Nate McMillan has shifted Bogdan Bogdanovic from part-time play-maker to empowered centerpiece for the Atlanta Hawks. The Serbian shooting guard averaged just 23.9 minutes in his first 22 appearances for Atlanta, but during his past four games, he's averaged a team-high 37.1 minutes.
Bogdanovic had become a forgotten man in fantasy terms, thanks to serving a small role in the rotation while battling injuries for the first few months of the season. Now rostered in roughly 60% of ESPN leagues, Bogdanovic has averaged 21.5 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 5.8 APG, and a whopping 4.3 3PG during his past four games.
If De'Andre Hunter and Kris Dunn get fully healthy, it's possible that Bogdanovic eventually shifts back to a more modest role for the Hawks, but given the combination of team and individual success unearthed by featuring the shooting guard lately, there is reason to trust his success is a trend.
Weekend recap
Highlights
Saturday
Jrue Holiday, Milwaukee Bucks: 33 points (14-23 FG), 7 rebounds, 11 assists, 3 steals
Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves: 39 points (11-23 FG), 14 rebounds, 5 assists
Sunday
Lonzo Ball, New Orleans Pelicans: 27 points (8-18 FG, 8-15 3PT), 4 rebounds, 9 assists, 3 steals
Kyrie Irving, Brooklyn Nets: 24 points (12-27 FG), 2 rebounds, 15 assists, 2 steals
Lowlights
Saturday
Saddiq Bey, Detroit Pistons: 6 points (2-9 FG), 0 rebounds, 1 assist
Victor Oladipo, Miami Heat: 8 points (3-13 FG), 1 rebound, 5 assists, 4 TO
Sunday
Seth Curry, Philadelphia 76ers: 3 points (1-6 FG), 2 rebounds, 1 assist
P.J. Washington, Charlotte Hornets: 3 points (1-6 FG), 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 TO
Weekend takeaways
Ball's return from a seven-game absence due to a hip injury was triumphant. The UCLA product notched a career-high eight 3-pointers in the win over the Rockets, tied for second most in Pelicans history. Nickeil Alexander-Walker suffered a foot injury in the game and didn't return to action.
In the loss to the Pelicans, Houston's Kelly Olynyk continued to play well with his new team. Olynyk scored a season-high 26 points, including five three-pointers. Talks of a buyout once he landed in Houston now seem premature, as Olynyk is producing solid numbers even with Christian Wood back in the rotation.
The Clippers cruised to an afternoon win over the rival Lakers. Marcus Morris Sr. tallied a game-high Sunday 22 points, marking his seventh 20-point game of the season.
Wendell Carter Jr. produced yet another strong line for the Magic on Sunday and is now averaging 18.7 PPG and 11.0 RPG in his past three with the team. You can still find "WCJ" in free agency in half of ESPN leagues.
Rostered in exactly half of ESPN leagues, Pacers guard T.J. McConnell is still beasting. Even in a backup role, McConnell leads the league in steals and has at least five dimes in six of his past seven games.
Orlando's red-shirt rookie Chuma Okeke continued to play well over the weekend with his first career performance with at least five points, five assists and five rebounds on Sunday. Okeke has averaged 16.3 points his past seven games and yet is rostered in just shy of 40% of leagues.
Injuries of note
Minnesota's Malik Beasley, Ricky Rubio, and D'Angelo Russell are all listed as doubtful for tonight's matchup against Sacramento. Jordan McLaughlin is a strong streaming option for those in need of guard play.
Bradley Beal and Rui Hachimura are both questionable for Washington's game against Toronto this evening.
Analytics advantage for Monday
The Pistons will rest Mason Plumlee for tonight's game against the Thunder. With Plumlee sidelined, rookie center Isaiah Stewart has averaged 12.1 points, 10.9 rebounds and an awesome 2.9 combined blocks and steals per 36 minutes this season. You can find Stewart for the price of a roster spot in nearly all fantasy leagues and for punt pricing in DFS play tonight.
Top player to watch on Monday
With Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Darius Bazley, and Luguentz Dort all sidelined by injuries for tonight's matchup with Detroit, guard Theo Maledon is in a good spot to produce for Oklahoma City. It will be interesting to see how Maledon handles increased work in an inviting matchup with Detroit.
