SO SAD: BOSTON CELTICS HEAD COACH JOE MAZZULLA EXPLAINE WHY HE WILL NO LONGER CONTINUE WITH THE TEAM…
In terms of Fantasy Basketball, Alex Barutha goes down what we know about the rookie class.
The NBA season is about to end in less than a month. It’s almost time for the year’s last rookie report, so let’s get started. This won’t be an overview of their entire campaign; rather, it will focus on their March performance and April prospects. This article does not contain every rookie who was noteworthy at any point during the season or who was picked in the lottery. I’ve chosen to include the ones that have recently had the biggest impact on fantasy football.
After an electrifying February, Holmgren has somewhat cooled off, much like Wembanyama. Holmgren went under 50% from the field and 34% from three points this month for the first time in his career. His March performance was 15.7 PPG on 49.6 FG% and 28.8 3P%. With the rookie hitting 1.3 shots per game in his 12 games, it’s also the first month that he’s been below 1.9 blocks. As the Thunder try to get Holmgren as fresh as possible for a postseason run, don’t be shocked if his minutes are reduced or if he misses a few games.
On March 12, Thompson entered the starting lineup as a result of Alperen Sengun’s injury. The Rockets have won nine straight games, so it’s been flawless. In his new position, the rookie has been scoring effectively, averaging 14.3 points per game on 62.7 FG% and 72.7 FT%. In addition, he has been shattering glass (8.6 RPG). He’s not providing as many assists (2.7) or accumulating as many steals-plus-blocks (1.4) as managers may have desired, but that’s the price of playing in the first unit with other players who are playmakers and defenders. Even without a three-point shot, I’m still not sure what his long-term job in the NBA will be, but he’s showing that he can handle every other position on the court.