As for KG, his numbers are also up across the board (albeit not as much as Pierce’s) since Rondo went down, including shooting 57.7 percent (45-for-78) from the floor. He’s had more double-doubles (four) over that span than he had over the previous 43 games combined. Over the six games sans Rondo, Pierce has averaged 15.5 ppg, 9.5 rpg and 6.2 apg. I’m not suggesting Boston has a better chance to win this year’s title without Rondo, but they clearly also aren’t going to suddenly become a doormat, and the other side of this is the increased fantasy value of Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. An easy schedule has definitely played a part (although they did beat the Heat during that span), but it’s an interesting turn of events, as the team’s Offensive Efficiency has improved with him off the court. The Celtics are now 6-0 since Rajon Rondo went down with a season-ending knee injury. This young woman had already antagonized the judge quite a bit even before flipping him off, gets 30 days in jail. Here’s a train that travels 250+ mph apparently while levitating on magnets (h/t Drew Magary). Moreover, George’s Usage Rate ranks 54th in the NBA, so it’s not like his value is hinged on volume. No doubt George’s fantasy owners would prefer Granger stays sidelined, but Granger is still without a definite timetable, and there’s no telling how close to 100 percent he’ll be once he does come back. 4 fantasy player over the past month, and there’s no reason to think he won’t remain top-10 over the rest of the season, even with Danny Granger’s pending return. Among players who’ve averaged at least 1.8 spg this season, his rpg (7.6), bpg (0.7) and 3pt (2.2) are all the most in the league. And to think coach Frank Vogel nearly had to pull him from being the team’s primary pick-and-roll guy earlier in the year. He’s getting to the charity stripe 7.3 times per game so far in February, and while it’s a small sample, it’s just another example of George’s evolving game. Maybe my top-20 ranking was overly aggressive, but I’d be surprised if the trade doesn’t make him a much more valuable fantasy asset over the rest of the season.Īfter putting up a monster line in January, averaging 19.4 ppg, 9.1 rpg, 3.9 apg, 2.5 spg, 0.4 bpg and 2.5 3pt, Paul George has been equally as impressive this month, scoring even more ppg while handing out 5.3 apg and getting to the line at a rate never before approached during his career. Gay was a disappointment in Memphis this year, and there’s an argument the Grizzlies improved after the deal, both short and long term, but he ranked 31st in fantasy value last year and is now going to be the lead dog in Toronto. Of course, three games is an extremely small sample, but Gay’s Usage Rate (29.21) since joining Toronto is also easily a career high, and it’s probably safe to expect increased volume. Gay’s 12 rebounds Wednesday were a season high, while his 2.7 spg since joining Toronto would be a career best by a wide margin. After averaging 16.4 FGA with Memphis, he’s up to 21.0 with Toronto, including a whopping 6.0 3pt and also 5.7 FTA (all three would easily be career highs).
I’ve since quickly changed my mind, even rating him 20th on my latest Big Board update after just a couple of games with the Raptors, as the drop in quality when it comes to teammates appears to be far more outweighed by his increased responsibilities. When I first analyzed the Rudy Gay trade, I surmised the move was lateral for his fantasy value.