RADIO
Hello, RotoBallers! Welcome back to the Week 14 edition of my weekly fantasy basketball risers and fallers!
We're getting closer and closer to the trade deadline and teams are already making some bold decisions, such as the Bucks' recent dismissal of Adrian Griffin. If things haven't gone your way yet in your fantasy leagues, don't lose hope! I'm here to help you assess the value of some players who are seeing major production swings during the year.
With that being said, let's look at the risers and fallers from Week 14 of the NBA season.
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Fantasy Basketball Risers: Week 14
Georges Niang - F, Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cavs have shown a lot of heart despite their recent injuries. Few would have thought that they could keep things afloat following the injuries to Darius Garland and Evan Mobley, but the Cavs have been incredibly resilient. They have won eight games in a row and much of that is down to the play of their role players. Georges Niang is one of those role players who has been on fire as of late, as the career backup is putting up the best numbers of his career.
Georges Niang last night:
33 pts
13-14 FG
5-6 3PT
5 rbs#LetEmKnow— Across The Cavs (@AcrossCavs) January 18, 2024
Niang averaged his usual 8.1 points in his first 33 games of the season, but his numbers have seen a massive increase over his last eight contests. In that timespan, Niang has averaged 14.6 points while shooting 53.9% from the field and 47.3% from three. Niang has been a huge reason why the Cavaliers have managed to win eight in a row, and the best part is that he's putting up these numbers despite only playing 23.9 minutes a night.
Sam Merrill - G, Cleveland Cavaliers
Another one of the role players who is stepping up for "The Land" is Sam Merrill. Merrill was the "Mr. Irrelevant" of the 2020 NBA Draft and struggled to find a home after short stints in Milwaukee and Memphis, but the Cavs signed him to a multi-year deal at the end of the 2022-23 season.
Merrill barely played at the start of the season, but injuries caused J.B. Bickerstaff to give Merrill a chance, and the Utah State product has not disappointed. Over his last nine games, Merrill has averaged 14.6 points while shooting 42.4% from deep. Since most of the shots he takes are threes, he had a true shooting percentage of 70.5% last week, which is the fifth-highest TS% among all players who took at least 35 shots.
Brandon Miller - F, Charlotte Hornets
The second overall pick of the 2023 NBA Draft has had a solid rookie season so far, especially considering that many draft analysts called him a "bust" before he even played in an NBA game. Miller hit a bit of a snag at the start of the new calendar year, averaging 8.8 points on 26.8% shooting in his first five games of 2024 before suffering an injury.
Brandon Miller has a silky smooth pull-up game
Gets to his spot with 1-2 dribbles no wasted movement pic.twitter.com/nuZqxySsUj
— Pull up shoot (@NElGHT_) January 24, 2024
However, ever since he came back from his injury, he has been playing like a future superstar, averaging 24.7 points and 6.3 rebounds a night while shooting 61.4% from the field and 42.9% from three. The good news is that Miller should get even more chances now that Terry Rozier is gone.
Fantasy Basketball Fallers: Week 14
Saddiq Bey - F, Atlanta Hawks
Saddiq Bey picked a really bad time to have the worst season of his career. Many thought he would be one of the NBA's future stars after his 51-point outing against the Magic in the 2021-22 season, but he has struggled quite a bit since that magical night (no pun intended). Bey was traded at the trade deadline last year to the Hawks in the complicated James Wiseman/Gary Payton II trade but failed to impress in the playoffs and is having a bad time this season.
In the new calendar year, Bey is shooting 30.3% from the field and 22.1% from three, which gives him the second-worst true shooting percentage among players with 100+ shots in 2024.
Kyle Kuzma - F, Washington Wizards
Kyle Kuzma's name keeps popping up in trade rumors and it seems like even he is tired of being in Washington. The former NBA champion misses being in the spotlight on a big market team. Sure, he was slandered a lot by Lakers fans, but it was infinitely better than putting up empty stats for a tanking Wizards team that has only won 77 games in the Kuzma era.
Kuzma's shooting has taken a big hit recently, as he has been shooting just 40.7% from the field and 25% from three over his last seven games. Despite teams like the Mavericks, Warriors, and Kings being interested in his services, the Wizards are reportedly "hesitant" to part ways with him.
Kyle Lowry - G, Charlotte Hornets
Kyle Lowry will almost definitely get bought out after his trade to Charlotte. The Heat trading Lowry was long overdue, but one might wonder whether the Heat should have traded him sooner. The greatest Raptor of all time will be remembered fondly by Heat fans due to his role in the team's shock Finals run last season, but this season has been a mess for Lowry.
Bring Kyle Lowry home Raptors. #WeTheNorth #Raptors https://t.co/IKec6y8Hs9
— Bilnation (@Bilaldinho10_) January 23, 2024
The end of his tenure in Miami couldn't have gone worse, as he shot 5-30 from the floor and 0-18 from deep over his last five games and lost his starting spot for good. Assuming that Lowry goes back to Toronto, he will have to compete for minutes alongside Immanuel Quickley and Dennis Schroder.
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