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With the Orlando Magic entering fully-blown tank mode, young big man Kyle O’Quinn is starting to show that he has quite a lot to offer.
In today’s edition of “All Wired Up”, I’ll delve into the fantasy strengths of potential waiver wire gold like O’Quinn and the Atlanta Hawks’ Elton Brand.
» Kyle O’Quinn, PF, Orlando Magic (0.1 percent owned on ESPN.com)
10 points (4-6 FG, 2-2 FT), 0 three-pointers, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 0 steals, 1 block, 0 turnovers vs Wizards.
Let’s get this out of the way early. Kyle O’Quinn is not a pale Irishman from the docks in Boston. He’s a mean, backup center for the Orlando Magic who is really showing the NBA world that he belongs in this league.
He’s clearly the backup to Nikola Vucevic, but with Glen Davis now plying his trade in Los Angeles, O’Quinn is number one big man option on the pine for Orlando.
The limited minutes haven’t really hurt his production all that much, though. In the past two weeks of action, O’Quinn has delivered 6.7 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.2 blocks per game, all of which comes in only 19.1 minutes. Those numbers have him ranked 107th on Basketball Monster.com for that time frame, which plants him clearly in the standard league range.
If we look at his per-36 numbers, they are even more impressive. If he were to get starter’s minutes, the stats project to 11.5 points, 11.2 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.0 blocks with 54.3 percent shooting from the field. Obviously he’s not going to start unless a injury befalls Vucevic or Tobias Harris, but it’s not like Vucevic has been a beacon of health throughout his career.
In the scenario that O’Quinn does get some starts, he is a definite must-own in all formats, but for now, if you’re looking for rebounds, blocks, great field goal percentage and some handy big man assist numbers, O’Quinn could be a guy to consider for your fantasy squad.
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Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports
»Elton Brand, PF/C, Atlanta Hawks (0.6 percent owned)
7 points (3-5 FG, 1-1 FT), 0 three-pointers, 13 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks, 3 turnovers vs Bulls.
If my research is correct, Brand is one of only two first overall picks from the 1990’s that is still playing in the NBA. The other is Tim Duncan. That says a lot about what a remarkable effort it is from Brand to still be hanging around in this league and contributing at a decent level.
Before the injury to Gustavo Ayon, Brand was playing around 20 minutes off the bench and putting up some pretty valuable numbers in the blocks and rebounds categories. But since Ayon went out, the Hawks have had to rely on the old man from Duke as their starting center, and he hasn’t let them down.
In those four games, Brand has averaged 8.8 points, 9.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks, which leaves him at number 67 on Basketball Monster.com’s rankings. He’s also playing the bulk of the minutes, averaging 36.6 minutes of court time in that stretch.
The Hawks’ big men are due to return soon. Pero Antic is still listed as out indefinitely, but should return within a couple of weeks. Paul Millsap has missed the Hawks’ last two contests and will also sit out on Wednesday. He should be right to go after that, but that is yet to be confirmed. Ayon is a chance to play on Wednesday, but Brand’s form has been far superior to what he has given so far. It wouldn’t be surprising if the Hawks’ started Ayon, but still gave Brand 30 minutes off the bench.
I’ve recommended Brand as a spot start guy for blocks quite often, regardless of his role, but while he’s getting starter’s minutes, he’s a great daily fantasy play as well as a nice short-term stop-gap for seasonal leagues.