RADIO
Daniel Lubofsky looks at some mid-week waiver wire options for fantasy basketball leagues. These players may be free agents to pick up off waivers in Week 15.
Let's be honest. Few if anyone around the NBA is heavily invested in the game of basketball right now, not after the events of this past Sunday, when a helicopter carrying nine people, including Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna, crashed, killing everyone on board.
We know what Kobe accomplished on the basketball court: Five championships, 18 All-Star appearances and a lifetimes worth of incredible basketball memories. It's what he was going to do in his next phase, things like podcasts, children's books, and mentoring the next generation of basketball players, that we only got a taste of and were so excited to embrace.
The NBA and its players will attempt to move on, but there won't ever be a replacement for the hole left by a player and person the stature of Kobe Bryant. Here are five mid-week waiver wire pickup options for Week 15 of the NBA fantasy season.
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Week 15 Mid-Week Waiver Wire Pickups
Jakob Pöltl - C - San Antonio Spurs - 18% owned
Jakob Pöltl was the forgotten piece of the famous Kawhi Leonard/DeMar DeRozan swap more than a year ago, but it appears the tracks on the third-year center have finally begun to gain some steam.
He's been a tremendous shot-blocker all season long, averaging 1.6 swats in just 17.5 minutes a game. Pöltl is also amid a streak of 10 games registering multiple blocks for the San Antonio Spurs.
After posting 11 points, seven rebounds, and two blocks in 13 minutes against Toronto, Gregg Popovich threw his young center into the starting lineup and kept him on the court for 35 minutes, the results being 16 points on seven of 12 shooting, 13 rebounds, and three blocks.
San Antonio's starting center spot has been a positional question mark for most of the season, but as long as Pöltl holds up his end of the bargain with energetic activity around the bucket, there's no reason to think Popovich won't continue to extend his playing time.
Malik Monk - PG/SG - Charlotte Hornets - 12% owned
For the majority of his brief NBA career, Malik Monk has been a disappointment, having yet to average double-figure scoring marks. He still has a long way to go to reach the potential that made him the 11th overall pick in the 2017 Draft, but his play of late has been encouraging.
Over the Charlotte Hornets' most recent three games, Monk has produced just his fourth 20-point outing of the season as well as a career-high 31 points. Combined with a 13-point outing, he averaged 21.3 points on 52.4 percent shooting in just 26.1 minutes a game.
The Hornets aren't playing for much these days, instead, hoping to determine who on their roster is worth keeping around for the inevitable rebuild they're in the early stages of.
Monk may find himself on another team following the trade deadline, which could swing his value in either direction depending on his landing spot. For now, he remains in Charlotte, where the Hornets are letting him loose as of late and are being rewarded more than they thought was possible.
Doug McDermott - SF/PF - Indiana Pacers - 6% owned
Always known as a knock-down outside shooter, Doug McDermott has been on a bit of a perimeter surge for the Indiana Pacers in recent weeks.
McDermott has scored in single-figures only once over his last seven games, even producing his only two 20-point outings on the season while averaging 16.3 points per game on 60.3 percent shooting from the field.
Three of his Indiana's last five games have seen McDermott connect on six three-pointers each, including back-to-back outings in their previous two. He's hit multiple three-pointers in each of his last five games with a consistent stream of minutes that hover around the 20s.
The return of Victor Oladipo is upon us, but McDermott should only benefit from the attention the two-time All-Star will command, building on an impressive stretch that could be the start of a level of consistency that's evaded the former Creighton star throughout his NBA career.
Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk - SG - Detroit Pistons - 17% owned
Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk wasn't much of a factor for the Detroit Pistons after coming over from the Los Angeles Lakers last season nor was he significantly contributing earlier in the year.
It's been the recent play from Mykhailiuk that's afforded Detroit a level of perimeter spacing they've sorely lacked over the years.
Mykhailiuk has spent the last month filling up the scoring column and raining down shots from beyond the arc. Across 15 games, he's averaged 14.1 points and 3.0 three-pointers a game at a 43.3 percent clip.
He's hit multiple three-pointers in all but one game during that stretch, even appearing in the starting lineup 11 times.
There won't be an abundance of rebounds or assists nor will Mykhailiuk likely cross the 20-point mark very often. But the second-year guard seems to have found himself in a consistent rhythm from downtown, doing his best to help a Detroit team looking for any source of offense it can find.
Luke Kornet - PF/C - Chicago Bulls - 6% owned
Luke Kornet's play has admittedly been sporadic since entering the starting lineup nearly two weeks ago with nearly as many games scoring single-digits as there are in double figures.
Despite his inconsistencies, there's a reason Kornet was inserted into the starting unit. With long-term injuries to both Lauri Markkanen and Wendell Carter Jr., the Chicago Bulls' frontcourt is in desperate need of size wherever it can be found.
When playing well, Kornet brings a unique blend of paint protection and outside shooting. Over Chicago's last seven games, he's averaged 1.4 three-pointers and 0.9 blocks in 22.3 minutes a game.
He might not be worth picking up given how much he still has to prove, but for those looking to fill a roster spot or potentially in need of another center, Kornet is an interesting flyer to take that could pay off given the expanded role he now finds himself in.
