Zach LaVine or Paul George? The impact of the Rui Hachimura trade to the Lakers? Who takes over at center in Memphis? Who's going to be shut down later this year? We got a lot of solid questions this week for the Mailbag, so let's get right to them!
Who will benefit the most from the three-to-five week absence of Steven Adams (right knee)? Brandon Clarke, Santi Aldama or Xavier Tillman? Hard to say it's any of their time if they'll be splitting minutes. - Fantasy Noob (@fantasy_noob)
Answer: I agree with you, Noob. This situation reminds me of the Knicks losing Mitchell Robinson (thumb). Jericho Sims is getting the minutes and is playing reasonably well, but we saw Isaiah Hartenstein and Obi Toppin step up on Tuesday night. I don't think this is a run, don't walk to your waiver-wire situation, but I do think there is a preferred pecking order.
Clarke was already on the cusp of being worth rostering in most fantasy leagues before the Adams injury and he's the most proven commodity. Aldama was starting for a good chunk of the season until his teammates got healthy and will also be worth a look -- especially if he gets the call over Clarke.
Tillman will see a boost in minutes but it's hard to imagine any of these guys blowing up. If you need a big man and have to act now, I'd rank them Clarke, Aldama, Tillman. But if you can
Zach LaVine or Paul George? The impact of the Rui Hachimura trade to the Lakers? Who takes over at center in Memphis? Who's going to be shut down later this year? We got a lot of solid questions this week for the Mailbag, so let's get right to them!
Who will benefit the most from the three-to-five week absence of Steven Adams (right knee)? Brandon Clarke, Santi Aldama or Xavier Tillman? Hard to say it's any of their time if they'll be splitting minutes. - Fantasy Noob (@fantasy_noob)
Answer: I agree with you, Noob. This situation reminds me of the Knicks losing Mitchell Robinson (thumb). Jericho Sims is getting the minutes and is playing reasonably well, but we saw Isaiah Hartenstein and Obi Toppin step up on Tuesday night. I don't think this is a run, don't walk to your waiver-wire situation, but I do think there is a preferred pecking order.
Clarke was already on the cusp of being worth rostering in most fantasy leagues before the Adams injury and he's the most proven commodity. Aldama was starting for a good chunk of the season until his teammates got healthy and will also be worth a look -- especially if he gets the call over Clarke.
Tillman will see a boost in minutes but it's hard to imagine any of these guys blowing up. If you need a big man and have to act now, I'd rank them Clarke, Aldama, Tillman. But if you can wait to see how things shake out over the first game or two without Adams, that's the route I'd take.
Zach LaVine or Paul George for the rest of the season in a deep, 11-cat league? - Josh (@Harme214)
Answer: Chicago has 17 games from Weeks 20-to-24, the heart of the fantasy playoffs, while the Clippers have 16 games over that same stretch. They both also have a two-game week, which is not ideal. However, the Clippers are in the thick of the playoff hunt, while the Bulls are struggling to get there.
Add in the fact that George is a Top-25 player and LaVine is a Top-50 player, and the answer is pretty clearly George, to me. I would still check out the specifics of your league's playoff schedule before making a decision but in a vacuum, George is the better fantasy player and has less of a chance of being shut down than LaVine.
Is it too early to talk about late-season shutdown candidates? - Jack Ross Thomas III (@douknojack)
Answer: In today's world, it's never too early for this. And while I was convinced Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and some of his Thunder teammates would be leading the way in this conversation, they have turned into one of the most dangerous teams in the league and are not tanking for Victor Wembanyama. So we're now looking at veterans on bad teams for the leading shutdown candidates.
Kristaps Porzingis (ankle), Bradley Beal, Fred VanVleet, LaMelo Ball, Terry Rozier and Bojan Bogdanovic all come to mind in the East for a potential shutdown. In the West, LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Damian Lillard, Keldon Johnson, Jakob Poeltl and Eric Gordon all come to mind. Remember that any of the bottom-feeding teams (outside of Charlotte, Detroit and Houston) could make a run at any time and get into playoff contention. But as of today, the aforementioned players are who I'm most worried about. And let's just hope that the Porzingis shutdown hasn't already started.
Do you hold T.J. McConnell when Tyrese Haliburton (knee/elbow) returns? - Good Joe (Kramermurphy)
Answer: I don't. If you just take a glance at his game log, TJM really wasn't doing all that much until Haliburton went down seven games ago. And with Haliburton nearing a return, the McConnell train is probably going to come to an abrupt halt. However, I wouldn't drop him until it officially happens. But man, he's been a blast to roll with over the last couple weeks.
As a caveat, I'll say that if the Pacers continue to lose and fall out of the postseason hunt, Haliburton could become this seasons' version of SGA and McConnell could finish the season on a high note. But I don't think he's worth holding if Haliburton comes back, plays every day and the Pacers start making a push back toward the playoffs.
Does Jonathan Isaac have a clear path to rest-of-season value barring no health setbacks? - NOT TAKES Fantasy Football (@NOTTakesFF)
Answer: First of all, it's great to finally see Isaac back on the court and I'm really happy for him. Secondly, he's basically been out for three years and the Magic probably want to see what he can do the rest of the way. The problem is that the Magic aren't going to make the playoffs and they'll probably err on the side of caution at some point. But if I had Isaac on my roster right now, I'd just plan on riding him until the wheels fall off or the Magic pull the plug.
Any update on Brandon Ingram, Nikola Jokic, Kelly Olynyk and Jabari Smith? Is Olynyk a hold or drop? - Matchwinnningstar (@matchwinningstar)
Answer: It sounds like Ingram will (finally) play on Wednesday, and Jokic racked up another easy triple-double on Tuesday night. Olynyk might be back this weekend but Walker Kessler has etched himself into that lineup, meaning Olynyk's run won't be as fun as it was earlier in the year. If you can hang onto Olynyk through the weekend you might as well do so. But I'm not expecting a lot when he's back. Jabari Smith might play on Wednesday but keep in mind the Rockets are in full tank mode.
After missing two months due to a big toe injury, New Orleans Pelicans star Brandon Ingram will return tonight vs. Timberwolves barring any setback in pregame, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 25, 2023
What do you think about Cameron Payne? Why are the Suns looking for another point guard? - Ryan Lao (@RyanLao4)
Answer: I love Cameron Payne when Chris Paul is out and I think the Suns are just looking for some insurance in case Payne's foot is a problem the rest of the way. He's out for another week, so I get their concerns. I don't know that you can afford to hang onto Payne right now unless you've got an IR slot to keep him in.
What do you expect for the center position after the trade deadline for the Hornets? - Andre's Redondo (@controlmaszeta)
Answer: The tank is on in Charlotte and they are getting good stuff out of P.J. Washington, Mason Plumlee and even rookie Mark Williams. I think those are the guys they'll roll with for the rest of the season.
Rui Hachimura was traded to the Lakers. What is your fantasy outlook on Hachimura and Deni Avdija? - Illgobbo (@Illgobbo)
Answer: Hachimura will give us more of the same in L.A. He had some nice moments in Washington and he will continue to do so in Los Angeles, but LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Thomas Bryant and Russell Westbrook will continue to do the heavy lifting for the Lakers. Hachimura might be worth grabbing as a speculative add, with Davis set to return Wednesday night there may not be a ton of upside.
Hachimura should struggle to even reach late-round fantasy value with his new team. I'm not running to pick him up anywhere. As for Avdija, I was all about him on Tuesday night and he came through with 15 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and three steals in 32 minutes off the bench. With Kristaps Porzingis out indefinitely, Kyle Kuzma should see a lot more minutes at power forward, clearing the way for Corey Kispert and Avdija to play small forward. And I think that makes both players worth a look, especially in deeper leagues. If I had to pick one, I think I'd roll with Avdija.
