Brian Spurlock- USA TODAY Sports
Kent Bazemore played just over six minutes per game in his first 44 games this season, as a deep Golden State Warriors back court kept him from having a significant role. So a trade to the Los Angeles Lakers last week looked like good news for his career, and his fantasy potential, and that has come to fruition with his new team so far.
Bazemore started his third consecutive game Wednesday night against the Memphis Grizzlies, and after scoring 14 points (2-for-4 on three-pointers) with four assists, two rebounds and one steal in the game he is averaging 17.3 points, 3.0 assists, 2.3 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game in his four games with the Lakers. His playing time has risen significantly with Los Angeles, to 35 minutes per game, and his shot volume (12.8 field goal attempts per game) has been notable.
Can Bazemore sustain good value for fantasy basketball owners over the rest of the season?
Bazemore has fallen into a prominent role for the injury-riddled Lakers, but things are about to get more complicated with both Nick Young and Xavier Henry close to returning from knee injuries. Kobe Bryant can’t be forgotten either, as he tries to return from his own knee issue, but he will be re-evaluated again in a little over two weeks and may not return to action this season.
Bazemore has been a hot waiver wire pickup over the last few days, but he is still available in 76 percent of Yahoo! leagues right now. His outlook from here to the end of the season is dependent on the status of Young and Henry, as well as the machinations of Lakers’ coach Mike D’Antoni, but Bazemore is worth considering in daily leagues on Friday night against a Sacramento Kings‘ squad that has allowed opponents to make 37.5 percent of their three-pointers (fifth-worst in the league) entering Thursday’s action.
Brad Berreman is a Senior Writer at Rant Sports.com. Follow him on Twitter @bradberreman24 or connect with him on Google +.
