Joe Kaiser, ESPN Staff Writer 5y

Fantasy 30: Kris Dunn among hot young point guards

Fantasy NBA, NBA

Who is trending up? Which teams' rotations are changing? What's the latest with the notable injuries around the NBA?

Here's a look at the most fantasy-relevant news and notes for all 30 teams:

 

Atlanta Hawks: If you're looking for points, assists and efficiency, a name from the past is putting up numbers right now in Atlanta. No, not Vince Carter. We're talking about Jeremy Lin. Filling in for Kevin Huerter (back/calf) on Tuesday, the 30-year-old Lin contributed 20 points and nine assists. Lin is playing like someone who deserves more time on the court. He has dished out at least five assists in four consecutive games and is shooting a career-best 50.2 percent this season. Huerter is probable to return for Wednesday's game, though, so Lin's minutes could suffer.

Boston Celtics: Much like Paul Millsap in Denver in 2017-18, Al Horford has seen his numbers and his fantasy value decline this season. The 32-year-old's scoring has dropped from 12.9 to 12.2 PPG, his rebounds are down from 7.4 to 6.4 RPG and his assists have fallen from 4.7 to 3.7 APG. While still a solid well-rounded player who can fill a lot of categories from the center spot, Horford won't enter next season as a top-50 fantasy option.

Brooklyn Nets: D'Angelo Russell is getting a lot of attention for his breakout season, but a closer look the numbers reveals minimal gains in his shooting percentages. The fourth-year guard is simply taking more shots. What most don't realize, however, is the impact he is making as a passer and playmaker; Russell's 7.7 assists per 36 minutes rank 18th in the league among players who've appeared in at least 10 games.

Charlotte Hornets: Cody Zeller's hand surgery will keep him out 4-6 weeks, and one player who has been impacted positively in fantasy is Marvin Williams. The veteran forward has seen his minutes rise to 31.7 per game during the past 10 games. He is basically a Harrison Barnes-lite these days, making an impact as a scorer, rebounder and 3-point shooter. In fact, his 1.9 3PG this season would equal his previous career high set in 2015-16.

Chicago Bulls: Kris Dunn broke out last season in his first campaign with Chicago. Now, in his third NBA season, he is starting to look like a point guard who can help carry teams in roto leagues. Dunn's impact as a scorer, distributor and defender has been evident during the past 10 games, with the 24-year-old averaging 14.7 PPG, 7.8 APG and 1.5 SPG. His 48.8 FG% is another feather in his cap, but if there's an area Dunn still needs to work on, it's his 3-point shooting; he is a career 31.0 percent 3-point shooter.

Cleveland Cavaliers: Kevin Love (toe) may not return until after the All-Star break in mid-February, but the news sounds better for Larry Nance Jr., who left Tuesday's game with a knee injury. Per Joe Vardon of The Athletic, Nance will travel with the team and the knee injury isn't believed to be serious. How soon Nance will return to the lineup is debatable, however, considering the Cavs are clearly in tank mode.

Dallas Mavericks: The dunking prowess of DeAndre Jordan helped him lead the league in effective field goal percentage for five consecutive seasons while he was with the LA Clippers, and the veteran big man currently ranks second, trailing only Utah's Rudy Gobert in that department this season. Gobert is also more of a shot-blocker (2.3 vs. 1.1 BPG). Where Jordan has Gobert beat, however, is on the glass; Jordan is averaging 14.1 RPG to Gobert's 12.3 RPG this season.

Denver Nuggets: The Nuggets are the No. 1 team in the Western Conference as of Wednesday, and they've accomplished this feat with Will Barton out most of the season and Isaiah Thomas and Michael Porter Jr. yet to play their first games as Nuggets. Barton has been rumored to be nearing a return for more than a month now, which would significantly reduce Malik Beasley's minutes, and Thomas may not be too far behind, which would cut down Jamal Murray's minutes and likely send Monte Morris to a deep reserve role. Be ready for major shifts in the rotation once these players return.

Detroit Pistons: Blake Griffin is on his way to reaching new career highs in PPG and 3PG, but one area that goes overlooked is how much the veteran power forward has played this season. Griffin's 35.9 MPG ranks fifth in the NBA and has led to increased fantasy production. It is also his highest mark since his second season in the league, back in 2011-12.

Golden State Warriors: Thursday marks one month since Draymond Green returned to the Warriors' lineup. So, how has Green played during that stretch of 14 games? Like that of a fourth or fifth-round fantasy player, not a top-30 option. His 32.4 MPG is encouraging, but his shooting hasn't improved (39.8 percent) and his scoring remains below average (7.6 PPG). The 8.5 RPG, 6.5 APG, 1.5 SPG and 1.1 BPG still make him a very valuable option, however, particularly in category leagues.

Houston Rockets: Gerald Green has come and gone from the fantasy scene over the years, but right now he's back on the radar. The veteran swingman has been getting 25-30 MPG while Eric Gordon (knee) has been out, and Green is making the most of it, with four straight games in double digits and 4.0 3PG during that span. Gordon has missed the past four games and will be re-evaluated at the end of the week, but Green is worth a look as long as Gordon is out.

Indiana Pacers: Myles Turner (shoulder) is doubtful for Wednesday's game against Boston and may remain out for Friday's game against the Knicks, per this tweet by Scott Agness of The Athletic. Domantas Sabonis and Thaddeus Young are both playing well in his absence and will benefit from additional minutes and touches as long as Turner remains out.

LA Clippers: Lou Williams is a shooting guard who has been around forever. He's known for his ability to score in bunches. He's not known as a passer. But guess what? Sweet Lou can pass. His 7.0 assists per 36 minutes rank 28th among players who have appeared in at least 10 games this season. Williams set a career high last season when he averaged 5.3 APG, and he's not far behind that mark this season (4.9 APG).

Los Angeles Lakers: Strange things happen when LeBron James is out of the lineup. It doesn't happen often, but when it does, it forces everyone else on the team to show what they can do without the superstar to save the day. There are a lot of takeaways from the past few weeks without James, and one of them is the impressive play of Josh Hart. The 30th pick in 2017 has two double-doubles during the past four games, both of the points-rebounds variety, and has chipped in defensively with 2.0 SPG during his past five games. If nothing else, this has to be a confidence builder for the 6-foot-5 shooting guard.

Memphis Grizzlies: Dillon Brooks will reportedly undergo a procedure on his injured right toe and is expected to miss the rest of the season, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. The steady play of veteran defender Garrett Temple and the recent trade for Justin Holiday help fill the void left by Brooks, who will likely take the summer to heal and return to full strength in 2019-20.

Miami Heat: This Heat roster is so inconsistent from game to game, it's difficult to get a good feel for who is going to do what each night out. Josh Richardson is one of the only exceptions. He leads the team with 34.8 MPG, 18.1 PPG and 2.5 3PG, while ranking near the top with 3.7 APG and 1.1 SPG. Richardson's efficiency has fallen off in his fourth year in the league, but he is a top-60 fantasy option this season and is strong in both points and category leagues.

Milwaukee Bucks: Giannis Antetokounmpo is still far from a 3-point threat, but the past few weeks could be an indication that he's starting to get more comfortable from long range. This is something worthy of your attention. The Greek Freak has attempted three or more 3s four times during his past six games and made multiple 3s in two of those games, a feat he accomplished only once in his first 32 games this season.

Minnesota Timberwolves: Karl-Anthony Towns is on fire these days, but that's kind of common knowledge at this point. The player who is floating under the radar but also going off in the absence of Robert Covington is Andrew Wiggins. His 40-point outburst in Tuesday's win over Oklahoma City is the latest sign that things are clicking for the former No. 1 overall pick, and he's averaged 27.0 PPG during his past five games. Still, Wiggins is mostly just a scorer and therefore a much better option in points leagues.

New Orleans Pelicans: The Lakers waited four years for Julius Randle's game to evolve and become more well-rounded, but in Year 1 with the Pelicans, the broad-shouldered forward is doing things he never did in LA -- namely, shoot from distance. After never attempting more than 0.9 3PG with the Lakers, Randle has averaged 1.9 3PG this season on 32.4 percent shooting. Clearly, there is still room for him to improve in this area, but this season appears to be a step in the right direction for the 24-year-old, who is averaging a career-best 19.9 PPG in 2018-19.

New York Knicks: The Knicks could be on the verge of unloading outspoken center Enes Kanter. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski tweets: "New York and Sacramento discussing an Enes Kanter-Zach Randolph trade of expiring contracts, but nothing close yet, league sources tell ESPN. Kings would want to send out more expirings in a deal. A third team could be helpful." This deal would almost certainly put a dent in Willie Cauley-Stein's production in Sacramento, and also that of rookie Marvin Bagley III, so be aware of that if you have either player on your roster.

Oklahoma City Thunder: Nerlens Noel left Tuesday's game on a stretcher after being inadvertently struck in the face by a Wiggins elbow. Noel has been diagnosed with a concussion and will remain sidelined until he is cleared by the league's concussion protocol testing, but he avoided any fractures that may have kept him sidelined for a longer period of time. Expect Steven Adams to log more minutes until Noel returns.

Orlando Magic: You don't see many big men shooting fewer 3-pointers than they did a season ago in this 3-point-happy era, but that's precisely the case with Magic forward Aaron Gordon. After breaking out last season, averaging 2.0 3PG on 33.6 percent shooting from beyond the arc, Gordon has seen his 3-point attempts fall from 5.9 to 4.3 per game. Unless that trend changes during the second half of the season, Gordon's fantasy value takes a bit of a hit due to the drop in 3s.

Philadelphia 76ers: JJ Redick missed Tuesday's game due to lower-back tightness, which is something to keep an eye on in the days ahead. It's worth pointing out that Reddick is averaging career highs in PPG (18.3), 3PG (2.9) and FTA (3.4) in this, his 13th NBA season. If Jimmy Butler and/or Markelle Fultz get back to playing like they are capable of, Redick's value could take a hit, but it's safe to say that Redick has exceeded expectations and is more than a streamer in fantasy leagues this season.

Phoenix Suns: Josh Jackson entered the league with a reputation for being an advanced defender when he was selected No. 4 overall in 2017, but so far, he hasn't lived up to those expectations. He enters Wednesday averaging just 0.5 BPG and 1.0 SPG. "I want to see him be more engaged on defense," Suns coach Igor Kokoskov told The Arizona Republic. "Be a defensive stopper, kryptonite guy. With his competitive nature and heart, he can definitely do that. He's fearless. He wants to compete. He'll fight anybody. He's got to take that as pride."

Portland Trail Blazers: With four straight games of at least 20 points and averages of 21.0 PPG, 12.2 RPG, 2.8 APG, 1.8 SPG and 1.4 BPG during his past five games, Jusuf Nurkic is on one of those torrid stretches we've seen him have at least a few times over the course of his career. Add his efficiency to the mix and we're talking about one of the top fantasy centers in recent weeks, making him a potentially strong sell-high candidate.

Sacramento Kings: Buddy Hield quietly entered the season as a very strong 3-point option, shooting 42.8 percent and 43.1 percent from beyond the arc in his first two seasons with the Kings. He's taken it up a notch in 2018-19 by shooting 44.5 percent from downtown and averaging 3.3 3PG. And during the past month, his 4.3 3PG ranks third in the league.

San Antonio Spurs: It took a month or so for Derrick White to get going after entering the Spurs' rotation, but he's going now. The second-year point guard -- a late first-rounder in 2017 -- enters Wednesday having scored 17 or more points in four consecutive games. He is doing some things very well -- namely, he's turning heads with his efficiency, making a blistering 61.8 percent of his shots during his past 10 games. That's rare stuff for a point guard.

Toronto Raptors: Jonas Valanciunas has shed the cast from his thumb but is expected to be out another four weeks, per Blake Murphy of The Athletic. The lumbering big man has been out since Dec. 12 and is focused on improving the range of motion and strength of his thumb joint before returning to the court. Until then, it's going to continue to be the Serge Ibaka show in Toronto's frontcourt.

Utah Jazz: An MRI revealed a mild strain of Ricky Rubio's right hamstring, and Tony Jones of The Athletic reports that the veteran point guard will be re-evaluated in one week. It sounds like Rubio avoided serious injury and may not be out as long as initial reports indicated.

Washington Wizards: Bradley Beal's fantasy value skyrockets whenever John Wall isn't in the lineup. In the six games the Wizards have played since the news that Wall (heel) is done for the season, Beal has averaged 27.2 PPG on 24.3 FGA. With Wall in the lineup, Beal was right around 23.0 PPG and 18.0 FGA. Beal's minutes are up as well, and he enters Wednesday having played a league-high 1,500 minutes this season.

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