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Welcome to the RotoBaller NBA Recap. In this feature, we highlight three fantasy basketball takeaways from last night's slate of NBA games. Friday wasn't the most exciting schedule that we have seen this season, although it did feature a handful of notable fantasy performances. The Orlando Magic surprised the Toronto Raptors by a score of 116-87. Nikola Vucevic led the way for the Magic with 30 points, adding 20 rebounds, eight assists, two steals and one block on 12-for-17 shooting from the field. The 28-year-old has been fantastic for category league owners all season and is currently ranked inside the top-10 in nine-category leagues. Sure, he has some sell-high intrigue attached to him, but I don't think you will ever be able to trade him for a fellow top-15 player. For that reason, I believe he becomes a hold and is someone that I am happy to have on my roster. Barring an injury, Vucevic should continue to provide exceptional value to his owners.
In one of the more competitive contests of the night, the New Orleans Pelicans beat the Dallas Mavericks 114-112. Anthony Davis led the way for the Pelicans, tallying a season-high 48 points to go along with 17 rebounds, four assists, two blocks and two steals on 20-for-32 shooting. The 25-year-old was able to hit the eventual game-winner with 43.9 seconds left and has been on fire in his previous eight games. Since his six-point dud on December 9th, Davis is averaging an absurd 34.3 points, 15.0 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.8 blocks, 2.0 steals and 1.2 three-pointers. Giannis Antetokounmpo is the most likely MVP as of right now, but the "Unibrow" would make this a much more contested race if the Pelicans could become competitive out West.
And the Los Angeles Clippers escaped the Los Angeles Lakers 118-107. With LeBron James out with a groin injury, the Clippers took full advantage of his vacancy. Lou Williams scored a season-high 36 points while adding seven rebounds, three assists and three three-pointers on 11-for-18 shooting from the field and 11-for-11 from the charity stripe. After a slow start to the season, Williams has turned it on over the past three games with averages of 28.3 points, 4.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists. As far as the Lakers are concerned, they will have to dig deep during Lebron's absence from the lineup. Every win is critical out West, and the Lakers can't afford to drop a handful of games in a row. Our three main fantasy takeaways of the night are still to come, so without further ado, let's dive a little deeper into the recap for December 28th.
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Justise Winslow: There Is No Justise In Winslow's Ownership
The Justise Winslow experiment at point guard has been a success by any statistical metric that you want to use. During Miami's previous three games, Winslow is averaging 22.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 2.3 steals, 2.0 three-pointers and only 1.7 turnovers on 59.2 percent shooting.
Are these averages sustainable? Probably not. But head coach Erik Spoelstra has been adamant about calling Winslow his starting point guard for the foreseeable future and said that he didn't want to "put a ceiling" on this experiment. Those comments alone should make Winslow a must-own player in all fantasy leagues, but the 22-year-old is currently owned in just 54 percent of Yahoo leagues at the time of writing this article.
He most likely will experience some occasional inefficiencies but possesses the upside to be one of the best waiver-wire pickups of the entire year in his new role. If you haven't done so already, check all your leagues to make sure he isn't still sitting on the wire. If he is still available in any of them, do what it takes to add the former 10th pick in the 2015 draft.
Rodions Kurucs: Cools Off On Friday
After three straight quality performances, which included a career-high 24 points last Friday and a career-high 12 rebounds on Wednesday, Rodions Kurucs flopped against the Charlotte Hornets on Friday. The 20-year-old rookie was only able to score five points on 2-for-6 shooting, adding three rebounds and one block in 20 minutes.
If you were able to land Kurucs on the waiver wire during his hot stretch, he remains a hold for the time being, but owners should keep the Latvian on a very short leash. An injury to Allen Crabbe (knee) propelled Kurucs into the starting lineup, and it is still up in the air on what head coach Kenny Atkinson will do once Crabbe is healthy enough to play. As for now, Kurucs should be viewed as a low-volume player that possesses high-efficiency. That is good enough to warrant a roster spot in standard category leagues, but he is much less valuable in points settings.
Dewayne Dedmon: Has Found Life In December
Dewayne Dedmon scored 19 points on Friday against the Minnesota Timberwolves, adding 13 rebounds, one steal and four three-pointers in 29 minutes. Dedmon has found his way into the Hawks starting lineup because of a lingering injury to Alex Len (back), and the 29-year-old has made the most of his opportunity.
In December, Dedmon has contributed averages of 12.2 points, 9.5 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.5 steals, 0.6 blocks and 1.5 three-pointers per contest. Those averages have put him right inside the top-50 in nine-category leagues for the month, and he appears to have a stranglehold on the starting center spot. Dedmon is still available in 34 percent of Yahoo leagues and is being completely forgotten about on ESPN with an ownership percentage of less than 2 percent. The USC product doesn't possess enormous upside, but he is s steady provider across the board and is someone that you should consider adding.
