NBA Update: Fantasy Management and The Shifting Landscape

Article by Max Lazo

Since the last NBA update, there has been a LOT of news to cover - and that’s aside from this past week’s unbelievable shifts in the league’s East-West landscape. 

In summary of the past several months:

1. The Los Angeles Lakers beat the Miami Heat for the NBA Championship, led by LeBron James & Anthony Davis.

2. The Toronto Raptors have been struggling to define a clear path to success this year, which has casted a shadow over the rapid development of Canada’s rising star, Chris Boucher.

3. The Phoenix Suns have risen from a bottom tier team to a playoff-ready powerhouse that has been joined by one of the NBA’s top 5 point guards, Chris Paul.

4. Similarly, the Charlotte Hornets have slipped into a playoff position because of their young talents from P.J. Washington & LaMelo Ball, to Gordon Hayward’s comeback.

One of my pastimes across the past several years has been to participate in fantasy basketball leagues. Essentially, everybody gets to draft their own players to create a basketball team, and they go head-to-head with other people’s teams in stat categories to see whose team can accumulate the most points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks etc, on a weekly basis (in points leagues, people solely compete in points). However this year has been super different, as quarantining protocols randomly bench players for 7-14 days at a time, and so starting lineups have become super malleable, which in turn has allowed for many up-and-coming players to begin proving themselves. Notable players to rise from the dust include Christian Wood (HOUSTON ROCKETS), Richaun Holmes (SACRAMENTO KINGS), Jerami Grant (DETROIT PISTONS), Julius Randle (NEW YORK KNICKS), James Wiseman (GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS), Tyrese Haliburton (SACRAMENTO KINGS), and Keldon Johnson (SAN ANTONIO SPURS). This element of randomness and unpredictability has added excitement to the fantasy season thus far, and means that everybody will have to remain watching their waiver wires (the source of undrafted players that can be added to fantasy teams) closely! 

On my personal watch list (12-team, 9-cat league), I’m expecting several players to start picking up momentum across the next few weeks, and I’m hoping that they don’t get snagged off the wire before I make a move. Here are a few of my top prospects in no particular order:

1. Sterling Brown (HOU): He could seriously benefit from some of the injuries changes in Houston, and potentially crack the full-time starting lineup with his impressive shooting.

2. Gary Harris (DEN): He was an awesome mid-round player a few seasons ago, and seems to have lost his groove since, but after a few strong games he might be back.

3. Robert Williams (BOS): With ridiculous per-minute numbers and such high-upside, I doubt that Boston will keep starting Theis or Thompson over him much longer.

4. Justin Holiday (IND): He recently surpassed his brother for the starting role in Indiana, and the minutes are there now, so it shouldn’t take too much for him to get more consistent numbers on the table.

5. Delon Wright (DET): He was a promising player this year but has not been able to consistently score; as Killian Hayes and Derrick Rose continue battling injuries, there should be opportunities for him to emerge as a strong mid-round value.

6. Jeremy Lamb (IND): He’s been a classic mid-round value in fantasy basketball for the past few seasons; the injury to T.J. Warren would expedite his return to starter minutes if he overcomes his injury quickly this season. 

Now moving on to the past week in basketball, here is a summary of the groundbreaking news that hit the headlines:

HOUSTON ROCKETS RECEIVE: 

• Victor Oladipo

• Dante Exum 

• Rodion Kurucs

• 4 x 1st round picks

• 4 x 1st round pick swaps 

CLEVELAND CAVALIERS RECEIVE:

• Jarrett Allen

• Taurean Prince 

BROOKLYN NETS RECEIVE:

• James Harden

• 1 x 2nd round pick

INDIANA PACERS RECEIVE:

• Caris LeVert

• 1 x 2nd round pick

There’s a lot that could be discussed in this breakdown, but here’s the gist:

1. Brooklyn has one of the most talented starting lineup of scorers ever; some say it only looks good on paper, but this could rival the 2016-2018 Golden State Warriors.

• Note: MVP caliber talent and scoring title-holders Kevin Durant & James Harden, the craftiness of Kyrie Irving, the former 3-point shooting champion Joe Harris, former NBA first-teamer DeAndre Jordan, and Spencer Dinwiddie coming off the bench… this team is wild.

2. Houston retained some value with the elite talent of Victor Oladipo, but he’s been battling injuries on-and-off for a while, so it might have been a better move to secure Ben Simmons from the Philadelphia 76ers instead, although the bounty of picks provide some bargaining chips for the GM going forward. 

• Note: Considering the recurring injuries of DeMarcus Cousins, John Wall, and Victor Oladipo, Houston might have to wait a little longer before making a serious run at the title, but on the bright side, Christian Wood is really, really good.

3. Cleveland received a rising star in Jarrett Allen, who wasn’t achieving his potential while fighting for minutes with DeAndre Jordan, and a strong 3&D player in Taurean Prince, who fills the role that Cedi Osman has been struggling to occupy.

• Note: On the flipside, the frontcourt is filled with the star Andre Drummond, Larry Nance Jr., Kevin Love, JaVale McGee, and now Jarrett Allen, so Cleveland can be expected to make some moves before the trade deadline to free up space.

4. Indiana pulled off a successful swap of Oladipo for Caris LeVert in this series of trades, and that’s great news for them as Oladipo began losing his role as the team’s star player to the younger Malcolm Brogdon and Domantas Sabonis, who still need more control to emerge as elite players.

• Note: Alongside the stars, Myles Turner and T.J. Warren were providing great support on both ends of the floor, and LeVert fits well into this lineup as a gifted scorer that won’t take away from others’ star potential.

In conclusion, this might be one of the trades that shakes up the NBA for the next several years in the same way as LeBron James, Chris Bosh, and Dwyane Wade linking up in Miami, was mind-boggling many years ago, or most recently when Durant had joined the Golden State Warriors. However, unlike the past, the pandemic seems to have arbitrary implications on key players at the worst times. It’s taken a toll on star players, as potentially demonstrated in LAC’s premature playoff loss to the Denver Nuggets that stemmed from Paul George’s poor performances and influenced the nickname “Pandemic Paul”. Moreover, most people would not have predicted that Miami Heat would have made it to the finals against LA last year, and perhaps they would have made it to the finals even if there wasn’t a pandemic, but the rushed return to the NBA posed an undeniable challenge for their competitors (as it also did for LA). 

Although Brooklyn may appear to be ready to decimate the competition, the unforeseeable timing of COVID could be dire to their winning chances, and not to mention that teams may feel more inclined to make blockbuster trades of their own going forward. One of the most interesting rumors is that Washington Wizards’ Bradley Beal could be joining the Miami Heat. If they can find a way to retain their stars Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, then the addition of Beal could result in a shocking trio of talents that could unexpectedly rival Brooklyn in the contest for the top team of the East. In conclusion, it has been a busy week in NBA basketball, but this might not be the only big move of the season, and this is destined to be a very memorable year for fantasy managers, and NBA fans alike!