RADIO
Near the half-way point of the season, it is definitely nice to note that the general state of power forward play has been tremendous. Many players are playing above expectations, such as Draymond Green, Dirk Nowitzki, and Ryan Anderson. Several waiver wire pick-ups such as Mirza Teletovic and Amir Johnson are also quickly becoming must-starts in every type of league. With that said, there have been several highly-drafted power forwards who are under-performing. Let’s revisit Kenneth Faried in this article, and then take a look at two other big name players.
NBA Under-Performing Stars: Power Forward Edition
Kenneth Faried (PF, DEN)
It’s looking more and more like another disappointing year for the Manimal, as his average draft position has once again betrayed investors. Faried’s best asset was his high FG%. However, he has only hit 48.1% of his field goals in the last month. While still good, it’s just not good enough to warrant his lack of consistent production in other fantasy categories. His has averaged just 11.8 points and 8.1 rebounds during that span, with close to no contribution in any other category but 1.0 block a game. What should you do with Faried at this point?
Hold him.
It’s tough to admit, but Faried’s fantasy value is just not appealing to other managers. It would take a much longer period of sustained production in order to talk up Faried and trade him away at this point. Who knows when that kind of streak would come though? With this talented frontcourt of the Denver Nuggets, Faried’s time to shine may have already passed. Look to hold him out for a while longer as he is able to still put up some form of production. Don’t be afraid to bench him in Roto leagues. In a H2H league, just ride it out barring injury. The hope is that Faried may become the ultimate lottery ticket come playoff time.
Anthony Davis (PF, NO)
Anthony Davis is certainly not struggling in the conventional sense of the word. He is still putting up very solid production at 22.8 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks. All these numbers are great. However, they just aren’t great in terms of what owners were expecting when they drafted him first or second overall. Davis put up slightly better numbers last year, and on much better efficiency. He shot 53.5% from the field last season, and is only shooting 48.7% this season. He can still garner a very high asking price should you look to trade him, so is it in your best interest to do so?
Trade him.
Davis is an excellent candidate to sell based on name value. His lowered FG% is slightly rationalized during trade talks by the occasional three that he can hit. The main issue here is that you can’t count on Davis to match last season’s excellent production, nor can you even count on him to play as well as he has in the first half this season. The Pelicans were competing for a playoff spot last season. However, they are well out of contention this season and Davis should not be expected to carry his team the same way. If you can manage to talk yourself into finally trading away Davis, don’t settle for anything less than one of the other fantasy studs drafted in the first round. You can also look to build some solid depth if injuries have thinned out your roster.
LaMarcus Aldridge (PF, SA)
Many of us predicted that LaMarcus Aldridge would see a dip in production moving to San Antonio. However, this dip in production wasn’t simply that of a borderline first round pick falling into the second round. Aldridge would be a fourth or fifth round pick if everyone redid their drafts today. His lack of production stems from the Spurs offensive system and its tendency to distribute the wealth. The slower pace of the defensive-minded team as well as Kawhi Leonard’s rise has also contributed to Aldridge’s low volume stats. This season, he has averaged just 15.9 points with 9.0 rebounds. Should you look to trade him or hope that the production picks up?
Hold him.
It may be tempting to try to sell on LaMarcus Aldridge, as he just hasn’t lived up to expectations this season. To put things in perspective, Greg Monroe was a sixth round pick in this year’s drafts and he has been putting up similar volume production as Aldridge, but with better efficiency. Aldridge’s potential for the rest of the season should come from better integration into the Spurs offense, as well as the need to rest the other starters for the playoffs. Aldridge should be able to put up plenty of big games down the stretch to warrant holding on to him. If you don’t own Aldridge, throw a few offers at his owner in your league and see if you can buy low.
