We’ve seen several star players go down over the past few days, so it’s time to analyze the aftermath of all of these injuries, while determining which players are poised to benefit the most.
Ja Morant has a torn labrum — he’s out for the season
After a long wait, Morant’s fans and fantasy managers were hyped to see him on the court and thriving again. Unfortunately, Ja’s 2023-24 season lasted just nine games, as he’s been ruled out for the rest of the season due to a labral tear in his right shoulder. It’s a tough pill to swallow if you were counting on Morant, because his fantasy teams were poised to climb up the standings.
Advertisement
The player who will receive the biggest boost here is Marcus Smart, so I suggest running to add him if he’s somehow available in your league (he’s only available in 16% of Yahoo leagues, but it’s worth at least checking). Smart averaged 13.4 points, 5.4 assists, 2.1 steals and 1.7 threes per game over his first 10 of the season, before getting hurt, and he’s exploded for 54 points and 12 triples over his last two games combined.
Of course, Desmond Bane will go back to being a primary scorer and playmaker for the Grizzlies, but ultimately this is not great news for fantasy managers with Bane or Jaren Jackson Jr. on their teams. That’s because Memphis currently sports a record of 13 wins and 23 losses, and the Morant injury essentially kills any chance of them making the play-in tournament this season. I’m not suggesting either player will get shut down soon, but both stars might be shaky fantasy options over the final month of the season. As a result, it might not be a bad idea to make them available in trade discussions during their next hot streaks.
There are several other players to consider adding in deeper leagues now that Morant is out again, namely Santi Aldama, Luke Kennard, Vince Williams, Ziaire Williams, Derrick Rose and David Roddy. But don’t get your hopes up, because during Morant’s suspension, Aldama was the only player who showed any sustainable value.
For those of you playing in dynasty leagues, if you’re in the midst of a rebuild and focusing on the future, it wouldn’t hurt to make a lowball offer for Morant right now, especially if that fantasy manager happens to be in win-now mode. And for the rest of you looking to replace Morant, we’ll go over some decent short-term options in the backcourt below.
Tyrese Haliburton hurt his hammy — It could have been much worse
One of this season’s biggest stars, Haliburton took a nasty fall on Monday night, doing the splits and then some. The preliminary assessment is that he suffered a strained left hamstring, and he’ll undergo further testing on Tuesday. Given how Haliburton’s body contorted and how he was carried off the court, it’s encouraging that the Pacers don’t think he suffered any ligament damage to one of his knees. That being said, I think the star point guard’s fantasy managers should be bracing themselves for a multi-week absence.
Advertisement
At this point, I’m going to ask my colleague Stan Son some questions. One, were you playing with a Tyrese Haliburton voodoo doll at the time of his injury? Or was it just a coincidence that you added Andrew Nembhard on Sunday night — less than 24 hours before Haliburton went down?? Who do you plan on injuring next, Stan?!? I kid…
Nembhard recently moved into the starting lineup when Bruce Brown was out, but his role tends to be a bit shaky when Indiana is at full strength. However, assuming Haliburton is going to miss some time, Nembhard should have a chance to really showcase his all-around abilities, and there’s no reason he can’t put up Tyus Jones-like stats until his All-Star teammate returns.
In addition to Nembhard, the rock solid T.J. McConnell becomes fantasy relevant again, and he’s an excellent addition for a short-term assists boost, especially if you just lost Morant. As a reminder of his upside, during McConnell’s six spot starts last season, he averaged an excellent 12.7 points, 4.8 boards, 8.8 assists and 1.3 steals in 31.5 minutes per game. And despite playing 24+ minutes just three times so far this season, TJ has dished out eight or more helpers in seven games already.
Indiana’s other guards and wings should also receive a boost while Haliburton is out, meaning Bruce Brown, Buddy Hield, Aaron Nesmith and Bennedict Mathurin should all be more reliable in the short-term. If any of those players are available in your league and you were thinking of adding them pre-injury, it makes sense to add them now.
Chris Paul fractured his hand – Which Warriors should you be adding?
Paul is set to undergo surgery on his left hand this week, and the veteran will be out four-to-six weeks, which almost surely means until the All-Star break. The injury isn’t ideal for Golden State, but hopefully it will help clarify some of their rotation questions. The timing of Draymond Green’s return is a big help, and he should be added ASAP (h4’s out there in 33% of Yahoo leagues) where available. Green’s 5.8 assists per game are his lowest average since the 2014-15 season, but Paul’s absence should help revitalize Green’s passing abilities.
Advertisement
Next up, I think Brandin Podziemski should be rostered in more than 53% of Yahoo leagues. Currently, Andrew Wiggins is rostered in more leagues, and that’s a definite mistake if you ask me. Sure, Podz has been in and out of the starting lineup recently, and he shot just 2-of-11 on Sunday. But the injury to Paul is going to give the rookie a big boost, and he’s a much better shooter than he showed on Sunday.
A pleasant surprise on Sunday was Moses Moody having a breakout game — 21 points scored in 22 minutes — and he’ll definitely get more opportunities over the next month and a half. I don’t think Moody will be reliable in standard leagues, but he’s someone to consider in deeper leagues.
As for the quartet of Wiggins, Jonathan Kuminga, Trayce Jackson-Davis and Kevon Looney, there definitely isn’t room for all four of these guys to prosper with Green back in the fold. In fact, two of these players might need to take a backseat moving forward, and Warriors’ management is probably seriously considering if now is the time to cash in their Kuminga trade chip. Kuminga is currently rostered in just 42% of Yahoo leagues, so he’s someone to consider adding, just in case he gets traded to a rebuilding team.
Cade Cunningham strained his knee – Be relieved it wasn’t anything serious
Cunningham left Sunday’s game early with knee soreness, which turned out to simply be a left knee strain. Monty Williams and Cunningham’s fantasy managers breathed out a giant sigh of relief with this outcome, as a long-term injury would have been devastating. Detroit has taken enough lumps already this season, and Cunningham has been one of their lone bright spots.
Still, their star guard will likely sit out a couple of games as a precautionary measure. In his absence, look for Jaden Ivey and Bojan Bogdanovic to pick up more of the scoring slack, with Killian Hayes, Alec Burks and Marcus Sasser all stepping up as well. Hayes in particular is intriguing, since he started off the season by averaging 11.3 points, 4.9 assists, 1.4 steals, 0.5 blocks and 1.2 threes per game over his first 10 games.
Buy low: Walker Kessler, UTA
Kessler’s minutes have been trending down lately, and his fantasy managers are likely getting a bit antsy. He’s still producing well on a per minute basis, he’s simply not playing major minutes every night. Instead, one of my deep sleepers prior to last season, Simone Fontecchio, has been getting extra run. But there’s a good chance that Utah will look to move Kelly Olynyk and/or John Collins prior to the trade deadline, which would allow for Kessler to get the extra playing time that his fantasy managers are craving for. See if you can get him now at a discount.
Sell high: Brook Lopez, MIL
I’ve given Lopez plenty of props before, even naming him the team captain of my “No respect All-Star” team. But I’m worried that new coach Adrian Griffin is going to run him until the wheels fall off. He’s yet to miss a game this season, but I don’t think giant centers on the verge of turning 36 years old should routinely be playing 35+ minutes, which Lopez has done eight times over the past month and a half. If you can package Lopez and someone else for a star player, I think it’d be a smart move.
Advertisement
Buy low: Darius Garland, CLE
Still out with a fractured jaw, you might be able to get Garland at a slight discount right now. In addition to currently being injured, Garland’s 3-point shot was off to start the season, at sub-35% 3P, after shooting 41% from deep the year before. As a result, his season stats are lower than what they should be, and they should improve once he returns to the floor.
Sell high: Dejounte Murray, ATL
Murray is having a pretty solid and steady season for Atlanta, but the Hawks are still seven games under .500 entering Tuesday’s games. As a result, it’s seeming more and more likely that the team will be sellers at the trade deadline. With Murray in the prime of his career, the Hawks could look to move him now and start the rebuilding process. Sure enough, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Philadelphia 76ers have both been linked to Murray. But in either scenario, Murray’s stats would likely suffer. After all, Atlanta currently ranks fifth in pace and they’ve been a fantasy-friendly team all season long, but Murray would have to sacrifice some shot attempts playing on a superior team.
Buy low: Austin Reaves, LAL
Reaves laid a dud on Sunday, scoring just 8 points on 2-of-5 shooting, with zero rebounds, steals or blocks. This coincided with the return of D’Angelo Russell from a tailbone injury, which may have Reaves’ fantasy managers worried a bit. The reality is that the Clippers’ defense had more to do with his struggles on Sunday, and his 3-of-22 shooting slump from 3-point range won’t last for much longer. But what if the Lakers decided to shake things up by trading Reaves for Dejounte Murray? Well, if he were playing in a more uptempo system with more freedom to be aggressive, I think Reaves’ fantasy value would soar through the roof.
(Top photo: Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports; pic of Andrew Nembhard: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports, pic of Brandin Podziemski and Draymond Green Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports)
