Fantasy Basketball: Is Tim Hardaway Jr. Worth A Pick Up?

The New York Knicks have had a miserable season so far, and with a Carmelo Anthony shutdown looming, we are left wondering who is going to bring the mail for the Knicks. The person who would seem to benefit the most would be Tim Hardaway Jr. as he should be the most capable scorer left. The Knicks have already made some unlikely fantasy standouts such as Langston Galloway and even Cole Aldrich to a degree.

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So far Hardaway Jr. has been very inconsistent and yet to poise himself for a breakout. When Anthony does shut it down as some have presumed to be after the All-Star break, Hardaway Jr. could be forced into more consistent minutes, which could possibly lead to more consistent production. Sometimes in the NBA we have seen when guys are scared of having their role reduced, it creates timid play which leads to sparse production.

Over the last 15 days, Hardaway Jr. is averaging 23 minutes a game which has allowed him to produce 13.6 points, 2.1 assists, 3.2 rebounds, .6 blocks and 2.4 threes a game. According to BasketballReference.com Hardaway Jr.’s numbers on a per 36 minute basis should translate out to 17.7 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.4 threes a game. Based on those numbers they are similar to his output over the last 2 weeks of this season so that shows us that he is beginning to ramp up his production and should exceed those numbers given a larger role.

If you have followed us here for any length of time, you have already traded Melo away, but if you have not, the second best plan at this point will be to add Hardaway Jr. and begin to shop Carmelo before the talk of shutting him down begins to ramp up again. The only way I would want Anthony on my team is if I was already out of contention for this season, and that is even a stretch.

Hardaway Jr. is also a perfect target in a dynasty league and with his low ownership (15.7% ESPN.com), it is worth checking to see if he is available. If he is and you own Anthony, then you need to stop reading this article and add him ASAP. We have to hope that he has enough of his father’s (Tim Hardaway Sr.) blood in him that he has some star power. In case you aren’t very old or are new to basketball, let me remind you of his dad.

Tim Hardaway was known as Mr. Crossover and called his move the killer crossover and it was pretty killer.

But this isn’t about Senior, it is about Junior.

I believe, that this kid, much like his father has skills too. If given the consistent minutes and opportunity, I think he is going to display that. So check your league, and if he is on your waiver wire, go ahead and pluck him and just have a little patience. If you are like me, patience is hard and waiting on players to break out can seem like forever, but the reward should be nice with Tim Hardaway Jr.

Next: Is Jordan Clarkson Worth A Pick Up?

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