While most of the sporting nation was caught up in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game (congrats to Ohio State), the Utah Jazz appeared to be headed toward a surprisingly easy win over the Pelicans. Will Hardy’s team led by as much as 25 and took a 20-point edge into the halftime break. Then, a switch was flipped. Whether it was New Orleans deciding that it wanted to compete or Utah taking its tank to another level, the result was a 123-119 Pelicans victory.
Utah leading by as much as it did with multiple starters (Lauri Markkanen, John Collins, and Collin Sexton) out of the lineup was a shock, and some of the low-rostered players who saw action played exceptionally well. Rookie PG/SG Isaiah Collier (19% rostered, Yahoo) hit double figures in assists for the third straight game, finishing with 20 points, three rebounds, 11 assists, one steal, and one 3-pointer. Fellow rookie PF/C Kyle Filipowski (2%) grabbed a career-high 17 rebounds while also tallying 10 points, one assist, and one 3-pointer in 38 minutes off the bench. Last but not least was SG/SF Svi Mykhailiuk (1%), who hit four 3-pointers and finished with 19 points, four rebounds, and two blocked shots in 26 minutes.
Regarding the “silly season,” Collier and Filipowski are the ones to target (along with Brice Sensabaugh) as Jazz draft picks. And with Utah now dead last in the Western Conference with a 10-31 record (and third-worst win percentage in the NBA), guys like Markkanen, Collins, and Sexton are likely to get a lot more “rest,” even if they don’t necessarily need it.
Let’s look at a few more of Monday’s top pickups:
SF/PF De’Andre Hunter (44%), Atlanta Hawks
Hunter has been one of the NBA’s best sixth men this season, and he had a good afternoon in the Hawks’ loss to the Knicks. Shooting 7-of-14 from the field and 4-of-6 from the foul line, he tallied 22 points and four 3-pointers in 30 minutes. Despite those limitations, the production outside of points and 3-pointers wasn’t good (one assist and one blocked shot), but Hunter has provided top-100 value in 9-cat formats. He may be undervalued in some standard leagues, primarily when he has scored 20 points or more in 17 of his 29 appearances.
SG/SF Malik Beasley (37%), Detroit Pistons
Beasley can be a bit of a wild card offensively, as evidenced by his 1-of-10 effort in Detroit’s January 16 loss to Indiana. However, since the Pistons lost Jaden Ivey to a fractured fibula on New Year’s Day, Beasley has averaged 15.8 points, 3.2 3-pointers, and 1.4 steals in 28.7 minutes per game. The percentages (41.5% FG, 63.6% FT) haven’t been the best, but the opportunities are there for him to provide value. Beasley played 30 minutes off the bench in Monday’s win over Houston, contributing 17 points (5-of-12 FGs, 4-of-4 FTS), one assist, two steals, and three 3-pointers. Essentially a three-category specialist, he’s worth a look from category managers seeking points, 3-pointers, or steals.
SF/PF Jaden McDaniels (34%), Minnesota Timberwolves
If the Timberwolves had a more offensively-inclined center than Rudy Gobert, McDaniels would be the unquestioned fifth option in that starting lineup. He has to provide value in areas other than scoring, and that’s what McDaniels has done recently. Over the past two weeks, he has provided 6th-round value in 9-cat formats, four rounds higher than his season-long production. McDaniels finished Monday’s two-point loss to Memphis with 11 points, 12 rebounds, one assist, two steals, two blocks, and one 3-pointer in 42 minutes. Counting Monday, the Timberwolves forward has accounted for at least four defensive contributions (steals and blocks) in four of his last six outings.
PG/SG Nick Smith Jr. (6%), Charlotte Hornets
With Brandon Miller out indefinitely with a right wrist injury, Smith has started the Hornets’ last two games. A double-digit scorer in both, he finished Monday’s win over Dallas with 19 points, three rebounds, one assist, one steal, and five 3-pointers in 30 minutes. Smith is 8-of-15 from three in his two starts, and the playing time has backed up the idea that this is his opportunity to show what he can do. While the Hornets have won three straight, they still have a lot of work to do to get into the play-in conversation. That bodes well for Smith regarding his playing time in the near future.
Read the full article here
