Fantasy basketball ‘No Respect’ All-Stars: Brook Lopez, Max Strus and more; plus top waiver targets

We’ll get to some of my favorite top pickups for the week later on, but first I’d like to share a brief motivational speech, and then shine the light on a dozen players who are quite deserving of some respect.

Don’t let the injury woes get you down

When top players get injured early in the season, it digs a bit of a hole for their fantasy managers to climb out of. As an example, I’m going to single out my worst-performing Roto team, which currently sports a pathetic 37.5 Roto points in the standings. And, yes, it’s a standard 12-team league, which shows you how bad it’s been. Entering Tuesday’s games, this lowly squad ranked 10th out of 12 teams in points, assists and rebounds. As a result, you might think I’m doomed in those categories, but I think not.

Why am I so confident? Well, this fantasy team features Jamal Murray, Devin Booker and De’Aaron Fox in the backcourt, and Nic Claxton and Jalen Duren at center. That quintet has already missed 40 games combined thus far, which has been a huge blow to my place in the standings. But sometime this week I may finally have all five players healthy, and I have zero doubts that this team is going to rocket up the standings. So keep your head up high if you’ve had to battle injuries early on, because it’s still too early to give up hope.

My Rodney Dangerfield “No Respect” All-Stars

If you were to ask Russell Westbrook about his last three seasons in the league, he might tell you that he’s felt a lot like Rodney Dangerfield: no respect at all!

 

In the same vein, I’ve come up with my “no respect” fantasy All-Stars for the first 20% of the 2023-24 NBA season. These are all veteran players with proven track records of producing, yet they were consistently ignored on draft day, falling further than they should have. While it’s always fun drafting the young, breakout types, targeting and drafting these overlooked and disrespected veterans can often be more fruitful.

Average Draft Position (ADP) data comes from NFBKC drafts

Brook Lopez, MIL (ADP 65.9)

I’m going to name Lopez the team captain of my no respect team, because he clearly deserves it. I mean, last season he missed just four games and easily posted Top 20 fantasy value, and yet this year he routinely fell past the fifth round in 12-team leagues. I guess the thinking was that he wouldn’t be able to replicate his 2.5 blocks per game from last year, a healthier Khris Middleton and newcomer Damian Lillard were going to take too many shots away from him, and his 35-year-old body would start to fail him.

Sure, his scoring has declined a bit, but he has yet to miss a single game and his shot-blocking has gone up to nearly 3.0 swats per game. While those who used a Top 15 pick on Jaren Jackson Jr. might be kicking themselves, those who allowed Lopez to fall to them deserve a couple pats on the back. It’s time to show “Splash Mountain” some respect!

Kyle Kuzma, WAS (70.4)

While Jordan Poole has fallen flat on his face in Washington, his veteran teammate is quietly having a very strong season. Despite seeing a significant drop in playing time — 30.7 minutes per game this season, down from 35.0 mpg last year — Kuzma’s scoring and assists have gone up to career-high levels.

Kuzma has also been more efficient than most expected, at over 47% from the field and better than 82% from the free throw line. He’s one of just seven players this season averaging over 23 points per game on those shooting percentages, and the other six players have all been All-Stars. It turns out Kuzma, not Poole, was the Wizards player to be targeting in the Top 50.

Jonas Valanciunas, NOR (85.1)

There was a whole bunch of Zion Williamson hype during the preseason, which led to Valanciunas being the forgotten man in New Orleans. That’s become a common theme throughout his 12-year career, as Valanciunas has career averages of 13.5 points and 9.5 rebounds per game, but still tends to get overlooked on draft day, as fantasy managers opt for flashier players with more perceived upside.

But JV has adapted his game nicely this season, increasing his blocks, assists and threes, to make up for fewer points and rebounds. He’s also yet to miss a game, and his shooting percentages remain robust. In fact, since the 2017-18 season, there have been 22 instances of a player shooting over 53% FG and 77% FT, while averaging 12.5+ points and 8.5+ rebounds per game. Four of those seasons have come from Nikola Jokic and three of them are from Anthony Davis, but Valanciunas has six of them.

Tobias Harris, PHI (91.1)

Last season was a down year for Harris, but from the 2017-18 season to the 2021-22 season — a five year span — Harris averaged a sweet 19.0 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.8 threes per game, while shooting 48% FG and 85% FT. This season he’s bounced back in a big way, with most of his numbers closely resembling those five-year peak averages.

Harris’ 3-point shooting is down this season, but he’s more than made up for it by shooting over 90% from the foul line, while attempting 3.8 freebies per game. Just how valuable has his shooting efficiency been? Well, Harris and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander are the only players in the league scoring over 18 points per game, while shooting over 52% FG and 90% FT. If you opted for Middleton over Harris on draft day, you should be sending Harris an apology note.

Derrick White, BOS (93.3)

White was an early offseason sleeper pick, but that quickly changed when the Celtics acquired Kristaps Porzingis and then Jrue Holiday. As a result, he sometimes fell out of the Top 100 in drafts. That’s proven to be a mistake, because White has easily returned Top 70 value early on.

It’s nice to have players who can dominate certain categories, but don’t underestimate the value of well-rounded contributors with no flaws. White is a great example of that, as he’s proven to be a reliable assist man and solid 3-point shooter, while bringing it on the defensive end like always. Want to guess how many players this season are averaging 5+ assists, 2+ threes and more than 0.8 steals and 0.8 blocks per game in 10+ games played? Just two, LeBron James and Derrick White. R-E-S-P-E-C-T.

D’Angelo Russell, LAL (99.0)

In 17 games with the Lakers last season, Russell averaged 17.4 points, 6.1 assists and 2.7 threes per game on 48.4% FG shooting. But due to the small sample size, coupled with his struggles in the postseason, many fantasy managers avoided Russell on draft day. Well, after 18 games this season, Russell is scoring efficiently once again, with nearly identical points and assists.

A couple of players who were drafted in the same range as Russell were Spencer Dinwiddie and Scoot Henderson. Dinwiddie’s assists are about the same as Russell’s, but his 41% FG shooting pales in comparison. And Henderson has been a major bust thus far, a reminder that seasoned veterans are almost always in a better position to produce than young top prospects.

Herb Jones, NOR (130.0)

Jones has been a defensive menace thus far, averaging 1.9 steals and 1.4 blocks per game. Those numbers conjure up thoughts of Shawn Marion, who was a bona fide fantasy superstar in the mid-2000s. Marion was a perennial first round pick however, thanks to his strong scoring and rebounding numbers. Since Jones doesn’t deliver in those categories, he often fell past the 10th round in 12-team leagues. He was slept on in a major way, and he’ll surely get more respect next October.

Dennis Schroder, TOR (141.9)

Even after being named MVP of the FIBA World Cup over the summer, Schroder didn’t seem to garner much respect in fantasy drafts. He was viewed more so as a decent backup, rather than a reliable fantasy starter who could be locked in starting lineups. But the latter has been true, thanks to Schroder dishing out a career-best 6.5 dimes per game, to go with 16.8 ppg and 87% FT shooting. There are only six other players matching those numbers this season —Joel Embiid, Tyrese Haliburton, Trae Young, Devin Booker, Tyrese Maxey and Cade Cunningham — and all of them were drafted way ahead of Schroder.

Max Strus, CLE (159.6)

I’m going to make this a 2-for-1 special, because both Strus and myself deserve more respect. Way back in July, I was touting Strus as one of the biggest fantasy winners of free agency, stating, “I’ll be shocked if he doesn’t set career-highs in multiple categories.” In that same column, I also hyped up Jalen Johnson, and both players have shattered their average draft positions. If you missed out on both players, perhaps you’ll pay more attention in the future.

Bogdan Bogdanovic, ATL (164.1)

Ever since he came into the NBA, Bogdanovic has been a serious 3-point threat and a potent scorer. But he fell far in drafts this year, mostly due to injury concerns. Despite starting only one game thus far, Bogie is scoring 15.8 points with 3.1 triples per game on nearly 47% shooting from the field. He’s boosted his value even further by grabbing a career-best 1.4 steals per game, showing that Bojan Bogdanovic (ADP 133.6) shouldn’t have been drafted ahead of him.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, DEN (165.1)

Last season, KCP proved that Denver is a great fit for him, and that he’s a sneaky valuable winner, in both fantasy and reality. And yet despite the Nuggets losing Bruce Brown in free agency, KCP fell way further than he should have in most drafts. While his stats are nearly identical to last season’s, he’s playing major minutes, he’s yet to miss a game, and he currently leads the league in free throw accuracy at 95% FT. I’m thankful to have KCP on a bunch of my fantasy teams, and the vast majority of them are performing well.

Eric Gordon, PHO (267.8)

I’m willing to admit that I thought Gordon’s days of being fantasy relevant were behind him, and even in ultra-deep drafts I wasn’t targeting him. It’s his 16th season in the NBA, and while he’s averaged 20+ points per game over a full season just once, he’s managed to average 13+ points per game in 15 of those 16 seasons, while also handing out 2.5+ assists 13 times. He currently ranks in the Top 20 in 3-pointers made, and the Bradley Beal injury has allowed him to show that he can still be a Top 75 fantasy player. My apologies to you, “Splash” Gordon.

Top free agent pickups of the week

De’Andre Hunter, ATL — 64% rostered on Yahoo

With Jalen Johnson likely out until January, it’s time for Hunter to step up. More shot attempts will be coming his way, and he’s quietly shooting 86% from the foul line on 3+ attempts per game.

Kelly Oubre Jr., PHI — 60% rostered

He’s ramping up to play again later this week, and was playing great to start out the season. The 76ers have missed his athleticism and scoring punch.

Brandon Miller, CHA — 58% rostered

I suggest adding Miller ASAP now that LaMelo Ball is going to miss significant time with an ankle injury. The rookie will get a chance to show more play-making skills now, and Charlotte should throw him into the fire.

Scoot Henderson, POR — 56% rostered

In case you missed it, Scoot is back from his ankle injury and he’s sporting contact lenses and protective goggles now. It may be helping his outside shot, as he’s gone 5-of-10 from downtown since returning.

Keyonte George, UTA — 48% rostered

George still being available in over half of Yahoo leagues basically tells me that over half of Yahoo leagues aren’t very serious. He’s scored 15+ points in three straight games, and he’s now locked into a starting role.

Malik Beasley, MIL — 34% rostered

It’s still very hard to trust him from a scoring perspective, but I like how Beasley is pulling down double-digit rebounds and locking in defensively, even when his shot isn’t falling.

Sam Hauser, BOS — 16% rostered

We’re almost 20 games into the season, and it’s pretty clear that Hauser isn’t going to stop taking, and making, 3-point shots. If you need threes, you can definitely do worse.

Daniel Theis, LAC — 6% rostered

Theis has fit in nicely on the Clippers, and if you have room to stash him, he’s just an Ivica Zubac injury away from doing real damage.

Ish Smith, CHA — 3% rostered

Rookie Nick Smith Jr. doesn’t seem ready for major minutes, so the veteran Ish Smith will likely help fill the gaping point guard void in LaMelo’s absence. He’s someone to consider if you’re desperate for assists.

Malaki Branham, SAS — 2% rostered

The Spurs are on a brutal 12-game losing streak, so it may be time to start giving the 20-year-old Branham more run. His future upside is much higher than Tre Jones, and he’s an improved playmaker this season.

(Photo of Max Strus: Jason Miller/Getty Images)

Source link : https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5098219/2023/11/29/fantasy-basketball-no-respect-all-stars-brook-lopez-max-strus-and-more-plus-top-waiver-targets/

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Publish date : 2023-11-29 08:00:00

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