From the Twitter account of @Cavsanada: “(Pelicans are shutting down Anthony Davis) Just in time for fantasy playoffs.”
Have no fear, @Cavsanada. Well OK, have some fear. New Orleans definitely doesn’t have anyone on its roster who can produce Anthony Davis-type numbers on the basketball floor – almost no other NBA team does, either – but the Pelicans may be the squad to provide you with a fantasy hoops sleeper or two during the final three weeks of the 2015-16 season.
In an avalanche of bad luck health-wise that reached its nadir in recent days, New Orleans (26-44) has been playing without five of its top six leading scorers, a group that includes Davis (24.3 points per game in 2015-16), Ryan Anderson (17.0), Eric Gordon (15.2), Tyreke Evans (15.2) and Norris Cole (10.6). That quintet averages a combined 82.3 points per game, though they’ve rarely been on the court at the same time. Of the Pelicans’ six double-digit scorers this season, only Jrue Holiday (16.7) has been available this week to help fill the large void (Davis, Gordon and Evans are out for the season, while Anderson and Cole still could play over the final 12 games).
As a result, there are an array of new faces on the New Orleans roster who’ve been given the opportunity to play more minutes, take more shots, score more points, grab more rebounds, dish out more assists, you name it. Here’s a look at a few of the Pelicans who’ve unexpectedly moved into prominent roles as a result of a multitude of key injuries. It’s a list that includes two players who weren’t on the roster on Opening Night, including a second-year guard who’s on a 10-day contract he signed last week:
Tim Frazier, guard
It only took four games for the 6-foot-1 Penn State product to score more points in a New Orleans uniform (55) than he did in 35 appearances this season with Portland (51). The 25-year-old made a great first impression immediately after he signed his 10-day deal March 16, scoring a career-high 14 points and posting nine assists in just 27 minutes that night at Sacramento. Frazier has now registered double-digit scoring in all four games he’s played with the Pelicans, something he accomplished four times in 86 previous career games. Granted, his is still a very small sample size, but on a per-36-minute basis, Frazier is fourth on the Pelicans in scoring (19.4 points), behind only Davis, Holiday and Anderson.
Toney Douglas, guard
He didn’t sign with the Pelicans until Oct. 30, three days after New Orleans lost on “Ring Night” to the defending champion Warriors. At times lately though, he’s pretty much been the second option in New Orleans’ offensive attack, after Holiday. Douglas only played five games from Dec. 1 through Jan. 19, but he’s started the past seven games and has been aggressive offensively, firing at least 10 shots six times since March 9. In 2015-16, Douglas has shot so well that he’s now leading New Orleans in three-point percentage (39.3).
Luke Babbitt, forward
If not for foul trouble in Tuesday’s 113-99 defeat to Miami, Babbitt likely would’ve finished with a career high in scoring. The southpaw piled up 23 points, one shy of the 24 he scored in April ’14 at Houston, but he had to sit a portion of the fourth quarter after being whistled for a fifth personal. Like Douglas, Babbitt went through an extended stretch where he had to exhibit patience – he logged less than 30 minutes total from Dec. 11 to Feb. 6 – but lately has been on the floor a bunch. His three highest-minutes games of the season have all occurred in the past 10 days.
Dante Cunningham, forward
His season-best 19 points were critical in the Pelicans’ upset win over the Clippers on Sunday. Even though New Orleans still has five games left to play this month, the Villanova product has already logged more playing time (368 minutes) in March than he did in any previous month.
Omer Asik, center
Sunday’s win vs. the Clippers was hands-down his premier performance of 2015-16, considering he notched season highs in points (15), rebounds (14) and minutes (29:46). Two nights later vs. Miami, his eight-point, nine-board game marked the first time in 2015-16 he’s had at least eight points in consecutive games.
