2024-25 Fantasy Basketball: 3 centers to avoid in drafts at their current ADP

Picking the right players and knowing who to fade are critical factors in forming a competitive fantasy basketball team. We’ve covered the guards and forwards facing competition or injury concerns; today, we close out our positional look by zeroing in on three centers to avoid in fantasy basketball drafts.

Brook Lopez – C, Milwaukee Bucks

Lopez, 36, is winning the race against Father Time, missing just seven games over the past two seasons while averaging 30 minutes per night. Mr. Splash Mountain remains a reliable source of 3s and blocks, but outside those areas, Lopez doesn’t offer much to fantasy managers in category or points leagues. He’s entering his 17th NBA season and while his job security is solid, he’s showing signs of decline.

Last season marked the third consecutive campaign in which his usage rate dropped. He finished the 23-24 season with a 15.9 usage rate — 39th percentile in the league. His shot volume is trending down, but his shot selection is also moving further from the basket, negatively impacting his efficiency. Per Cleaning the Glass, Lopez is 16th percentile in offensive rebounds and ninth in defensive rebounding. He’s 7-feet tall, grabbing five rebounds a night, yikes.

Don’t get me wrong, he’s still an elite shot blocker, but his lack of mobility is a weakness opponents will exploit ad nauseam. The demand of an 82-game schedule will surely catch up to him. Even if he comes out hot like last season, expect him to hit a wall around February/March, where his counting stat production suffered outside of his shot-blocking.

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Lopez’s blocks elevate his value more than most, so he finished 46th in 9-cat leagues last season. Although, if he’s not getting over two swats per game, he won’t come close to his seventh-round ADP. Instead, focus on targeting the big men who offer more production in different areas, like Jusuf Nurkić, Mark Williams and Isaiah Hartenstein — all players drafted after Lopez. And if it’s blocks you’re seeking, grab Walker Kessler or Zach Edey, who are going after pick 100 in Yahoo leagues.

Clint Capela…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/2024-25-fantasy-basketball-3-centers-to-avoid-in-drafts-at-their-current-adp-150951547.html

Author : Yahoo Sports

Publish date : 2024-10-02 15:09:51

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