Category: NBA

Passing On Trey Burke

Trey Burke posted 8 points, 8 assists, 4 rebounds and 1 steal in a win over the Lakers on Tuesday night.

Analysis: Burke has been struggling as of late. Over the last two weeks he is the 60th rated fantasy point guard and for the year he is the 44th rated point guard. Burke is especially weak in two key areas- steals and field goal percentage.

Trey Burke is only averaging 0.6 steals this season despite averaging 31 minutes per night. His 0.90 steals per 48 minutes mark is 81st among NBA point guards… 81st. His shooting is equally awful. Burke is shooting 37% from the field this year and 29% from the field this month. He’s taking nearly thirteen shots per game which means he is an extremely detrimental fantasy point guard right now.

Currently, he is available in 10-20% of fantasy leagues. Up next for Burke is the Sixers on Wednesday night. Keep in mind that there are better options available on the wire than a player who is the 60th rated point guard over the last two weeks. Pass.

Three Ball Help- Patty Mills

Patty Mills recorded 32 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and hit 4 threes on Saturday night against the Bobcats.

Analysis: Mills is one of the more interesting deep league players available on the wire. In just 17.7 minutes of action per night this season he is averaging 1.6 threes made, 9.3 points and .9 steals per game. In the month of February he is averaging 22 minutes, 18.2 points, 2.6 threes made and 1.2 steals. Mills is also getting it done from the floor- he’s shooting 47% from the field this year, 42% from three and he’s even shooting 87% from the line.

The Australian native can hurt you in assists. He’s only averaging 1.7 per game this year and 2.6 per game this month. If his minutes can stabilize in the low to mid twenties then his three ball, points and steals will be useful in most league formats.

Currently, Patty Mills is available in 85-95% of fantasy leagues. He has a hot hand right now so he is definitely worth keeping an eye on. Mills has made 13 threes and 16 of 17 free throws in his last five games. Up next for Patty Mills is Detroit on Monday night.

Stock Rising- George Hill

George Hill dropped 37 points in an overtime win against the Blazers on Friday night. He recorded 8 assists, 9 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 threes made.

Analysis: George Hill is the weakest link in the Indiana starting five but he still has a place in the fantasy realm. Over the last month of the season Hill is the 29th rated fantasy point guard. He is solid in most guard categories with the exception of assists. Hill is averaging just 3.3 assists per game this year. He’s at about 4 assists per game over the last month but it still isn’t much when compared to other average fantasy point guards like Jeremy Lin and Mario Chalmers.

Hopefully the Portland game is more of a marker of progress than a blip on the radar. Hill does have eight double-digit point games in his last ten games played which is interesting for a player who only averages 10.5 points per game. He also has 12 threes made and 11 steals in that ten game span which means he is consistent in most areas.

Currently, Hill is available in 15-25% of fantasy leagues.

Felton Still Eating Minutes

Raymond Felton is playing some pedestrian basketball at the moment but he is still eating tons of minutes for the lowly Knicks.

Analysis: Ray Felton is averaging 32.5 minutes per game this year which is 18th most in the NBA among point guards. Felton is on a decent five game streak at the moment- 6.6 APG, 9.2 PPG, 1.4 SPG. Unfortunately, Felton is still outside of the top 20 fantasy point guards over the last two weeks. Guys like Patty Mills and George Hill have put up better numbers than Felton over the last two weeks.

Even if we take it a bit further it doesn’t get any better for Felton. He’s shooting 40% from the field this year and 29% from three. He is hitting about one three per game and he averages one steal per game as well, but that is it on the positives.

Currently, Raymond Felton is available in 20-40% of fantasy leagues. He is serviceable and eats tons of minutes but his poor play cannot be ignored. Even on his recent “streak” he is still playing mediocre ball on an awful Eastern Conference squad.

Stock Rising- Lin

Jeremy Lin recorded his first career triple-double Saturday against the Cavs.

Analysis: Lin has played very well over his last three games- 17.0 PPG, 8.3 APG, 1.3 3PM. However, he’s only the 27th rated fantasy point guard thus far this year. He’s having another above average year but he’s far from a fantasy force. His minutes, points, boards and threes are all identical to his marks last season but he is averaging 1.6 fewer assists per game this year.

You would think 31 minutes per night would be enough for Lin to be universally owned but he just doesn’t have an elite fantasy skill set. He is shooting 4.4 free throw attempts per game at an 80% clip which is a big improvement over last year, however, he’s only averaging 1.0 steals per game which is 25th among point guards while his steals/48 minutes is 56th among point guards.

Over the last two weeks Lin has been the 16th best fantasy point guard. He averaged 33 minutes per game in the month of January so he has plenty of opportunities to produce but the assists need to be more than 4.5 per game which is his current mark. Lin is available in 10-15% of fantasy leagues.