RADIO
Spencer Aguiar highlights three fantasy basketball takeaways from the NBA's January 25th slate. This recap focuses on Theo Pinson, Enes Kanter, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
While Friday night did have some of the NBA's brightest stars on full display, most of the actual games lacked much intrigue. The Bulls, Cavaliers, Knicks and Suns added to their loss column and remain the four most likely spots for Zion Williamson to land during the NBA Draft. However, the draft is shaping up to be much deeper than just Williamson. Fellow Duke players RJ Barrett and Cameron Reddish should go in the first handful of picks, and Ja Morant from Murray State is skyrocketing up the draft board. There's a lot of talent available, and the majority of these organizations will continue to play for the lottery.
One game that did live up to the hype came between the Houston Rockets and Toronto Raptors. The Rockets were forced to survive a final minute meltdown that nearly saw them relinquish a 12-point lead. James Harden struggled throughout the game, connecting on only 9-for-25 field goal attempts-- including just 2-for-13 from three-point land, but the Rockets star added to his scorching pace by posting 35 points on the night -- his 22nd consecutive game with at least 32 points. Harden is on one of the most historic runs that the NBA has ever experienced, and I don't see it stopping until Chris Paul returns to the lineup -- which could be sooner than later.
And the Dallas Mavericks overcame the Detroit Pistons 106-101. Luka Doncic scored 32 points to go along with eight rebounds, eight assists, two steals, one block and three three-pointers. We can safely call the 'Rookie of the Year' race over, right? Doncic has been better than advertised, and it is incredible that two teams actually chose to pass on him in the draft, not to mention that the organization that took him (the Atlanta Hawks) decided to trade him. The draft is an imperfect process, but the decision to bypass the 19-year-old is not turning out well so far. We still have three additional fantasy takeaways from Friday night to discuss, so without further ado, let's take a closer look into what happened around the league on January 25th.
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Entering the night, Theo Pinson had scored a total of 19 points during his NBA career, shooting 1-for-11 from three, but Friday became Pinson's coming out party. The 23-year-old matched his career total, scoring 19 points on three of five shooting from deep to go along with eight rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Pinson will get a chance in the rotation with the loss of Spencer Dinwiddie, who is out four to six weeks with a thumb injury, so there is a chance that the North Carolina product could continue to see minutes going forward. Pinson averaged 20.1 points this season in 21 G League games and could be worth an add in 14-team leagues. 12-team participants should be able to take a wait and see approach, but there is upside due to his scoring ability.
Don't Drop Enes Kanter Yet
Enes Kanter picked up another DNP-CD on Friday, recording his fifth missed game in New York's previous six contests. Kanter's run with the Knicks appears to be over, but he remains worth a stash because of the possibility of landing in the right spot at the deadline. If you don't own him, it probably doesn't make logical sense to go out and try to acquire him because of all the uncertainty. But if Kanter gets dropped in a league that you are playing in, don't hesitate to pick him up. If you already own him, he has the ability to be a game-changer down the stretch. Let these next few weeks play out before releasing him to the waiver wire.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Will Be a Better Fantasy Asset In The Future
It was always going to be tough sledding for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to carve out a consistent role in the Los Angeles backcourt, but the return of Lou Williams and Avery Bradley have made it even more difficult. The 20-year-old has shown flashes of brilliance this season, including a 24-point explosion against the Golden State Warriors last Friday, but it is going to be challenging to predict consistency and production on a daily basis.
Gilgeous-Alexander provided six points and five assists in 22 minutes on Friday, and these displays of questionable production have become a far too frequent occurrence. The Kentucky product was the only starting perimeter player not to close the game, which is going to happen repeatedly now that Lou Williams is back. If you play in a deeper league, the youngster will still possess some upside, but he can be dropped for a hot free agent in standard leagues.
