Fantasy Basketball: Should You Add Brandon Rush?

Brandon Rush has had some moments of brilliance in his young NBA career. He averaged 13.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, 0.9 assists, 0.4 blocks, 0.7 steals and 2.1 three-pointers in 15 games last December.

In March of the 2009-10 season he averaged 12.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.8 blocks, 0.8 steals and 2.1 three-pointers in 16 games. In March and April of the 2008-2009 season he averaged 12.6 points in 21 games.

The potential is there, as you would expect from the 13th pick of the 2008 NBA Draft.

The question is whether or not he can sustain the success. We’ll see if the change of scenery from Indiana to Golden State helps.

So far he’s liking his new digs. Through three games Rush is averaging the kind of numbers that he puts up when he’s had his best moments. He won’t blow you away in any category, but his averages of 12.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 2.0 blocks, 1.3 steals and 1.7 three-pointers can certainly help fantasy teams.

The Warriors aren’t the same team as they have been in the past. They have yet to hit the century mark and are averaging just 92.3 ppg. As long as he’s playing around 27 minutes per game, that shouldn’t matter.

For starters, Rush is going to knock down three-pointers. He’s averaging 1.3 per game in his NBA career, making more than 40 percent of his attempts. He doesn’t provide many assists, but he gives you a solid number of rebounds at the guard position.

He’s a solid defender so the blocks and steals should continue to come.

If you have an expendable bench player, it might be worth your while to give Rush a chance.

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