I didn’t start writing this article with the intentions of it being mostly about the San Antonio Spurs, but that’s just how it turned out. I don’t know if Kawhi Leonard bathes in barbeque sauce or something because the injury bug keeps gnawing away at him this season which has opened up opportunities for other players to shine in San Antonio.
With Leonard out indefinitely, two players benefit the most and are seeing their fantasy value trend up over the last two weeks. And let me clarify this; neither player is Danny Green. I repeat. Do not add Danny Green!
Players to Buy
LaMarcus Aldridge (PF/C – SA)
After five straight seasons of 20+ PPG to end his Portland tenure, Aldridge dipped to 18.0 and 17.3 PPG during his first two seasons in San Antonio. That’s not overly surprising, going from being the man in Portland to a franchise that already had Kawhi Leonard, Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and company in place. Well, Timmy D is retired, Parker probably should be retired, and Leonard can’t stay on the court this season, which has put added pressure on Aldridge as the go-to scoring option for this San Antonio team.
The results have already been great this season for Aldridge. In 46 games, he’s averaged 22.3 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks on 48.7% from the field and 83.8% from the free throw line.
In the five games since Leonard went back on the shelf, Aldridge has averaged 20.4 shot attempts per game and topped 25 points three times and 30 points twice. His other two games were poor shooting nights. With Leonard out indefinitely, Aldridge’s value gets a big boost for the rest of the season.
Dennis Smith Jr. (PG – DAL)
It’s been an up-and-down rookie season so far for Smith with a lot more downs than ups. A four-game single-digit point streak from the 22nd to the 27th of December seemed to be rock bottom for DSJ, and he’s been money ever since. You know the old saying when you’ve hit rock bottom, “there’s nowhere to go but up.”
Starting with his first career triple-double on December 29, Smith has been playing the best basketball of his career with averages of 18.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.9 three-pointers while shooting 45.2% from the field and 77.8% from the line. Now this is more like it!
With the Dallas Mavericks destined for another high lottery pick, there’s no reason for them not to continue to lean on their young rookie point guard over the rest of the season. If you need a point guard, now is a great time to try and get DSJ on your roster. His value is trending up in a hurry and will likely never be lower this season than it is right now.
Dejounte Murray (PG – SA)
Let’s just stay right here in the state of Texas, shall we? Remember how I said earlier that Parker should probably be retired right now?
Well, the beginning of the end has started for him as he’s now a reserve player and Dejounte Murray has stepped into the driver’s seat of this San Antonio offense. In two games since becoming the starter, Murray is averaging 13.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 5.0 steals.
You can expect Murray to be a big part of the Spurs’ offense moving forward, especially with Leonard out. Take a look at the Spurs current starting lineup. Outside of Aldridge, there aren’t many good scoring options, which opens a massive opportunity for Murray to step up as a scorer down the stretch this season. If Murray is still sitting on your waiver wire right now, change that.
Players to Sell
Kawhi Leonard (SF – SA)
It’s just been one thing after another for Leonard this season. Injuries to his quadriceps and shoulder have limited Leonard to only nine games so far this season, and he doesn’t appear to be ready to return to the court anytime soon.
After experiencing more pain in his right quadriceps, Leonard was hit with the vaunted “out indefinitely” tag. Remember, this is the same guy that missed a month and a half when he was just “day to day” to start the season.
If you’re sitting there with Leonard stuck on your IL or bench, you’re probably wondering what to do with him. I mean, when healthy he’s a top-10 fantasy asset and one of the most reliable options out there.
He’s too good to just outright cut him at this point, so the trade market seems to be the best route to go right now. Unfortunately, dealing Leonard means getting only 80 cents on the dollar, which isn’t ideal, but at this point, a move needs to be made.
Rajon Rondo (PG – NO)
Owning Rajon Rondo is like spending $20 at Taco Bell. It sounds like a good thing when you do it, but you know you’re going to become close friends with the porcelain throne in the not so distant future. Trust me, I should know.
As a lifelong Celtics fan, I sat front row for the Rondo show for eight and a half seasons. It wasn’t always bad though. Rondo had his moments when he looked like the best passer the NBA has seen since John Stockton.
To this day, he still flashes those quick glimpses now and then, which is probably why we all get sucked into his web every season and can’t seem to get ourselves unstuck from the web when it’s time to get rid of him. Now is that time, my friends. The Rondo rollercoaster always comes back down.
Rondo is one of those “I’ll try when I feel like it” players, and lately he hasn’t felt like it at all, leading coach Alvin Gentry to openly criticize Rondo’s defense and overall effort. His minutes and production are both trending down right now, so get off the Rondo train before it derails.
There’s always one owner in every league looking for assists. It wouldn’t hurt to seek that owner out and try to get any value you can get for Rondo at this point.
Eric Cross is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Eric, check out his archive and follow him on Twitter @EricCross04.
