RADIO
Injuries have continued to pile up over the past week. If recent injuries have taken you out of the playoff hunt, or if you have a spare roster position that’s opened up and can be devoted to future assets, this week’s article has four options for you to target with an eye towards 2021-22 and beyond.
In the coming weeks, whether injuries continue or not, we will see a lot of fresh faces take the floor for both playoff teams and bottom dwellers as teams try and see what they have on their benches.
The next few weeks will be a great opportunity for scouting some of the undiscovered talent looming across the league. Make sure to stay tuned.
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Jalen McDaniels (PF/C, CHA)
The Charlotte Hornets have been hit with a deadly injury bug in recent weeks. As a result, it’s enabled us to get a closer look at second-year power forward/center Jalen McDaniels and he’s given us a good amount to be excited about.
Over his past four games, McDaniels has played about 33 minutes per contest and has gone on to average 16.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.5 steals, 2.0 threes and 0.8 blocks per game while shooting 61.4% from the field.
Last Wednesday, against the Oklahoma City Thunder, he scored a career-high 21 points on 9-of-14 shooting, including 3-for-6 from downtown.
McDaniels is a versatile 6’10” big man who has defensive upside and a lot to offer on the offensive end. He can step back and hit a three and can also run the floor extremely well. Here he is on the finishing end of a strong transition dunk off of a pass delivered by Miles Bridges:
JALEN MCDANIELS. THROW IT DOWN. (via @hornets) pic.twitter.com/j6vTaidh4w
— SLAM (@SLAMonline) April 10, 2021
The Hornets are a team on the rise, led by standout rookie point guard LaMelo Ball. This offseason will be an interesting one for the team as Cody Zeller and Bismack Biyombo come off the books, leaving PJ Washington as the team’s only other primary big man apart from McDaniels.
McDaniels’ versatility makes him a solid supporting piece to Ball going forward. He may be relegated back to a minor bench role once the team gets healthy this year, but he could be someone drafted within the top-100 in all fantasy leagues next year.
Mo Bamba (C, ORL)
Over the past few weeks, Orlando Magic center Mo Bamba has shown his most promising flashes as a pro. He scored in double-figures in eight of nine games over a stretch from March 26 to April 11 before having an injury-shortened game on April 12. As of this article’s writing, he was listed as a game time decision for Wednesday’s game against the Chicago Bulls with a left hip contusion.
Bamba had his best offensive game of the year this past Sunday against the Milwaukee Bucks. Bamba shot 8-for-11 from the field in the game, including 5-for-6 from downtown, on the way to a season-high 21 points.
Bamba has tantalizing upside that’s been obvious to anyone who has seen him play dating back to his high school years and his only season at Texas. He’s extremely agile for a 7-footer and has a great foundation to be a legitimate three-point threat. He also has the chance to be a strong rim protector. He blocked a total of six shots over a three-game stretch this past week and didn’t log over 25 minutes in any of the three games during that stretch.
Bamba is a classic high risk/high reward type of fantasy asset. Thus far through his two-plus years in the league, he’s looked more like he’s on the verge of manifesting his downside risk. If you have an empty roster spot in your dynasty league and you want a swing-for-the-fences type of asset, Bamba is a great player to target. Just don’t be too surprised if he fails to develop and continues to ride the bench in the years to come.
Gary Trent Jr. (SG/SF, TOR)
Traded from the Portland Trail Blazers to the Toronto Raptors prior to this year’s trade deadline, shooting guard Gary Trent Jr. hasn’t been shy about letting shots fly with his new team. He’s attempted at least 14 field goals and at least six three-pointers in each of his last nine games.
The highlight of his nascent Raptors career was a 44-point outburst this past Saturday against the Cleveland Cavaliers where he shot a remarkable 17-for-19 from the field, including 7-for-9 from three-point range.
? Career-high 44 points
? 17-19 FGM
? 7 3PM
? Season-high 60.4 FPTSHave a night, Gary Trent Jr.! pic.twitter.com/kkmXtLgS0i
— NBA Fantasy (@NBAFantasy) April 11, 2021
Threes and points are clearly the best assets that Trent can provide for fantasy managers. He’s yet to make much of a mark elsewhere on the stat sheet. However, the change of scenery and increased workload could help him refine other aspects of his game. His rebounds are already up slightly in Toronto. He averaged 2.2 boards per game with Portland and he’s up to 3.5 per game with the Raptors.
The two key stats for Trent are assists and steals. If he can contribute something consistently valuable in either (or both) of those two departments, he’ll have the chance to be a top-50 fantasy player.
Furkan Korkmaz (SG/SF, PHI)
Over this past week, Philadelphia 76ers shooting guard/small forward Furkan Korkmaz has taken his game to a new level. He’s been a dangerous - albeit streaky - three-point threat over the past few years. Yet this past week, he’s found ways to contribute outside of his jump shot.
Korkmaz had the most well-rounded game of his career on Saturday against the Oklahoma City Thunder. He shot 7-for-13 from the field, hitting four threes while dropping 20 points and adding four rebounds, five steals, two assists and one block.
Korkmaz has stepped up his game on the defensive end of the floor significantly. He’s tallied a total of 14 steals over his past 10 games, despite averaging only about 15 minutes per contest.
In his standout game on Saturday, he logged about 30 minutes and showed what he was able to do with that increased workload.
The 76ers have a number of young, intriguing guards and swingmen on their roster and they’ve struggled to stand out from the pack for the most part. Korkmaz is an unrestricted free agent after this year. If he lands in a situation where he can play at least 25 minutes or even 30 minutes per game, he could be a fantastic fantasy asset. Threes are of course his most alluring asset, but this recent stretch is proof that he can bring more to the table than just the three-ball.
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