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Due to the disappointing combo of injuries and health and safety protocols, things continue to get “weird” in the NBA. As a result, there were even more young talents who were either on the back end of team benches or plying their trade in the G League are being pressed into action. This makes for some interesting decisions for fantasy managers, who find themselves lower on available players while also having to deal with a limited number of IL+ slots. This week’s edition of the Rookie/Sophomore Report will begin in Brooklyn, as the Nets entered Tuesday’s game against the Raptors down seven players due to health and safety protocols.
Opportunity knocks for young Nets
Brooklyn’s list of absences for Tuesday’s game was lengthy, with seven players joining Joe Harris (left ankle surgery) due to health and safety protocols. Among those sidelined are James Harden, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Bruce Brown, with the first two names being particularly impactful from a fantasy standpoint. With the focus of this column being rookies and second-year players, there were a few eye-opening performances in the Nets’ 131-129 overtime victory that merit conversation.
Cam Thomas, who many may have assumed would move into the starting lineup due to the absences, remained in the sixth man role. He struggled, shooting 2-of-10 from the field and finishing with a line of four points, one rebound, and three assists in 22 minutes. Fantasy managers who rushed out to add Thomas should not panic, however, as the Nets have three more games on their schedule this week. Also, where else would Steve Nash have to turn at this point?
And he isn’t the only Nets rookie whose rostered percentage (11% in Yahoo leagues) will increase. David Duke Jr., who was undrafted after two seasons at Providence, joined the starting five Tuesday night. In 38 minutes he accounted for 10 points (4-of-13 FGs, 2-of-3 FTs), 13 rebounds, three assists, two steals, and two blocked shots. While you want to see a better field goal percentage from Duke, the rebounding and defensive stats are more than encouraging. Second-round pick Kessler Edwards was the best of the bunch, playing 44 minutes off the bench and recording a line of 17 points (7-of-12 FGs), 10 rebounds, two assists, two steals, and three 3-pointers.
As noted above Brooklyn has three more games to play this week, including a back-to-back. For that reason managers, especially those in deep leagues, need to get ahead of the rush on Duke (rostered in 1% of Yahoo leagues) and Edwards (3%).
Raptors’ Barnes keeps on rolling
On the flip side of Tuesday’s matchup between the Nets and Raptors, there was lottery pick Scottie Barnes, who continues to flourish. He played 44 minutes, finishing with 23 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, and three 3-pointers. Providing 5th-round value in 9-cat formats according to Basketball Monster, Barnes has made noticeable strides as a shooter. Making 36.8% of his 3-point attempts for the season, the rookie is averaging 1.5 3-pointers per game on 39.1% shooting over the last two weeks.
During this stretch, Barnes is averaging 15.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.0 steals, 1.8 blocks, and 0.8 turnovers per game, while shooting 49.3% from the field and 71.4% from the foul line. That’s good enough for top-20 value, and those who have Barnes rostered are getting a great return. Is this a time where managers should consider dangling Barnes on the trade market, in hopes of reeling in a higher profile player? I’d say no. His importance to the Raptors rotation isn’t up for debate, and that won’t change once OG Anunoby (left hip) is cleared to return. With just over one-third of the season completed, it’s quite clear that the Raptors landed a future cornerstone with the fourth overall pick.
All-in on Rockets’ Sengun
With veteran center Daniel Theis in the midst of a stretch in which he has been a DNP-CD in seven of Houston’s last 10 games, it appeared as if the team was making room for rookie Alperen Sengun to factor more prominently in the rotation. That was not the case, as the Rockets went with smaller lineups built around Christian Wood. The change in approach certainly helped with regard to the win total, as Houston ripped off seven straight wins before falling to the Bucks on December 10. Those who had Sengun on their rosters weren’t particularly pleased, however, as he averaged 15.6 minutes per game during the streak (he’s averaging 18.2 mpg for the season).
However, things appear to be shifting, due in large part to injuries. Wood will miss the team’s next two games due to tendinitis in his left knee, which opens the door for Sengun to play more. The rookie has played 23 and 25 minutes in Houston’s last two games, averaging 13.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.0 steals, 2.5 blocks, and 2.0 turnovers per while shooting 50.0% from the field and 88.9% from the foul line. But this isn’t a two-game flash in the pan. Sengun has scored in double figures in five of his last six games, averaging 11.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 0.7 steals, 1.2 blocks, and 1.2 turnovers per and shooting 52.3% from the field and 82.1% from three.
Sengun is rostered in 48% of Yahoo leagues, and that number will increase ahead of Houston’s upcoming back-to-back. Hopefully, the managers who held onto the rookie during the “lean” times with regard to minutes will be rewarded for their patience.
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Kings’ Haliburton hits a rough patch
After winning three straight games, including both ends of a home-and-home with the Clippers, the Kings find themselves mired in another slump. Sacramento has lost its last three games heading into Wednesday’s matchup with the Wizards, a run of futility that coincides with the absence of starting center Richaun Holmes (right eye). Another issue during this stretch has been the struggles of Tyrese Haliburton, who has scored a total of 11 points after going on a run of four straight games in double figures. Sacramento won three of the games that its second-year guard finished in double figures, and the fourth was a one-point loss to the Hornets.
In road losses to the Cavaliers and Raptors, Haliburton shot a combined 5-of-10 from the field, scoring 11 points with seven rebounds, seven assists, one steal, two blocked shots, and one 3-pointer. By no means is he a prolific scorer, and the Kings don’t need him to be. But they do need Haliburton to be a credible threat as a scorer in order to be at their best. When he hits double figures the Kings are 9-6 on the season; in games that Haliburton has either failed to do so or not played in, Sacramento is 2-11.
Haliburton being more effective as a scorer would give his fantasy value, which is already high (top-40 in 9-cat), a boost that any fantasy manager would take. And the same can be said for the Kings, who hope to be in the mix for a play-in round spot come season’s end.
Cavaliers’ Okoro making strides with his shot
Isaac Okoro was known more for his defensive prowess and athleticism during the draft process nearly two years ago, and that’s how things have played out. While valuable as a defender on the wing, the second-year Cavalier has left a lot to be desired as a shooter. Making 42.6% of his field-goal attempts on the season, Okoro is shooting 27.1% from distance while averaging 0.9 3-pointers per game. However, if his play over the last week is any indication, Okoro may be turning the corner on the offensive end of the floor.
After going scoreless in a December 6 loss to the Heat, Okoro has scored nine points or more in each of Cleveland’s last four games. The best of the bunch was a 20-point effort in Saturday’s win over the Kings, with Okoro shooting 7-of-9 from the field and 2-of-3 from the foul line. During this four-game run, he’s averaging 15.8 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.5 steals, 0.3 blocks, and 1.8 3-pointers in 30.9 minutes per game while shooting 65.8% from the field, 46.7% from three, and 85.7% from the foul line. As a result, Okoro is providing 7th-round value in 9-cat formats over the last week.
Is he worth a look, especially in deep leagues? In the short term yes, as Cleveland has three more games on its schedule for this week, beginning Wednesday against the Rockets. But with a two-game week on the horizon, fantasy managers will likely need to look for busier options after Sunday’s games. Okoro is rostered in just 14% of Yahoo leagues, so he shouldn’t be too hard to find.
Knicks’ Grimes gets a start, but then goes down
The Knicks entered Sunday’s game against the Bucks having lost two straight and five of their last six games. Losing RJ Barrett due to health and safety protocols didn’t help matters for a team in need of a spark, but his absence did open the door for Quentin Grimes to show that he deserves rotation minutes. Making his first career start, the first-round pick played 40 minutes and recorded a line of 27 points (9-of-17 FGs, 2-of-2 FTs), three rebounds, three assists, three steals, and seven 3-pointers. Not only were the 27 points a career-high for Grimes, but that number was greater than his point total for the entire season (24 in 13 prior appearances).
Unfortunately, Grimes’ performance didn’t give the shorthanded Knicks the boost that they were looking for, was the Bucks won by 15. And things got even worse shortly thereafter, as Grimes was one of the players added to the health and safety protocols list ahead of Tuesday’s loss to the Warriors. A rookie who could have been worthy of a short-term look could now be sidelined for 10 days unless he can produce two negative PCR tests.
Names to watch this week
PG Facundo Campazzo (Denver): Rostered in just 5% of Yahoo leagues, Campazzo has been a top-75 player over the last week. He saw a slight increase in playing time in the Nuggets’ last two games, as Will Barton was sidelined due to a non-COVID illness.
PG Saben Lee (Detroit): Lee has provided 6th-round value in 9-cat formats over the last week, most recently recording a line of 17 points, six rebounds, six assists, three steals, one block, and two 3-pointers in Sunday’s loss to the Nets. If Killian Hayes is either limited or sidelined after aggravating a left thumb injury, Lee could be worth streaming in deep leagues.
SF/PF KJ Martin Jr. (Houston): His averages over the last week (7.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 0.5 blocks, and 0.5 3-pointers in 21.0 minutes per game) don’t jump off the page. But with Christian Wood due to miss at least two games, Martin is worth tracking just in case Houston has to put its best player on the shelf for an extended period of time.
