NBA Hardcourt Heroes Part XII
This series is dedicated to those NBA players who have emerged or have played especially well over the last week. I’ll try to avoid discussing players from the previous week or two in order to shine the spotlight on as many different players as possible.
I’ll also include Adjusted Fantasy Points Scored (using the DraftDay scoring system) in parenthesis. The numbers are adjusted for the player’s Strength of Schedule and Home/Away for that week so that we can be sure we’re making an “apples to apples” comparison.
David Lee, Warriors (36.1)
The Warriors are very thin on the front line, and Lee has been playing big minutes (40.6) in the last five games. He has turned those minutes into production, averaging 27.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.4 steals, while shooting better than 52% from the field.
Goran Dragic, Rockets (34.8)
Dragic has really benefited from Kyle Lowry’s absence and sure looks like a starting-caliber NBA point guard. His averages over the past week — 22.7 points, 6.0 assists, 3.3 rebounds, 1.7 steals and 2.0 made threes — have resulted in the highest Adjusted FP average amongst PGs during that span. Impressive.
Gerald Wallace, Nets (34.8)
Wallace is playing big minutes since being traded to the Nets — 37.8 MPG over the last five games — and it has boosted his fantasy value. He’s five-game averages (15.8 points, 8.4 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 3.0 steals) are solid, including an impressive 24-point, 18-rebound, six-steal effort against the Warriors last Friday night.
Marcus Camby, Rockets (32.8)
Camby appears to be the new starting center for the Rockets. He has played 31+ minutes in each of the last three games and has averaged 9.7 points, 12.0 rebounds, 3.3 blocks and 2.3 steals during that span. He’s not going to score a lot, but he’ll bring the numbers defensively if he keeps getting that kind of run.
Andrea Bargnani, Raptors (31.6)
Bargs is back and so is his potent scoring. He’s back to playing starter’s minutes and has the numbers to prove it (25.0 points over the last five games). He doesn’t bring a lot on the glass (4.4 RPG over that span), but does have 16 boards in his last three games. He’s a little dangerous because he’s so points-dependent, but he gets plenty of shots (16.6 per game), so he should have an opportunity to shoot himself out of a slump.
Ramon Sessions, Lakers (28.7)
It’s pretty clear that the Sessions trade has worked out for the Lakers. He has quickly ramped up to 34.4 MPG over the last five games and is averaging 15.0 points, 8.6 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.0 made threes in that span. More importantly, he has taken some of the pressure off of Kobe to be the team’s only playmaker. He’s not going to continue shooting better than 60% from three-point range, but the points and assists shouldn’t be a problem.
Randy Foye, Clippers (26.0)
First Chauncey Billups went down and now Mo Williams is sidelined. Nick Young’s play has been spotty, and Foye has taken advantage of the extra minutes, averaging 19.2 points, 3.2 assists and 3.6 made threes over the last five games. Look for Foye’s value to hold steady as long as Williams is out.
Byron Mullens, Bobcats (24.7)
The youth movement (i.e. tanking) is in full effect in Charlotte, and Mullens has had a couple of good games in his last three outings. He went for 20/9 plus two steals and two blocks against the Pistons and then 20/14 plus two blocks against the Raptors the following game. Unfortunately, on Wednesday’s back-to-back against the Hawks he only mustered 8/7 in 22 minutes.
Kevin Seraphin, Wizards (23.6)
With both Nene and Trevor Booker dealing with injuries, Seraphin has been getting a lot of burn (33.0 MPG over the last five games) and has provided consistent production, averaging 15.8 points and 7.2 boards over that span. In fact, he hasn’t scored fewer than 14 points in the last five games. Seraphin should continue to produce if either Nene or Booker remain out.
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