specifically from the low block, and he doesn’t really stretch the floor, but with Jerami Grant healthier, post defenders will need to leave the middle of the paint to guard him at the elbow. Grant being back should unclog the lane a bit and Eubanks will get better looks at the basket. He has scored nine points or more in three of his last five outings. Eubanks is a bit raw on the offensive end but uses his size nicely on the defensive side of the ball. He’s blocked shots in 10 of his last 12 games and swatted away six shots total over his last three battles. 

Killian Hayes, Detroit Pistons G – 42% rostered

Hayes should be rostered on more teams as he’ll continue to spend more time on the ball as the Pistons head to the draft lottery in a few months. Hayes is a good driver and he’s good at setting plays up. Set shooting isn’t as much his strong suit, but he’ll produce enough dimes and steals to be worthy of a fantasy basketball roster spot. He’s posted three multi-steal games in his last five. Even though he’s not as much of a reliable shooter, the shot volume has been there recently. It’s very encouraging seeing him take 10 shots or more in four of his last five matchups. Hayes sits with a usage percentage nearing 21. He’s dished six-plus assists in four of his last five contests. The Pistons have a couple of advantageous matchups coming up against the Orlando Magic and Charlotte Hornets and as long as Hayes doesn’t try to fight the Magic again, he should be in line to produce in those games. 

Santi Aldama, Memphis Grizzlies PF/C – 20% rostered

Aldama plays 22 minutes per game and a lot of the fate of his involvement in the Grizzlies rotation rests on the availability of Jaren Jackson Jr. If he’s in foul trouble or hurt, Aldama directly benefits, but lately even with Jackson on the court, Aldama still gets minutes and shots and he’s scored in double figures in five of his last seven games. He can hit shots from the outside and makes over 37 percent of his three-pointers. He shoots about 48 percent from the field overall and gets a lot of open looks from right inside the arc. He has good agility for a big man when Memphis decides to have him move around the court and not serve as the team’s bailout option on offense standing at the arc like a statue. Aldama has also produced swipes in four of his last six and blocked shots in three of his last five outings. Two of those games were multi-block contests. While Steven Adams is still out, Aldama can also rotate to center at times as well lifting his production ceiling temporarily. 

Gabe Vincent, Miami Heat G – 15% rostered

With veterans Kyle Lowry and Victor Oladipo injured, Vincent has been able to see more time with the ball and be the main playmaker for Miami. Even Tyler Herro has been banged up and Vincent has taken more shots in recent games. The Heat are constantly dealing with injuries and Vincent has been previously mentioned in this piece before because he can play either guard spot effectively. He’s scored 15 points or more in 4 of his last 5 games and took double-digit field goals in all 4 of those games. He's dropped at least three dimes in four of his last seven games and even pulled down three or more rebounds in five contests during that span. He grabs a lot of steals as well stealing the ball in seven straight outings with three being multi-steal contests. Lowry will be out for at least one more week and we don’t know when Oladipo will make it back to the court. 

Aaron Nesmith, Indiana Pacers SG/SF – 9% rostered

The Pacers have been starting a very small lineup and Nesmith has been getting those starts playing at power forward. He’s six feet-five inches tall and is playing power forward! While it is head-scratching, he’s been coming through producing double figures in scoring in six of his last 10 contests. Nesmith has been shooting better lately hitting about 48 percent of his field goals over his last 10 games. He’s scored at least 19 points in both of his last two games and he’s not fully reliant on long-range shooting to score even at a major height disadvantage in his matchups. He’s grabbed four or more rebounds in four of his last seven outings. He’s hit the 30-minute mark in six of his last nine battles and he should continue seeing more playing time down the stretch. He’s also blocked shots in two of his last three and grabbed steals in three of his last five games. 

Jaylin Williams, Oklahoma City Thunder PF/C – 4% rostered

The Thunder are as healthy as they’ve ever been, but their coaches aren’t settled on a rotation, and they’ve been giving Williams starts and he’s played 20 minutes or more in four of his last six games. He grabbed five or more boards in four games during that span and he scored 11 points or more in two of his last four contests. Williams is coming off a 16-rebound game and Williams should be able to produce a good number of boards in upcoming matchups against the Jazz and Lakers. He’s produced two multi-steal outings in his last four and should continue seeing a slight uptick in shots. The rookie Williams, who was drafted in the second round, should get as many reps as possible so that he can be a solid backup to 2022 second-overall pick Chet Holmgren, who will make his regular-season debut next season. Williams will compete with Jeremiah Robinson-Earl for more minutes. 

 

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