As we enter the penultimate month of the NBA regular season, the free agency market continues to respond to the ramifications of the recent trade deadline in addition to the injuries and attrition that always happen so late in the season.
This week's column is full of players stepping up to help replace production of players that were traded or are injured.
Cameron Johnson, Jae Crowder, Phoenix Suns (15.8% and 15.1% rostered in ESPN leagues): With Chris Paul out, Johnson and Crowder have both stepped into the production vacuum for the Suns. Johnson is a shooter-scorer that has displayed a developing floor game, while Crowder is a do-it-all role player that specializes in 3-pointers and defense. Since the All-Star Break, Johnson has moved into the starting line-up and turned in 19.7 PPG (52.9 FG%, 100.0 FT%, 45.8 3P%), 3.7 3PG, 3.7 APG, 3.0 RPG and 0.7 BPG in 31.7 MPG. Meanwhile, over the same stretch, Crowder has averaged 15.0 PPG (56.0 FG%, 81.8 FT%, 53.3 3P%), 4.3 RPG, 3.3 APG, 2.7 3PG and 2.3 3PG in 30.0 MPG. While their shooting may cool down a bit, both should continue to see an uptick in minutes and production on a Suns squad that needs it.
