NBA Market Share Report: Greg Monroe and Bargain NBA Big Men
Welcome back for another weekly edition of the NBA Market Share Report. If you missed the last installment, you can check out our discussion about this year’s Sixth Man of the Year front-runner, as well as the sidekick in Milwaukee, and a new lineup in D.C. that could lead to good things.
This week’s edition keeps it light, as we talk about a couple of NBA bigs who can bring some value to your daily lineups this holiday season.
Tis the season for bargains, deals, and doorbusters!
Let’s haggle!
Polish Hammers on Sale
As the Washington Wizards continue their current revival (a very merry 9-5 in December!) after appearing so depressing to start the season, it’s about time we take notice of Marcin Gortat and his situation as Washington’s frontcourt anchor.
Thanks to the splashy offseason delivered by one Ernie Grunfeld that netted the Wizards charming free agents like Jason Smith, Andrew Nicholson, and Ian Mahinmi, the Wizards find themselves in really tough spots when required to call upon their second unit. As a result, Gortat is called on to play a ton of minutes and he’s delivering efficient results so far.
In fact, Gortat isn’t just playing the second-most minutes on the team (behind John Wall by a hair), but he’s putting in enough work to rank 11th in minutes per game across the league.
The Wizards were also dealt the news last week that Mahinmi -- who Grunfeld handed $64 million to this past summer -- will miss at least another six weeks with lingering knee issues, which comes as no surprise to anyone except probably Grunfeld. With no one threatening to cut into his playing time, the only way Gortat’s opportunity changes is by way of a trade or unfortunate injury.
The next part of the Gortat equation is his quiet production. While his numbers won’t blow you away or steal the box score from guys like Wall, Bradley Beal, or even Otto Porter, the 32-year-old Polish Hammer is averaging a double-double and has positioned himself as a top-15 fantasy center at 29.5 FanDuel points per game.
He’s been extremely efficient on minimal shot attempts, he’s on the receiving end of a beautiful pick-and-roll guard, and he’s the top rebounding hope for a team that ranks 28th in the league.
And to help put a bow on the case for Gortat as a bargain center option, he’s routinely available in the mid-$6,000 range. Over his past 15 games, he’s hit 4x value nine times, including 5x value in six of those outings, all while maintaining a salary of $6,400 or less.
If you’re looking to stay in the holiday spirit, keep an eye on Gortat and gift yourself a good deal at the center spot.
Save Your Benjamins and Consider Monroe
The frontcourt in Milwaukee hasn’t necessarily been an easy one to figure out (as noted in some of our positional battle articles), but it looks as if Greg Monroe is making his way back onto Jason Kidd’s good side and putting up decent numbers in the process.
As a whole, Monroe is having a down year; no way around it. He’s averaging career-lows in nearly every statistical category, fantasy scoring notwithstanding, but in the time Monroe does get on the floor, he’s playing pretty well.
Take a look at his numbers per 36 minutes of action.
| PTS/36 | REB/36 | AST/36 | STL/36 | BLK/36 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greg Monroe | 17.8 | 12.2 | 4.3 | 2.2 | 0.9 |
Monroe is also toting a career-best 22.6 PER, which is second on the team behind only Giannis Antetokounmpo, and he’s the Bucks’ best rebounder with a 20.7 rebound percentage.
Albeit an inconsistent option, Monroe can oftentimes be had for a reasonable price, as his average salary over his last 15 games comes in right under $4,800. On nights where you’re looking to get the best value out of your cash lineups, Monroe can serve as a decent plug-in when the matchup permits.
Value for Myles
He may only be 20 years old, but Myles Turner isn’t missing a beat. Not only is he one of the more valuable center options on a given night, but he’s also established himself as a fringe top-50 scorer on FanDuel at 30 points per game.
Although that top-50 label may not seem like much to brag about, we’re only talking less than five points per game to put him into the top-30, and less than 10 points to launch him into the top-20.
From what it appears, the question isn’t whether or not that kind of rise can take place, but instead a matter of when. Is it something we have to wait on until next season, or is increased production attainable over the next month or so?
Lucky for us, as we wait to find out, we can still plug Turner into our lineups and get a respectable return without breaking the bank.
Myles Turner at both ends of the court! (on @FSIndiana & https://t.co/PjLUtoiPUR)#NBAVOTE pic.twitter.com/pQaeJm3IEw
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) December 29, 2016
In addition to his 15 points and 7 boards a night, it’s his 2.4 blocks a game -- which is tied for third-best in the league -- that helps build Turner’s roster value. He also leads the Pacers in field goal percentage (.533), offensive rating (115), and PER (20.2), and we’re still giddy about the progression and development of his three-point shot.
Over his last 10 games, Turner's salary has hovered right under $6,300, which makes those 30 points a night an awesome bargain. And over that same span, Turner has hit 5x value six times, with 6x value coming in four of those outings.
And that'll do it for this week. Remember to ring in the new year safely and responsibly, which is best accomplished with takeout food, a couch, and Netflix.
