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We’re all aware of the “Big Three” in Miami, but Mario Chalmers is the plus-one on South Beach for fantasy owners.
In today’s edition of “All Wired Up”, I’ll delve into the fantasy strengths of potential waiver wire gold like Chalmers and the Milwaukee Bucks’ Nate Wolters.
»Mario Chalmers, PG, Miami Heat (42.4 percent owned on ESPN.com)
12 points (3-7 FG, 4-4 FT), 2 three-pointers, 1 rebound, 7 assist, 2 steals, 0 blocks, 3 turnovers vs Warriors.
LeBron James picks on Mario Chalmers. Dwyane Wade picks on Mario Chalmers. Chris Bosh picks on Mario Chalmers. Even President Obama picks on Mario Chalmers.
And now, in a weird way, fantasy owners are picking on Mario Chalmers. Not by yelling at him or making jokes at his expense, but by the mere fact that they aren’t owning him in their leagues. One of the arguments I hear made about George Hill‘s fantasy relevance in Indiana, is that he is the starting point guard on a great team, he must be a top 60 player.
Well what about Chalmers? He’s the unquestioned starting point guard for the back-to-back champions, the clear fourth option as opposed to Hill being the fifth and a defensive dynamo.
Yet Hill is owned in 92.9 percent of ESPN leagues, compared with Chalmers’ 42.4 percent. That’s just not right, especially when Hill is ranked 77 on Basketball Monster.com and Chalmers sits at 87. Let’s have a look at their stats over the course of the season.
George Hill – 11.1 points, 1.4 three-pointers, 3.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.0 steals, 45.1 FG%, 83.3 FT%, 1.3 turnovers
Mario Chalmers – 9.7 points, 1.2 three-pointers, 2.6 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.7 steals, 46.3 FG%, 76.4 FT%, 2.3 turnovers
There’s not a lot of difference. Hill scores a bit more, shoots his free throws better and turns it over less, while Chalmers has more dimes, steals and a better field goal percentage. Pretty much a wash.
In the last four games, Chalmers has reached double digit points in all contests as well as dishing out seven assists twice. Importantly, he’s nabbed two steals in three of those four tilts.
I’m not highlighting these numbers to bash Hill, but more to point out how good Chalmers has been this season. The fact that he is owned in less than half of leagues needs to be corrected and you’d be wise to put him onto your roster.
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»Nate Wolters, PG, Milwaukee Bucks (0.6 percent owned):
14 points (6-11 FG, 0-0 FT), 2 three-pointers, 6 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 1 turnover vs Pelicans
When I started writing this piece, I didn’t intend for it to become a soliloquy on underowned, underrated point guards, but that’s exactly where we seem to be.
Second-round rookie, Nate Wolters, has been a genuine surprise this season. With the Bucks acquiring point guards Brandan Knight and Luke Ridnour in the off-season, as well as O.J. Mayo to play the off-guard spot, even the most ardent Jackrabbit fan would’ve had a hard time mounting a case for Wolters to play significant minutes.
That, however, is exactly what’s happening. Mayo has been struck down with something akin to the Bubonic Plague and Ridnour has been in and out of the lineup with injuries. This has allowed Wolters to start 14 of the 41 games in which he’s played this season.
In his last three games (all starts), Wolters has averaged 13.3 points, 1.3 three-pointers, 6.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.0 blocks per game. Those stats rank Wolters 42nd on Basketball Monster.com, which is fantastic production.
The general caveat for all Bucks’ players applies here though. They are a terrible team and Larry Drew, I hate to say it, is not a great coach. You cannot rely on his rotations for the long term, but for the short term, while Wolters is in the starting five and playing over 30 minutes, you need to add him in pretty much all leagues.