The fantasy basketball world is freaking out over the latest Kevin Durant news, and understandably so. He is the second-best player in the world and the health of his foot is directly related to the production of Russell Westbrook, who continues to play absolutely out of his mind with Durant out. I just want to caution everyone to take a breath and not make any rash decisions regarding Durant.
The good news is most fantasy players will have at least a few months until they have to decide what to do with Durant in keeper leagues or drafts. My worry is that people seem to have made up their mind already that Durant is the next Derrick Rose and will simply refuse to draft him regardless of the news that comes out over the summer.
I think the good thing is most people appear to have learned from the Derrick Rose saga and are not expecting Durant to simply show up on Halloween and immediately return to MVP-level production. That being said, Durant could get there eventually. So could Derrick Rose, for that matter, though that seems far less likely. The point here is not to make any decisions in March or April. The FantasyAlarm team will of course keep you appraised of his situation throughout the summer, at which point we can help you evaluate him properly. Until then, your attention is better spent on the injured players who will impact the rest of this season. That being said, we still have to begin our look at NBA injuries with Kevin Durant.
Kevin Durant will have a bone graft surgery on his right foot and is expected to return to basketball activities in four to six months. The bone graft is the next step in the rare cases when an inserted screw does not sole the issue. Durant should be fine eventually, and comparisons to Derrick Rose are premature at best. Like Rose, the fear with Durant is that while he returns to basketball activities in 4-6 months it takes a while to play in games and even longer for Durant to produce for fantasy like he has in the past. Durant was extremely effective this season when he was on the floor, which is a bit encouraging.
Last week I thought Durant was the top player for fantasy heading into next season; now he is a borderline top-30 play. I think I’d rather hope Rudy Gay stays healthy for an entire season than hope Durant out produces Gay when he finally returns. This news moves Russell Westbrook into the top 10, behind Chris Paul and Kyrie Irving and ahead of John Wall and Damian Lillard. Of course, a lot can change in the coming months.
Jeff Teague has been ruled out of Saturday’s game after sitting Friday due to an ankle injury. Teague’s points and minutes in March were his lowest in any month, and he is averaging just 13.0 points per game over his last eight games. Teague will probably miss at least a couple more games down the stretch even if he is healthy, and he is probably droppable in 10-team leagues. Dennis Schroder had 12 points and 11 assists with Teague out Friday, and he remains a good fantasy play whenever Teague is out. Jeff Teague owners should definitely pick up Schroder, though he is a good pickup for non-Teague owners as well.
Jamal Crawford said Thursday he believes he will return before the end of the regular season. If you can spare a roster spot and are close to your games limit he could be worth stashing. If you need games, however, leave him on the waiver wire. Matt Barnes will be droppable as soon as Crawford returns.
Jrue Holiday is expected to return before the end of the season as well, and he is an even better stash than Crawford. Holiday is averaging 15.2 points, 7.1 assists, 3.5 rebounds, 1.3 3-pointers and 0.6 blocks on the season.
The Houston Rockets finally got Dwight Howard back this week only to lose Donatas Motiejunas and Terrence Jones. Motiejunas will halt basketball activities for one-to-two weeks while Jones is hoping to resume on-court work on Tuesday.
With Kostas Papanikolaou also about 10 days away from returning, Josh Smith should be owned in all leagues. Smith was one rebound away from a triple-double Friday while adding three blocks.
Patrick Beverley tore a ligament in his wrist Monday and a decision regarding treatment will be made late next week. That doesn’t give him much time to return, making him droppable even in deep leagues. Jason Terry started at point guard in the two games Beverley has missed, scoring two points Wednesday and 17 Friday. None of the Houston backcourt options is likely to be consistent enough for fantasy players, though Terry is probably the best pickup if you had to choose one.
Kyle Lowry sat out Friday as he continues to deal with back spasms. Lowry tried to return Tuesday at Detroit but managed to score just five points in 11 minutes. Greivis Vasquez, Lou Williams and Terrence Ross have all played reasonably well with Lowry out, and that should continue. Williams is probably the best pickup of the three, especially if you need points, while Vasquez can help you in assists. Williams is averaging 17 points per game over his last four games.
Derrick Favors left Friday’s game with back spasms and is doubtful for Saturday. Trevor Booker should start with Favors out, but his value is limited to very deep leagues. Fantasy players should hold onto Favors until we know more, though it is certainly possible these back spasms keep him out for most or all of the remainder of the season.
Rodney Hood has missed Utah’s last two games due to illness. The Jazz are back home Saturday against the Thunder, and Hood is probable for that game. The Jazz have no reason to rush Hood back, and when he does return to the court he should be able to handle his normal workload. His production has slowed a bit after he caught fire in mid-March, but he is as good a bet as any to catch fire in the last couple of weeks of the season. I’m holding onto Hood right now in the FantasyAlarm league, though one bad game could change that.
