Welcome to the first edition of Dr. A's Fantasy Basketball Mailbag at RotoWire!
My hope is to have a mailbag column every Tuesday, but this week's question list is fairly limited. In any case, let's dive into some fantasy hoops questions!
Who would you rather roster the rest of the way in 9cat, H2H: Kevin Durant or Tyrese Haliburton? - Geeeeee$$$$ (@G_M_1971)
Answer: According to RotoWire's player value page as of Tuesday night, Durant is sitting at No. 2 in 9-cat rankings, while Haliburton is just behind him at No. 8. I was very high on Haliburton coming into the season and Durant pretty much scares the heck out of me. But the bottom line is that KD is still one of the best players in the world, Kyrie Irving seems motivated and engaged this season and the Nets are the No. 4 seed in the East.
Meanwhile, the Pacers are a No. 9 seed, still rumored to be moving Myles Turner and could easily end up tanking once the wheels come off. The Nets aren't tanking either way this season and while the Pacers have probably already lost a shot at Victor Wembanyama, you never know. But even if neither team tanks, you simply can't argue picking Haliburton over Durant. And I won't try to.
Short list of guys who you think could break out/get value bumps in 2023? - NeK (@NickEKroll)
Answer: These questions are always tough because it's not easy to predict the future. But what I do know is the Thunder have shut guys down for three straight seasons and with Wembanyama on the line, it seems like a certainty to happen again. That means guys like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Josh Giddey, Luguentz Dort, Darius Bazley and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl are all shutdown candidates. And I'm afraid it's going to happen sooner than later, as we've already seen most of these guys missing games this season (and lately).
I think my favorite Thunder late breakout candidate is guard Jalen Williams, while Isaiah Joe, Aaron Wiggins, Aleksej Pokusevski, Tre Mann, Jaylin Williams and Eugene Omoruyi are all likely to make noise before this season is over. As for my main man Poku, I'm slightly worried that he's got enough time under his belt that they shut him down too, but I'll believe it when I see it.
Here's a list of some players on bad teams who could show out after the new year. Sorry, this list is anything but short:
Eastern Conference
Hornets: Theo Maledon, James Bouknight, Mark Williams
Pistons: Jalen Duren, Hamidou Diallo, Kevin Knox
Wizards: Jordan Goodwin, Corey Kispert, Daniel Gafford
Bulls: Patrick Williams, Ayo Dosunmu, Coby White, Marko Simonovic
Western Conference
Rockets: Tari Eason, Josh Christopher
Spurs: Keita Bates-Diop, Romeo Langford, Jeremy Sochan, Charles Bassey
Lakers: Austin Reaves, Troy Brown Jr., Wenyen Gabriel, Kendrick Nunn
Warriors: Jonathan Kuminga, James Wiseman, Moses Moody, Anthony Lamb, Ty Jerome
Best bet for more defensive stats: Jalen Duren or Thomas Bryant? - Looselips67 (@Looselips671)
Answer: Both guys are already playing solid minutes and Duren is averaging 0.6 steals, 0.8 blocks and 8.0 rebounds. Bryant is averaging 0.3 steals, 0.6 blocks and 4.6 rebounds. I think Bryant is one of the best pickups in fantasy right now with Anthony Davis out indefinitely but when It comes to defensive stats and opportunity for the tanking Pistons, Duren is the way to go here. The sky is the limit if the Pistons start shutting guys down.
What's your take on the Hawks rest-of-season? Expectations for Bogdan Bogdanovic? - Ken "K-Train" Crites (@KenCrites)
Answer: The Hawks are a bit of a mess. I'm not sure any of them enjoy playing for Nate McMillan and he and Trae Young are clearly not seeing eye-to-eye. Trae's shooting has been a mess this season and he's still trying to figure out how to effectively co-exist with Dejounte Murray. Bogi has only played in eight games but he's averaging a career-high 18.1 points, a career-high 4.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 0.6 steals and a career-high 3.9 3-pointers.
It looks like the Hawks are going to be fighting for a playoff spot until the end and Bogi is going to play a big role for the team whether he's starting or coming off the bench. His health will be the biggest thing standing in his way, along with finding enough minutes with Murray around. But so far it hasn't been an issue (29.3 minutes per game) and the Hawks are going to need him to produce if they're going to climb in the standings. Now seems like a great time to try to get your hands on Bogdanovic.
How much do we buy low on Khris Middleton right now? Do you think a Klay Thompson or Zach LaVine swap is good? 9-cat, H2G, 16 teams - MJ (@mangmyk)
Answer: With the breaking news that Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan don't enjoy playing together and are having trouble co-existing, now seems like an optimal time to try to move LaVine for Middleton. Yes, I'm worried about his health, but he's a proven commodity and the Bucks need him if they're going to win the East (and a championship). The Warriors don't look great and are also going to struggle to make the playoffs. And given Klay's health concerns, he might be an even better swap for Middleton.
The bottom line is I think I'd rather have Middleton playing until the end for a good team than dealing with the LaVine drama or the Warriors' struggles with a fragile Thompson. But there is risk involved, as Middleton is also a pretty fragile player these days.
Hey Dr. A.! What do you think of Cameron Johnson or Jonathan Isaac as a pick-up in 9-cat, 12-team H2H? I'm currently in 4th place, 2 games out of 1st, and have Desmond Bane sitting out. - Parker (@Parkdiggitydoog)
Answer: I'm a pretty big fan of Johnson and I honestly can't even remember what Isaac looks like. Johnson likely won't be back until early-to-mid January, but that's not too far away. And the Suns could really use him despite the sometimes strong play of Torrey Craig.
Isaac (left knee) still doesn't even have a timetable for his return, and while I'm still intrigued by his potential, the Magic are loaded at his spot and don't need him to play big minutes if he ever does return. I think stashing Johnson is the way to go here.
Would you grab Jalen Duren or Onyeka Okongwu and drop Larry Nance for either one? - The Fantasy Punisher @Fant_Punisher
Answer: I'm fairly intrigued by Duren, and Okongwu should be solid for as long as Clint Capela is out with his right calf strain. Nance (DTD, Achilles) had a nice late run recently and is also a decent fill-in, but here's how I'd rank these three as of right now:
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