RADIO
In his Week 6 NBA Category Specialist column, Trevor Crippen searches the fantasy basketball waiver wire for some sleepers that can help out with shooting percentages.
If you are looking at your rotisserie league standings and feeling bad about your field-goal or free-throw percentage, then it might be time to start patching up the deficiency. If you cannot do so in a trade, you may need to sacrifice another category or two with a key waiver add to fill the hole. Here are four guys – one shallow league and one deep league for each percentage – that are worth considering.
Field-Goal Percentage - Shallow League
Brandan Wright (DAL, PF/C) - 42% Owned
Wright has been in a bit of a funk lately, so he is getting dropped at a high rate after a hot streak brought him up to nearly 50 percent ownership. I have written about Wright before, but when bringing up field-goal percentage, there is no one else you should consider if he is still available.
Only Tyson Chandler, Anthony Davis, DeAndre Jordan and Derrick Favors really come close to having the same potential impact on overall field-goal percentage that Wright can deliver. Those other four guys are universally owned, and with good reason.
While Wright will not continue at a 73.1 percent clip – it has already started dropping with the cold streak – his rate should stabilize near the 67.7 percent rate he put up last season. On around 5.5 attempts per game, that is great. And if he gets more attempts, look out.
Field-Goal Percentage - Deep League
Aron Baynes (SAS, C) - 1% Owned
The Spurs are my go-to team for efficiency, and their bench is full of usable efficient bundles of 15-20 minutes a game with occasional starts – from Marco Belinelli to Cory Joseph to Baynes.
Baynes has been gaining the trust of the coaching staff over the course of the year, as his minutes are trending upward and he receives periodic starts when Tim Duncan gets a day off. In two starts this year, Baynes has posted a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds, then another near double-double with 12 points and 9 rebounds. So those starts are nice if you can catch them.
In a deeper league where it does not matter if he has a few nothing games mixed in, Baynes is still an interesting and efficient regular starter. He has an excellent field-goal percentage of 59.4 and a respectable free-throw percentage at 76.0.
Baynes can be a nice day-to-day streamer in head-to-head format and a nice daily league bargain when Duncan is out. In a 16-team league, or a 12 or 14-team league with big rosters, Baynes should be a permanent piece of a roster for his efficiency alone.
Free Throw Percentage - Shallow League
Rodney Stuckey (IND, PG/SG) - 32% Owned
Stuckey is one of the streakiest guys in the league, as evidenced by his scoring totals in recent games – 22, 24, 9, 9 and 16 in five games between November 26 and December 4. One thing Stuckey has always done consistently well, however, is drive to the basket and force fouls.
Stuckey has averaged 4.3 free-throw attempts per game in his career, which is a very good total for a guard typically in a part-time role. He tends to hit them too. His 84.4 free-throw percentage on the season is right in line with a career average of 82.8.
While Stuckey will be a frustrating player to own due to erratic scoring and low production in most of the other categories, he can serve as a quick and dirty fix to some free-throw shooting woes.
Free Throw Percentage - Deep League
Gary Neal (CHA, PG/SG) - 5% Owned
Neal is a reserve player on a low-profile team who is currently battling an injury, so now might be your best chance to grab him. He has combined some good shooting and nice moves around the basket to provide a solid package of scoring (12.3 points per game), three pointers (1.2 threes per game) and free-throw percentage (89.1 percent on 3.5 attempts per game) on the season.
Neal should be picked up in deeper leagues with the hope that he comes back from his shoulder injury soon. His return to the Hornets' rotation could come as early as Friday night versus the Knicks.
