Fantasy Basketball: Kobe Bryant’s New Value
As fantasy basketball owners, seeing Kobe Bryant go into facilitator-mode is rare, but not unheard of. Bryant has flipped the switch before, specifically during the Dwight Howard Era when he deemed it necessary to become the primary distributor on the club. In the real-life NBA, it’s somewhat surreal to see Bryant end with a line of 15-8-9 instead of his customary 25-5-5 offering.
For fantasy basketball owners? These rare lines are complete gold, especially in the wake of Bryant’s most inefficient season to date.
For those in category leagues, Bryant was drafted first and foremost as a scorer.
He can obviously do much more than just put points up, but his ability to accumulate piles of points made him worth the hit to the field goal percentage owners would likely take after selecting him; his absolutely terrible field goal percentage of 37.7 percent has been somewhat offset by his 23.8 points per game.
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Now? Bryant has changed his mindset, and he’s giving fantasy basketball owners more bang for their buck with his more plentiful stats across the board.
Can fantasy owners count on Kobe to keep putting up big numbers in a variety of categories? It wouldn’t be shocking to see it happen, and Bryant is definitely capable of these types of lines consistently when he goes into a game with that mindset. However, Byron Scott is already pining for his star player to shoot more which could ultimately lead to the demise of “Facilitator Kobe”.
No matter how it plays out, it would be wise for owners to field offers for Bryant while he’s offering diverse lines of this quality. There may not be a more opportune time to sell high before he goes back to chucking up shot after shot.
Three Players To Pick Up
Dion Waiters, Shooting Guard, Cleveland Cavaliers – Waiters is a nice temporary pick up in all league sizes due to the LeBron James injury. He’s still coming off the bench, but he’s the third offensive option on this team now behind Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love. When he’s on the court, he’ll keep his usage rate up, and while it won’t always lead to an explosive offensive performance, he certainly has that ability. Waiters should be a good source of points while LeBron is out, and can be on rosters in deeper leagues even when James returns to action.
Cole Aldrich, Center, New York Knicks – If Carmelo Anthony decides to shut it down for the season, the Knicks are going to become a very intriguing team from a fantasy perspective because they will have a ton of players available on the waiver wire and SOMEONE has to put up stats for this squad. While J.R. Smith, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Amar’e Stoudemire are good options for those looking for points, Aldrich provides fantasy basketball owners with perhaps the best post option on the Knicks. He’s been hot as of late, and if you need boards with supplemental offerings in other categories, Aldrich could be your guy.
Bismack Biyombo, Power Forward, Charlotte Hornets – Biyombo will presumably spend the next four weeks starting at center for the Hornets while Al Jefferson recovers from a groin injury. Biyombo is not a scorer at all, but if you are in need of rebounds and blocked shots he’s your guy. The biggest thing he’s got going for him right now is opportunity, and if he gets hot and starts to put up double-doubles he will undoubtedly become a hot commodity on the waiver wire.
Three Players To Pick Up In Deep Leagues
Dante Exum, Guard, Utah Jazz – Exum won’t fully unleash his true fantasy basketball potential for a few more years, but due to some unforeseen circumstances he may get a shot sooner rather than later to show some flashes. Starter Alec Burks is out for the season with a shoulder injury, and fellow rookie Rodney Hood is out at least a week with a foot issue. Exum is clearly embedded in the future plans of the franchise, and with the losses piling up he should get a chance for some real run.
Ronnie Price, Guard, Los Angeles Lakers – Price has been starting for awhile now for Los Angeles, and admittedly has not done anything phenomenal to instill enough confidence to recommend him for leagues of all sizes. Still, in deeper formats opportunity is huge, and Price is a starting point guard in the NBA. He’ll have nights where he handles the ball a bit more, but for the most part he’s a good add for steals, and as a bottom of the bench guy in the deeper leagues out there.
Iman Shumpert, Guard, New York Knicks – Shumpert is something of a stash pick because he’s still injured, but if you have the roster spot/IR spot it could end up being a wise investment. Like stated above, Carmelo Anthony could shut it down at any time, and with that much offense up for grabs it’s possible a healthy Shumpert could grab his fair share. If he can add in points to his different defensive offerings, we could be looking at a nice second half of the season for the Knicks guard.