Welcome back, Hoop Ballers, to another installment of our International Spotlight weekly feature at the end of a week that has been so tough for the NBA community and its fans all over the world.

So much has been said and written after the tragic loss of Kobe Bryant and his sweet daughter Gigi and I have enjoyed every single story about one of the true greatest of all time. I grew up to learn and play basketball at the at time that Kobe was drafted by the Lakers and came into the league as the next best thing and he surely didn’t disappoint, while beating my favorite Magic at the tail of his career during the 2009 NBA Finals. And while this has been a devastating loss for his family first of all and the rest of us, the basketball fans, secondly, I am very happy to see his legacy, which embodied a tremendous work ethic and a fearless competitive spirit, to become one for the ages. So long Black Mamba!

On to the fantasy platform. With the NBA season entering its second half, I thought this was a good time to take a step back and reflect on the value of most international players in the NBA and their outlook for the rest of the season. The fantasy playoffs are getting closer and managers should make sure to do anything possible to make the cut and compete for the trophy and today I’m focusing in on the Eastern Conference and the players that have risen to the occasion, as well as those who have laid an egg.

Atlantic Division

Daniel Theis has been a pleasant surprise this season, averaging a career-high 1.5 blocks per game, and he should be owned in standard leagues. Enes Kanter on the other hand has been demoted to a bench role and he can’t be trusted on a nightly basis but he still is averaging 8.2 rebounds and a career-high 0.9 blocks. The Celtics though could be looking to upgrade their center position ahead of the February trade deadline so feel feel to shop both guys for a more reliable asset.

The Nets will continue to fight for a place in the playoffs, something that has had an impact on youngsters like Rodi Kurucs and Dzanan Musa, both of whom have failed to gain consistent playing time and are currently behind Wilson Chandler and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot.

Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the river, Frank Ntilikina’s honeymoon period after a very successful World Cup during the summer is over and the French guard has fallen behind Elfrid Payton under interim coach Mike Miller. I continue to believe that he is better suited playing as a secondary guard next to a point guard that can spread the floor and maybe he finally gets traded to a place where his skills can be used successfully.

Joel Embiid has played in just 33 out of the 51 possible games with the Sixers this year and his scoring, rebounding and block numbers have slightly dropped, while questions about his long-term fit with Ben Simmons remain. I keep emphasizing that Embiid, for as dominant he can be, is not someone to rely upon as the No. 1 option in your fantasy teams and he shouldn’t be taken in the very first rounds. Furkman Korkmaz, meanwhile, is having a nice career year shooting 38.6 behind the arc and making 1.8 triples per game but his overall numbers are nothing to be excited with and he should be seen as a scoring/triples specialist only.

I made the case for OG Anunoby as the Most Improved Player of the Year in the middle of a career year where he is shooting a remarkable 48.9 from the field while averaging 1.3 triples, 1.1 steals and 0.7 blocks per game. Poor free throw shooting and some inconsistency due to the plethora of injuries in Toronto is keeping him short of returning top-75 value for the season. Marc Gasol, as expected, has failed to stay healthy and the biggest beneficiaries have been Serge Ibaka and Chris Boucher, with the latter earning Nick Nurse’s trust and delivering the much needed money-counting stats when given the minutes. Pascal Siakam has emerged as the leader of a transitioning Raptors team and even though his percentages took a slight hit this year, he is still returning top-35 value and continues to improve in all areas. The turnovers have been high (2.5 per game) and he is playing a whooping 35.0 minutes per night which is a cause of concern, especially after he was recently sidelined with a groin injury.

Central Division

Tomas Satoransky has been one of the few constants in Chicago, averaging career-highs in points, rebounds, assists, triples and steals while not missing a single game so far. Lauri Markkanen on the other hand has been a disaster, with Jim Boylen using him as a decoy and a spot-up shooter instead of playing to his strengths; his recent injury might be a positive in the long run as he has been struggling badly and this was evident on the floor.

Cedi Osman’s numbers have taken a hit in Cleveland with the return of Kevin Love and he remains outside the top-150 while John Beilein has struggled to adjust to the NBA level. The Cavs have talked about getting Cedi more involved in the offense but this is going to be hard as long as the team operates with Collin Sexton and Darius Garland dominating the ball.

Detroit meanwhile is finally doing a good job at focusing on the next day and developing their young core instead of simply going after the playoffs. Sekou Doumbouya has been a revelation for the Pistons and he has currently hit the rookie wall but I expect him to rise again and to become fantasy relevant after the trade deadline once the team is officially eliminated from the playoffs. Sekou is the youngest player in the NBA and he possesses as much fantasy upside as anyone outside of the top three picks in this draft, while he is someone that has the potential to average a steal, a block and a triple. With Luke Kennard sidelined with a knee injury, Svi Mykhailiuk has also risen to the occasion, putting a nice stretch of double-digit scoring games recently and he is also someone to monitor after the trade deadline with Derrick Rose and Reggie Jackson possibly on the block. Svi will likely hurt your percentages but he is a nice source of assists as a secondary playmaker on top of the points and triples.

The pairing of Domantas Sabonis and Myles Turner in the Pacers’ frontcourt has been mostly beneficial for the Lithuanian forward, who solidified himself as the go-to guy for the team and earned his first ever selection to an All-Star game. He has been averaging 4.6 assists, operating as the facilitator in a structured NBA offense and you shouldn’t be worried about his value taking a hit even after the return of Victor Oladipo. Goga Bitadze is unlikely to have any impact this year as long as the Pacers remain healthy but he has shown flashes of his potential in limited minutes.

Finally, in Milwaukee, Giannis is again an MVP candidate averaging a career-high 1.6 triples per game but his percentages from behind the arc (32.1) and from the free throw line (60.6) have been brutal, dropping his value to the third round. I wouldn’t mind capitalizing on the hype and selling high on him.

Southeast Division

Atlanta opted to go into the season with Alex Len, Damian Jones and rookie Bruno Fernando in the middle, with the hope that John Collins could chip in minutes at a position where he had success last year. Collins’ suspension and Len’s inability to stay healthy have forced rookie Fernando to absorb significant minutes and he has been coming along lately. Fernando can stretch the floor while having an impact as a weak side help defender but he is not able to do so playing as the sole rim protector in what has been the worst defense in the league. He is also a name to keep an eye on as the season progresses and the trade deadline goes by.

Nic Batum is being asked to be a complementary veteran in Charlotte and he has looked washed, playing in just 22 games so far, but he is someone that could get moved by the trade deadline. Bismack Biyombo and Willy Hernangomez, at the same time ,have been battling for the backup center minutes and both are hard to trust.

In South Beach, Goran Dragic has managed to stay relatively healthy, playing in 36 (out of the 47 possible games), but he is averaging just 0.6 steals per game and his value remains outside the top-150 so I wouldn’t mind moving him while he is hot.

Nikola Vucevic’s numbers have dropped slightly but he remains the focal point of the Magic on the offensive end and he is still returning top-25 value so I’m holding firmly. Evan Fournier is having a career year with the strange pattern of him shooting well from the floor every other year continuing (he has gone from 44.0 to 46.2 to 43.9 to 45.9 to 43.8 to 46.4 in the last six seasons with the Magic). There has been some talk about the Magic potentially moving him, which would likely hurt his value, but I think the team will stay intact and try to make the playoffs once again this year. Finally, Khem Birch has not been able to capitalize on the injuries to Al-Farouq Aminu and Jonathan Isaac.

The Wizards have been atrocious defensively this year but Scott Brooks has unlocked Davis Bertans, who is averaging career highs and bringing back 0.7 steals and 0.7 blocks per game to go with his 3.6 triples, 4.6 rebounds and 15.0 points; I’ve been buying the Bertans stock anywhere I can. Rookie Rui Hachimura has shown flashes but he is a one-dimensional scoring forward at this point while his 3-point shot is also developing. Mo Wagner came into the season flaming hot but he has struggled to remain healthy while Isaac Bonga is proving to be a jack-of-all-trades with limited fantasy appeal. The Wizards have a ton of guys that you should monitor down the stretch as their style creates plenty of popcorn stats that translate very well on the fantasy end.

Hope you enjoyed this week’s article and make sure you check Part 2 of our mid season review next week! Feel free to reach out to me on Twitter @philysstar and stay up to date on all the breaking news and rumors posted on our website and on our Twitter account @HoopBallFantasy.

Stats are courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and are accurate as of February 1^st.