The good news for the Atlanta Hawks and fantasy managers everywhere: awesome point guard Trae Young figures to be active Tuesday against the San Antonio Spurs, a week after suffering what appeared to be a serious right ankle injury. Honestly, I thought Young would miss weeks, so this is indeed a positive result, even if his minutes are condensed or he missed a game or two this week.
The bad news for the Hawks and fantasy investors: power forward John Collins will not play Tuesday, this week or for a while. In fact, Collins will not be eligible to play in a game until just before Christmas after the news broke Tuesday morning of his 25-game suspension for violating the NBA's anti-drug policy.
Well, I have thoughts on the Collins news and they are not positive ones. It stinks. Collins is the second excellent big man to earn the long-term ban after Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton, who becomes eligible to return roughly a week before Collins, in mid-December. As I noted on Ayton, and this seems obvious, fantasy managers need to find a bench spot for the top 10 center rather than send him in some bitter rage to free agency for the hot player of the week. Same with Collins; he can average 20 points and 10 rebounds per game. Keep him around.
With Phoenix however, impressive in their surprising win over the previously unbeaten Philadelphia 76ers on Monday night, someone continues to step up. Journeyman Aron Baynes has been a relative revelation for the Suns and fantasy managers, scoring, rebounding, passing and hitting more than a pair of 3-pointers per game. Baynes was a backup in Boston the past few seasons, acquired in relative stealth this past July for a draft pick, mainly to free up cap and roster space. Baynes, 32, has never been a fantasy factor. Now he is No. 19 on the current Player Rater.
The obvious comparison in Atlanta would be center Alex Len, who I actually dropped in a key weekly league on Sunday night because he had been playing so poorly so far and was barely earning minutes. Those minutes have to come now, and Len is talented, but he has to play better. I liked Len a month ago because, even alongside Collins, I saw the potential for 15 points and eight rebounds per game, with a block per game and solid, efficient shooting. However, Len is averaging 4.2 points per game and hitting 29.6% of his field goal attempts.
I could not wait to move on from him and stream the spot, so I added Milwaukee Bucks forward Ersan Ilyasova (four games this week). On Tuesday morning, before I typed this missive, I reversed the move and added Len again, perhaps needing to activate him next week. Who knows?
Well, I think I know that Jabari Parker, well-traveled the past few seasons for a reason but still only 24, is going to start at the 4 spot and he will score enough points to attract fantasy managers. Once the No. 2 pick in the NBA draft, Parker likes to shoot and he is usually good at it, as he showed in reserve role last season for Chicago and Washington. He produced 23 points with eight boards in Atlanta's most recent game, which was last Thursday. They were off this weekend, for some unknown reason.
Parker deals with constant knee problems and plays defense like a matador, but the Hawks really need him now, more than the sixth man role they projected. Rookie De'Andre Hunter is a bit of a Parker inverse, a spirited defender that cannot score at this point. What a pair!
Len is better than what he has shown and I guess it depends on team need to some degree. In points formats, Parker might score 18 points a night, with perhaps five or six boards, and that should be more valuable than Len doing what I hoped he would, though he has shown little sign of reaching his upside. In roto, I want Len, still. Parker's 64 games last season were the second-most of his five-year career. Hunter remains raw. Rookie Bruno Fernando is a clear reserve. We love ageless Vince Carter but he cannot pile on the minutes. DeAndre' Bembry seems more facilitator than scorer/rebounder, and what is with the 33% work from the free throw line? Len has to play better, starting Tuesday.
Then again, if your choice is between Len and Baynes, I go with Baynes. Sure, his role could diminish in six weeks when Ayton returns, but worry about it then. Watch Baynes play and I do not think it is a fluke. He is so smart on the floor, sees everything, and his "shotput" style long-range shot is working. Veterans learn to hit 3-pointers over a summer and everything changes. Baynes hit 25 of them in his seven-year career and now through seven games (six starts), he has 15 of them on 31 chances. OK, so that success rate cannot continue, but think of what round Bucks center Brook Lopez went in your drafts. Baynes is doing most things better -- except the blocks -- and hits the 3-pointers. I moved him well into my top 100 in the recent rankings.
Here are some other thoughts on this fine November afternoon.
So the team I dropped Len on is quite the mess after something happened to four of my five keepers last week. Atlanta's Young hurt an ankle. Golden State Warriors star Stephon Curry broke his hand, ironically after Baynes fell on it. Thanks, Aron! Awesome centers Joel Embiid and Karl-Anthony Towns -- yes, it is a dynasty format and I slyly drafted each -- angrily wrestled with each other during a game, precipitating ejections and two-game suspensions. I watched that one in horror and yeah, in this head-to-head format, my team lost badly last week. The other team had like twice the points and rebounds. I am back at it this week though!
I first added from the Warriors shooting guard Jordan Poole and then, after his Saturday outburst when D'Angelo Russell joined the team's walking wounded, unheralded point guard Ky Bowman. Each remains on my bench for this week but I think Bowman is the better fantasy addition. Even when Russell returns, Bowman can handle traditional point guard duties. Poole is a hollow scorer struggling with his shot. Rookie Eric Paschall had the big Monday performance sans Draymond Green around. The Warriors will punt on the season and if you've rostered Green I would look to trade him. He will miss myriad games, warranted or not.
Miami has had five different leading scorers in their six games so far, five of them victories. Jimmy Butler is not one of them. Eight players average double-digit points. In real life, depth is king and having so much versatility is awesome. In fantasy, rookie guard Kendrick Nunn and underrated center (well, I rated him highly) Bam Adebayo are top 50 on the Player Rater, and Butler should get there, but there are no real fantasy stars here yet. I think Adebayo might be the best fantasy option on this team, but not a top-30 Rater option.
I will probably whine about 76ers star Ben Simmons all season long but Monday was an example of a defense finally, with their actions, daring him to beat them with the outside shot, and he would not even attempt to do so. Simmons missed a bunch of easy shots near the rim and scored only six points. He is an awesome passer and defender but, so far, nothing has changed with his offensive game.
Memphis Grizzlies rookie Brandon Clarke struggled in Monday's loss to the Rockets but he is so active defensively, and opportunity is clearly there, that I would definitely make sure he is rostered in your league. Clarke's ability to block shots, at 6-foot-8, is special, and I think he can average 14 points and eight rebounds right away. The 76ers traded up in the draft to get Washington's Matisse Thybulle, a special defender himself, but Gonzaga's Clarke went with the next pick and seems more well-rounded, more impactful right away.
Early thoughts on Dallas Mavericks forward Kristaps Porzingis are that I was terribly wrong about him, though my main concern was not really about production, but missing games. That could still be a problem. Porzingis gets plenty of shots, though he is a bit reckless with decision making and hitting only 43% from the field, but look at these blocks. He had six of them against Cleveland. Just. Stay. Healthy.
Speaking of the Cavaliers, Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson look terrific, Collin Sexton is the hollow scorer -- no rebounds, no assists -- I think we expected and if rookie point Darius Garland can get his act together, this could be a ... yeah, a playoff team. I know it seems ridiculous but in the East, find me eight worthy teams. We can say that every season. Garland is only 19 and barely played in college, so I will give him more time in fantasy. He missed all 10 field goal attempts in a recent game and hardly projects right away as an impact scorer, but 13 points and five assists could become his norm rather soon, and that would matter in deeper formats.