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Welcome back to our advanced stat sleepers column here at RotoBaller!
Every week, I'll scour various sites for advanced stats, tracking data, play type data, and whatever else I can find to help you identify some potential fantasy sleepers moving forward. Maybe we find that a player is collecting a lot of potential assists but they aren't turning into actual assists just yet. Maybe we see that a player has a high usage rate when he shares the floor with certain players and because of an injury, that player will be doing so more. Maybe we can identify a player who'll be really useful in a couple of weeks by noticing a trend early.
So, let's get going. Here are some interesting things I discovered this week while diving into some of my favorite data sites.
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Lauri Markkanen's Catch-and-Shoot Scoring
Over the past five games, Markkanen is tied with Buddy Hield in points scored per game off the catch-and-shoot.
It seems like we're finally starting to see the version of Markkanen that we hoped we'd see when the Bulls drafted him. His catch-and-shoot numbers have helped him average 20 points and 5.6 rebounds per game over his past five outings, on a 54.3/39.5/81.8 shooting split.
He's taken 7.9 threes per game in that time, with 6.4 of those coming off the C&S, per Second Spectrum. This is the kind of usage that portends good things for a player. The Bulls have been using their bigs in some interesting ways, which has Markkanen being an ascending fantasy play right now.
In general, the Bulls have been doing some good stuff when it comes to fantasy, even if real life results aren't coming. With Wendell Carter Jr. still out for a bit, the Markkanen/Thaddeus Young frontcourt has been surprisingly good. Young should also be rostered pretty much everywhere, even if Markkanen has the higher ceiling because he's got the three-point edge.
Devonte' Graham Is Making Passes
Devonte' Graham is eighth in the NBA this season in passes made per game, and over his last four games he's up to fifth. A potential groin injury on Friday could put a damper on things, but there's also the possibility that a healthy Graham is about to hit a hot streak.
Why? Because the Hornets started a lineup with three point guards on Friday, with Graham joined by LaMelo Ball and Terry Rozier. If Charlotte goes with that grouping more often and with Graham continuing to serve as the primary passer in that group, we should see the Hornets start to push the pace more and more. That will open up even more assist opportunities for Graham.
Because look, the fact that Graham is so high in passes while averaging just 6.1 assists feels like a bit of an anomaly. Not counting bigs, guards who are close to Graham in passes made per game seem to be closer to seven assists per contest or more. I think we're going to see Graham's assist numbers edge up soon. (As long as he's healthy.)
(And if Graham does miss time, Ball should end up with the ball in his hands more, with Rozier off the ball. Ball staying in the starting lineup when Rozier returned means that the Hornets seem like they really want to get Ball more involved.)
Malcolm Brogdon's Getting Open Shots
In his last four games, Pacers guard Malcolm Brogdon averages more field goal attempts with no defender within six feet than anyone else. (Lauri Markkanen is second, by the way.)
Brogdon has shot just 34.6 percent on those attempts, making him the second-worst shooter among anyone in the last week to take at least five wide-open attempts per game. But the fact that Brogdon is getting this many open attempts implies that when luck starts to come his way, he'll start to connect more on those attempts.
Consider him someone who should start to trend up even more pretty soon based on the way that the Pacers are using him.
Brogdon is already averaging 22.4 points per game this season with 6.8 assists and 4.1 rebounds per game. People don't talk enough about just how good Brogdon has been. Because the Pacers run things through Domantas Sabonis, there's plenty of space opened up on the outside for the wings, which is a big part of why Brogdon just keeps being open.
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