In Their Bag

Anthony Black

Entering the season, I didn’t have big expectations for Anthony Black. I assumed he would just be your typical, average secondary guard. Running the offense, getting a few buckets here and there, and playing some decent defense. And for the majority of the season up to this point, it looked like that. Then, on December 13th, in the Magic’s semi-final NBA Cup game against the Knicks, Jalen Suggs suffered a left hip contusion and hasn’t played since. This was a big blow to the Magic, but Anthony Black has definitely picked up the slack. Since Suggs has been injured, Black is averaging 24 ppg and showing no signs of fatigue on the defensive end. He’s making me look stupid for trading him in Fantasy, and I’m sure he’s proving a lot of other people wrong as well. Now the question is, can Black still have the same impact when Suggs returns?

Bag Lookin’ Shallow

Atlanta Hawks

The Hawks have a problem. When Trae Young was out, they were sitting three games above .500. Now they’re three games below .500 with Trae back. This year, without Trae, the Hawks have a 115.3 defensive rating, which is 17th in the NBA, right behind the Cavaliers. With Trae, they have a 122.1 defensive rating, which would be dead last, right behind the horrible Wizards, who are literally trying to be bad. In Trae’s first game back, the Hawks gave up 152 points to the Bulls, who have a bottom-10 offense. The Hawks are 0-6 since Trae’s return, having not won a single game. There’s only one logical thing the Hawks can do: trade him. His contract is up at the end of this year, then he can leave, and the Hawks would get nothing in return. Might as well trade him and at least get something back. It’s not like the Hawks are drastically better with him; you might even say they’re worse than him. Plus, the Hawks might find their Trae Young replacement in the draft. Since they have the Pelicans pick, which can definitely has a chance at being top 3, they could get the opportunity to draft Darryn Peterson. Peterson is a 6’6” point guard who can facilitate the offense like Trae did, but unlike Trae, he won’t be a liability on defense.

No Bag

Zion Williamson

Zion’s in a similar situation as Trae Young… except Trae Young hasn’t missed more than half the games he could’ve played in. Even this year, Zion has already missed 16 games. Now Zion is coming off the bench! Why would the Pelicans bench their franchise player? I unfortunately don’t have the answer to this. However, I wouldn’t be shocked if the Pelicans are looking to trade Zion. He’s played fantastic off the bench so far, and it’s definitely boosting his trade value. And maybe the Pelicans don’t even need Zion anymore, they’re 4-0 with him on the bench. It could mean that young guys like Derik Queen, Trey Murphy III, and Jeremiah Fears are ready to take over this team. Not to mention Dejounte Murray who should be coming back soon. But, if the Pelicans aren’t looking to trade him, how will coming off the bench sit with Zion’s ego? He was the number one pick, supposed to be the player to bring them to the promised land, and now he’s getting benched? Perhaps Zion himself will ask for a trade. Whichever way this goes, the Pelicans are certainly going to be an interesting team to keep an eye on at the trade deadline.