Udonis Haslem Hits the Boards: Miami Heat Star's Fantasy Impact
Are you lacking in the rebounding department? I'm sure you're not alone.
Have no fear, Udonis Haslem is here.
Haslem may not be part of Miami's big three, but he gives them toughness and can still be of major help to a fantasy team in need of a boost on the boards.
Haslem is averaging a career-high 10.2 rebounds per game and has been remarkably consistent. He has reached double-digit rebounds in eight of his twelve games, and has had at least eight boards in all but one game (six on December 28th against Charlotte).
Haslem isn't a guy that you have to worry about suddenly dropping off the map. He has averaged between 7.9 and 9.1 rebounds over the past seven seasons.
He's never been much of a scorer, so don't expect much more than his 8.1 PPG average, especially when Dwyane Wade returns. That isn't what he brings to the table.
Don't look for a lot of assists, blocks or steals either. Again, that's not his game.
I do expect his poor shooting to come around. He's at a career low 40.2 percent, which is significantly lower than even his rookie season mark of 45.9 percent.
Throughout his career, he's made roughly half of his shots. Maybe he's suffering because he missed most of last season with a foot injury and didn't have the normal offseason to get up to speed.
Regardless, I expect improvement given his track record.
He's also a solid free-throw shooter with a lifetime 76.5 percent mark.
Haslem is owned in 56.0 percent of Yahoo! and 46.6 percent of ESPN leagues. He's more valuable in Yahoo! leagues because he has center eligibility along with the forward eligibility that he has in ESPN leagues.
Is Haslem the answer to all of your needs? Of course not. If he was, he'd be owned in more than half of all fantasy leagues. He can give you a nice boost to your rebounding category, and I anticipate he'll eventually benefit your field-goal percentage without jeopardizing your free-throw percentage.
There is definitely value there.
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