NBA Roundtable: Injuries, Regrets, Award Races and More

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Updated on March 29, 2019 12:20PM EST

Welcome to the Week 24 edition of the RotoWire NBA Roundtable. Each week, our NBA staff gets together to answer questions about the biggest topics of the week, both in fantasy basketball and the league overall.

This week, we talk late-season injuries, biggest regrets, awards races and more.

With injuries piling up and teams beginning to officially rule guys out for the rest of the year, which players are on your radar as potential league-winners over the last two weeks?

Nick Whalen: The Bulls, Suns and Lakers are teams to keep an eye on, and I already have a bid in on Christian Wood in one league. Frank Jackson should continue to see a ton of minutes in New Orleans, but he's basically only been a points/threes contributor thus far.

Ken Crites: He's a boring pick, but Fred VanVleet could be really useful. Kawhi Leonard and Kyle Lowry will get plenty of rest down the stretch. Pat Connaughton could also see big minutes for Milwaukee with Malcolm Brogdon and Donte DiVincenzo out. Out West, I sure didn't expect Jonas Valanciunas to play this well for the Grizzlies. He's averaged 17 boards per game over his last four contests.

Alex Barutha: Calling him a potential league-winner might be overstating things, but Christian Wood is worth picking up if you have a bench spot that is fluid. Jahlil Okafor's minutes have been spotty, and Wood seems to have more upside than Cheick Diallo. It would surprise me if the Pelicans didn't give him around 15 minutes per night from here on out.

Jeff Edgerton: Without a doubt, Enes Kanter is at the top of my list as Portland tries to limp its way into the playoffs. You could conceivably throw some of that value in Zach Collins' direction as well, but I think Kanter is a better offensive weapon overall. My second pick would be Shaquille Harrison. His role increases as injuries pile up in Chicago.

Mike Barner: In terms of waiver wire options, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is someone who could provide significant value. The same can be said for Shaquille Harrison, especially if you need steals. The Lakers and Bulls are two of the most injury-ravaged teams at this point, so both players should get plenty of minutes as we close things out.

Alex Rikleen: Josh Jackson has missed the last three games, but if he returns, he could decide some fantasy championships. If he doesn't return, Richaun Holmes could be pretty important. I've also got a close eye on the Bulls right now, with Wayne Selden currently looking like the must-add guy. Honorable mention to Miles Bridges.

The Thunder were in 3rd place in the West as recently as Mar. 3, but they're just 7-11 since the All-Star break and currently sit in 7th. If they match up with the Nuggets in Round 1, how much of a chance do you give OKC to win that series?

Whalen: If Paul George is healthy and looks like he did from December through February, then this one becomes close to a toss-up. But this same Thunder team was upended by Utah last season, and this Denver team is deeper and more talented at the top. I would pick the Nuggets in six games, should this series come to fruition.

Crites: What the Thunder have going for them is Denver's lack of playoff experience. That said, I give the Thunder only a 20% chance. Their offense is just too simplistic in a playoff series – Denver will figure it out.

Barutha: OKC is 0-3 against the Nuggets this season, which makes me lean toward Denver. Still, I'd give OKC maybe a 45% chance because of their playoff experience. Either way, it's worrisome that Paul George literally needs to play at an MVP level to make the Thunder a top-tier Western Conference team. He's great, but that's not a viable long-term strategy.

Edgerton: I think the Thunder will start out strong, but OKC's biggest problem is their bench depth. Westbrook and George can only carry the team so far, Denver is deep everywhere and they're finally 100% healthy. The Thunder won't pose a serious threat if this matchup happens.

Barner: I'd give OKC a 45 percent chance. Despite their recent struggles, the Thunder are going to be a tough out with Russell Westbrook and Paul George at the helm. The series could easily go six or seven games.

Rikleen: Some people have already made this point, but the Jazz's current surge and the Thunder's current rough patch were both completely predictable when you look at their respective schedules. If you though OKC might make a playoff run a few weeks ago, then I don't think we've seen enough to change that opinion. Sure, their loss to the Grizzlies was gross, but every other loss is defensible, and they've also beaten the Raptors, Pacers, Trail Blazers and Jazz in that span. I still give the Thunder roughly 50% odds against any non-Warriors first-round opponent, and better than 50% odds if they luck into a matchup against the short-handed Blazers.

Looking back, what is your biggest regret of the fantasy season?

Whalen: I really didn't consider drafting Nikola Vucevic in any leagues, and obviously he's ended up having a much better season than most anticipated. I also undervalued Myles Turner a bit, and I'm currently paying for taking Kristaps Porzingis over DeMarcus Cousins to fill the early-season IR slots in multiple leagues.

Crites: Last year, I thought it was finally time for LeBron James to slow down and he wound up playing all 82 games and 37 minutes per game. So for 2018-19, I figured he'd need to work even harder to carry the Lakers into a 7th or 8th playoff seed and I went all in on James. His 18-game injury absence and occasional end-of-season "rest" torpedoed too many of my teams. That's back-to-back years I've been wrong about LeBron for opposite reasons.

Barutha: I didn't take DeMarcus Cousins in any of my leagues, which was definitely a mistake. I didn't see him returning so quickly or playing so well.

Edgerton: I was a bit too hasty in anticipation of a possible Davis move to LA. I dealt off Kuzma and McGee for Ingram and Mirotic, and that ultimately killed my roster down the stretch.

Barner: I regret not jumping on the Pascal Siakam bandwagon soon enough. I missed out on opportunities to grab him off waivers.

Rikleen: I came into the season thinking that their was little differentiation between (approximately) picks 20 and 50, and that those 30 players could finish in any order and it wouldn't surprise me. Yet, in drafts, I ignored that advice and almost always picked the same players in that range. I ended up way too heavily invested in Gary Harris and Otto Porter. I also let the hype get to me on Lonzo Ball. I started the season with a clear "stay away from the Lakers" mantra, and didn't pick him in any mock drafts. But by the time some of my bigger leagues drafted, I'd bought into the excitement and decided that his draft value was worth the risk. They were frustratingly avoidable mistakes.

In the spirit of the NCAA Tournament, what kind of fantasy production is a realistic expectation for Zion Williamson next season?

Whalen: I think I'm actually lower than most on Zion, but I still think he can step in and be a big-time fantasy contributor right away. It'll partially depend on where he ends up, but even if he goes to one of the more "loaded" high-lottery teams like Chicago, Atlanta or Phoenix, it's hard to imagine him being marginalized. I don't think Williamson will be a 20-point-per-game scorer as a rookie -- and I'm still skeptical about his outside shot -- but something in the realm of 16/9/3 with a few blocks/steals seems very realistic.

Crites: Am I crazy for thinking Atlanta Hawks era Paul Millsap as a rookie (fantasy) comp for Zion? In 2013-14, Millsap averaged 18-9-3 with 2.8 stocks. Zion is averaging 3.8 steals-plus-blocks a game at Duke. He is ACTIVE on the defensive end, which I love.

Barutha: Deandre Ayton is a top-50 player this season averaging about 16 and 10 with a combined 1.8 steals/blocks. It would be surprising to me if Zion couldn't exceed that rank. I think there will be people who take him at the second/third round turn, and that doesn't seem crazy to me based on his upside.

Edgerton: As dynamic as Williamson is, I don't expect his impact to mimic the likes of Doncic or Ayton this year. He's a man among boys right now, but he's still rough around the edges and will likely endure some growing pains early on. The team he goes to probably won't be a contender, so he could come alive in the second half of the season as that team looks toward the future.

Barner: I like his upside right out of the gate. His defensive stats could help him flirt with top-50 value, but his lack of three-point shooting and poor free-throw shooting will somewhat cap his ceiling.

Rikleen: I'm the conductor of the "Don't Draft Rookies" train, but man, Zion feels different. Depending on where he lands, 20 points, eight rebounds, and three stocks seems reasonable. I will have no problem drafting him in the third round.

With Indiana/Boston looking like the probable 4/5 matchup, how do you see that first-round series playing out?

Whalen: Most of what we've seen this season implies that Indiana, even without Victor Oladipo, is the more consistent team, but I can't see Boston losing in Round 1. If this is the matchup, I think Boston will struggle but ultimately win in six or seven before falling in the East Semis.

Crites: As the horribly biased New Englander in the group, I say Boston wins in six. Who scores in crunch time for the Pacers, when Boston finally (hopefully?) plays defense? As bad as the Celtics look, they have postseason experience oozing out of every pore.

Barutha: I think Indiana will make things interesting like they did with the Cavs last year, but I'm still taking the Celtics in 7. Boston will definitely get blown out in one game though.

Edgerton: I think it all depends on Boston's ability to stay healthy, and the success of Indiana's backcourt. I feel like the Pacers are due and will send Boston packing if they end up facing each other.

Barner: I know the Celtics are struggling, but I can't see them losing in a seven-game series to a Pacers team that will really miss Victor Oladipo in the playoffs. I'd take Celtics in six.

Rikleen: As a Celtics fan, I can't be unbiased here. The Celtics have too much talent and should be able to win in 5 or 6.