Pero

Antic

“He is the one who has made the most improvement that I have seen,” Horford said. Unfortunately for Scott, the Hawks brought in big men Paul Millsap, Elton Brand, Pero Antic and Gustavo Ayon this summer. “It’s about building a bond and a trust with these new bigs,” Horford said. “We are going to have to do it by committee. There is no way around it.” Horford and Millsap are the only guaranteed fantasy options here, and the word “committee” will haunt EB, Scott, Antic and Ayon all season.

A native of Macedonia, Antic goes 6'11/260 and will turn 31 years old on Monday. He’s played for Greek powerhouse Olympiacos for the last two seasons, winning consecutive Euroleague titles. Antic will be size behind Al Horford, Paul Millsap and Elton Brand.

Antic is 30 years old and he’s coming off a streak of success with Olympiakos, which included the 21012-13 Euroleague championship. He gives Atlanta a veteran bruiser to support Al Horford, Paul Millsap and Elton Brand, but he’s a doubtful source of fantasy value while those guys are healthy. The deal is described as “1+1" but it’s unclear whether the second year is a player or team option.

Antić is 30 years old and has had a lot of success in Euroleague play. He’ll be a solid veteran backup for Atlanta but is unlikely to have any real fantasy value this season behind Al Horford, Paul Millsap and Elton Brand. The deal is expected to be for two years, although the Hawks did not release terms.

Pero Antic played 20 minutes off the bench, Mike Scott played 17 minutes and Gustavo Ayon barely saw the court. This situation has ‘platoon’ written all over it, and fantasy owners should hedge their bets unless one of Atlanta’s big men steps into a 30-minute role.

Antic cooled off a little bit on Friday after lighting it up with 3.0 triples per game in his previous for outing. The 31-year-old rookie has done a solid job as the stretch center for the Hawks and it’s unclear how much time he’ll miss. Gustavo Ayon will start, but Mike Scott is probably going to get more scoring opportunities.

Ayon has intriguing fantasy potential but it certainly wasn’t on display vs. Memphis. His fantasy outlook will be even dimmer when Pero Antic (back) returns to action, and thus far none of Atlanta’s big men have produced reliable fantasy value since Al Horford’s season-ending pectoral surgery.

With Al Horford (shoulder) already out of the picture, the Hawks should primarily rely on Elton Brand and Gustavo Ayon, with Brand the favorite to start at center. Paul Millsap becomes even more central to the frontcourt and Mike Scott should also pick up extra playing time as the Hawks try to maintain their position as the No. 3 team in the East.

He salvaged his line by hitting 5-of-6 free throws and continues to offer fantasy value for those in need of a center in most leagues. He had a career-high 17 points on Monday and a double-double tonight, meaning there’s no reason not to be using him right now.

This means Antic may even miss a game or two after the All-Star break, as the Hawks return to action with games on Feb. 18, 19, 21 and 22. Gustavo Ayon and Elton Brand will continue to hold down the center position in his absence, but Antic stands a good chance to regain the starting job once he’s healthy.