Fantasy Basketball: Brandon Bass Keeping Celtics Alive

The fantasy playoffs are right around the corner, if not already beginning, in most leagues. If you’re still alive, you most likely have a pretty solid team, but in case you need some last minute players, hopefully you’ll find one here. The wire is extremely thin this week, so I would advise referencing my “previously mentioned” players more than the new ones.

*All league ownership percentages are courtesy of ESPN.com

Brandon Bass (Bos PF, 15.5% of leagues): Since the beginning of February, Bass has started all 20 of the Celtics’ games at power forward. That became even more relevant when Jared Sullinger suffered a season-ending foot injury in late February. In nine games in March, Bass is averaging a respectable 13.7 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. Granted, the rebound total is inflated following a 17-rebound game on March 8. I wouldn’t expect a huge amount of rebounds from Bass, but do expect a very consistent point total. He is efficient and is actually quite decent from the free throw line for a big man (.783 which is actually his lowest since 2006-07). Where Bass really shines is in his playing time. In March, he has played the most minutes on the team (31.3) behind Avery Bradley and Marcus Smart and nearly doubles the amount of time Jonas Jerebko, his backup, plays. What has become a good competition at center between Tyler Zeller and Kelly Olynyk is completely absent at power forward. Without Sullinger, Bass is the main guy. The Celtics are somehow still alive in the playoff race, so the season is not completely lost yet. Bass will be the anchor of the team with Isaiah Thomas out.

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Alexey Shved (NY SG, 19.4% of leagues): Shved’s value is very similar to the value I brought up last week with Andrea Bargnani. The Knicks are obviously dreadful, and they don’t really have anyone to turn to. Bargnani is still averaging slightly more points per game than Shved in March, but together, they account for about 3/8 of the team’s total scoring. Also in March, Shved leads the team in assists with 3.6. THREE POINT SIX. Additionally, he’s second in rebounding. If you need any more indication of why the Knicks are bad, let me know. But the bottom line is that Shved essentially leads the Knicks now, which makes him relevant in fantasy.

Dennis Schroder (Atl PG, 13.4% of leagues): This is more a public service announcement than an actual promotion. The Hawks are 10 games ahead of Cleveland for the first seed in the Eastern Conference and have began to periodically rest their starters. There’s no telling how often that will happen, but with that lead, it may happen a lot down the stretch. With Jeff Teague out, Schroder immediately becomes valuable. Just keep an eye on the Hawks because one game could make all the difference at the end of a playoff matchup.

Guys I’ve mentioned previously who are still worth a pickup: Nikola Mirotic (Chi PF/SF, 44.3% of leagues); Rodney Stuckey (Ind SG, 41.1% of leagues); Robin Lopez (Por C, 37.1% of leagues); Ed Davis (LAL PF/C, 18.1% of leagues); Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (Cha SF, 32.1% of leagues); Will Barton (Den SG, 6.5% of leagues)

Guys I would be comfortable dropping or trading: Josh Smith (Hou SF/PF, 73.2% of leagues); Joe Johnson (Bkn SG, 77.6% of leagues); Luol Deng (Mia SF, 66.6% of leagues); Deron Williams (Bkn PG, 73.9% of leagues)

Next: The Return Of Blake Griffin

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