Here is my look at the Midweek 5 with some players who could make some noise in the second half.
Kevin Porter Jr. has been called back up to the big leagues for the Rockets and there’s a decent chance he could make some noise in Houston. KPJ averaged 24.1 points, 6.5 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 1.5 steals, 0.4 blocks and 2.6 3-pointers on 45 percent shooting in his 15 G League games this season. The Rockets have lost 13 straight games and aren’t going anywhere this season, Victor Oladipo, Christian Wood, Eric Gordon and John Wall are all injury risks and it’s entirely possible that KPJ could make some second-half noise playing backup point guard, as well as shooting guard for the Rockets. He was pretty disappointing in his 50 games for the Cavaliers last season when he averaged just 10 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 0.9 steals and 1.1 3-pointers in 23 minutes and he saw his career nearly derailed after having an outburst in the locker room. But he’s got a fresh start with a new team and looked pretty darned good in his G-League stint for the first half of this season. If you’ve got some extra space at the end of your roster, Kevin Porter Jr. might be a good way to fill the hole.[[ad:athena]]
Chris Boucher has had a pretty weird season alongside Nick Nurse with Toronto but things are starting to look up after he got 35 minutes and hit 11-of-15 shots and five 3-pointers for 30 points and five rebounds last Thursday at Boston. Boucher has only made two starts and has played fewer than 20 minutes in nine games this season. But when he’s gotten big minutes he’s usually made the most of them and is averaging 13.6 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 0.6 steals, 1.9 blocks and 1.7 3-pointers on the year. Despite the weird minutes and inconsistent playing time, Boucher is still sitting on fourth-round fantasy value this season and his 23.6 minutes per game are the lowest you’ll find for anyone in the Top 4 or 5 rounds. Yes, Boucher’s 3-point shot looks like it’s coming out of a sling shot, he’s had some issues with foul trouble and his coach refuses to fully lock into him, but the future is bright, a big second half could be on the way and I’ve got a good feeling about the second half of the season for Boucher. Now is probably a good time to test the trade waters on Boucher before he fully figures things out with Toronto.
Collin Sexton is having a dream season and I’m not sure any of us knew he could be this good. He’s started in all 31 games he’s played in this season and is averaging a team-high 24.1 points, 2.6 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.7 3-pointers, all of which are easily career highs except for the boards. He’s even shooting a career-high 48.7 percent from the floor and he’s a great free throw shooter at 80 percent on the year and 83 percent over his career. Despite the great numbers Sexton is only returning ninth-round fantasy value thanks to his low rebounds, nonexistent blocks and career-high 2.9 turnovers. When you take those out of the equation, he comes in as a fourth-round player. He’s become a DFS staple for many players and despite his low ranking, is probably a point guard on a lot of winning fantasy teams. Maybe he can cut down on some of the turnovers in the second half and get his ranking to a more respectable level, but if you drafted Sexton this season you have to be pleased with the overall results. After all, he’s the No. 20 scorer in a league full of scorers and has been shooting it lights out all season long.
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T.J. McConnell had an incredible triple-double of 16 points, 13 assists and 10 steals in a win over the Cavaliers on March 3 and is now the league’s steals leader at 2.0 per game. In his three March games, he’s averaging 11 points, 4.7 rebounds, 7.3 assists, 3.7 steals and shooting 61.5 percent from the floor. And in February, he clocked in with 9.0 points, 4.0 boards, 7.8 assists, 2.0 steals and nearly a block per game. He doesn’t hit a lot of threes because he doesn’t shoot many of them, but he’s really not a bad 3-point shooter, either. McConnell could take a bit of a hit once T.J. Warren and Caris LeVert are back for the Pacers, but keep in mind that Malcolm Brogdon has a diverse injury history, which could come into play in the second half of the season. If McConnell is somehow still sitting on your waiver wire after his historic triple-double last week, the steals aren’t just going to go away. And if you’ve got Brogdon, locking up McConnell as an insurance policy makes a ton of sense.
Michael Carter-Williams is the last the last point guard standing in Orlando and is averaging 10 points, 4.7 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 0.5 steals, 0.5 blocks and 0.6 3-pointers in his 12 starts this season. And he may just be getting ready to heat up after two great outings in March where he’s averaging 19 points, 7.0 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 1.5 steals, 0.5 blocks and 1.5 3-pointers. Markelle Fultz is out for the season with a torn ACL and Cole Anthony is still out with his rib injury, although he is expected back sometime after the break. Once Anthony is back all bets are off on MCW, but until it happens, Carter-Williams is worth plugging into lineups. And given how well his two March games have gone, MCW may have earned enough playing time to make him a worthwhile addition for the rest of the season. No, I don’t fully trust him and yes, it’s 2021 and not 2015, but Carter-Williams is one of the few good things happening in Orlando right now and I’m not sure Anthony is automatically going to get his job back upon his return. Stash MCW and see what happens next.
I hope you got a chance to listen to our recent podcasts with Adam Schefter and Bob Rathbun. The latest one with ESPN’s Matthew Berry should be posted soon, so be on the lookout.