The Miami Heat elongated their winning streak against the New York Knicks on Wednesday evening. In the second game of a four-game homestand, Miami started both halves strong and wiped the New York out from the get-go.
This game particularly showed how fantasy basketball value can differ from on-court value. Let’s take a deeper look at what that means.
In a game that saw a fantastic night from P.J. Tucker, who dropped 20 points while sinking four triples, one may be surprised to see that he was only the fifth most valuable fantasy contributor for the Miami Heat.
On the other hand, Bam Adebayo, who had an off game by his own standards, finished with just six points on seven shots. Adebayo, however, had a more impactful fantasy performance than Tucker.
How can this be? Tucker finished with 20 points and Adebayo could not sink a shot at all.
Though it’s all rather fascinating, it isn’t that complex of an issue at all. Here is how.
Miami Heat: Knicks Win Shows Fantasy Value Of All-Around Floor Game
Tucker’s peripheral stats of one rebound, zero assists, zero steals, and zero blocks significantly diminished his value from a fantasy perspective. Adebayo contributed eight rebounds, 11 assists, two steals, and a block.
While Tucker’s scoring may look nice in the box score, Adebayo had the complete package performance and provided more contributions to rarer fantasy-related categories, thus triggering higher scoring figures associated with the “rarer” categories.
Even Duncan Robinson, who had 25 points in the process of making seven triples, barely out-paced Adebayo in total value.
When evaluating talent from a fantasy basketball perspective, it is crucial to look beyond a player’s high-scoring games.
Finding a player that provides value across the board is far more valuable than a player that scores and brings nothing else to the table.
This is the main reason why Jimmy Butler leads the Heat to on-court success as well as fantasy basketball success. That’s also a reason why a guy like Caleb Martin benefits tremendously when he gets the minutes, as he also plays a well-rounded brand of basketball.
How did this all play out on the floor Wednesday though?
Miami Heat: Jimmy Butler Is The Epitome Of What Makes A Fantasy Stud
On Wednesday, Butler led the team in fantasy value, stuffed the stat sheet from every angle, and led his team to a victory.
Not only was he hyper efficient from the field and the free throw line, but he also contributed six boards, five dimes, and a pair of steals to go along with his 22 points. He played a nearly perfect fantasy game on Wednesday.
As the fantasy playoffs inch closer, managers need to start asking some hard questions about their rosters. Is too much of an emphasis being placed on scoring— alone?
If the answer is “yes”, that could mean perhaps looking to add a player like Caleb Martin. A guy like him, who provides a Butler-like level of all-around production, can be a more worthwhile use of a roster spot over a player like Jordan Clarkson, Bojan Bogdanovic, or Jordan Poole.
Those guys just focus on the scoring. This Knicks game was the perfect illustration though, as far as the importance of all-around contributions in the fantasy hoops game.