Greg

Monroe

Reid’s minutes have fluctuated throughout this series, and the only scenario in which he’ll get minutes in the 20s is if Karl-Anthony Towns is battling foul trouble. If Reid can’t play this evening, Jarred Vanderbilt could play some backup center minutes, and maybe Greg Monroe gets some action -- we wouldn’t bet on the latter though, as Monroe has played six seconds throughout the entire series.

Sunday will be Towns’ first missed game since January 3rd, and with good reason. Minnesota is locked into the 7-seed in the West, making this a prime opportunity to get KAT an extra night’s rest. Naz Reid will be a very attractive fantasy option, and Greg Monroe will take on rotation minutes as well.

Monroe has already had a stint with the Wolves and also played for the Wizards, Jazz and Bucks this season on 10-day contracts. The veteran center is likely to be third on the depth chart behind Karl-Anthony Towns and Naz Reid.

With Hassan Whiteside (foot) ruled out, Monroe was immediately thrust into the backup center role Tuesday night. While he did some good things offensively, there was a clear dropoff on the defensive end of the floor. Monroe’s presence moved Rudy Gobert (11 points, three rebounds, one steal, and one 3-pointer in 16 minutes) and Eric Paschall (two points, one rebound in six minutes) away from the center position, but there wasn’t much of an impact from a fantasy standpoint. So long as Rudy Gobert is healthy, Monroe isn’t worth streaming. And the same can be said for Gay and Paschall.

This is good news for the Jazz, who were without both Gobert and Hassan Whiteside for Sunday’s game against the Mavericks. Gobert will be in his usual place in the starting lineup, with recent signing Greg Monroe taking on the backup center minutes. He is not worth streaming for Tuesday’s game. DFS players may want to target Clippers’ backup center Isaiah Hartenstein due to Utah’s lack of post depth.

Make it four teams that Monroe has played for this season. With Hassan Whiteside dealing with a right foot sprain and Udoka Azubuike out for the rest of the season after having ankle surgery, Monroe should provide some depth behind Rudy Gobert. However, it’s unlikely he’ll play a large enough role to be worth rostering in fantasy hoops.

Portis was on fire to say the least and shot 11-of-13 from the field, with his only two misses being from beyond the arc (6-of-8). He tied his career high in made triples for the sixth time, and if this game was close, he could’ve gotten more minutes and set a new personal best in that department seemingly easily. Greg Monroe made his Bucks debut tonight after signing a 10-day, and looked alright with six points, six rebounds and a steal in 15 minutes, but garbage time absolutely affected this. If you were worried about Monroe’s arrival affecting Portis in the slightest, worry no more.

This is the third team he’ll play for this season on a 10-day deal, and he’s played decently in limited minutes on his other stops. Bobby Portis has been excellent this year with Brook Lopez out since game one, but there’s not really a backup center behind him. Monroe is a stretch big that can play alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo, which is crucial to finding a home in Milwaukee. We’ll see if they give him a spot in the rotation before rushing to the wire, though it’s unlikely Monroe gets a big enough role to make any fantasy contribution.

Monroe just finished up a 10-day with the Timberwolves where he played pretty well in spurts. The Wizards have seven players in the league’s health and safety protocols including Montrezl Harrell and Rui Hachimura. Monroe should get some consistent minutes, and he knows the rims at the Capitol One Arena all too well from his college days at Georgetown. Though there is no need to rush to the wire to pick him up just yet.

“Signed, sealed, delivered. I’m yours.” Stevie Wonder’s words ring truer than ever for Monroe who signed with Minnesota on Sunday and logged a surprisingly productive 25 minutes the very next day. Monroe appeared in his first game since May 12, 2018, but we’ve already seen guys like Joe Johnson and Lance Stephenson take the court, so nothing should be surprising in 2021 at this point. If Karl-Anthony Towns and Naz Reid remain in protocols Tuesday against New York, Monroe could be in for another solid allotment of minutes.