RADIO
The NBA season is far from over, but that’s not so true of fantasy basketball. With the playoffs coming into view, it’s time for you to start thinking about a ring. If you’re fighting for a playoff spot, get busy winning. Or if you’re sitting pretty at the top of the leader boards, maybe grab an IR stash or two.
Today we’ll be looking at some players that have been on fire over the last week and analyzing whether their hot streak is likely to continue. We’ll also be offering up some trades that we think give fair value for these streaking players.
Without further ado, here are some players that have been surging in Week 13.
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NBA Heat Check
Davis Bertans, SF, San Antonio Spurs
Who? Davis Bertans is a relatively obscure bench player for the Spurs, but they’re known for squeezing amazing value out of unexpected players. On Monday, Bertans scored 28 points on 73.3% from the field with six three-pointers and two blocks. Over the past five games, he’s scored 14.2 points on 53.1% from the field to go with 3.0 threes, 4.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 0.8 blocks. Over that span he’s played 27.0 minutes, but a lot of those minutes can probably be attributed to the fact that LaMarcus Aldridge, Kawhi Leonard, and Manu Ginobili have all sat at least one game. Before Bertans’ recent surge, he only played a paltry 9.7 minutes per game—455 minutes total, which is good for 10th on the team. But if there’s one reliable thing about the Spurs (aside from perennially contending), it’s that they rest their veterans a ton during the regular season. If Bertans can continue to prove his worth, he’ll be sure to get the minutes while starters rest.
The small sample size is a cause for concern, but Bertans has been a per minute beast all season long. He makes 3.6 threes and 16.3 points per 36 minutes, which is higher than both Manu and Pau Gasol. He’s used mostly as a three-point specialist, shooting a whopping 72.1% of his shots from behind the arc this season. It’s unlikely you’d be able to find an owner willing to trade for a player with such a short body of work, but if you’re in a deep league you should look for other one-dimensional players like Skal Labissiere.
Delon Wright, PG, Toronto Raptors
Third-year player Delon Wright has been playing a career high 21.5 minutes per game this season and he’s earned them too. He had a coming out party last Wednesday when he scored a career high 25 points on 66.7% shooting, along with 4 threes, 13 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals and 1 block. Pretty well rounded for a 6’5” point guard. Over the past six games, he’s scored 13.0 points on 58.5% shooting, with 1.2 threes, 5.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.7 steals, and 1.0 blocks. He also only averaged 0.8 turnovers in that span as a point guard which boosts his value a ton for fantasy. A lot of his value will come from Kyle Lowry being out. Lowry suffered a bone bruise on Monday and is considered day-to-day, but he’s earned a small reputation as injury prone after playing only 60 games last season. In the case that Lowry has to miss more time, Wright’s stock would jump immensely.
But even with Lowry healthy, Wright has been a solid contributor off the bench. He plays in two of the Raptors’ top four most used lineups, and those two lineups have a score differential of +10 while on the floor. He’s having a great shooting year, averaging 51.2% from the field, and his defensive stats have been noteworthy over the past two seasons. Per 36 minutes, he’s hovered around 2.0 steals and 1.0 blocks both last year and this year. But he's still a project for sure. If you’re making a playoff push and need more reliable production, Courtney Lee offers similar value and has been rock solid.
Gerald Green, SF, Houston Rockets
Gerald Green has been scorching since his return to the Houston Rockets as a hometown hero. The Rockets are starving for a steady source of points with the absence of James Harden, who went down with a Grade 2 hamstring strain. The MVP frontrunner is still due to be out for at least another week, and Green has stepped up in a huge way. Over the past six games, he’s averaged 20.2 points with 4.8 threes on 53.2% shooting from the field. He doesn’t offer much else in terms of stat categories, but he really doesn’t need to if he continues to shoot lights out. The only issue is that his career field goal percentage is 42.2% and his career three-point percentage is 36.5%.
But it’s not outside the realm of possibilities that Houston has revived Green’s career. We saw the same thing happen to Eric Gordon last year during his first season with the Rockets. Gordon was in a five-year downtrend, and his career three-point percentage was 38.3% before the Rockets. Then when he was moved to a sixth man role, he shot 43.9% from three through his first 20 games off the bench. Houston’s Moreyball system seems to reward players who are able to adjust playing within it. Green’s percentages will likely dip, but he’s making a good case for playing time even after Harden returns from his injury. Green is a risky hold, so if you want to trade high you’d find value in players like Kent Bazemore who’s a buy low opportunity, or Reggie Bullock whose value hinges on whether Avery Bradley can come back strong from his injury.
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