We all agree Memphis Grizzlies PG Ja Morant is a terrific player, one of the emerging stars of the league, but he needs someone else in the offense to be a reliable scorer as well. PF/C Jaren Jackson Jr. is certainly doing his job as an all-around talent and rim protector, but his scoring is a bit inconsistent. C Steven Adams handles the rebounds. SG/SF Dillon Brooks was the 20-PPG option for a while, but now he is down for at least a month with a sprained ankle.
Meanwhile, Texas Christian product SG/SF Desmond Bane, in his second season, has become the No. 2 scorer on the Grizzlies and a reliable, underrated fantasy option. He somehow remains available in roughly 30% of ESPN standard leagues, but if not out there in yours, then trade for him with confidence! Sure, Bane was not supposed to score to this level, but his 23-point outing in only 26 minutes in Sunday's impressive win against LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers gave him six games out of eight with 20 or more points. He is averaging 19.3 PPG since the start of December.
The Grizzlies have won nine games in a row to rise to the No. 4 spot in the Western Conference, and even without Brooks, a shutdown defender with 3-point skills, they can keep this going. Remember, they were winning even when Morant missed half of December with a knee injury. Bane is also a strong defender, and he is a far better 3-point option than Brooks, hitting 42.8% of his chances. Do not overlook, for roto or points purposes, the steals; Bane has one in 12 consecutive games, and he is hitting 54% of his overall field goals in January. This looks like a fantasy keeper.
While Morant, Bane and Jackson make for an intriguing Big Three in fantasy, and worthy of our attention in trades, those in deeper leagues should at least pay attention to what PF/C Brandon Clarke is doing lately. The Gonzaga product was the selection right after the Philadelphia 76ers traded up for Matisse Thybulle in the 2019 NBA draft, and at the time, I remember thinking Clarke was the bigger sleeper, one with defensive chops and - unlike Thybulle - scoring upside. Clarke has amassed double-digits in points in six consecutive games. He has eight blocked shots over four games, and he is shooting 64% from the field for the season. Watch him, too.
Moving on, here is the latest edition of the Trade Index. Fantasy football season is officially over and we await word on what happens with baseball, but basketball is in full stride!
Trade for
Jalen Brunson, PG, Dallas Mavericks: Brunson showed up on the ESPN Fantasy Most Dropped list this week, which is odd because nothing happened for him to deserve it. He continues to start, whether superstar Luka Doncic plays through an injured right ankle or not, and continues to provide the numbers that have made him a fantasy favorite. No, he is not Doncic, obviously, but the smooth lefty is a consistent scorer, second-tier assist man and he makes his field goals. Brunson is averaging 18 PPG and 6.1 APG since the start of December.
Mo Bamba, C, Orlando Magic: He missed a few weeks while in health and safety protocols and fantasy managers foolishly moved on, but as his minutes are back to normal, it is time to reacquaint yourselves with the Bamba experience. Bamba is not a big scorer and that is unlikely to change with PG Cole Anthony taking so many shots, but then again, Anthony is missing so many shots, too, and Bamba hits the offensive boards. Only three of the top-10 options in blocked shots per game also supply more than 1.3 3-pointers per game, and Indiana Pacers PF/C Myles Turner and Grizzlies PF/C Jaren Jackson Jr. are rostered in a lot more leagues.
Trade away
Omer Yurtseven, C, Miami Heat: Hey, I heart this fellow just like you do, but it is all going to come to a crashing end as soon as superstar Bam Adebayo returns to health and, by the way, that time is nigh. Adebayo, who you should absolutely be trading for before he returns, had thumb surgery four weeks ago and he was supposed to miss 4-to-6 weeks. Do the math. Yurtseven, the undrafted Georgetown product, should stick around for bench relevance and we thank him immensely for the monster rebounding numbers, but with his minutes soon to be divided in half, you will be moving on, so see if you can get something nice for him now.
Devonte' Graham, PG/SG, New Orleans Pelicans: We said to avoid Graham in roto leagues prior to the season because that field goal percentage is just ghastly and nothing has changed there. Well, something else has changed recently. Graham is no longer providing enough assists for most to notice. Graham averaged 5.1 APG in October and 4.8 APG in December, but so far in January, he has almost ceased passing and rebounding, averaging 1.4 RPG and 3.6 APG. Neither is close to good enough.
Need more information
Lance Stephenson, SF, Indiana Pacers: Hard to believe that this interesting fellow may actually matter again for our purposes, but I did add him in two deep, weekly leagues just to make sure nobody else in my leagues enjoyed his numbers. Back with the Pacers yet again (I have lost count on how many separate stints he has), the journeyman (eight teams!) produced a cool 16 points, 14 assists and four steals in a weekend win. I feel like it is obvious I will be sending Stephenson back to free agency by the end of the month, but then again, PG Malcolm Brogdon is terribly brittle and the franchise may trade key players and rebuild. Who knows?