RADIO
It's a Florida New Year special here at RotoBaller as we are taking a look at two Miami Heat players with very different seasons so far.
Hassan Whiteside has been back for half a dozen of games now, but he still hasn't shone as bright as he can. Will he be back to his old double-doubling, shot-blocking self? The Heat have been plagued with injuries once again this season and Josh Richardson has been one of Miami's best players. How likely is he to keep it up and what should we expect from him going forward?
If you've asked yourself these same questions, if you own or are looking to acquire either of these two players, here are our two cents on their rest of season value. Welcome to our Week 13 fantasy basketball buy low and sell high column here at RotoBaller.
Buy Low, Sell High Advice for Week 13
Are You for Real, Josh Richardson?
Josh Richardson came off to a good start but hit a slump in November, scoring more than eight points in only 3 of 14 games he played in from Oct 31 to Nov 26. That period is long gone now as JRich failed to hit double digits in just one out of his last 20 games. He's been on special kind of fire lately returning top-30 value over the last 14 days with averages of 17.3 PTS with 1.2 3PM on 52.8 FG% and 87.5 FT%, 2.8 REB, 4.3 AST, 1.7 STL, 1.0 BLK and 1.7 TO in 37 minutes a game.
Now Richardson is just 25, and he has room to improve and talent to do so, but those percentages and defensive stats just aren't realistic. And neither is that playing time. Justise Winslow and Dion Waiters are out with injuries, there are no timetables for them yet but it is certain they will miss the next two games at the very least. Whiteside has been back for the last six, and James Johnson for the last three games. This has given JRich some increased opportunity. IF Miami gets healthy, Josh is in for a minutes and usage drop. That would in return alter his fantasy contribution and almost certainly have him fall down the ladder a little bit.
Don't get me wrong, he will still hold on to top-75 value, and will provide you with some nice all around production with some nice out of position blocks, but it wouldn't be the worst idea for you to shop him around and see what's out there for you if you were to sell him.
A player who is likely to have a consistent top-50 production is a safer bet than JRich and I would be very tempted to make a trade if an offer of Dennis Schroder, Serge Ibaka or Devin Booker came up.
Baller Move: Sell high
Time to Panic on Hassan Whiteside?
Hassan Whiteside has had some injury problems so far this season. He has missed five straight games after dominating the season opener with 26 points and 22 rebounds. He finally seemed to be back on track when a bone bruise in his knee sidelined him for another month. He missed another 13 games with that injury and has been back for the past six. In those, he averaged 11.5 points on 48.3% from the field and 73.3% from the charity stripe, 8.3 boards, 1.2 assists, 0.7 steals, 1.3 blocks and 1.0 turnovers in just 22 minutes per game.
Furthermore, Whiteside has had some bad luck with some unfortunate injuries (two right hand lacerations almost two years apart and an eye injury a year ago) and some injuries that do happen occasionally in the NBA (like sore or sprained knees or ankles and one sprained right MCL) in his previous seasons too.
However, none of those are lingering issues, and the latest bone bruise might make him miss some games due to soreness or for rest, but it's not something that is expected to haunt Hassan going forward. Moreover, we know Hassan is capable of much, much larger numbers than he is currently posting and the fact that he has played almost 26 minutes and posted his first double-double since his most recent return in his last game gives even more confidence that he will be fine going forward. The buy low window is obvious, but it's obviously closing fast. He could erupt with a 20-20 game and slam it shut.
So if the owner in your league is willing to let go of Hassan at his currently discounted price, and he fits your teams build, or at least won't step on your tactics toes, you would be wise to take advantage. An offer of any player of outside the top-30 could pay dividends if Hassan can stay healthy.
I would gladly swap a player like Al Horford, Khris Middleton or even a new Toronto record man DeMar DeRozan for the fantasy upside of Hassan Whiteside. If you don't trust his health or his owner has him pegged as an injury risk and is willing to take back a more healthy player rather than roll the dice on Whiteside being his old rebounding and shot-rejecting force you might be able to get him even cheaper. Either way, if you put your trust in Hassan get prepared for some big double-doubles, great stock stats, but on the dark side also some rest games, compliments of our old player-resting friend Eric Spoelstra.
Baller Move: Hold or buy low
