UPDATE #2: With Hachimura sidelined for the next handful of games, the Wizards will start Davis Bertans on Wednesday night vs. the Chicago Bulls.
Per Coach Brooks, Davis Bertans will start tonight in place of Rui Hachimura. #WizBulls | #RepTheDistrict
— Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) December 18, 2019
Bertans has been shooting nearly 50% from downtown over the past 10 games, so he should only get more looks and more minutes with Hachimura sidelined. I think Bertans is a must-own in deeper season-long leagues and he’s a good GPP play on DraftKings tonight.
UPDATE: Hachimura is now expected to miss at least the next five games due to the groin contusion he suffered Monday night vs. the Pistons.
Wow
— Candace Buckner (@CandaceDBuckner) December 17, 2019
Rui Hachimura will be out for the next five games from his groin contusion injury sustained last night
This is a massive blow for the Wizards, who are currently down Thomas Bryant (foot) and Moritz Wagner (ankle) in the frontcourt. At this point the only forwards on the roster are Davis Bertans and Ian Mahinmi, so they’ll likely have to start at PF and C, respectively. But outside of that, the Wiz don’t have any size at all. They’ve mostly been running guards off the bench.
Washington did sign big man Anzejs Pasecniks to a two-way contract Tuesday, seemingly as depth behind Mahinmi and Bertans. Pasecniks could be an intriguing value play in DFS for the Wiz moving forward. Mahinmi is worth scooping up in season-long fantasy basketball as well, for now.
Rui Hachimura, the Wizards’ first round pick, has played a massive role for Washington in recent games. With Mo Wagner and Thomas Bryant both out, a depleted Wizards’ front court has made it necessary for Hachimura to play close to 40 minutes per night in recent games. It’s going to be nearly impossible to fill the void with such a thin roster, but Ian Mahinmi ($4,100) and Davis Bertans ($6,300) will play all the minutes they can handle in the short term.