Down the stretch we come as the NBA regular season is winding down and we’ll start to see the separation between the teams trying to make it into the NBA Playoffs and others who want to position themselves nicely in the NBA Draft Lottery. Lesser-known players will benefit by seeing more action on the court. Don’t dismiss the teams that are at the bottom of the conference because those teams will let less prioritized players on their bench play more minutes to give them reps. Continue looking at how players have performed over the last few games rather than looking at their stats for the full season. Here are a few players to add that could be on your fantasy basketball waiver wire. 

 

Fantasy Basketball NBA Waiver Wire Pickups

Tim Hardaway Jr SG, SF Dallas Mavericks-41% rostered

Even with the Mavericks getting more help offensively by acquiring Kyrie Irving, there are still enough shots to go around for Hardaway. Hardaway should get a lot of opportunities to score with the Mavericks second unit and we should see him on the floor for 25-30 minutes per game for the rest of the season. Hardaway hits nearly three three-pointers per outing and he’s taken at least 12 field goals in both of his last 2 games. He scored 17-plus in both games and even though he’s mainly scoring dependent, he’ll also grab a few long rebounds as well and when the Mavericks second unit is on transition, he’ll be the trailer and if the main driver misses the layup, he’ll be right there to put the ball back up and in. He’s shooting 36 percent from beyond the arc. Hardaway is a good short-term scoring boost for fantasy basketball teams and should be dropped if his shot attempts start to decrease. 

Delon Wright G Washington Wizards-25% rostered

If Monte Morris’ back pain continues to flare up, the Wizards will need Wright to run the point a bit more. The Wizards will keep Wright in the rotation even when Morris is healthy, and he’s been playing 22 minutes per game this season. Wright does a lot of the dirty work on the perimeter on both sides of the ball, and he makes the Wizards defense a bit better on the perimeter. He’s shooting over 46 percent from the floor. Morris will take more shots than Wright, but Wright has hit 50 percent or more of his field goals in each of his last 6 games. He hit double figures in scoring in four games during that span. On the defensive side of the ball, Wright continues to be a pest on the perimeter. He continues fighting through screens and causing loose balls outside the paint. He’s swiped multiple balls in four of his last five contests and even blocked shots in two of his last three games. Wright averages around two steals per battle. As long as he hits the 20-minute mark consistently, he’s worthy of a roster spot. Watch Morris’ health as well. 

Nassir Little F Portland Trail Blazers-3% rostered

The Blazers have needed help with frontcourt scoring since Jusuf Nurkic went down and Drew Eubanks hasn’t been getting it done for the most part. The Blazers will opt to go small at times and with Justise Winslow still injured, we should see Little get more involved in the Blazers offense. He scored 11 points or more in 3 of his last 4 games. We should see an uptick in shots, and Little has been rebounding a bit more as well which makes him a more appealing player to add. He’s pulled down five rebounds or more in four of his last six outings. The Blazers have needed Little to play in the post more and he's been blocking shots more frequently swatting away field goal attempts in four of his last five games. We don’t know when Winslow will return and even when Nurkic comes back hopefully in the next week or two, Little should still see plenty of time playing small forward.

Josh Richardson SG, SF New Orleans Pelicans-38% rostered

It was a bit shocking seeing the Pelicans trade for Richardson because they have a lot of forwards and Brandon Ingram is healthy. Since the trade, the Pelicans have benefitted from what Richardson brings to them on the offensive end. Zion Williamson’s ongoing health issues caused the Pelicans to fall way down the standings over the last few months and Ingram and CJ McCollum need other scorers to help them out. Richardson has shot over 46 percent from the floor in 3 of his last 4 matchups. He's been shooting a bit better overall since leaving the San Antonio Spurs and Richardson has played at least 29 minutes in 3 of 4 games with the Pelicans. The increased playing time will put the ball in his hands more. Richardson has also been a steals fiend since joining the Pelicans. He posted 14 steals total in 4 games with them. He’ll also provide minor help with assists too.

Cam Reddish F Portland Trail Blazers-21% rostered

Reddish couldn’t break into the New York Knicks rotation, but the Blazers have plenty of room for him to play either forward position and he’ll certainly continue taking a good number of shots and he's scored 18-plus points in 2 of his last 3 games. He’s averaging 13 points per game since being traded to Portland. Reddish has also been helpful on the defensive side of the ball grabbing multiple steals in three of his last four games. He’s on a streak of posting at least one steal in four straight matchups. Expect Reddish to play 30 minutes or more until other back and mid-court players return from injury. He's played no fewer than 31 minutes in each of his last 3 outings and he’s even shot about 37 percent from long-range since going west to Portland. Reddish has good driving ability as well and he’ll stay in the lane to try to keep plays alive even after he puts shots up from inside the arc. Between the increased workload, scoring and steals, Reddish deserves a spot at the end of fantasy basketball benches. 

Xavier Tillman PF, C Memphis Grizzlies-6% rostered

Steven Adams is still injured, and the Grizzlies have put multiple different frontcourt combinations together to see what works best. Jaren Jackson Jr is a staple in the rotation, but Tillman has been given at least 25 minutes in a lot of games lately. In the two games he’s played since NBA play resumed after the all-star break, Tillman scored eight points or more and pulled down seven or more rebounds in both games and Tillman has a few advantageous matchups coming up between the Lakers, Rockets and Clippers. He should be able to produce against the weak defensive centers on those teams. Tillman has also blocked shots in four straight games and swiped the ball in four of his last seven contests. He’s a short-term solution that has been getting the playing time and as long as he’s getting the minutes he’s been getting; he should be rostered. If his minutes drop below 20, drop him. 

Keita Bates-Diop PF San Antonio Spurs-4% rostered

Even with Jeremy Sochan back in the mix, it was very encouraging seeing Bates-Diop play over 30 minutes in the Spurs last game and he’s been very impressive scoring 10 points or more in 6 of his last 7 contests and he grabbed 6 boards or more in 3 of his last 4 games. The Spurs don’t have as much depth and Tre Jones and Devin Vassell are still hurt and the Spurs can use all the help that they can get scoring the basketball. Bates-Diop should continue playing at least 25 minutes per outing even when the Spurs are at full strength. He’s shot over 49 percent from the field this season and with Josh Richardson off the team, Bates-Diop should continue picking up shots either with the Spurs starters or reserves. He’s stolen the ball in two of his last three games as well and he’ll mainly play at the elbow for the Spurs on defense. He can play either forward position and that will keep him in the Spurs rotation down the stretch. 

 

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