As the calendar flips to January, it’s time to start researching what teams are going be in the market to make a trade prior to the February NBA trade deadline. Contending NBA teams will look to trade for that final piece that can secure their depth and get them ready for a playoff run. Other teams that are out of it will begin the rebuilding process and trade valuable players for draft picks. NBA Lineups will be re-shuffled especially once the trade deadline and fantasy basketball players can find new valuable pieces on their own waiver wire, especially if an impactful player is traded. It’ll be up to the rest of that team’s depth to fill the void and players who are currently 9th or 10th men in their rotation in lineups will be prioritized more and they’ll see their minutes and usage rise. Here are a few players we can rely on for production that could still be on the fantasy basketball waiver wire.

 

 

Landry Shamet, SG, Phoenix Suns - 25% Rostered

Devin Booker’s groin injury will likely keep him out for a few games once again and Shamet will see more shots. He has a nice stop and pop move in which he fakes like he’s going to the basket but then stops his dribble and shoots a three-pointer with the defender not up in his face. He’s scored in double figures in four straight contests with two of those games being 31-point performances. He should play 30-35 minutes per game until Booker returns. He’ll help Chris Paul with the Suns playmaking on the ball and he'll rack up a couple of assists and then on defensive side of the ball, he produced steals in six of his last nine outings. Shamet is someone you must go and add to your fantasy basketball team as soon as possible. 

 

Jeremy Sochan, PF, San Antonio Spurs - 28% Rostered

Even with Keldon Johnson back in the Spurs lineup, Sochan continues to produce and he’s a hard guy to gain positioning on in the lane. He fights very aggressively for rebounds once the shot goes up and he’s pulled down seven or more boards in three straight games. On the scoring front, he operates mainly inside the arc, but he can help stretch the floor by hitting long-range jumpers. Sochan has scored 12 or more points in his last 3 contests and with Utah and Oklahoma City up next on his schedule, he should continue having success against opposing big men on those teams. Sochan won’t force up shots. If he starts driving hard to the basket and the opposing defense collapses on him, he’ll fake continuing the drive and quickly kick it back out to the bailout shooter at the arc. Sochan has also swatted away shots in two of his last three battles and because of how well he filled in while Johnson was out, he should start seeing consistency in his minutes receiving around 30 per game.

 

Austin Reaves, SG/SF, Los Angeles Lakers - 22% Rostered

With Anthony Davis out for an unspecified amount of time, the Lakers will need help when it comes to filling in the void on offense left behind. LeBron James can’t contribute all of the offense and he’ll need some secondary scoring. Russell Westbrook gets a lot of time on the ball, but when Westbrook gets trapped in the paint, he’ll be looking for the open man at the elbow and arc and Reaves will have a good chance to capitalize because he’ll be left with higher-percentage shots. He’s scored 16 or more points in three of his last four games. He’s hit 50 percent or more of his field goals in 6 of his last 7 contests. He’ll help out on the glass a bit by grabbing long rebounds and he’s blocked shots in five of his last eight games and stole the rock in four games during that span. 

 

Marcus Morris Sr., PF/C, Los Angeles Clippers - 45% Rostered

Morris is scoring over 13 points per game and hitting at least 2 three-pointers per outing. He’s hit double figures in scoring in every game except one in December and he’s pulled down seven or more rebounds in three of his last five contests. Morris is an enforcer on the defensive end and he’s very good on the ball and disciplined by not getting faked out too much when a bigger player with good ball-handling skills tries to drive on him. The combination of Morris, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George provides strong defense at the elbow. Morris is coming off of back-to-back multi-block games and he’s stolen the ball in four of his last seven contests. Morris will be fed even more shots when Leonard sits, and Leonard will certainly sit most back-to-backs. Morris has taken 10 or more shots in four of his last seven contests. He’s shooting over 38 percent from beyond the arc. 

 

Immanuel Quickley, G, New York Knicks - 22% Rostered

Quickley has scored in double figures in four straight games and he could be in line for more shots if Jalen Brunson is limited. He seems to be dealing with a sore hip. Quickley is a good change of pace guard, but his shot is a little all over the place but he has many different ways of getting to the rim. He’s pulled down nearly four rebounds per game and he shoots around nine shots per game. He’s aggressive on defense and does a great job of fighting through screens and averages one steal per game. He’ll hit between one and two three-pointers per contest and he’s averaging 10.5 points per game. Even with Quentin Grimes shooting better, he’ll still get 20-plus minutes of playing time. If Brunson is healthy, he’ll still get a chance to produce, but if Brunson needs time to sit, Quickley will take command of the Knicks offense. He has tremendous speed, but he lacks control of it at times with the ball and dribbles into trouble. 

 

T.J. Warren, F, Brooklyn Nets - 10% Rostered

Warren is slowly but surely getting back into rhythm, and he’s hit the 20-minute mark in both of his last 2 games and could find himself getting more involved on the offensive end if Joe Harris needs more time for his knee to recover. Warren has scored in double figures in five of his last six contests and he’s shot no lower than 45 percent from the field in six straight battles. Warren has been dealing with injuries over the last couple of years, but when he’s been healthy, he’s proven to be an effective three-and-defense type of player and it’s very encouraging seeing him play over 21 minutes. It shows that he’s getting healthier, and the Nets coaches are ready to let him play deeper into games. The Nets defense has improved tremendously over the last month and with Warren back on the court, it only adds to their impressive defense and Warren can play effectively at both forward positions and we’ll continue seeing him pick up more shots. 

 

Aleksej Pokusevski, PF/C, Oklahoma City Thunder - 28% Rostered

Pokusevski can play multiple positions and even though his production has been a bit up and down, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl is still sidelined, and he’s needed on the court to help guard the post. Pokusevski won’t always give you double-digit scoring, but he’ll contribute in other areas. He’s produced six boards in three of his last four contests and he’s recorded six steals combined over his last couple of games. Pokusevski blocks 1.3 shots per game, and he should continue to play between 20-30 minutes every game. His three-point shooting hinders him a bit and he should focus more on what he does best, driving and drawing contact. He’d be better off forcing himself to attack the line so it shows the opposition that they have to put a player in the lane to protect the rim on the other side of the ball. Most teams play the Thunder covering the elbow and not the low block because they don’t have many inside threats. 


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