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Welcome to Rotation Watch, Rotoballers! Each week, this article will highlight the players that are gaining minutes in their team's rotation. Fantasy managers want to roster the players that are accumulating stats and racking up the playing time. They want to avoid the players falling out of favor and watching the action from the sidelines.
Last week was pretty wild, even for the NBA's high standards. The league postponed 11 games because of COVID-19 concerns, James Harden got his wish to reunite with Kevin Durant in a four-team trade to Brooklyn, and then there were also the games themselves. Don't say this league doesn't keep you on your toes. Still, the trades and injuries have opened up various amounts of playing time across the 30 teams and a chance for fantasy basketball managers to add new faces to their roster.
So without further ado, let's start searching those box scores from Jan. 11 to Jan. 17 and look for those hidden gems that grabbed the minutes to help your fantasy basketball team achieve the ultimate prize: a championship. These suggestions are the cream of the crop, and if you ever need an extra slice of advice, feel free to reach out to me on Twitter @EuanOrYouOut, and I'll happily talk about some fantasy basketball with everyone.
Editor's Note: Our incredible team of writers received five total writing awards and 13 award nominations by the Fantasy Sports Writers Association, tops in the industry! Congrats to all the award winners and nominees including NBA Writer of the Year, Best NFL Series, MLB Series, PGA Writer and Player Notes writer of the year. Be sure to follow their analysis, rankings and advice all year long, and win big with RotoBaller! Read More!
NBA Playing Time Changes
Immanuel Quickley - PG, New York Knicks
Season: 17.9 Minutes per Game
Week 4: 25.0 Minutes per Game
Quickley didn't top 19 minutes in the first 10 games of the season, but that all changed in Week 4. The rookie played at least 21 minutes in all four games and is QUICKLY (I couldn't resist) becoming the point guard to add in the Big Apple. Quickley averaged 15.5 points, 4.5 assists, and 2.0 three-pointers over those four contests while making 85.7 percent of his free throw attempts. New York remains banged up in their backcourt, but Tom Thibodeaux won't let the rookie shine without a fight. The former-Chicago and Minnesota Head Coach gave Elfrid Payton another 33 minutes in Monday's contest against the Orlando Magic while Quickley only logged 15. Still, fantasy basketball managers should take a flier on the SEC Player of the Year. It's only a matter of time before he forces Thibodeaux's hand and his roster percentage shoots up from the 42 percent it sits at this week.
Gary Trent Jr. - SG/SF, Portland Trail Blazers
Season: 24.3 Minutes per Game
Week 4: 26.1 Minutes per Game
Gary Trent appeared in this article a couple of times last season but made a name for himself during the NBA Bubble. Now, C.J. McCollum (foot) will be out for at least a month and Jusuf Nurkic (wrist) even longer. That opens up 28.6 field-goal attempts per game for someone on the Portland Trail Blazers to shoot. Why not Trent? He is averaging career-highs in points, rebounds, assists, and three-pointers made this season and is also draining three-pointers at a career-high 42.2 percent. Trent proved what he could do this past summer in the bubble (4.3 3PM per game), and if he keeps making plays like this, he's a shoo-in for more minutes.
Gary Trent Jr.'s hounding defense gets rewarded with an easy dunk.#RipCity
Stream: https://t.co/Qw6YqQ11wx pic.twitter.com/gIpk4wrqCU
— NBC Sports Northwest (@NBCSNorthwest) January 14, 2021
Doug McDermott - SF/PF, Indiana Pacers
Season: 24.3 Minutes per Game
Week 4: 26.2 Minutes per Game
Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No! It's Dougie McBuckets coming to save your fantasy basketball team with a Kryp-ton of points and threes. With Victor Oladipo traded to the Rockets and Caris Levert out for the foreseeable future, there are suddenly more shots to take in the Indiana offense. McDermott averaged 11.0 points, and 1.7 made threes on 8.4 field-goal attempts in his first nine games but ramped up the workload in Week 4. In his four games, the 29-year old saw his averages rise to 16.3 points, 2.5 three-pointers, and 10.3 shots per game. He scored 16 points in three of the four contests, and fantasy managers have a great chance to grab him off the waiver wire before the rest of their league notices this opportunity.
Jeff Green - SF/PF/C, Brooklyn Nets
Season: 22.5 Minutes per Game
Week 4: 28.8 Minutes per Game
No Jarrett Allen anymore means that there is some considerable playing time available in Brooklyn's frontcourt. Jeff Green is a candidate to fill those shoes moving forward. I am not a believer in DeAndre Jordan, no matter how close he is to Durant and Kyrie Irving. Maybe he continues to get a frustrating amount of minutes, but Green has started each of Brooklyn's last eight games. The counting stats aren't there yet, but in Week 4, the journeyman shot 64.7 percent from the floor and 66.7 percent from three. The triple eligibility is another thing going in Green's favor. His versatility, opportunity, and positive ratios make him an intriguing add in 14-team leagues going forward.
Isaiah Roby - PF/C, Oklahoma City Thunder
Season: 17.4 Minutes per Game
Week 4: 21.1 Minutes per Game
Al Horford (personal) has recently been in and out of the Thunder lineup, and Isaiah Roby is taking advantage of the veteran's absence from the starting five. The former-Nebraska forward started two of three games in Week 4 (he also started last night's game versus Denver) and recorded some useful fantasy performances. For the week, the second-year big man tallied 9.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and made 50.0 percent of his shot attempts. Horford will return sooner rather than later, but Roby's impressive stand-in act should earn him more minutes than the 17.4 per game he played before this recent form.
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