Michael Kidd-Glichrist has been trending upwards as of late with his production
Christmas has come and gone, the new year is almost upon us and we’re about halfway through the season. Time continues to roll on by, so don’t let yourself ease up too much. One of the most common complaints about fantasy basketball, when compared to football, is how few breaks there are throughout the season. With so many games going on each week, it’s far too easy for fantasy owners to either give up after a slow start or become complacent after an early season winning streak. Make sure to keep the prize in mind and continue to do the work, regardless of how confident you feel about your team. An 82-game season is long enough to turn anyone’s fortunes around, so keep grinding, and with any luck, you’ll be fighting for a championship before you know it! Here are four players to consider adding that can improve your team.
Ownership percentages are for ESPN leagues as of December 29.
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (SF – CHA): 39.5% Ownership
In the four games since Marco Belinelli (ankle) went down, Kidd-Gilchrist has seen a noticeable uptick in his playing time and, as a result, has put up numbers worthy of standard league play. He did have a disappointing night shooting the ball Thursday against Miami, going 2-for-7 from the floor, but he wasn’t the only one struggling to find his shot in that game as neither team managed to score more than 91 points. So, if we chalk that performance up to the result of a rare defensive battle and just focus on his three previous contests, Kidd-Gilchrist was averaging 12 points while shooting an impressive 53.5 from the field to go along with 8.33 rebounds, 2.7 assists, two blocks, one steal and 0.3 turnovers in 33 minutes. He’s a career 46.4 percent shooter, so while that three-game period may be more representative of his ceiling, the Thursday performance (Charlotte’s most recent game) was undoubtedly floor-ish.
The Hornets’ small forward offers valuable rebounds and blocks per game while adding mid-to-low end scoring in standard leagues. He’s not going to attempt enough three-pointers for that aspect of his game to be of any fantasy consequence and the same can be said for his free throws. As long as Belinelli is out, Kidd-Gilchrist makes for a serviceable start in standard leagues and could even hold value after the former returns to action.
Patrick Beverley (PG – HOU): 46% Ownership
For the third straight week, Beverley makes our list as the top point guard currently available in most leagues. It’s pretty surprising to see Beverley still out there on the wire in so many leagues (especially considering he was already at a 45 percent ownership rate last week), but nonetheless, he is still waiting for you to pick him up. This should be the last time we get the chance to mention him here for a while, so listen up.
Over his last seven games, Beverley is averaging a more than useful 10.7 points, 7.9 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.9 threes in 32.9 minutes. His efficiency may not wow you, as he’s shooting just 42.7 percent from the field and 39.5 percent from beyond the arc this season, but if you can handle that, Beverley is taking enough shots to still be able to record double-digit points on more nights than not. He’s able to hold value across five different categories in standard leagues, and his current rebounding rate is fourth in the league among point guards over the last week. With the waiver wire as dry as it’s been lately, there’s no excuse to not pick him up in any 10-team or deeper league.
Josh Richardson (SG/SF – MIA): 9.7% Ownership
It’s been a rough ride for the Miami Heat so far this season. Once one player returns from an injury, another one seems to go down, and while the injuries may not be helping the team succeed as a whole (the Heat are 10-23 on the season), they have allowed players like Richardson the opportunity to assume a larger role in the team’s offense. The second-year guard is presently averaging 11.1 points (39.7% FG, 32.2% 3PT, 77.8% FT), 3.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.7 threes in 30.4 minutes per game this season.
He struggled with his shot in the first eight games after returning from injury this month, and his 39.7 field goal percentage this season is disappointing. However, Richardson may be in the midst of a positive regression to the mean in that category. In his rookie season, the Miami guard shot 45.2% from the field and 46.1 percent from beyond the arc, both of which have dipped considerably this year. So, despite attempting more shots this time around, it’s still reasonable to expect him to improve upon his current shooting percentages. He probably won’t be able to keep up the pace he’s set over his last two outings, but as long as he can hold onto starter’s minutes, Josh Richardson is proving to be a player worth owning in all leagues.
Luol Deng (SF – LAL): 47.1% Ownership
Ahh, the joys of playing on an awful team! Somehow, Deng is still getting it done on the court and has averaged over 30 minutes per game in the month of December. The Lakers don’t have a ton of depth at the forward positions, so Larry Nance Jr. (knee) being out sure hasn’t hurt Deng’s value, but even when Nance was healthy this month, Deng was still averaging similar, if not better numbers. Over his last four games (not including Thursday’s contest against Dallas), the 13-year veteran is averaging 11.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, 1.3 three-pointers, 2.3 assists, one block and 1.3 turnovers in 33 minutes. He doesn’t appear to be on any kind of maintenance based usage restrictions as he’s logged over 30 minutes in both ends of his last two back-to-back sets. While Nance’s return won’t necessarily hamper Deng’s production, as long as Nance remains sidelined, Deng should have no problems maintaining his current workload. He should be owned in most standard leagues.
Joakim Noah (NY – C): 29.1% Ownership
Coming off his best performance of the season, Wednesday against Atlanta, Noah is doing his best to remind everyone that he’s still a force to be reckoned with, under the basket. In that game, the Knicks’ center recorded 14 points and 16 rebounds in 38 minutes. Over his past three games, he’s averaging 9.3 points 11.7 rebounds, 2 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.3 turnovers in 29.3 minutes. That amount of court-time is significantly higher than his average this season of 22.4 minutes, so, while he hasn’t been the most consistent player this year, we could be witnessing a new trend emerging. Noah hasn’t been much of a fantasy force since his 2013-14 season when he averaged a double-double, but there could still be some gas left in that 31-year-old tank. For anyone in need of rebounding, Noah should be difficult to pass up, and for everyone else, he at least warrants consideration. This is by no means a sure thing, so don’t hop on the train expecting the ride to continue in all its glory, but if the ticket’s free, there’s no reason not to give it a go. As long as he’s getting upwards of 28-30 minutes per game, Noah is worth owning in most leagues.
George Haw is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from George, check out his archive and follow him @georgeWarfieldH.
