Waiver wire pickups: Is it time to roster Donte DiVincenzo?

Working the waiver wire is pivotal to succeeding in fantasy basketball. With so many games, injuries and endless shifts in rotations throughout the marathon campaign, we’ll need to source stats from free agency to maximize imaginary rosters. A willingness to entertain competition for the last few spots on your fantasy hoops roster can prove rewarding.

When curating this fluid collective of statistical contributors, it helps to consider your end-of-bench players in direct competition with the talent floating in free agency. The goal of this weekly series is to identify players at each position widely available in free agency in ESPN leagues. Some nominations are specialists capable of helping in one or two categories, while others deliver more diverse and important statistical offerings.

In the breakdowns below, I’ve ordered players at each position with the priority of acquisition in mind, rather than roster percentage in ESPN men’s basketball leagues.

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Point guard

Collin Sexton, Utah Jazz (Rostered in 60.7% of ESPN leagues)

Sexton has grown as a starter this season impressing fantasy managers. He has averaged 21.5 points and 4.8 assists over his past 18 games, all starts, on stellar scoring efficiency. With this recent surge in playing time and production, Sexton is in a good spot as Utah’s top backcourt playmaker.

Jaden Ivey, Detroit Pistons (41.4%)

Cade Cunningham‘s injury doesn’t appear long-term, but his absence has led to a more creation opportunities for Ivey. He has averaged 17 points and nearly 10 combined assists and rebounds over his past 12 games, while posting 1.8 combined steals and blocks over that span. We’ll learn more about the sustainability of Ivey’s fantasy impact once Cunningham is back. For a more widely available option, Killian Hayes (6.1%) has averaged over eight assists over the past week.

T.J. McConnell, Indiana Pacers (38.6%)

Another injury-driven outcome has McConnell dishing dimes for the Pacers as Tyrese Haliburton deals with a hamstring injury. McConnell’s minutes can prove lean, especially since he’s not a traditional floor-spacer as a shooter, but the steals and assist upside is remains valuable on a Pacers team that ranks a top the league in both pace and offensive efficiency. Andrew Nembhard has also surfaced as a key distributor for the Indiana recently.

Shooting guard

Malik Monk, Sacramento Kings (55.4%)

Monk has been a true bucket and confirmed his big-game ability with a massive line against the Milwaukee Bucks Sunday. With the ability to deliver valuable assist totals as the lead playmaker on the Kings’ second unit, Monk is among the most undervalued players in ESPN leagues at the moment.

Donte DiVincenzo, New York Knicks (15.1%)

DiVincenzo ranks 15th among shooting guards on the Player Rater over the past two weeks thanks to a unique blend of two-way production. DiVincenzo is a savvy glue guy that has begun to earn more minutes and responsibilities in Knicks’ rotation.

Bruce Brown, Indiana Pacers (19.4%)

Haliburton’s absence impacts Brown’s usage as well. He has posted 14 assists across his past three games to go with strong rebounding and respectable scoring results.

Small forward

Luke Kennard, Memphis Grizzlies (3.6%)

Memphis has been hit with an unending wave of injuries. Not only is Ja Morant out for the season, but Marcus Smart and Desmond Bane aren’t expected back for over a month. This means more minutes and opportunities to find shots for Kennard in the coming games.

Jalen Johnson, Atlanta Hawks (66.5%)

While he’s rostered in many leagues, there’s still nearly a third of formats that need to pay attention to Johnson’s awesome ascent as a fantasy force this season. The blend of efficient scoring, volume rebounding and defensive rates merge to make Johnson an ideal option in leagues of all sizes.

Vince Williams Jr., Memphis Grizzlies (5.9%)

The Grizzlies’ collection of injured stars also influences Williams’ role, as he almost posted a triple-double against the Knicks over the weekend. A recent contract extension confirms Williams is a meaningful part of Memphis’ rotation and the results could continue to prove rewarding.

Tim Hardaway Jr., Dallas Mavericks (23.0%)

Hardaway has vaulted into a high-volume scoring role with Luka Doncic out. Even upon Doncic’s return, there will be room for THJ to find his shot and deliver as a floor-spacer for both the Mavericks and fantasy investors.

Power forward

Deni Avdija, Washington Wizards (36.0%)

Flying under the radar on a lackluster Washington team, Avdija might just be breaking out to a new tier of production. He finished just one assist shy of a massive triple-double on Saturday and is likely to gain even more touches and minutes if the team trades off some vets during the deadline.

Jabari Walker, Portland Trail Blazers (3.2%)

The youth movement in Portland includes Walker, who has recently turned into a rotation regular. He has averaged a double-double over the past week.

Center

Isaiah Hartenstein, New York Knicks (45.4%)

A weekly inclusion in this space thanks to his prolific rebounding and defensive rates, Hartenstein could lead the NBA in rebounding for the rest of the season given his blend of minutes and rebounding chances.

Onyeka Okongwu, Atlanta Hawks (44.7%)

With Clint Capela coming up in recent trade buzz, there is a realistic path to Okongwu finally becoming the centerpiece of the Hawks’ frontcourt. If Capela is dealt, fantasy stardom could be next for Okongwu.

Xavier Tillman, Memphis Grizzlies (10.5%)

Fresh off a career best in steals and starting to flash increased passing acumen, Tillman has a large role waiting for him each night given the sheer depletion of the rotation.

Special teams

This section focuses on specialists; players who flash in a singular category and can provide specific value to those in category and roto formats. Nominations are based on which category such players are helpful in and will rotate throughout the season.

• 3-pointers: DiVincenzo ranks fifth in added 3-point value on the Player Rater over the past two weeks, just ahead of Lauri Markkanen and Stephen Curry. Alec Burks (3.9%) and Grayson Allen (25.0%) are also providing positive returns from beyond the arc during this sample.

• Steals: Hartenstein’s steal rate remains absurd, as he’s tops in the league in added value over the past two weeks. McConnell is 10th in this index and his career rates suggest it’s entirely sustainable.

• Boards: Beyond Hartenstein, Ivica Zubac (64.9%) is working the class with efficiency in recent games.

• Blocks: Herbert Jones (28.0%) of the Pelicans is the rare wing with a fun block rate. Okongwu is a savvy rim protector who, as mentioned, could leap into elite territory in swats if the team makes more room for his game.

• Assists: McConnell is the guy for this one given his ability to, even off the bench, deliver double-digit dimes. Detroit’s Killian Hayes (6.1%) is also serving a meaningful passing role for his team.