LaMelo Ball may legitimately be the best player in fantasy basketball right now while Miles Bridges is one of the awesome surprises of the young season. The Charlotte Hornets may or may not be a playoff team, but they have two excellent fantasy options. What about Gordon Hayward? Right, the Hornets actually boast three terrific fantasy options, but many people overlook one of them, including fantasy basketball managers.
After all, Hayward is a top-30 option on the ESPN Player Rater and he remains available in roughly 15% of ESPN standard leagues. Yep, still available! Check your league!
Of course, we like to talk about trading in this weekly column and Hayward is actually a nice target option, a consistent, underrated player who is safe in the percentages. People remember Hayward from his solid seasons with the Utah Jazz, but then he bolted for Boston Celtics money and missed all but a few minutes of his first season. This is his second season as a Hornet and, even being the third or fourth scoring option (Terry Rozier likes to shoot, too) there is a pathway to his most valuable fantasy season.
Hayward comes off a week in which he scored more than 20 points in three of four games, with statistical contributions across the board. No, he does not accrue the assists and steals like young superstar Ball, a nightly triple-double threat, but one can easily make the case Hayward is just as valuable as Bridges for the rest of the season.
Yep, it is a fair thing to say if we acknowledge Hayward is capable of remaining healthy -- I think he is -- and Bridges would not sustain his incredible start.
November numbers (eight games):
Bridges: 18.9 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 18 3-pointers, .393 FG%, .675 FT%
Hayward: 18.4 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 15 3-pointers, .459 FG%, .909 FT%
Shooting matters quite a bit and few offer the proficiency and safety the way Hayward does. He is a career 47% shooter from the field and 84% from the line and his current marks are right around there. He is undervalued. Bridges is, of course, going to cost more in trades and perhaps he should, for he is younger and on the upside, but if redrafting or trading today, Hayward is the value pick. Think about it.
Now we move on to the latest version of one analyst's Trade Index! As always, the normal caveats apply. We could talk about James Harden, Damian Lillard and Anthony Davis, but that seems unnecessary. Do not trade for the players that show no signs of wanting to play in Brooklyn and Philadelphia. Have fun!
Trade for
Dillon Brooks, SG/SF, Memphis Grizzlies: He recently debuted after healing from a broken hand, and scored 20 and 23 points in his first two games. Yeah, that works! Brooks may not be the most versatile statistical option, but the lockdown defender scores, accrues steals and hits 3-pointers. I always thought he could average five boards a night if he wanted to. Perhaps he will.
Mike Conley, PG, Utah Jazz: His durability is always a concern, but Conley is better than his current numbers, so it seems smart to inquire about his availability. Conley is deferring too much in this offense -- which is good for assists, but not scoring -- and we should expect him to shoot more soon. He is shooting 3-pointers at a career-best 42%. Struggling Jordan Clarkson needs to let Conley shoot more!
Keldon Johnson, SF/PF, San Antonio Spurs: Nothing wrong with 16.1 PPG and 6.5 RPG, but there is more coming. Johnson can score 20 points a night if he hits 3-pointers, which he clearly can do. He hit seven 3-pointers in his first 12 games, then six more on Sunday night! There is upside here and it has nothing to do with Jakob Poeltl being in or out of the lineup.
Trade away
LA Clippers other than Paul George: George is a top-10 player, getting all the usage he desires sans Kawhi Leonard who, by the way, probably does not play this season (34.1% rostered). Get whatever you can for Leonard. Guards Reggie Jackson and Eric Bledsoe had nice weeks, but are on the wrong side of 40% field goal shooting. Nicolas Batum got hot recently and made the most added list, but c'mon. Ivica Zubac loses playing time when Serge Ibaka returns. Good team, but only one great, active fantasy option.
Collin Sexton, PG/SG, Cleveland Cavaliers: Perhaps he returns before the new year after tearing the meniscus in his left knee, but this was an overrated fantasy option to start with. Darius Garland gets assists. So does Ricky Rubio. Sexton is a scorer but that is just about all he does. He is not even a major 3-point threat and now he is not even on the court, and may not return to 100% health the rest of the season. Rather than outright drop him, see if you can package him for a better player.
More information needed
Grayson Allen, SG, Milwaukee Bucks: It sounds silly to consider trading for this Duke product, but 16.0 PPG is no joke and, entering Monday, Stephen Curry and Buddy Hield were the lone players hitting more 3-pointers per game. That is something we surely did not expect! The pending returns of both Khris Middleton (COVID-19 reserve list) and Donte DiVincenzo (ankle) figure to affect Allen's playing time and usage, so we shall see. Let us be open-minded here.