There is no bad player in a professional league such as the NBA. Yet, there are busts. A bust isn’t necessarily a bad player, but one who has seen a high price tag slapped on him, without commensurate value returned. We’ll discuss five fantasy basketball busts for the upcoming season.
- Fantasy Basketball Dynasty Rankings
- Fantasy Basketball Rookie Rankings
- Fantasy Basketball ADP
- Fantasy Basketball News
This offseason has seen many marquee moves, with big names switching teams. Fantasy managers are fans of these big stars in real life, and that fandom often affects their understanding of current valuations and their roles on their new teams.
Fantasy Basketball Busts
This article examines five players widely regarded as busts by fantasy experts.
Jaylen Brown (F – PHI)
Being the star on an elite team is hard. It is even harder when you fill in for an injured star player. History has it that when Jaylen Brown was called up to do so, he delivered, averaging 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists last season.
A lot of volume went into those stat lines, but now that he is in Philadelphia, that presents a problem, as his usage rate of 35.1% won’t carry over to the 76ers.
Joel Embiid had a usage rate of 33.6%. Tyrese Maxey came in at 28.6%. LeBron James in his last year with the Lakers had a usage rate of 26.2%. And don’t forget about VJ Edgecombe.
Brown is the most exposed based on usage rate. In the last two seasons, he has made roughly one of every three-point attempt. This means that for him to flourish, he needs to play with the ball, as playing off the ball doesn’t benefit his game that much. Though he currently has an average draft position (ADP) of 31 on Yahoo, experts believe he will be closer to 100 by the end of the season.
LeBron James (F – PHI)
LeBron James’ longevity and quality are evident to all. In a way, that quality is even more evident when you realize his 20.9 points-per-game average last season was a career low. He turns 42 in December, coming off a season where he played 60 games. James heads into a new season with an ADP of 38, yet certain truths must be told.
Despite playing alongside two elite scorers (Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves), James underwhelmed. In addition to his new, talented teammates, James also has nagging injuries that may surface during the course of the season, leaving you with a tough decision to make as a fantasy manager.
Paolo Banchero (F – ORL)
Paolo Banchero, and his 34 ADP, enters his fifth season in Orlando with the most interesting stat lines of his NBA career thus far — 22.2 points, 8.4 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game. His usage rate has also declined significantly (27.6%).
Banchero has shot 44.9% from the field and 74.3% from the free-throw line since he entered the league. He has also averaged at least three turnovers per game over three straight seasons, with 0.8 steals and 0.6 blocks per game. That is a headache for category managers, as he comes out well in three columns but is a headache in three others, while also being quite pricey.
As is the norm for players like Banchero, the format you manage in determines whether he is a fair deal. In a points league, he presents as a fair bargain. I can’t say the same for category leagues.
Anthony Davis (F, C – WSH)
The Washington Wizards have tailored their recruitment to get players that will fit in well with Anthony Davis. But Davis has yet to repay those investments, and the patience of the Wizards’ front office will soon wear thin if he doesn’t hit the ground running. Davis averaged 20.4 points, 11.1 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game last season — on a small sample size of 20 games for the Dallas Mavericks.
The Wizards’ patience may already be wearing thin, especially given the peculiarities of them getting Deandre Ayton to provide frontcourt cover. That’s a team putting contingency plans in place in case Davis pulls up with an injury any time soon.
There’s also a smaller role waiting for Davis next season than he is used to. The Wizards’ projected lineup has Trae Young, No. 1 pick AJ Dybantsa, Alex Sarr, and Kyshawn George playing next to him. Davis has the skill set to justify his price tag, but for now, he will remain firmly on my bust list.
De’Aaron Fox (G – SAS)
De’Aaron Fox seems like the old guard shepherding the young guns in San Antonio. Based on their exploits last season, it feels uncharacteristic to label him a bust. However, the numbers provide us with interesting information:
- 48.6% shooting rate
- 24.9% usage rate
- 18.6 points per game
- 6.2 assists per game
All those numbers came in the regular season.
Then came the drop in production.
Fox’s points per game dropped by six points per game on 34.3% shooting. Too low for a starter, considering Dylan Harper was putting up better numbers off the bench (18 points per game on 49% shooting). Fans won’t like me reminiscing on what happened in Game 5 of the NBA Finals last season, but I will say it regardless: That game saw Fox score seven points on 3-of-15 shooting, while Harper scored 25 points.
Fox had a nagging ankle Injury that he may not have fully recovered from at the time. It, however, doesn’t shake off the pressure the young ones are putting on his starting spot. All three of the Spurs’ top producers are younger than him (Victor Wembanyama, Stephon Castle, Harper). He will need to justify his production in order to maintain an important offensive role for the Spurs.
from FantasyPros https://ift.tt/sXnRzZB
0 comments:
Post a Comment