Fantasy Basketball: Pick Up Ish Smith If You Need Assists
By Mike Marteny
Who can help you on the waiver wire if you need assists?
Here we are, almost at another NBA All Star break. We here at Fantasy CPR mostly cater to you daily players, but we also realize that many of you still play season-long leagues. And yes, some of you even play – gasp! – category leagues. Yes! I know you are out there!
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Whether you play in a head-to-head weekly category league or a traditional roto league, there is at least one category that you are always losing, or one that you can gain a few points in between now and the end of the season.
You weekly people need to shore up those sore spots to make sure you don’t get bounced in the playoffs. Who are the one-category wonders that are lurking on waiver wires? I can help you find them.
Picking up a guard who rebounds well can be the difference between you going home in March and you making your league finals! We will take a look at who can help at all positions. I will be taking a look at how a player has done over the last 30 days. That encompasses a sample size that it not too large or too small.
Whether you play in a big or a small league, here are the players that can help in assists.
Next: Who Can At Point Guard?
Point Guards:
Shallow Leagues (20-50% available):
Ish Smith, 76ers: Smith has taken the starting PG job and ran with it in Philly. He is not only a good rebounder, but he has proven that he can help wish assists as well. Smith is averaging 8 assists per game over the last month. His shooting percentages could hurt you some. Just make sure you can take the hit there before adding him.
Emmanuel Mudiay, Nuggets: The rookie has seen more court time lately with Jameer Nelson having trouble staying on the hardwood. Mudiay has averaged 6.1 assists per game over the last month, but that is about all he will do for you. His foul shooting and turnovers could have him doing more harm than good. Make sure your team can take the hit in those areas.
Medium Leagues (51-84% available):
Norris Cole, Pelicans: With Tyreke Evans possibly out for the year, Cole would be a good pickup anyway. But even with Evans in the fold, Cole was averaging 49 assists per game over the last month anyway. Expect that number to increase along with his minutes.
Dennis Schroder, Hawks: Schroder has averaged 4.4 assists per game this last month while seeing less than 20 minutes per game on average. He has also proven to be a prolific scorer and good shooter. Trade rumors are swirling, and if Schroder winds up starting somewhere, he will have a big impact on your fantasy squad. He is worth a pre-emptive add if you have room, even if he doesn’t become a starter.
Deep Leagues (85% available or more):
Donald Sloan, Nets: Sloan is still splitting time about evenly with Shane Larkin, and the team is reportedly on the lookout for a new PG via trade, but if that doesn’t happen, Sloan is a good pick up. He is solid across the board, and shoots an impressive 46% from beyond the arc over the last month. Sloan is a sneaky pick up if you need help in any of the counting stats, including his 5.1 assists per game over the last month.
Mario Chalmers, Grizzlies: Chalmers has seen a good run lately as the backup at both guard positions for the Grizzlies. He has averaged five assists per game over the last month, and all of his shooting percentages can help your team. He is a sneaky add when he is playing like this.
Next: Who Can Rebound At SG?
Shooting Guards:
Shallow Leagues (20-50% available):
Evan Turner, Celtics: Turner is averaging 4.7 rebounds per game on the season, and frequently gets more than five assists per game. He isn’t much of a scorer, but he will help you everywhere else in category leagues. Except for three point shooting. Turner is near 50% from the floor and 90% from the stripe, but he is around 10% from long range over the last month. The good part is that he doesn’t shoot enough deep shots to really hurt your percentage.
Joe Johnson, Nets: Johnson has averaged 5.1 assists per game over the last month. He is also a huge boost to every shooting percentage. If you need assists and your percentages are struggling, there is no better add that Johnson.
Medium Leagues (51-84% available):
Archie Goodwin, Suns: The injury to Eric Bledsoe has opened up all sorts of playing time for Goodwin. Goodwin is more of a scorer, but he still puts up nearly 4 assists per game. He wont hurt your percentages either, which is important when picking up a score-first player.
Andre Iguodala, Warriors: The return of Harrison Barnes has cut into Iguodala’s minutes a little, but he is still a good rebounder and good passer. Iguodala will help you nearly everywhere, including shooting percentages.
Deep Leagues (85% available or more):
Matthew Dellavedova, Cavaliers: When healthy, Dellavedova is still the primary backup to Kyrie Irving. His 4.3 assists per game over the last month will help, and his percentages wont hurt you.
Raymond Felton, Mavericks: Felton has averaged as many rebounds as assists (3.1) over the last month. The only place where Felton may hurt you is from beyond the arc. That is the only place that his numbers are lacking.
Most available big men don’t pass very often. Due to that, there is no reason to itemize them. Only the Morris Twins (3.4 per game) and P.J. Tucker(3.1 per game) average more than three assists per contest. If you are that desperate, just consider adding another guard.
Next: Who Can Help Your Rebounding Totals?
Stay tuned for other roto stats breakdowns over the NBA All Star Break!