As exciting as All-Star Weekend was, it feels like the break will never end! As we continue to bide our time until Thursday and the return of games, let's answer a few fantasy basketball questions. If you have a question that you'd like answered in next week's column, reach out to me on Twitter @rotomikebarner.
Who is a better stash between Rui Hachimura and Malik Beasley in a H2H points league? - @vatiskav
While the Wizards hope that Hachimura is a big part of their future, his fantasy value isn't very appealing right now. He's basically only going to help in two categories, which are points and rebounds. Even there he's not a major contributor with averages of 13.9 points and six rebounds. His season averages of 1.5 assists, 0.7 steals and 0.2 blocks don't make him a great option.
Beasley, on the other hand, might have found himself in an ideal situation after being traded to the Timberwolves. He already looked to be in line for a significant boost in playing time since he was likely going to start at shooting guard with his new team after being buried on the Nuggets' depth chart. To further tilt the scales in his favor, Karl-Anthony Towns (wrist) is expected to miss multiple games coming out of the All-Star break.
Since the Timberwolves are already out of the playoff hunt, expect them to be very cautious with Towns' injury. His absence opens up the door for D'Angelo Russell and Beasley to now
As exciting as All-Star Weekend was, it feels like the break will never end! As we continue to bide our time until Thursday and the return of games, let's answer a few fantasy basketball questions. If you have a question that you'd like answered in next week's column, reach out to me on Twitter @rotomikebarner.
Who is a better stash between Rui Hachimura and Malik Beasley in a H2H points league? - @vatiskav
While the Wizards hope that Hachimura is a big part of their future, his fantasy value isn't very appealing right now. He's basically only going to help in two categories, which are points and rebounds. Even there he's not a major contributor with averages of 13.9 points and six rebounds. His season averages of 1.5 assists, 0.7 steals and 0.2 blocks don't make him a great option.
Beasley, on the other hand, might have found himself in an ideal situation after being traded to the Timberwolves. He already looked to be in line for a significant boost in playing time since he was likely going to start at shooting guard with his new team after being buried on the Nuggets' depth chart. To further tilt the scales in his favor, Karl-Anthony Towns (wrist) is expected to miss multiple games coming out of the All-Star break.
Since the Timberwolves are already out of the playoff hunt, expect them to be very cautious with Towns' injury. His absence opens up the door for D'Angelo Russell and Beasley to now be the leaders of their offense. With Towns sitting out their last game, Beasley posted 28 points, six rebounds and three assists against the Hornets. He logged 38 minutes and attempted 25 shots, which are two very encouraging stats for his value moving forward. Beasley is the hands-down choice for me here.
Would you trade Spencer Dinwiddie for Kyrie Irving, or should I just keep Dinwiddie? - @malgharaballi
This question was submitted before we received an injury update for Irving on Tuesday. He has only played 20 games this season and is now sidelined indefinitely with a reoccurrence of a shoulder injury. The Nets are basically assured a playoff spot in the East and really can't finish any higher than the seventh seed that they currently occupy, so there is no need to rush Irving back. It would be nice to avoid the Bucks in the first round, but that's not enough of a reason to push Irving to play through injury.
With Irving out, Dinwiddie has been fantasy gold. Across the last five games without Irving, he's averaged 16.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, 7.8 assists and 1.2 three-pointers. Over a stretch of 26 games that Irving was sidelined earlier this season, Dinwiddie averaged 24.8 points, 3.5 rebounds. 7.2 assists and two three-pointers.
If both players were healthy, Irving would be the easy choice between the two. When he has been able to take the floor, he's been extremely productive. However, I'd generally stick with Dinwiddie since he is the far safer option. You could maybe take a risk and make this deal if you are cruising towards the playoffs in your league with the hopes that Irving is back for the fantasy playoffs. Still, I wouldn't make the trade, even in that scenario, given the shoulder problems that he has had throughout the season.
Who is the best player to roster for the rest of the season: Marcus Smart, Dejounte Murray, Mikal Bridges, Marquese Chriss or Caris LeVert? This is an 8-team, 9-cat league. I have a good chance at a first-round bye and am looking towards the playoffs. I need help in points, rebounds, steals, blocks and free-throw percentage. - @KneeJerKing
We have a lot of names to digest here. First and foremost, let's address the context. This team is cruising towards the playoffs, so no need to cobble things together on a weekly basis moving forward. However, it's also only an eight-team league. As long as these aren't super deep rosters, there should be a lot of quality players available on waivers. Combine that with the potential for a lot of things changing between now and the end of the season and I wouldn't be focusing too hard on a player's playoff schedule just yet.
Keeping that in mind, I'm just going to look at these players from a rest-of-the-season point of view. Right off the bat, I'm eliminating LeVert. He's playing exceptionally well right now with Irving out, but things could change on a dime once Irving comes back. Before Irving went down, LeVert had averaged 9.9 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.9 assists across his previous 10 games. I'd also stay away from Bridges since he doesn't provide much in terms of points and rebounds, which were two areas of need that were mentioned.
As I continue to narrow down the field, I'd stay away from Murray. His production in the scoring column has been all over the place. He's scored at least 14 points in four of his last nine games, but he also scored nine points or fewer four times during that stretch. Smart is also a pass for me among this group because when everyone on the Celtics is healthy, he's left with a limited role off the bench, especially when it comes to scoring opportunities.
That brings me to Chriss, who is the player that I would add from this group. As crazy as that might sound, he's been excellent for the Warriors lately, averaging 20.3 points, 10 rebounds, one steal and two blocks across three games since they traded away Omari Spellman. The key is that he averaged 28 minutes a game during that stretch compared to his season average of 19 minutes per contest. Kevon Looney (hip) can't stay healthy and Draymond Green could eventually be shut down, which could leave Chriss with even more playing time. Of the categories in need for this question, he can help with points, rebounds, steals and blocks. He isn't a detriment from the charity stripe, either, at 75.6 percent.
