With the All-Star Game this weekend, I decided to select a team of players from each conference to pick up in the second half of the season. Players on these teams are limited to those who are owned by less than 50% of fantasy owners on Yahoo! Sports.Eastern Conference
Jarrett Jack (PG, SG), owned in 19% of Yahoo! leagues- Jack has been starting for the Pacers since Christmas. Averaging 10.9 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game on the season, those numbers increase to 13.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 4.2 assists when Jack starts. Also, Jack’s scoring (8.7, 11.6, 11.8, 12.5), shooting percentage (39.8, 43.0, 44.3, 46.4), and free throw percentage (79.0, 83.3 91.7, 92.9) has increased every month of the season since December. With Jack starting and becoming more comfortable in his first year with the Pacers after coming over from Portland, look for him to continue to improve and should be worth picking up.
Delonte West (SG), 44%- West was one of the unsung heroes for the Cavs in the first half of the season. While they are still second in the East, the Cavs are playing tighter games and not blowing teams out like they were with West in the lineup. When he returns in a few weeks, West should contribute around 13 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists while getting a few steals and knocking down some threes. West has proven that he can knock down the open shot and LeBron James and Mo Williams don’t hesitate to give him looks on offense. Look to pick him up in a few weeks when he is healthy as he should be a key player down the stretch for Cleveland.
Jason Kapono (SG, SF), 8%- Kapono should see an increase in playing time with Jamario Moon traded to the Heat. Averaging 8 points per game on the season, I expect Kapono to have a strong second half as he should get more shot opportunities. With more shooting, Kapono should find his rhythm and improve on his three point shooting. Kapono is currently shooting 42.2% from three point range, his lowest since 2005-2006. He hasn’t really gotten into a groove yet, but I have a feeling that he will find his touch soon and have a hot second half of the season.
Yi Jianlian (PF), 25%- Yi should be due to come back from a broken finger soon. When he does, he will be inserted into a lineup featuring all-star Devin Harris, Vince Carter, and the best rookie big man in the East, Brook Lopez. Yi will help spread the floor, and open up down low for Lopez and the driving lanes for Harris and Carter. This should result in some open jumpers when these players kick it out. Yi was averaging 10.5 points and 6.2 rebounds when he got hurt, and those numbers should be easily attainable when he returns. Be wary of complications when he comes back, but you should be able to stash him on your bench until you are sure he is ready to go, probably within a few weeks.
Antonio McDyess (PF, C), 32%- McDyess is intriguing to me for a few reasons. First, he has been in a playoff run many times in his career, and second and more importantly, McDyess didn’t play for over a month until December 9th while he say out following his release from the Nuggets before league rules allowed him to resign with the Pistons. Since resigning, McDyess has quietly averaged 7.3 points and 8.6 rebounds per game. While his scoring has remained fairly constant, his rebounding has improved from 6.9 in December to 9.6 in January and 10.7 in February. With his legs fresher this season after sitting that time out, McDyess should be able to remain productive through the Pistons playoff push.
Western Conference
Earl Watson (PG), 22%- Watson is intriguing because, while productive for the Thunder this season, he could be very valuable to a contender in a trade. Watson is averaging 6.4 points and 5.8 assists per game this season, but his scoring has improved to 7.5 points since New Year’s. While I expect Watson to continue to be productive this season, if he is traded by Thursday’s trade deadline, pick him up right away because he should thrive in a playoff push with his high energy and his court vision.
Roger Mason (SG), 49%- Mason has been one of the reasons the Spurs were able to win without Manu Ginobli earlier this season. Even with Ginobli back, Mason has continued to be a high performer for the Spurs, starting at shooting guard. While Mason’s stats as a starter or a sub are virtually identical at 11.9 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.9 assists, he has been improving steadily since December when he averaged just 9.6 points. Mason rebounded with 10.5 in January and 13.4 in February. Mason’s biggest contributions come from three point range where he is shooting 44.9% on the season. I don’t expect the pressure of a playoff push to affect Mason either, as he has shown many times this season that he can is reliable in crunch time.
Jason Thompson (SF, PF, C), 48%- Thompson is averaging 10.4 points and 6.8 rebounds on the season for the Kings. However, Thompson has been starting since early January and his numbers increase to 12 points and 7 rebounds as a starter. With the Kings devoted to rebuilding for the future, look for Thompson’s playing time to increase and, with it, points, rebounds, and possibly blocks. Thompson is a very efficient player, and that should result in a good bump in production as he gets more playing time.
Brandon Bass (PF), 8%- Bass is one of my favorite players in the league because I love his energy and his talent. On the season, Bass is averaging 8.3 points and 4.4 rebounds, but he is coming off his best month of the season averaging 10 points and 5.2 rebounds in January with 1.1 blocks. Last season, Bass’s statistics improved every month from December through April when the Mavericks were fighting for the playoffs. I expect Bass to pick it up again in crunch time this season, as he appears to have already started with a strong January.
Nenad Kristic (PF, C), 8%- Kristic resumed playing in early January after offseason knee surgery. Now with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Kristic could benefit from playing with Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant, and Jeff Green. Currently coming off the bench, I wouldn’t be surprised if Kristic overtakes Nick Collison as the starting center by the end of the season. He can spread the floor better with his shooting range, similar to Zydrunas Ilgauskas in Cleveland that should open the passing and driving lanes for the other three. Regaining his form off the bench, Kristic is averaging 8.6 points and 5.1 rebounds, but those numbers will increase with more playing time as his knee gets stronger.
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2 comments:
I really like the Jarrett Jack pick. He has been getting some PT and the Pacers offense spreads the ball around quite a bit. I think the Pacers offense is going to pick it up and make a playoff push during the second half, which should bode well for him. Definately underated.
The two that stood out to me were West and Kapono. Kapono is alwasy such a wild card. He had that second half two years ago with the Heat when he was unstoppable from 3.
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