The Hornets must be extremely confident in Michael Kidd-Gilchrist's surgically repaired right shoulder, because his return to the floor seems pretty risky from the outside looking in.
When Kidd-Gilchrist injured the shoulder in the preseason, the team initially announced a six-month timetable for his return. That made him likely to miss most of the regular season, with the general assumption being that this would be a lost season for Kidd-Gilchrist. When reports started surfacing a few weeks back that he was working his way back to the court and participating in full-contact practice, that timetable clearly changed, but it was hard to what that actually meant.
Clearly, the Hornets would want to be careful with Kidd-Gilchrist's health, given how important the former No. 2 overall pick is to their future growth. We learned he would make his season debut this weekend, but the safe assumption was that he would be worked in slowly, right? Not so much.
Kidd-Gilchrist played 34 minutes Friday against the Trail Blazers, and followed that up with 28 Sunday against the Lakers. He might have played even more Sunday, but they outscored Los Angeles by 24 points with him on the floor and only needed him for about three and a half minutes in the fourth quarter. Against the odds, Kidd-Gilchrist is already ready for a significant role, which means he has to be on Fantasy radars. Now the question becomes, "How good can he be?"
Kidd-Gilchrist struggled with injuries in each of the last two years, and didn't make a huge Fantasy impact last season. His limitations as a scorer held him to just 10.9 points per game, and though he profiles as a defensive stopper on the wings, Kidd-Gilchrist has never even averaged 1.0 blocks or steals per game. Given this, what should Fantasy owners be expecting?
It's too early to say, but you have to assume he won't be significantly different than he was last season. Until he proves otherwise, Kidd-Gilchrist's jumper is still an issue, and he hasn't shown enough playmaking or defense to make up for that -- yet. However, if I have an open roster spot, I think I'm still willing to bet on MKG's upside.
Charlotte's move to a more 3-pointer oriented offense this season seems tailor-made to suit Kidd-Gilchrist's game, and he has found himself in each of Charlotte's four most-used lineups in the last two games, all of which feature at at least one 3-point shooting big man alongside him. With Marvin Williams and/or Spencer Hawes spotting up along the perimeter, Kidd-Gilchrist's lack of shooting is less of an issue; defenses can't afford to ignore multiple non-shooters to defend the rim, giving Kidd-Gilchrist more room to cut or get to the rim.
Rust hasn't been much of an issue for Kidd-Gilchrist so far, which is a nice sign. If he can continue to improve in the margins, the 22-year-old's upside is worth taking a chance on.
Key Week 15 Injuries
DeMarcus Cousins (Ankle): Cousins' injury doesn't sound like it will be a long-term one, but he was ruled out six hours before tipoff Monday, a sign that he wasn't particularly close to playing this week. This is, obviously, a huge blow, as Cousins has emerged over the last month as arguably the best player in Fantasy. The Kings play three more times in Week 15 with at least one day off in between, so I'm still probably starting Boogie -- two games from him is as good as three from most centers.
Hassan Whiteside (Hip): Whiteside is already doubtful for Tuesday's game as he continues to be bothered by a hip injury, and it seems like he isn't really close to returning despite being considered officially day-to-day. He has missed the last five games, and it seems unlikely he will be back Wednesday, making him a pretty easy sit. Amar'e Stoudemire has averaged 9.0 points, 8.4 rebounds and 2.0 combined blocks and steals over the last five games, and is an OK low-end filler for the week.
Nicolas Batum (Toe): When he manages to take the court, Batum is still productive, averaging 5.5 rebounds and 6.4 assists per game in eight January games he was able to play. However, Batum also shot jsut 30.5 percent from the field and 23.8 percent on 3-pointers and averaged only 8.1 points per game, while missing eight of 17 games, so the injury is clearly affecting him. I would try to sit him out in Rotisserie leagues until at least the All-Star break, but the assists still give him enough value to be a specialist, if nothing more.
Tyreke Evans (Knee): Evans had surgery on his knee in the offseason, and he has missed three of the last seven games, while failing to top 30-plus minutes in five of his last season overall. He seems like a strong candidate to be shut down in the second half, and I wouldn't want to rely on him in any format for the time being. Norris Cole and D-League signee Bryce Dejean-Jones should continue to see minues -- Dejean-Jones has 22 points, 11 rebounds, three steals and four 3-pointers in 71 minutes over the last two games.
Tim Duncan (Knee): For the first time in history, Tim Duncan is now over-owned in Fantasy. He is still rostered in 92 percent of CBSSports.com leagues, and there just isn't much reason for that at this point. He has missed four of the last five games with a knee injury, and finished the month of January averaging just 8.4 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. He still provides enough defensive value to be worthy of low-end starting status in Rotisserie leagues, but he is by no means a must-stash in H2H points formats as he navigates this knee issue.
Brandon Knight (Groin): The Suns haven't given a timetable for Knight to return from his injury, and given the state of their season, there is zero reason to expect him to rush back. Sit him until he is cleared to return.
Jae Crowder (Shin): Crowder injured his shin/calf in practice Monday, and is officially questionable for Tuesday's game. He has slowed down a bit, averaging 12.8 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game over his last five, and is probably worth sitting for better options given this injury -- he gets pretty fringe-y with three games on the schedule.
Ian Mahinmi (Back): Mahinmi's back remains an issue, and he has already been ruled out for Monday's game, making this a three-game week at best for the big man. He played well in two games he was able to play last week, scoring 20 points with 16 rebounds, four assists and four combined blocks and steals in 59 minutes, but is a fringe player who can be sat in a three-game week. Hot rookie Myles Turner gets a nice boost and is worth starting after averaging 17.2 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game over his last five.
Suns fire coach Jeff Hornacek
The Suns officially threw in the towel with the late-night firing of Hornacek on Sunday, though this was more a case of management finally accepting what the players made clear months ago. It isn't entirely clear what this will mean for the Suns moving forward, but it does likely signal that a sell-off could be coming, with P.J. Tucker and Markieff Morris the likeliest players to move. If either does get traded, a contender seems like the likeliest landing spot, which probably wouldn't be great news for either's Fantasy value, whatever that may mean. The Suns should turn to the youngsters like Archie Goodwin, Devin Booker and Alex Len more moving forward, and all three should be owned in most leagues at this point.
Draymond Green, looking out for Fantasy players
Green was hunting for a triple-double Saturday against the 76ers, and admitted he was breaking out of the offense to do so:
"We started turning the ball over due to my selfish unselfishness, and it was all downhill from there."
Green was asked about hunting for assists by InsideBayArea.com and said, "Could you tell? It looked bad. It felt bad." Don't feel bad, Dray; you got your ninth triple-double of the season Sunday, and we won't hold it against you if you keep looking to pile on.
Does Brandon Jennings have any upside?
Brandon Jennings hasn't made much of an impact for Fantasy players at all since returning from his ruptured Achilles, and if Kobe Bryant and Wesley Matthews among others are any indication, that shouldn't be much of a surprise. This is one of the toughest injuries to come back from, and it usually takes months for players to get their feet back under them even after they come back. At just 6.9 points and 3.2 assists per game on 36.2 percent shooting, Jennings isn't the exception here.
However, he had arguably his best game of the season Saturday and gave us a glimpse of his upside with 22 points and five 3-pointers. Jennings even played down the stretch of the game, and remains an interesting option for the Pistons to explore if coach Stan Van Gundy wants to move in a different direction. Not away from starter Reggie Jackson, of course, as Jackson is arguably playing at a higher level than Jennings has ever managed this season. However, you might be able to play the two point guards together at some point, in a combination that could open up the floor even more for dominant big man Andre Drummond.
As Jennings starts to get further away from his injury, it wouldn't be totally shocking if he got up to 25 minutes per game at some point. He has enough shooting and play-making skills to be worth owning if that happens.
D'Angelo Russell is too confident, apparently
If you ask Byron Scott, that is. Scott benched D'Angelo Russell in a game last week because the ball was "sticking" in his hands too much as Russell tried to make shots down the stretch of a close game. The fact that Scott has given Kobe Bryant free reign to do pretty much whatever he wants, of course, continues to highlight the inconsistency with which Scott doles out criticism. And, after a listless performance Sunday against the Hornets, Russell told ESPN.com rather bluntly that he feels his game has stagnated:
"I feel like I was improving. Now I feel like, I don't know, not really as much."
SilverScreenAndRoll.com covered the topic well, noting that Russell's usage has dropped from 23.5 percent to 19.1 since Scott benched him, and he is attempting four fewer shots per game as well. It's a small sample, but Russell continues to be neutered in Scott's offense, a disappointing outcome for a young player who has shown such promise.
Russell is talented enough to get back on track after this bump in the road, and he was in the midst of his best month yet in January before this three-game slide, during which he has shot just 7 of 22. In 12 games prior, however, he was averaging 13.3 points and 3.3 assists per game with solid shooting across the board, a good sign for his future. Even Byron Scott can't keep screwing up a talent this obvious, and I would expect things to get better eventually. Russell's track record of success isn't terribly long, but he remains a nice second-half breakout candidate.
