Fantasy NBA: Big Picture Thinking While Looking for Help in a Specific Category
Published: Nov 14, 2014
Are you freaking out because you are struggling out of the gate and cannot find a way to win? STOP! It is the first few weeks of the season and like NBA teams, fantasy teams need time to find that balance. A balanced lineup is one in which every standard category has its supporters. People who play other fantasy sports often choose to “punt” certain positions in order to gain more depth at others. Do not punt a category in fantasy basketball. In fantasy baseball there is no guarantee that your closer will pitch whenever their MLB team plays. Punting is acceptable. In fantasy basketball, each time a player steps on the floor they have the ability to score, steal, block, rebound and yes, turn the ball over. Basketball players have a lot of control over their stats. There are players who are on your waiver wire that can essentially stop the early bleeding and balance out your lineup.
Finding help in scoring and rebounding is a lot easier than finding support in steals, blocks and even assists. When looking to grab a player, look at what else that player can bring to your team. Philadelphia 76ers Guard-Forward K.J. McDaniels is an example of a player who can help in more categories than just blocks. McDaniels has been playing 23.5 minutes per game has not only blocked 1.7 shots per game, but he also scores 9.3 points per game while shooting 48.1 percent from the field. The 23.5 minutes per game is a key indicator that he is involved in the 76ers offense and can help in multiple categories without hurting others. New York Knicks Center Samuel Dalembert is an NBA veteran with a reputation of being a major help in blocks. He, like McDaniels, is swatting 1.7 shots per game, but what else does he bring? Not much. He plays 17.1 minutes and grabs 5 rebounds per game. Dalembert seems like the safer player to add because of his reputation of being veteran blocker, but, with the playing time differential between the two and the lack of help in other categories from Dalembert, he does not seem as sexy of a pick anymore. McDaniels is lesser known around the league, but helps out in more categories and has more of a rotation commitment from his team. Separate the name from the numbers. The numbers don’t lie.
Do not get fooled by the numbers and psych yourself out. Do not necessarily add the player who grabs 1.1 steals per game as opposed to the player who is averaging 0.9 steals per game. The statistics are very close and the player who is averaging 0.9 steals per game can be more beneficial to your team because they help in other categories. Phoenix Suns Forward-Center Miles Plumlee averages one block and 0.9 steals per game. His teammate Guard-Forward Gerald Green is averaging 1.1 steals per game and plays a bit less than Plumlee. Green even scores 15 points per game. Who would you pick up between the two? All signs point to Green because he scores more and wins the steals battle against Plumlee. The problem with adding Green over Plumlee is that you could still be exposed in blocks, rebounds and steals. If you need the scoring, go Green obviously. Plumlee is the more versatile fantasy option because he helps in those categories that are harder to find support in. Go to your expanded standings on your league homepage and find out what exactly your “needs” are and where you are struggling most. If you are killing it in scoring, but struggling in the other categories, Green is not as smart of a pick up in that case.
When looking at picking up a player playing time is crucial. Denver Nuggets Center JaVale McGee has the leaping ability to secure a lot of blocks, but his 12 minutes of playing time per game does not give him much of a chance to reach his full potential. It does not matter that he is blocking 1.7 shots per game. Without that playing time commitment, he is a risky add, especially if you play in leagues in which you can only set your lineups weekly. Los Angeles Lakers Forward-Center Ed Davis plays in 23.4 minutes per game and scores, rebounds and plays more than McGee and despite averaging fewer blocks than McGee. Davis is the smarter pick up.
When it comes to blocks and steals, do not be dissuaded picking up a player who averages less than one steal and block per game. As long as that player is averaging over 0.5 blocks and/or steals per game, he is a safe player to add. If players are producing blocks and steals in the majority of games they play, that benefits your team at the end of the day. It becomes safe to assume that the player will produce on that front in the majority of games you start them in. Remember, the numbers don’t lie. Always be looking at the bigger picture and where else a player you are considering picking up can help your team out. Do not focus on just the one category of need. Find that balance and you will see good results.
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Jamal Murray had a dominant Game 5 performance in the Nuggets’ win over the Clippers on Tuesday, tallying 43 points (17-of-26 FGs, 1-of-1 FTs), five rebounds, seven assists, three steals, one block and eight three-pointers.
Fresh off a series-low 13 points in Game 4, Murray exploded for a series-high on Tuesday. He totaled nearly as many three-pointers in this game as he had in the previous four combined, while still managing to dish out seven assists. Murray got hot early in this one and never cooled off, and now has provided his Nuggets the opportunity on Thursday in Game 6 to eliminate the Clippers for the second time in the past five seasons.
Wendell Carter Jr. recorded 12 points (5-of-10 FGs, 2-of-4 FTs), 10 rebounds, one assist and two steals in 34 minutes in a Game 5 loss to the Celtics on Tuesday.
Carter reached double digits in rebounds in four of the five games, recording two double-doubles. While he certainly wasn’t elite, the Magic center had a decent finish to his fourth full season with the franchise. Appearing in 68 regular-season games, Carter’s scoring output decreased, but he was more productive in rebounds, assists, steals and blocked shots. Unfortunately, the starting role has not made WCJ a significant fantasy asset, as he finished the season ranked outside the top-175 in category leagues and outside the top-150 in points leagues. With three guaranteed seasons remaining on his contract, Carter will likely go into training camp locked into the starting center role.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope tallied eight points (3-of-9 FGs), three rebounds, one assist, one steal and two three-pointers in 30 minutes in a Game 5 loss to the Celtics on Tuesday.
Caldwell-Pope had a brutal series, scoring no more than eight points in any of the five games. The veteran wing shot 6-of-23 from beyond the arc, which isn’t good enough for a team that lacked consistent scorers beyond Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner. Signed last summer with the hope that he could be a veteran voice who could also provide 3-and-D value, Caldwell-Pope underwhelmed in his first season with the Magic. He finished the regular season ranked outside the top-150 in eight- and nine-cat formats in category leagues, but KCP was close to a top-100 option in points leagues. At best, he’ll be worthy of late-round consideration in 12-team leagues next fall.
Franz Wagner shot 10-of-22 from the field and 5-of-5 from the foul line in a Game 5 loss to the Celtics on Tuesday, amassing 25 points, four rebounds, four assists and one steal in 40 minutes.
Wagner finished his fourth NBA season with a solid performance in Orlando’s season finale. He scored at least 23 points and made at least 10 field goals in all five games. While teammate Paolo Banchero’s value in points leagues took a significant hit since he only appeared in 46 games, Wagner retained some of his value by appearing in 60. Regarding category leagues, Franz was a top-40 player in eight- and nine-cat formats. He exceeded his Yahoo! ADP (46), and stands to be a safe third- or fourth-round pick next fall. Wagner’s new contract kicks in next season, and he’ll earn nearly $38.7 million in 2025-26.
Paolo Banchero played 30 minutes in a Game 5 loss to the Celtics on Tuesday, tallying 19 points (6-of-15 FGs, 5-of-7 FTs), nine rebounds, six assists and two three-pointers.
Having scored at least 29 points in each of the first four games of this series, Banchero appeared to be a safe bet to have another good night with Orlando’s season on the line. Unfortunately, that is not how things played out. With 9:46 remaining in the third quarter and the game tied at 53, Banchero was called for his fifth foul. Magic coach Jamahl Mosley removed his star forward from the game, and Boston took over with a 35-9 run. To say this was a disappointing end to a highly productive season for Banchero would be an understatement. He did not reach his Yahoo! ADP (35) in category or points leagues, but the Magic forward’s issues in fantasy basketball had more to do with him only playing 46 games than any statistical deficiencies. Banchero will be worth grabbing within the first 50 picks in drafts next fall, especially in points leagues.
Kristaps Porzingis logged 21 minutes in Tuesday’s Game 5 win over the Magic, scoring nine points (3-of-8 FGs, 3-of-4 FTs) with two rebounds, one assist, one steal and one blocked shot.
Porzingis got into foul trouble in Game 5, picking up three fouls during the first half. And for the second straight game, he was brought off the bench to begin the third quarter. Payton Pritchard (10/3/1 with two three-pointers in 25 minutes) started the third as the Celtics went small. Porzingis played 22 and 21 minutes in the final two games of this series, so the time off before the start of the second round may be beneficial to the Celtics center. Next up for Boston is either New York or Detroit.