To put together a great fantasy basketball lineup, you’ll need to make the most of your draft.
So which players will surpass their average draft position this season? Who will take their game to another level? And which players have the greatest risk of taking a step back?
Our fantasy basketball experts – Andre ‘Snellings, Eric Moody, Eric Karabell and Jim McCormick – offering their top pajamas, breakouts and busts for the 2022-23 season.
Sleepers
Sleeper: A player will outpace his average draft position (ADVERTISEMENT) in standard ESPN tournaments.
Andre’ Snellings – Alperen Sengun, Houston Rockets: Sengun started jumping on the fantasy radar after he flashed in the Las Vegas Summer League shortly after being picked. He is the center of everything when it comes to attack and his 36-minute numbers from his rookie season prove it: 16.7 PP36, 9.5 RP36, 4.5 AP36, 1.6 BP36, 1.4 SP36 and 0.7 3P36. The biggest problem, in terms of fantasy, is that as a rookie, he only played 20.7 MPG after Christian Wood. Well, Wood was traded to the Mavericks during the season, clearing the way for Sengun to start the opening minutes. His game will be better as a sophomore, and with the extra minutes he is likely to put in strong numbers this season.
Eric Moody – Jalen suggested, Orlando Magic: Suggs has had a rookie season for the Orlando Magic that has been full of ups and downs including injuries and inconsistent rosters. A rookie trying to get used to the NBA, he averages 11.8 PPG, 3.6 RPG and 4.4 APG, but his on-field scoring rate of 36.1% needs improvement . Suggs isn’t the first NBA player to have a rough patch in his early career, and he won’t be the last. Suggs is a player who plays a better role than a star, and with Magic picking Paolo Banchero No. 1 overall, he will have a chance to really shine in doing so. Proposals will see high usage along with Franz Wagner and continues to have an important role for Orlando.
Eric Karabell – Tre Jones, San Antonio Spurs: Now entering his third season from Duke, Jones hasn’t seen many minutes for Gregg Popovich in his first two years. What next Dejounte Murray However, went to the Hawks, and Jones will start and watch the key minutes. Jones started 11 times last season and averaged 13.5 PPG and 7.5 APG, he shot from the top of the field and from the touchline very well. Jones can’t do what Murray does, but he deserves a 100 pick in minutes and potential in assists only.
Jim McCormick – Devin VassellSan Antonio Spurs: Only Jokic, James Hardenand Luka Doncic Dejounte Murray touched the ball more than 87.5 times per game for Spurs last season. Murray beats all under-6s in terms of rebound chances per game while completing the top 10 passes and passes per game. Found deep in the drafts, Vassell was a young two-way wing ready to take advantage of the ocean of opportunities that came after Murray’s departure. In just over 400 minutes with Murray and White Derrick Leaving the floor last season, Vassell, aged 21, scored 17.1 points, 2.8 times 3 points, 5.9 goals, 3.7 assists, 2.4 blocks and steals combined (each 36 min Even with Spurs chasing lottery odds, there’s a lot to like about Vassell’s trajectory.
Overate
Breakthrough: A player will jump in or get close to the superiors of players in his position for the first time because of his significantly increased output compared to his previous seasons.
Andre’ Snellings – Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks: Brunson showed he could excel next season playing alongside the barefoot Luka Doncic, but it wasn’t until Doncic’s absence that Brunson really showed his potential. In the 10 games Doncic missed in December, Brunson averaged 21.0 PPG (51.3 FG%, 37.5 3P%, 77.5 FT%), 7.4 APG, 3.5 RPG and 1, 5 3PG at 34.7 MPG. However, it was even more tense when Doncic missed the first three games of the knockout round. Brunson responded by averaging 32.0 PPG (50.7 FG%, 41.2 3P%, 85.0 FT%), 5.3 APG, 5.3 RPG and 2.3 3PG in 39.4 MPG during that period. This season, Brunson signed on to be the new points guard for the Knicks, which means he’s now acquired the high-use keys to a franchise. He has the realistic ability to jump into the fictional elite this season.
Eric Moody – Josh Giddey, Oklahoma City Thunder: I’m a huge Giddey fan, as anyone who read my columns last year will know. The Rookie of the Month award was presented to him four times last year due to his stellar performance. No other player in the 2021 season has won this award more than twice. Giddey averaged 12.5 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 6.4 APG, and 1.0 SPG with a 22.2% utilization rate. In all of those statistical areas, he’s well-positioned to see an increase. The statistical leap Giddey was able to achieve in his second season could be similar to LaMelo Ball. Other than Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Giddey, Thunder doesn’t have multiplayer.
Eric Karabell – Alperen Sengun, Houston Rockets: The Rockets can’t wait to bid farewell to Wood and it opens up key minutes for Sengun, who averaged 12.1 PPG, 8.2 RPG across 13 starts as a rookie. That may not be a remarkable statistic for many hubs, but Sengun, 20, is also a strong support provider, averaging 3.6 APG at the start. He can also block shots. Give Sengun enough minutes and he could easily become an imaginary pick in the top 50.
Jim McCormick – Franz WagnerOrlando Magic: Excellent Lowkey as a rookie of the Magic, Wagner finished 50th overall on ESPN’s Player Rankers at just 20 years old on a team beset by severe injuries and an overall absence of stable point guard gameplay. With Markelle Fultzdistribution skills and Paolo BancheroThe prowess over when joining the roster, Wagner could finally get some “easy” catch-and-shoot compositions this season. The Michigan product, meanwhile, was an all-around boss for Germany at EuroBasket this summer, producing a series of effective 3-pointers and backing from a direct dribble. With what should have played a large role as a building block alongside Banchero, Wagner becomes a starting imaginary force on both fronts that will likely appear in the work.
Selling body
Bust: A player who was expected to be a solid start in ESPN’s standard leagues but won’t live up to those expectations this season.
Andre’ Snellings – Chris Paul, Phoenix Suns: Over the three seasons from 2016-17 to 2018-19, Paul missed an average of 23 games per season due to injury. He was relatively healthy for the next two seasons, both shortened due to COVID, but then he missed 18 games again last season, in his 17th in the NBA. He remained strong while playing in the off-season, but in the knockout stages, shortly after his 37th birthday, he immediately experienced some of the worst games of his career. In his last five playoffs, Paul only averaged 9.4 PPG, 5.8 APG, 3.4 RPG, and 3.6 TO/G in 32.3 MPG. His poor performance contributed greatly to the disappointment of the Suns in the knockout stages. This season, the overlapping risk of injury and age-related decline makes Paul less-than-normal and/or missing important parts of the season.
Eric Moody – Harrison Barnes, Sacramento Kings: Barnes excelled for the Sacramento Kings last season with 16.4 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 2.4 APG, and 18.2% utilization. Virtual managers would expect him to repeat these numbers. With an abundance of talent, the Kings had this season, including Kevin Huerter, Monk Malikand Keegan MurrayBarnes will find it difficult to do so.
Eric Karabell – Zion Williamson, New Orleans Pelicans: Zion was also my pick last season, so it’s easy to question how soon he’ll be back from leg surgery. He missed the whole season. Aside from the primary durability concerns, Williamson’s stats are a bit deceiving and may not guarantee his lofty ADP. After all, while the unstoppable Williamson can score at will, he is only a modest counter-attacker, not a factor in the 3-pointer and he can do massive damage. for an imaginary team’s free throw ratio. Oh, and did we mention he’s far from durable?
Jim McCormick – Clint Capela, Atlanta Hawks: Onyeka Okongwu is the center of the future for the Hawks. The third-year center claims some great advanced stats that are often associated with team success and, both his contract and age align much better with the team’s superstar lineup. For Capela’s fantasy value, last season’s 11.1 points and 11.9 drags with 1.3 tackles in 27.6 minutes per night represent a ceiling for this season, one where competition Competition for Okongwu’s chances will increase. Suffice to say, he might be fine, but there’s really nothing special about him. One of the only viable avenues to re-establish Atlanta as a tax team (prior to a new commitment to Murray) is to move Capela, adding uncertainty to an old-school center with its location. Relatively expensive draft.
