Can you feel it in the air? It’s close. So close. NBA FANTASY BASKETBALL IS BACK! There have been a lot of moves this offseason, so let Fantrax get you prepared for the season with our NBA Team Preview Series. Let’s take a dive into the Pacific Division.
What?! Your fantasy basketball league wasn’t hosted on Fantrax this season? Inconceivable! Check out all the features of Fantrax Fantasy Basketball Commissioner and we’re pretty sure you’ll come around to our way of thinking.
Team Previews:
Golden State Warriors
Expected starting lineup:
PG: Steph Curry
SG: Jordan Poole
SF: Andrew Wiggins
PF: Draymond Green
C: Kevon Looney
Fantasy Relevant Bench Players: Otto Porter Jr., James Wiseman (injured), Klay Thompson (injured)
The Warriors are going to be an interesting team in both real life and fantasy. Klay will be joining the team around December, and by all accounts, he’s the old Klay. Jordan Poole seems to have taken a step, and we know what to expect from Draymond and Steph. I don’t think we’ll see many minutes for the rookies (Moody and Kuminga), and if they’re the trade assets I think they were drafted to be, it’s probably best to make them look good in the G-League, before having them take their lumps in the NBA. The bottom line: If Steph, Klay, and Draymond are all healthy, then this is a playoff team. The league has changed a lot since they were all healthy together. The question is are they still the best trio in the game?
Sleepers: Jordan Poole. Whether Klay comes back on time to his full slate of minutes, or not, Jordan Poole is here to stay. He’s arrived. Whatever he learned from Steph and Klay, he really learned. His confidence took a jump. His teammates respect for him as a scorer/distributor took a jump (he’s allowed to take shots away from Steph now). And his actual talent took a jump. He’s averaging 25 points on 50%+ from the field, in 25 minutes. He shot 6-13 from three in his last preseason game. Whatever the Warriors were hoping to get from Kelly Oubre last year, they’ll get from Poole this year. Roster him.
Busts: James Wiseman. Talent is just a ceiling until you achieve it. He’s got all the talent. He’s an incredibly smart and thoughtful person. However, he’s so young, and he hasn’t played a lot of basketball. I don’t know how you get better without playing basketball, let alone stay the same. Injuries have put him on the shelf in the pros. He didn’t play in college. And he was literally a man amongst boys in high school. Give Wiseman some time to develop. There are better fantasy options this year.
Los Angeles Lakers
Expected starting lineup:
PG: Russell Westbrook
SG: Wayne Ellington
SF: Carmelo Anthony
PF: LeBron James
C: Anthony Davis
Fantasy Relevant Bench Players: Dwight Howard, Talen Horton-Tucker, Malik Monk, Kendrick Nunn, and Rajon Rondo
The Lakers are stacked this year. Everyone talks about the roster’s age in the long-term sense of the word. It’s not the correct way to look at it, considering this year, all of these players are fit to play and showing little to no signs of decline. Russ is a HoF point guard. Melo is a HoF forward. LeBron is a HoF forward. Anthony Davis is a HoF center. Dwight Howard is a HoF center. What are we doing? How did this happen? With Kyrie out for at least half of the Nets regular season and playoffs, the Lakers have the best team in the league, for my money. Act accordingly.
Sleepers: Dwight Howard is going to get starters minutes, in my opinion. Whether he’s coming off the bench, or Anthony Davis is getting load managed or injured, he has the potential to win you a league. Provided the minutes, he’s a walking double double. In a categories league, you’ll be glad you rostered him.
Busts: Rajon Rondo. As talented as he is, his role will primarily be to use his basketball IQ to make sure everyone is in the right spots and make the correct passes. I think he’ll do that and be very valuable for the 20-ish minutes per night he gets, but in terms of fantasy counting stats, you’ll have better options.
Sacramento Kings
Expected starting lineup:
PG: De’Aaron Fox
SG: Tyrese Halliburton
SF: Harrison Barnes
PF: Marvin Bagley III
C: Richaun Holmes
Fantasy Relevant Bench Players: Buddy Hield, Davion Mitchell, Tristan Thompson
I’ll never say the Kings are going to be good. That’s a wild thing to say. Ever. I don’t want to lose any of the good faith that I’ve garnered from anyone who reads this. What I will say is that they are better, and they’re building something. Buddy Hield is the x-factor because he thought he would’ve been traded by now, and he still may be shipped soon. He can shoot you into a game or shoot you out of one. Fox gets better every year. Halliburton was threatening RoY honors until he got hurt. They’re young and talented and will at least be fun to watch.
Sleepers: Davion Mitchell. He may get lost in the sauce for fantasy analysts. He’s going to get starters minutes because of his ability to play lockdown defense on the perimeter. When he’s on the court, he can shoot 40%+ from three. He’ll be a great source of steals and threes in the later rounds.
Busts: Bagley. He hates his role. He hates Sacramento. He’s either going to get traded to a better team, with less opportunity to play, or he’s going to pout about his role on the team he’s currently on (understandably). Either way, I’ll pass on rostering him.
Los Angeles Clippers
Expected starting lineup:
PG: Reggie Jackson
SG: Eric Bledsoe
SF: Paul George
PF: Marcus Morris
C: Ivica Zubac
Fantasy Relevant Bench Players: Terrance Mann, Nic Batum, Serge Ibaka
Kawhi is out with an injury, and I’m not sure what kind of timetable is being put on his return. Kawhi left San Antonio because he didn’t trust their doctors over what his body was telling him. He won’t come back until he’s ready. Regardless, I’m not expecting much out of this team except some incredible stat lines from Paul George. They need Kawhi to contend, and over the past couple seasons, it’s pretty clear that’s not even enough.
Sleepers: Mann. He broke out last year, and he’s been getting rave reviews from everyone on the team this year. Especially Nic Batum, who’s his mentor. With all the accolades and achievements Batum has had in his career, I trust his assessment of Mann’s future stardom. Plus, with Kawhi out, Mann will get starters minutes to score and distribute. He’ll have more responsibility than he’s had in the league, and you won’t have to draft him in the high rounds. Put him on your watchlist.
Busts: Serge Ibaka. This man has had horrible injury luck. I’m not participating anymore. I don’t care how good he is. Burn me once, shame on me. Burn me five times…
Phoenix Suns
Expected starting lineup:
PG: Chris Paul
SG: Devin Booker
SF: Mikal Bridges
PF: Jae Crowder
C: DeAndre Ayton
Fantasy Relevant Bench Players: Cam Payne, Cam Johnson
They’re very good, but I’m not expecting another magical Finals run. They returned all of their key pieces, but they didn’t really add any, and other top flight teams did. Add to the mix that the Suns don’t want to pay Ayton a max deal at the moment, and you’re putting a new wrinkle of stress and unpredictability into a young player’s head. This is a playoff team. You know what to expect from the vets. I’m not sure what a jump in talent/production looks like for CP3, Booker, or Ayton, really. I think they’ve maxed out, and it got them a trip to the Finals last year. This year will be harder to repeat.
Sleepers: None. Payne and Johnson won’t get the minutes to radically affect your fantasy outlook, unless there’s injury.
Busts: Jae Crowder. His fantasy value is directly tied to his three point jumper. Whether this is an “on” year from three for him is a complete shot in the dark. Good luck.
Fantrax was one of the fastest-growing fantasy sites of 2020, and we’re not stopping now. With multi-team trades, designated commissioner/league managers, and drag/drop easy click methods, Fantrax is sure to excite the serious fantasy sports fan – sign up now for a free year at Fantrax.com.