Mar 7, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; Los Angeles Lakers head coach Mike D
The Los Angeles Lakers are one NBA team who will be giving their young players some extra run as they evaluate their roster for next season, making them worth keeping an eye on in the fantasy basketball playoffs.
The once formidable Lakers are a Western Conference-worst 22-42 and they have just five players under contract for next season. That could even be dwindled down to three if Nick Young opts out (which he’s expected to do) and if Steve Nash is cut using the stretch provision.
If both those scenarios were to come to fruition, Kobe Bryant, Robert Sacre, and Kendall Marshall would be the only players with guaranteed contracts.
During either this summer or the next, the Lakers plan to use their $35 million in cap space to acquire some big free agents for a title run.
That doesn’t mean that the team won’t continue to showcase it’s other players, though. After all, you can’t fill out a roster with just a “Big Three”. There are some guys on the team now who could be vital role players over the next few seasons and the Lakers will want to see what they’ve got.
Because of the opportunity they’ll be given, fantasy owners should be heading to their their league’s waiver wire to add the following Lakers…
Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports
» Kent Bazemore, SG/SF (31.1 percent owned on ESPN.com):
Since being traded from the Golden State Warriors as part of the Steve Blake deal, Kent Bazemore (31.1 percent owned on ESPN.com) has turned the fantasy world upside down.
He is averaging 14.6 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.9 3-pointers in 10 games with his new club, eight of which were starts.
After racking up 32.7 minutes per game in first eight appearances as as Laker, he played just 18.5 minutes over his last two contests, causing many owners to drop him.
That should be your cue to pick him up if you’re in one of those leagues in which he was jettisoned. Lakers’ coach Mike D’Antoni is very fickle when it comes to his lineups, and Bazemore’s lack of court time should just be a minor speed bump for the 24-year-old.
With 18 games left in the season, Kent Bazemore could be a real asset to fantasy teams.
Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
» Kendall Marshall, PG (65.5 percent owned on ESPN.com):
Did you know Kendall Marshall’s 9.5 assists per game ranks second in the NBA, trailing only Chris Paul of the crosstown Los Angeles Clippers?
It’s true.
Marshall rose up the ranks thanks in part to a fantastic month of January in which he scored 11.9 points and handed out 11.5 assists.
Times have changed, though, and Marshall has been on a rather dubious run of late, but that doesn’t mean he can’t still be valuable to your team.
Over his last seven games, the second-year pro has dished out 70 assists, but has only scored 22 total points during that span. Sure, it’s easy to discount his value when you look at the four goose eggs he’s put up in the scoring column during that streak, but you simply can’t ignore his 10.0 assists per game.
Marshall is not the most gifted of basketball players, but he has a knack for finding the open man and as noted before, is one of the few players under contract for next season (and for only $915,243). The Lakers would be doing themselves a disservice not to play him big minutes down the stretch.
Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
» Jordan Farmar, PG (29.3 percent owned on ESPN.com):
I’ll admit it — I’m not a big Jordan Farmar fan.
Don’t get me wrong, I like the guy — in fact he played high school ball locally — I just don’t like him from a basketball perspective.
He plays at a frenetic pace, taking jumpers and 3-pointers without even setting up the offense.
He’s not Brandon Jennings-like by any means, but that kind of play doesn’t set your team up for good ball movement.
Of course, as fantasy owners, you shouldn’t be concerned about that. It’s that very style of play that has made him relevant over the past two weeks or so.
Farmar is averaging 16.4 points, 4.9 assists, 1.3 steals, and 3.3 triples per game in his last seven contests. Those numbers are good enough to make him the 42nd-ranked player on Basketball Monster.com over the past 14 days.
His numbers in that span are a bit bloated due to his high-volume of 3-point baskets, which have accounted for 60 percent of his scoring, but as the the wise men say, “Ya can’t fix what’s not broke.”
There’s definitely a ceiling with him because he and Kendall Marshall are virtually splitting the Lakers’ point-guard duties down the middle, but with just a few weeks left in the season, fantasy owners shouldn’t be waiting any longer to get on the Jordan Farmar Express.