Monta Ellis has been an absolute stud for the Dallas Mavericks this season, averaging a team-high 19.1 points, 4.2 assists and 2.4 rebounds per game, so when he suffered a calf injury that kept him out of Sunday’s game against the Indiana Pacers it set alarms off for fantasy owners across the board. The bigger concern is that he was hobbling around on crutches, which indicates this won’t be a quick fix.
There is no set timetable for Ellis to return but in the meantime, fantasy playoffs are happening. That means we have to look at the numbers and identify players that could step up in his absence. Here are three that could benefit:
Rajon Rondo – PG
Rondo has always thrived as the primary ball handler in an NBA offense and while his production has somewhat slowed dating back to his time with the Boston Celtics, the absence of Ellis could provide a major spark to his production. There have been rumors that those two aren’t exactly meshing, so subtracting one from the picture might help.
It didn’t take long to see the numbers spike either as Rondo went off for 17 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds in Sunday’s loss to the Indiana Pacers, which is a massive jump in production considering he had been averaging just 4.5 points and 5.0 assists in the previous two games with Ellis in the lineup. Ellis needs the ball a lot and was relied on to put up big numbers in the Dallas offense. Without him, the Mavericks will rely on Rondo to handle the ball a lot more, score more and create more for everyone else.
Dirk Nowitzki – PF
The 36-year-old Nowitzki has held his own for the Mavericks this season with 17.1 points and 6.0 rebounds per game but somebody will have to help make up for the pure point production lost without Ellis. That means the veteran scorer might be the best bet. Nowitzki scored 19 points with five rebounds in the loss to Indiana but he was just 7-of-13 from the field and if he had hit even half of the six shots he missed, his numbers would have looked a lot better.
Rondo will be the primary ball handler and his overall numbers will improve but from a primarily scoring perspective, it’s Nowitzki that will be asked to step up his overall production. Keep in mind that Nowitzki has averaged just 14.8 points per game in March with just 5.5 rebounds. Those are lows for every month of the season for him. That shows there’s room for him to start doing a bit more. Chandler Parsons will be asked to pick up some of the scoring slack too but Nowitzki has to step his game up here.
Raymond Felton – PG
Devin Harris was the Mavericks first option off the bench with Ellis sidelined but he managed just four points on 1-of-4 shooting in 27 minutes while Felton had nine points on 3-of-6 shooting in just 14 minutes off the bench. Harris has been dealing with an illness that’s been cutting his minutes short, so he’s not the ideal choice. That means Felton could be the better option in terms of coming off the bench in terms of stepping up to help fill the void. Also, keep in mind that J.J. Barea is also out.
While the nine points might not seem like a lot, it was a season-high for Felton, who has been buried on the bench. He also hit a three and picked up an assist. Obviously, you’re in the deepest of leagues if you’re picking this guy up but he should be one to benefit with everyone else around him out.
Richard Jefferson and Al-Farouq Aminu are among the other secondary options but Felton could have the best all-around offensive game from the backcourt with Ellis out.
