With the NBA taking Christmas Eve off before its annual five-game Christmas Day slate, we felt this would be a good time to get together and provide some thoughts on fantasy basketball to this point in the season. While some players have provided value on par with your favorite present, others have delivered lumps of coal. Nick Schlain, Noah Rubin, Raphielle Johnson, and Zak Hanshew answered a few fantasy basketball-related questions. Happy Holidays.
1. Who has been your biggest surprise in fantasy basketball thus far?
Nick Shlain: Malik Beasley. Nobody thought much of the Pistons signing Beasley this offseason. At this point of the season, though, the 28-year-old shooting guard is second in the league in 3-pointers with 111. He’s averaging a career-high 3.8 made threes per game. Beasley isn’t going to provide much in the other categories, but the points (16.4 points per game) and threes are there.
Noah Rubin: John Collins. The Jazz acquired JC from the Hawks for pennies on the dollar two summers ago, and he played well for them in year one. However, he is in the midst of one of the best seasons of his career, and he has genuinely adapted his game to fit Utah’s style of play, which is quite different from his role in Atlanta. With the Hawks, he went from a pick-and-roll threat to a floor spacer over the years, but he has been able to do a little bit of everything this season. He’s averaging career-highs in assists, steals, and 3-pointers, which aren’t typically his strongest categories. Collins has been a third-round producer in 9-cat leagues, which shatters his Yahoo ADP of 107.2.
Raphielle Johnson: I’m going with Dyson Daniels here. Even though there was a feeling that the move from New Orleans to Atlanta would raise his ceiling, I didn’t expect him to be as productive as he’s been. Defensively, he’s done things we’ve rarely seen since Alvin Robertson was pestering opposing perimeter players, and Daniels has improved offensively as well. His jump this season has looked similar to Jalen Johnson’s last season, which is a credit to the players and the Hawks coaching staff.
Zak Hanshew: It’s got to be Karl-Anthony Towns. After some recent disappointing seasons in Minnesota and a tempestuous exit from the franchise that drafted him, Towns’ fantasy outlook was bleak. Instead, he’s experiencing a Renaissance in New York. He leads his team (and the Association) in rebounding, and he’s the Knicks’ leading scorer on a team full of highly talented offensive weapons. Big Purr ranks fifth in per-game fantasy value, a far cry from the minimal second or third-round draft capital needed to acquire him. For the record, Franz Wagner was a close second here.
2. Who has been your most disappointing player in fantasy basketball thus far?
Shlain: Tyrese Haliburton. Haliburton’s field goal percentage is down to 42 percent from 47 percent last year, points per game is down to 18 from 21.1 last year, and assists per game are down to 8.7 from 10.9 last year. What might be most disappointing are his home/road splits. Haliburton is averaging 21.4 points per game and shooting 47 percent from the field at home compared to 15.4 points per game and 38 percent on the road.
Rubin: Brandin Podziemski. After a strong rookie season, I expected Podziemski to take off in year two. The offseason rumors contributed to that opinion since the Warriors reportedly wanted him to shoot 8-10 threes per game and didn’t want to trade him for Lauri Markkanen. Surely, this guy would be a consistent starter and focal point of their offense, right? Wrong. Podz has had some solid games but has taken a step back in production from his rookie year. Hopefully, he can figure things out, but I was hoping for a big year from Podz, and that hasn’t happened.
Johnson: It’s Zion Williamson for me. The medical history makes a fool’s errand to trust him in fantasy basketball. However, there was a hope that he’d turn things around, especially with the offseason reports that he was in better shape. Sure enough, after appearing in six of New Orleans’ first nine games, Williamson has only been seen on the bench in street clothes. There are players who have been more active, and I could have picked them for this, but at least they (Haliburton, for example) have been on the court enough for fantasy managers to receive some value.
Hanshew: I may be slightly biased based on my love for him, but it’s Tyrese Haliburton. After finishing as a top-10 fantasy player in the last two seasons, Hali is ranked outside the second round in per-game value through the season’s first quarter. Haliburton averaged 20.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, 10.7 assists, and 1.4 steals while shooting 48.3% from the floor in his first two seasons with Indiana. This season, his averages have plummeted to 17.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, 8.7 assists, and 1.2 steals while shooting just 42.9%.
3. Who is one player you’re watching between now and the February trade deadline due to how a move could impact their fantasy value?
Shlain: Jimmy Butler. Butler is reportedly open to being traded to Phoenix, Dallas, Golden State, or Houston. Depending on the destination, a Butler trade would be interesting for Butler and, potentially, a boost for Tyler Herro and Jaime Jaquez Jr.
Rubin: Kelly Olynyk. A man who has a history of starring for tanking teams. Olynyk has been on a minutes restriction since missing the start of the year, but that will be lifted as he plays more games. Jakob Poeltl feels like one of the hottest names on the trade market, and if he gets moved, Olynyk would be the best center option on the team. Of course, trade season could bring different competition for minutes, but as of now, Olynyk should get the edge over Chris Boucher and rookie Jonathan Mogbo.
Johnson: Zach LaVine. Given his recent play, the contract does not appear to be the deterrent it was during the offseason. This pick isn’t solely because of his potential impact on a new team but also because of what his exit could do for Bulls like Ayo Dosunmu and Matas Buzelis. If Chicago resists the urge to fight for a play-in spot, that’s a team with enough young talent to be pretty fun during the “silly season.”
Hanshew: Kyle Kuzma’s name has been hot on the rumor mill, and I’m anxious to see what uniform he’s wearing when the season ends. He’s been hampered by injuries this season, and his production has taken a significant hit. Over his first three years with the Wiz, Kuz averaged 20/7/4, and he can be an impactful player on a contending team.
4. Who has been the most impressive rookie in fantasy basketball thus far?
Shlain: Jared McCain. Maybe McCain, the 16th pick in the draft, isn’t actually the best rookie, but he’s had quite a few big games. He has eight games with at least 20 points, including two games with at least 30 points. In a game against Cleveland on November 13, he had 34 points and 10 assists, with Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and Paul George all out.
Rubin: McCain. Sadly, McCain is out indefinitely after tearing his meniscus, which means that he won’t be able to build off of his strong start. In his eight starts, McCain averaged 23.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 3.6 threes per game while shooting 46.2% from the floor. There have been some impressive rookie bigs, but rookie guards have this type of early success less frequently than post players. What McCain did with Philly’s injured stars proved that he was one of the steals of the draft.
Johnson: Yves Missi. Others will go with Jared McCain or Dalton Knecht, but I like how Missi has progressed throughout the season. The 7-footer out of Baylor has made the starting center job his own, not just for this season but also for the duration of his first contract. Most recently, Missi held his own opposite three-time MVP Nikola Jokic in an overtime loss to the Nuggets. As bad as this season has been for the Pelicans, they should be excited by what they’ve seen from Missi.
Hanshew: Zach Edey has been great with limited minutes, and Yves Missi has been as good as advertised with big minutes for a shorthanded Pels team. Though he’s currently out indefinitely, Jared McCain was the runaway pick for ROY before getting sidelined. He filled in admirably for the injury-riddled Sixers and delivered some monster scoring performances. McCain is an electric scorer who should continue to make a significant impact once he returns.
5. If the season ended today, who would be your fantasy MVP and why?
Shlain: Nikola Jokic. Jokic is the easy answer, but he’s the best player and a triple-double waiting to happen. His most impressive games of the season were when Jamal Murray missed two games and Jokic combined for 104 points, 30 rebounds, and 16 assists in his absence. He’s the kind of player who deserves the MVP every year.
Rubin: Dyson Daniels. The Great Barrier Thief was one of my favorite late-round fliers this season, but I wasn’t high enough on him. Most of his value is tied up in his steals, but he has been effective enough in other categories to be a third-round producer despite having a Yahoo ADP of 143.9. That level of production from a player who may have gone undrafted in leagues makes him a league-winning talent. Hopefully, this wasn’t just a hot start, and he can keep this up for the entire season.
Johnson: Franz Wagner. The recent oblique tear stinks and it’s likely he won’t be my answer to this question at the All-Star break. But there’s no denying he was elite before that point, especially after the Magic lost Paolo Banchero to a similar injury. Wagner remains a top-10 player in 9-cat formats, and he’s ranked within the top 15 in 8-cat. Before the injury, he played at a “league-winning player” level as the focal point for the shorthanded Magic.
Hanshew: Towns would be a great choice here. Franz Wagner would be the pick if he weren’t dealing with a lingering injury. Instead, I’m going with Nikola Vucevic. Guys like Wemby, Jokic, SGA, and AD were all drafted as first-rounders, and they’ve lived up to expectations. The aging Vooch was drafted on average in the fifth round, and he’s been a top-10 fantasy player this season. Chicago’s big man has been a solid contributor in points, rebounds, assists, blocks, 3-pointers, and shooting percentages while notching almost a steal per contest. He’s been as solid as they come and one of fantasy’s best value picks.
6. Which Christmas Day matchup are you most looking forward to and why?
Shlain: Warriors vs. Lakers. It’s Stephen Curry vs. LeBron James. This is still the premier matchup in the NBA, and I’m not tired of seeing it even after all these years. Whether it’s the Summer Olympics, NBA Finals, or Christmas Day, give me Curry and LeBron all day.
Rubin: Timberwolves vs. Mavericks. It will be a Western Conference Finals rematch featuring Anthony Edwards playing on Christmas Day for the first time. Minnesota has been struggling to find their identity this season, so this will be an excellent opportunity for them to make a statement. As for Dallas, they’ve been playing like one of the best teams in the league lately. As long as they’re healthy for this game, this should be fun, featuring two elite defenses and some of the league’s best scorers.
Johnson: Spurs vs. Knicks. While I’m biased as a Knicks fan, I’m excited to see Victor Wembanyama on this stage. Whether it’s Christmas or a random night in February, elite talents have made Madison Square Garden their stage throughout the NBA’s history. Wemby will be next (either Wednesday or in the future), and the Noon Eastern tip means fans in France will settle in to enjoy the show a little after 6 PM local time.
Hanshew: Lakers-Warriors. I leaned heavily toward the Spurs-Knicks, but each time we see a Steph-LeBron matchup on Christmas, it could be our last. The Spurs and Knicks give us an emerging Spurs team with one of the best in the game in Victor Wembanyama and a loaded Knicks roster at Madison Square Garden. However, I can’t pick any other game than Lakers-Warriors, given that two future Hall-of-Famers will be playing each other in a primetime matchup that I’ve loved through the years.
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