Category: NBA

Ersan Ilyasova Heating Up

There are few players as frustrating as Ersan Ilyasova. His shot selection this year has been awful but somehow he manages to fill the stat sheet.

Analysis: Ersan Ilyasova is averaging 16.0 points, 7.3 rebounds, 0.8 threes and 0.8 steals in the month of March. Over the last two weeks of the season Ilyasova rates as the 24th best fantasy power forward and the 21st fantasy small forward. His field goal percentage has picked up over the last month and he’s averaging 29 minutes per game since the beginning of February.

Ilyasova certainly has a unique dual position skill set. As a small forward he is 10th in rebounds per game and 8th in free throw percentage. As a power forward he is 16th in threes made and 9th in steals per game. He isn’t going to save your fantasy season but he is productive and has not been weak in any area for some time now.

Currently, Ersan Ilyasova is available in 20% of fantasy leagues. He has four games this week- Magic, Wolves, Hawks, Knicks.

Terrence Jones On Fire

Terrence Jones is on fire… again. He’s reeled off three consecutive double-doubles after an inconsistent February.

Analysis: Terrence Jones is having a solid year. He’s shooting 54% from the field and he’s averaging 7.3 rebounds, 1.3 blocks and 11.9 points. He is currently the 32nd best fantasy power forward this season. He was hovering around the top twenty mark but the month of February did him in- 5.3 rebounds, 0.8 blocks, 10.0 points.

Through three games in March Jones is averaging 35 minutes per contest and a healthy 28 minutes per game this season. He does contribute a bit in other fantasy categories for a power forward. He’s hit 23 threes this season which is 22nd among power forwards and he’s averaging 0.6 steals per game.

The former 18th overall pick of the 2012 draft is going to cool off at some point, but he’s worth the risk considering the healthy amount of minutes he continues to receive. Currently, Terrence Jones is available in 10-35% of fantasy leagues. He has a ton of tough games coming up- the Pacers on Friday night, the Blazers on Sunday, the Thunder next Tuesday, the Bulls next Thursday and the Heat two Sundays from now.

Minutes Rising- Amir Johnson

Amir Johnson’s minutes and fantasy numbers are finally starting to pick up after a weak January/February.

Analysis: Amir Johnson has played at least thirty minutes per game in his last three contests. He did not hit the thirty minute mark in his previous nine games. Johnson continues to battle injuries but we cannot deny that his stat line has been healthy as of late. Amir is averaging 8 rebounds, 10 points and 1 block over the last week and a half. His rebounding and blocks can be more than solid as evidenced by his December marks of 8.3 boards per game and 1.4 blocks per game. Interestingly enough he averaged over thirty minutes in the month of December and was relatively healthy.

Patrick Patterson’s minutes have been falling for the last three weeks which is contributing to the Amir Johnson resurgence. Patterson has not been shooting well lately, he’s 13 for his last 39 from the field. Patterson is still rebounding well but he poses very little threat to Amir Johnson’s fantasy value at the moment.

Amir Johnson is available in 20-50% of fantasy leagues.

Stock Falling- Channing Frye

The Suns have been playing some solid basketball as of late but Channing Frye continues to struggle.

Analysis: Channing Frye is the 19th rated fantasy power forward this season but over the last month he is the 34th rated power forward. Frye is averaging just 6.8 points per game, 3.8 rebounds and is shooting 35% from the field in his last five games. Considering the Suns are deep at the four this is not the time to be struggling.

There are still a few positives. Frye is hitting 2.2 threes per game this year and he still managed to hit 2.0 threes per game in the month of February. Channing Frye is second behind Kevin Love among power forwards in threes made this season. Frye is also a top 20 fantasy power forward in steals, blocks and free throw percentage, all of which he is not struggling with at the moment. His minutes and numbers certainly need monitoring in the immediate future and here is why- Markieff Morris is averaging the same amount of minutes as Frye over the last month but Frye’s minutes have been falling over the last two weeks.

Channing Frye is available in 15-25% of fantasy leagues.

Last Call On Kawhi

Kawhi Leonard has been back in action for two games now after missing over a month with a hand injury.

Analysis: It appears that nothing has changed with Kawhi’s game since the injury. Through two games he posting 13.5 points, 7.0 boards and 2.5 steals. Kawhi’s minutes are back to normal in the 28-30 per game range and his overall fantasy game is consistent and well-rounded this season. In 43 games thus far Leonard is averaging 1.7 steals, 6.1 rebounds, 0.8 threes made and he’s shooting 51% from the field.

As a lower tier fantasy small forward/shooting guard his game does not have any weaknesses save the lack of field goal attempts. Leonard ranks 13th among small forwards in rebounds, 3rd in steals, 4th in field goal percentage and 14th in blocks. There is not much of a debate here- he is a universal must own.

Currently, Kawhi Leonard is available in 2-10% of fantasy leagues. The Spurs have the Mavs, Cavs, Heat and Magic this coming week. This is the last call for Kawhi Leonard.