This seems a rather interesting week to watch the San Antonio Spurs. Not only because they figure to be involved in a trade or two by Thursday's deadline -- #freeThaddeusYoung -- but also because I want to see if C Jakob Poeltl continues his ascent into solid scorer, if SF/PF Keldon Johnson decides he wants to consistently rebound and if rejuvenated C Zach Collins can stay on the court. Hey, the Spurs may trade Poeltl, too, thinking he is not a big part of the future. Anyone except for awesome PG/SG Dejounte Murray may be available.
Poeltl continues to be one of my favorite fantasy basketball stories of the past few months, as the Austria native finally breaks out in his sixth NBA season. Poeltl dumped 21 points on the Houston Rockets on Friday night and has scored 18 or more points in five of his past six contests. He has a clear role in fantasy circles for his rebounding, blocking of shots and field goal percentage, and continues to improve. Now is the right time to trade for Poeltl in fantasy, and whether the Spurs move him or not, his numbers may continue to rise.
Shocking as it may be, Collins may be the key to whether Poeltl is on the move. You recall Collins, right? The Gonzaga kid was a top-10 pick by Portland a few seasons ago, but staying healthy became a problem and then Collins missed most of the past two seasons with a major ankle injury. He scored 10 points against the Rockets in his season debut, grabbed seven boards and hit a 3-pointer in his 13 minutes. Sure, trading for Collins this early in his comeback seems overly risky, but I added him in a very deep league just in case he breaks out. He has the skills, but as we always say in fantasy, durability is a skill as well.
The Spurs are likely not winning an NBA title anytime soon, but they currently roster four legit fantasy options. Murray is the obvious star, top 15 on the Player Rater, and a likely second round pick in this fall's drafts. Derrick White is a capable third-tier fantasy point guard. Poeltl is the underrated center. Then there is SF/PF Keldon Johnson. The Kentucky product scored 28 points on the Rockets. He hit three 3-pointers. He even hauled in seven rebounds. For the season, however, he averages only 6.1 RPG, and since January began, it is barely five per game. Perhaps Murray and Poeltl steal them all. Johnson should be averaging 18 PPG and 8 RPG. Alas, he is not.
How should a fantasy manager react to the Spurs?