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Kev Mahserejian highlights three fantasy basketball takeaways from the NBA's February 7th slate. This recap focuses on Rajon Rondo, Myles Turner, and Jonathan Isaac.
Welcome to the RotoBaller NBA Recap. In this feature, we highlight three fantasy basketball takeaways from last night's slate of NBA games.
The NBA's trade deadline has passed, but that doesn't mean that the drama is over. The Anthony Davis saga lives to see another day as the New Orleans Pelicans held on to their generational superstar and actually plan to play him during the season. This comes as a surprise given that any coming trade must be conducted in the offseason, and ideally, a team would want to make sure that he was as healthy as possible. Unfortunately, Pelicans fans are stuck in a peculiar position where they are going to boo one of the few good things that have come to their franchise this decade. Also, they must now hope for their franchise to lose and put them in a position to acquire the next big thing in Zion Williamson. This is a terrible season for New Orleans and the only thing that could make it worse is an unhealthy AD.
Other bits from the deadline include the top-heavy Eastern Conference. The 76ers, Bucks, and Raptors all made power-plays prior to the deadline in an attempt to gain an advantage come playoff time. The Celtics stood pat as they plan on hoarding every asset possible for a potential Davis trade. A wise move due to their depth and current level of talent. They can still compete to win the East, but it's just going to be a LOT tougher. The league is setting itself up for a lot of fun these next few months. Can not wait to see who loses to the Warriors...
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Rajon Rondo: Vintage Rondo
Nothing quite like seeing Rajon Rondo beat his former team on a last-second buzzer-beater on their home court. Last night's Lakers victory was in large part due to Rondo's usual performance as a top-tier floor general. Rondo is a weird player, he can't shoot (well) and he struggles on the defensive side of the ball, but he is invaluable on the floor. He provides steadiness to the flow of the game when LeBron James is off the court and creates offense when it typically is not there.
With Lonzo Ball due to miss another month of action, Rondo provided another great stat-line to fantasy owners. 17 points, 10 assists, seven boards, three threes, and a solid shooting percentage should get owners excited after his dud against the Pacers. He should steadily provide great assist and good rebound number while fluctuating scoring as he always has. However, once Ball returns and playoff implications are afoot, Rondo could be a drop-candidate.
Myles Turner: Rising Stock
I cannot tell you how many people wanted to outright drop Myles Turner after his shaky start to the season. Turner wasn't scoring or rebounding well enough to justify his draft position but continued to provide nearly three blocks per game which could not be found elsewhere. He was an anomaly of sorts. He legitimately only provides in one category, but that one is scarce enough that he was a must-hold in leagues with more than eight teams.
The Victor Oladipo injury, while unfortunate, has opened up shots on the floor for Indiana and Turner has benefitted. Against the center-less Clippers on Thursday, Turner took advantage of a favorable matchup by scoring 17 points, on 7-for-8 shooting with three threes. More importantly, he racked up TEN stocks - four steals and six blocks. Turner is winning fantasy owners blocks this week by himself with 13 since Monday. He is an absolute force on the defensive end and will continue to be (health willing).
Jonathan Isaac: Block Party
Jonathan Isaac should be owned in any league 10-team or deeper. His stocks are absurd over the past few weeks, and he doesn't hurt you anywhere. He's nearing a double-double nightly with points and rebounds and hitting threes with good percentages. He doesn't wow, but he will stuff the stat-sheet.
Thursday night, he only scored nine points and grabbed six boards with one three but also racked up two steals and three blocks. Players like Isaac are invaluable to fantasy and can help win crucial categories come playoff time. His production spike over the past few games is noteworthy. He is scoring, blocking and rebounding more consistently. Although his field goal percentage may leave a bit to be desired, the low volume should minimally harm at worst. Pick him up if he's somehow still available.
