Each Thursday this season, we ask a series of questions to our ESPN NBA reporters to give you their inside takes on key fantasy subjects.
This week's topics:
Zach LaVine's expected role once healthy
An expanding role for De'Aaron Fox?
Whether Marc Gasol and Mike Conley will rest later this season
How Tim Hardaway Jr.'s return impacts Kristaps Porzingis
More 3-point attempts for Jayson Tatum?
This week's contributors are Nick Friedell, Ohm Youngmisuk, Tim MacMahon, Ian Begley and Chris Forsberg.
Zach LaVine is slated to make his debut with the Chicago Bulls on Saturday. What will his role be during his first month back?
Nick Friedell: The Bulls are going to
The organization is excited about getting LaVine's athleticism back on the floor, but they want to make sure he has no small setbacks along the way.
During his past four games, De'Aaron Fox is averaging 15.3 PPG, 1.3 3PG, 6.0 APG, 1.5 SPG and 32.5 MPG. Is this a sign of things to come in the second half of the season?
Ohm Youngmisuk: There's no reason to believe that Fox can't continue putting up numbers for the remainder of the season provided he stays healthy. Sure, Fox has been taking advantage of George Hill not playing in three of Fox's last four games. But even when Hill does return, Fox and Hill can coexist, and really, the Kings need to give their No. 5 overall pick as much playing time as possible to gain more experience.
Fox should continue to score 15-18 points per game and hit some 3s if he continues to get shot opportunities. He has averaged 12 shot attempts in his past four games. He can be a decent source of assists, but it would be nice to see his assists total increase.
Fox has an aggressive scoring mentality, and that should help fantasy managers who have been patient. It's time for Sacramento to give Fox plenty of opportunities to show what he can do.
Should fantasy managers be concerned that the Memphis Grizzlies will limit or rest veterans like Marc Gasol and Mike Conley after the All-Star break?
Tim MacMahon: Let's be brutally honest: The Grizzlies should tank at this point. It remains to be seen when and if Conley returns this season from the Achilles injury that has sidelined him for several weeks. It's safe to assume the Grizzlies will err on the side of caution. Gasol is healthy, but it won't be a surprise if he gets occasional rest nights.
With Kristaps Porzingis saying recently he is tired, should we expect to see his minutes and/or workload scaled back at all once Tim Hardaway Jr. returns to action?
Ian Begley: I don't think we'll see fewer shots from Porzingis when Hardaway comes back, but we should expect him to get some easier looks. Defenses have keyed on Porzingis in the post during Hardaway's absence, and the third-year forward has struggled at times with the added attention.
When Hardaway Jr. returns, the defense, in theory, won't be able to gravitate as strongly to Porzingis. So his shooting percentage (under 42 percent in 16 December and January games) should increase a bit. But I'd be surprised if his shot attempts per game dip below 17.
Jayson Tatum ranks third in the NBA with a 46.9 3FG%, yet he is averaging just 3.0 attempts per game. What is the likelihood he will attempt more 3s as the season progresses?
Chris Forsberg: The 19-year-old Tatum had hit a bit of a rough patch beyond the arc in the 10 games before Boston's trip to London, shooting just 29 percent (9-for-31 3FG), and it seemed that maybe he was coming back to earth a little after hovering around an absurd 50 percent for much of the season. But just when you thought he might get a bit gun-shy with the 3-ball, he hit both triples he put up in a game against Brooklyn last weekend, including the game winner in the final minute.
Tatum is going to get plenty of open looks from the perimeter with so much attention on teammates Al Horford and Kyrie Irving, and Celtics coach Brad Stevens is going to encourage him to fire away any time he has a good look.
The balance is that Tatum likes to put the ball on the floor and attack closeouts. His 3-point attempts might climb a bit, especially if Boston has injuries that force him to be more aggressive with his shot, but I wouldn't expect a big surge in 3-point attempts, even as he shoots with remarkable efficiency in his rookie season.