December 19 Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire: Luguentz Dort, Chris Boucher, Andre Drummond and Georges Niang
NBA players who had good games last week and are widely available in fantasy leagues.
Now that the NBA Cup has it ended, basketball is getting back into the swing of things.
Let's hop straight into the top previous performances that caught my eye from waiver wire players.
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Luguentz Dort Fantasy Outlook
Oklahoma City Thunder forward Luguentz Dort has been playing amazing this year. Known mostly as a defensive juggernaut early on in his career, Dort has slowly progressed into a reliable shooter. His progression as a scorer and shooter have been two main facets that helped fuel the resurgence of the Thunder.
He’s been the perfect complementary role player to guys like Chet Holmgren and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The big difference to Dort’s game this year is that he has became an effective finisher around the rim. Though he carries a bulky frame, he often would be out of control and unbalanced when attacking the rim in previous years. This year though, he’s learned to calm down and use his strength to his advantage.
This year Dort is averaging 10.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists on 29 minutes per game. Though some would hope his scoring would be higher, I still think he’s an excellent priority waiver acquisition. Even though the Thunder made high profile moves during the offseason, Dort’s opportunities have not dwindled. He currently is at a 61% own mark so he might be a little trouble to acquire.
Chris Boucher Fantasy Outlook
Toronto Raptors forward Chris Boucher has quietly put together a good season so far. He is getting more opportunities this year, which is great to see. Some of those opportunities are coming naturally, but also some are out of pure necessity.
Raptors young star forward Scottie Barnes has missed multiple games while dealing with serious injuries and could possibly miss more. So Boucher has slid in and been a Swiss Army knife for this young team. His length and versatility allow him to take numerous roles on offense and defense. Seeing him fly around and wreak havoc has been fun.
On the season, Boucher is averaging 10 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 0.8 blocks on 18 minutes a game. When I looked at his stats, I had to read it a couple of times to make sure it really said just 18 minutes a game. That’s why he’s my second priority waiver acquisition behind Lu Dort. He’s extremely effective and productive in the small timeframe he’s allowed to play.
Also, this is a bad Raptors team, so they could increase his minutes if they ever wanted to entice a team to trade for him so that they recoup some assets. The best part about Boucher is that its own percentage is only at 9. This makes it extremely likely that you will be able to get him on the waiver wire.
Georges Niang Fantasy Outlook
Cleveland Cavaliers forward Georges Niang has been an excellent role player this year. I was under the impression that he wouldn’t be back with this team this year and instead would be a part of a trade package. I’m very happy I was wrong; he has fit like a glove in the Cavaliers new system. His 3-point shooting has been a huge factor in his production.
His defensive versatility has also been huge in his production. He has a bigger build but is able to be versatile because of how mobile he is on both ends. Niang has really just been the perfect glue guy off the bench.
This season Niang has put up 8.8 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.3 assists on 20 minutes per game. I would say Niang is more of a deep league waiver wire acquisition, rather than a priority. I just think his offense is way too 3-point reliant for me to fully put all my trust into him.
He is only at a 6% own mark, so he will always be available if you need someone to fill in for injury. He's going to get the opportunities; it's just if you're confident enough that he will take advantage of all of them.
Andre Drummond Fantasy Outlook
Philadelphia 76ers center Andre Drummond has been extremely productive this year once again. It doesn’t matter what team or situation he is in; he will always play well. Once again he has been a monster on the boards and gobbling up any opportunities that come off the rim. His minutes have been in flux for most of the season simply because of the erratic Joel Embiid timetable.
Even with that, I still would consider Drummond as a priority waiver wire acquisition. He is currently at a 36% ownership mark. That should be great news for any owner on the waiver wire looking to add talent.
