This article is part of our Rebound & Rant series.
All is generally well with the K-Train's fantasy hoops squads. So you can exhale and relax. That said, my email inbox and the twittersphere seems to be full with folks complaining about certain teams and players. So let's analyze a few peculiar scenarios and decide if it's really time to panic.
Why Isn't Brook Lopez Getting More Rebounds!?!
Whoa, easy cowboys, no one has the right to complain about Brook Lopez's first year in Milwaukee. Sure, he's averaging only 2.9 boards a game (from 24 minutes per game), but you probably grabbed him in the 9th round or later. Granted, it is odd that a seven-footer is collecting one rebound every 8.4 minutes. Starting Buck point guard Eric Bledsoe, who's 6'1", is snagging a board every 6.3 minutes of play. But you must remember this: the Bucks need to unclog the lane for Giannis Antetokounmpo. That means having shooters in the lineup. And 30-year-old Lopez is hitting 2.1 treys per game. And his blocks are up, from 1.3 per game last year to 1.8 this year. That's very helpful. Be happy. I suspect the boards will creep up.
Also remember that rebounds might be the easiest stat to pick up on the waiver wire. Go grab Al-Farouq Aminu or Noah Vonleh if you need boards. And stay calm about Brook Lopez. But by all means, panic about Robin Lopez. Side Show Rob is laughing all the way to bank, making $14.3 million this year and racking up DNP's like Juwan Howard during his player-coach seasons in Miami. Come February, the Bulls will be begging a team to take Robin Lopez out of Chicago.
Why Isn't Donovan Mitchell Dominating!?!
I think it's fair to panic. Far too many fantasy ballers fell victim to recency bias with Mitchell. Yes, Mitchell had an amazing playoff run. And that led to a rather inflated 21 ADP for the Louisville product. But even during the playoffs, Mitchell struggled with his shot, shooting 42% percent in the post season, after draining 43.7% in the regular season. Another issue is Utah's slow pace of play – so far they rank 21st in possessions per game this season. The Spider should not have been drafted ahead of Kemba Walker, Devin Booker or even Bradley Beal.
Of course, Mitchell's ankle and hamstring issues aren't helping things. He's already got two DNP's due to injury. If you've got a Jazz fan in your league, make a trade.
Reggie Bullock's Hair & Shooting Are Terrifying!!!
True and true. In both cases, Bullock is wandering into Elfrid Payton territory. First, check out the hair (sorry, this the best shot I can find on Twitter):
If you look at Reggie Bullock from the front his hair makes him look like a unicorn... pic.twitter.com/kCpWPga5wD
— Alex Fischbein (@__Fisch) October 27, 2018
Could the hair be hurting Bullock's shot? He's shooting a miserable 32.8% from the field. I think he should follow Kyrie Irving's lead and get a buzz cut. Fantasy-wise, there are certainly better options than Bullock on the waiver wire.
Why Is Draymond Green Outside the Top 50!?!
Draymond is currently ranked 53rd on Yahoo (Season Average). Do not panic. Green had a slow start last year, and everything worked out just fine. He's a buy low candidate. Sooner or later, one of the Warrior stars will get dinged up, forcing Green to score more. Last year, the burly power forward shot 40% in October, but finished with a 45.4% field goal percentage. Expect a similar climb this year.
What Is Wrong With Jayson Tatum!?!
Nothing is wrong in particular with Tatum, but Boston's offense certainly looks out of synch. With the return of both Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward, the fit with Tatum, Al Horford and Jaylen Brown has been awkward. To my surprise, Tatum's shot attempts are actually up from last year (10.4 to 13.3 per game), despite Hayward's return. But the team passing and shot taking are both tentative. I suspect this will correct itself over time, but Boston might need to demote Hayward to the second-unit for a brief spell, allowing Hayward to gradually up his game versus back-ups. Hayward isn't close to 2016-17 form.
But I digress. Do not panic about Tatum. Boston will figure out its offensive woes and Tatum's field goal percentage will return to the upper 40's. His raw talent is just too good for this mediocre play to continue. All of Boston seems to be suffering from Bill Parcell's "eating the cheese" syndrome. It's temporary.
Otto Porter Suddenly Stinks!
Everyone knew that Washington would be a raging soap opera all season long with cantankerous Dwight Howard and Austin Rivers added to a roster that already didn't get along. Still, I didn't expect the turmoil to affect the smooth and steady play of Otto Porter. He's coming off two straight seasons of shooting better than 50% from the field. But somehow he's only shooting 43.4% this season and his rebounds are down 1.4 per game from last year (6.4 to 5.0) despite Howard only playing in two games so far.
I'll confess, no matter how long I research Porter, I'm unable to figure out whether or not we should panic about his eight game start. His trade value is so low now (he ranks 101st on Yahoo), Porter owners are probably stuck waiting this out. I worry this soap opera will get worse before it gets better.
Well, ballers, I hope these panic debates were helpful. CHOO-CHOO!
PS - BTW, if you enjoy this little column, give our AWARD WINNING Friday NBA podcast a try, where I usually join Shannon McKeown and Alex Barutha for some epic NBA conversations.
