Have you ever had a player in a fantasy league that you just can’t leave for some reason, who you fully acknowledge is truly flawed and imperfect and maybe not even good, and yet for some reason always finds his way onto your fantasy team year after year? For me it is Scot Henderson.
The 22-year-old Blazers guard is in the middle of another season after returning from injury. His shot is off, he turns the ball over too much, he’s allergic to stealing, and his minutes are limited because he comes off the bench. When I look at Scoot, I see someone who will probably never be more than one Collin sixthn-type player in the NBA, a guy who can put up some nice counting stats for you if you put them in the right situation, but who otherwise will never really be a true, league-changing presence in the NBA.
And yet… there he is again, on my fantasy team. Why? Because I have a soft spot for potential, and because I know that even if a lot of his stats are empty calories due to his aforementioned turnovers and shooting issues, he can still give you 15-5-5 every night, which is not only not bad at all for someone you can easily find on the waiver wire, it’s also pretty good.
Is Scoot Henderson more of someone you’d rather be with? otherwise fantasy team for their shortcomings than yours? Yes. Can I recommend people to add it? Not really. But even with all his drawbacks, Scoot can be useful for the right fantasy manager in the right situation, and as long as that’s the case, he’s someone I’ll continue to gravitate towards, even though I wholeheartedly admit he’s not that great and that he might hurt my fantasy team more than he actually helps it.
Other notes from this weekend:
Nehemiah Queta was sensational on Sunday, dominating the 76ers with 27 points, 17 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 blocks in just 27 minutes. The presence of Nikola Vucevic (who had 11 points and 12 rebounds respectively) has done little to deter him, and while this level of production is a clear outlier, Queta has more than justified being included in 12-team leagues from here on out.
Danny Wolf played the best game of his career on Sunday, collecting 23 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals in 27 minutes. There’s some stupid seasonal potential here, but the presence of it Nic Claxton, Hi Ron Sharpe And Noah Clowney everything in front of him makes him a bad stock unless the deck frees up more for him.
Myles Turner had 8 points, 7 rebounds and a block against the Cavs on Sunday. He’s in the middle of a pretty disappointing season, but he’s not a bad player to buy low if you need blocks.
Olivier-Maxence Prosper had a decent outing against the Pacers, scoring 17 points on 8-9 shooting with 3 assists and 2 rebounds. Of Zach Edey If OMP is done this year, OMP should end the year in the Grizzlies’ starting lineup, but his lack of secondary stats really only makes him a good fit for deep league fantasy rosters at this point.
Jonathan Kuminga had another great game with the Hawks, posting 20 points, 7 rebounds and three assists in 25 minutes off the bench. He’s averaging 21.3 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.7 assists since joining Atlanta, and while those numbers likely won’t be sustainable until he starts, it looks like he could be a real difference-maker in fantasy leagues from here on out. He’s a run-don’t-walk add-on if there’s a slim chance he’s still available and you’re in a 12-team league.
Tristan da Silva went for 19 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals in 37 minutes against the Detroit. He’s not a bad short-term streamer as long as Franz Wagner is out, although there will certainly be options with higher upside than him.
Andre Drummond collected 10 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals in a spot start against the Celtics. Joel Embid is set to miss at least one more game, making Drummond an excellent addition if you’re looking for a big man to stream on Tuesday.
Jeremiah fears put together his second straight great game on Sunday, producing 28 points, 4 assists and 3 rebounds in 26 minutes off the bench. Fears has had an extremely inconsistent season and the return of Dejounte Murray doesn’t help his stock, but the potential is definitely there that he could become a regular, indispensable player at some point. (Unlike Jordan Poolewho didn’t even leave the couch on Sunday.)
Julian Champagne pulled off a dud in the Spurs blowout against the Knicks, producing just 3 points and 4 rebounds in 24 minutes after scoring 26 points in his previous game. Champagnie isn’t a bad addition at all if you’re strictly looking for threes, especially since he almost never turns the ball over, meaning he’ll never hurt you. But the lack of consistency in scoring will frustrate most managers.
Within 42 minutes, Niek Clifford scored 26 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists against the Lakers. Of Zach LaVine out for the year and Keegan Murray Unfortunately, Clifford, who currently has little ownership in fantasy leagues, has suffered another injury and is capable of being a big difference maker from here on out, especially on defense (he recently had six steals and four steals in back-to-back games). He may not let you score as often, but he is a strong player to invest in right now.
Moussa Diabate continued his strong play of late, scoring 13 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists in 33 minutes for the surging Hornets. He can be expected to post double figures the rest of the way.
Kyshawn GeorgeOn Saturday, he scored 14 points in 15 minutes for the Wizards. After a fantastic start to the season, George has declined significantly in every area, but especially in terms of playing time. He hasn’t played more than 26 minutes in a game since January, making him someone who is strongly considering retiring or at least trying to sell low.
#Kuminga