Basketball Pickups: Can I get an Amen?

Pickups during the week of the trade deadline are always interesting, and the most important thing to keep in mind is your league’s settings. If you have a limited amount of waiver moves per week, it may be smartest to have a few left over after the deadline. There will be players that have value now that may lose some of that after trades are made. There are also players that don’t hold much value now that will take on larger roles after the deadline.

With that being said, moves can still be made. In some cases, they absolutely should be made. Unfortunately, a lot of those are because of injuries. Some reports indicated that Joel Embiid will be re-evaluated in four weeks, while others suggested that the timeline will be closer to 6-8 weeks. Either way, unless the 76ers make a trade for a center at the deadline (real possibility), Paul Reed (49%) will be the starting center. The last two performances haven’t been inspiring, but he has reportedly been battling an illness. He is worth adding or holding unless they trade for a center.

Here are a few other players to consider after Tuesday’s games:

Amen Thompson- 27%

Thompson got the start on Tuesday, which is the first of at least four games without Fred VanVleet due to a left adductor strain. The first one went well, as he finished with 13 points, 13 rebounds, six assists and three blocks in 34 minutes. There is a chance that FVV returns for their final game before the All-Star break, but they may opt to give him the extra rest before bringing him back. Either way, Thompson is an elite fantasy player and should absolutely be streamed.

Miles McBride- 2%

Jalen Brunson tweaked his ankle in the fourth quarter of Tuesday’s game against Memphis, and he exited early because of it. McBride ended up logging 31 minutes in this game, and with how many injuries they’re dealing with, he was going to play a large role regardless of Brunson’s injury. However, if Brunson misses Thursday’s game against Dallas, McBride will likely get the starting nod.

Precious Achiuwa- 33%

Along with Brunson’s ankle injury, Josh Hart also injured his knee when McBride fell into it. New York is dealing with so many injuries, and there is a really good chance that Achiuwa remains in the starting lineup on Thursday. He posted a 17/5/3/3/1 line with a 3-pointer in 40 minutes on Tuesday and should be able to maintain solid production against Dallas.

Jae Crowder- 2%

Crowder started the second half of Tuesday’s game against the suns after Khris Middleton exited early due to a left ankle injury. The X-rays were negative, but Middleton was seen exiting with a walking boot and crutches. Nothing is confirmed, but their next four games consist of two back-to-backs, so he was likely going to miss at least two of those games anyway. Crowder had 10 points, six rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block in 40 minutes on Tuesday, and though he didn’t knock down any triples, he is more than capable.