Marvin Bagley III left the court on Wednesday night with an injury to his left knee, which is the same one that kept him sidelined for roughly a month earlier this season. The 2018 No. 2 overall pick was showing promising signs coming out of the All-Star break, scoring 20.3 points per game while adding 10.5 rebounds, 1.0 steals, and 1.3 blocks per contest over that stretch.
With Bagley set to miss at least a week or two, the Kings will be forced to reshuffle their rotation and the biggest winner could be Harry Giles.
Giles saw 18 minutes on Wednesday versus the Bucks, accumulating 18 points, seven rebounds and one block while making 9-of-13 looks from the field. He played many of his minutes at the four spot when Bagley was sidelined this winter and on Friday, Sacramento will take on the Clippers—a team that has been the fourth-most fantasy-friendly to opposing power forwards this season.
While Giles should be a profitable low-cost option in daily fantasy this weekend, I wouldn’t necessarily add the second-year big man in season-long leagues until we see exactly what coach Dave Joerger is going to do with the rotation. If you have the roster space, he makes for a nice speculative add, as has the potential to be a fantasy playoff difference-maker if he gets enough run.
Here’s more from around the league:
- The Sixers are without Joel Embiid and Boban Marjanovic, leaving Jonah Bolden to get the starting nod against the Thunder tonight. OKC has been an above-average fantasy matchup vs. opposing centers this season, per HTB. Philadelphia will play the Warriors on Saturday, a team that ranks in the bottom 10 this season vs. the position, so keep an eye on Bolden should Embiid miss that contest.
- Domantas Sabonis will miss nearly a week with an ankle injury and Myles Turner and Kyle O’Quinn will both benefit. However, over the next two games, the Pacers take on the Timberwolves and Magic, a pair of teams that have been among the top-10 stingiest matchups this season in terms of fantasy production.
- Dewayne Dedmon ranks eighth overall in ESPN’s Player Rater over the last 15 days. Dedmon has become very Paul Millsap-like this season, contributing in many categories. Over that 15-day stretch, he’s averaging a solid 13.8 points and 7.6 rebounds while adding 2.0 assists. Dedmon is just one of four players (Brook Lopez, DeMarcus Cousins, and Turner) to average two blocks, one steal and one 3-pointer made during that stretch. The Hawks center should be owned in season-long leagues.
- Hassan Whiteside‘s hip issues caused him to miss the Heat’s tilt with the Warriors on Wednesday and he’s not expected to play against the Rockets tonight either. Bam Adebayo should be owned in all leagues and he’s a nice DFS play tonight.
- If Mitchell Robinson is somehow still available in your league, go and scoop him up. The Knicks rookie should also be owned in all leagues.
Fantasy questions? Take to the comment section below or tweet me at @CW_Crouse.
Missed an earlier edition of Fantasy Hoops? Check out the entire series here.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Goran Dragic is back and may be a sparky 6th man… Spoelstra was delighted at his ability to create vs GSW after a long layoff.
Winderman:
“Dragic’s 27 points in 20:14 of action, according to Elias Sports Bureau, is the most by a reserve in that length of action since Marvin Williams [11-24-2006].”
link to sun-sentinel.com
Teams waiting on Dedmon should have traded for him… been saying that for some time. Raptrs were lucky to get Lin.
Some would say M.Robinson is an example of a player who should have been allowed to enter the NBA at 18. But is he worse off for his weird one year of purgatory instead? Rapid gains now. Maybe not everyone is cut out for college, but 18yos are not cut out for the NBA.
Why aren’t guys at 18 cut out? Can’t see it dude. In the big european leagues of soccer, in the bigger clubs, with the most money & pressure is not that particularly uncommon to have guys of age 16, usually becoming eventually the best players in the world, so why an 18 can’t do it in the NBA? Just find this concept a very funny one.
Soccer is more specialized. 18 yos can’t be expected to have complete basketball skills, with exceptions maybe once or twice a year. But making rules for all based on the talents of a couple sacrifices what is best for all. And the brilliant few will present soon regardless.
Consider too, before 2006, teams bending over backwards to please their ‘kids’ so that they get liked back at contract time. Then so many of them disappointed. People forget what it was like. Darius Miles anyone?