This article is part of our Hoops Lab series.
Who's the Master?
Coming into the season, the first two picks in pretty much every fantasy draft couldn't have been more clear. Kevin Durant and LeBron James were going to be the first two picks, point-blank, period. There was some discussion about the third pick. Though James Harden was often tabbed in that spot. Chris Paul and Stephen Curry were also considerations, and if you were an oddball like me, Kevin Love was in the discussion of who went next. But the first two picks were set in stone.
Fast-forward a month, and suddenly the top two players in fantasy basketball aren't nearly so certain. LeBron and Durant haven't really played badly. Lebron's averages of 26.0 points, 6.7 assists, 5.5 boards, 1.4 treys and 9.8 made field goals on 61 percent shooting from the field have him ranked 11th by Yahoo! while Durant's 29.6 points, 7.0 boards, 5.2 assists, 1.9 treys, 1.4 steals and 11.3 made free throws (at 88.3 percent) have him ranked 5th. It's not any lack of production from LeBron or Durant that has their rankings a bit lower than we're accustomed to. No, it's the other-worldly level of production we're seeing from some of their competitors that have made this an interesting discussion to have.
In particular, Anthony Davis, Chris Paul and Kevin Love have placed themselves in the pole position to earn the fantasy basketball MVP award this season. These are the top-3 ranked players by Yahoo! (among players that have played in more
Who's the Master?
Coming into the season, the first two picks in pretty much every fantasy draft couldn't have been more clear. Kevin Durant and LeBron James were going to be the first two picks, point-blank, period. There was some discussion about the third pick. Though James Harden was often tabbed in that spot. Chris Paul and Stephen Curry were also considerations, and if you were an oddball like me, Kevin Love was in the discussion of who went next. But the first two picks were set in stone.
Fast-forward a month, and suddenly the top two players in fantasy basketball aren't nearly so certain. LeBron and Durant haven't really played badly. Lebron's averages of 26.0 points, 6.7 assists, 5.5 boards, 1.4 treys and 9.8 made field goals on 61 percent shooting from the field have him ranked 11th by Yahoo! while Durant's 29.6 points, 7.0 boards, 5.2 assists, 1.9 treys, 1.4 steals and 11.3 made free throws (at 88.3 percent) have him ranked 5th. It's not any lack of production from LeBron or Durant that has their rankings a bit lower than we're accustomed to. No, it's the other-worldly level of production we're seeing from some of their competitors that have made this an interesting discussion to have.
In particular, Anthony Davis, Chris Paul and Kevin Love have placed themselves in the pole position to earn the fantasy basketball MVP award this season. These are the top-3 ranked players by Yahoo! (among players that have played in more than one game), and each one does it in an entirely different way. If your fantasy draft were to be re-held today, who would be your No. 1 pick? Let's make a case for all five guys.
The case for Durant is obvious, as it's what made him the consensus No. 1 overall player in the first place. He'll likely lead the NBA in scoring yet again, and he doesn't have a single roto flaw. Durant is a plus rebounder, a five assists per game forward; he'll challenge for two made treys and two combined steals and blocks per game; his field goal percentage isn't bad for a perimeter player; and his impact on free throw percentage is unprecedented. Durant is challenging the historical pace to take and make more free throws than anyone ever has in NBA history and angling to do so at around a 90 percent clip. He's the total package, and Durant is still a smart money pick for the top spot.
LeBron's case is based on his real-life credentials. He's (and has long been) the best real-life player in the NBA. LeBron is still at his physical peak, and he is capable of putting on video game displays of production for months at a time if it strikes his whim. He contributes at a similar level to Durant in most of the categories, and with his free throw percentage up over 75 percent this season, he doesn't have any real weakness either. Plus, his 61 percent shooting from the field is almost Shaq-like. The argument against LeBron is that he is playing on a team that has made the Finals three straight seasons with an Olympic run right in the middle, and that at almost 30 years of age with all of his goals based on postseason performance, LeBron may coast through the regular season more than he ever has before. His defensive and rebound numbers being down would support the notion that he might not be expending as much energy and hustle this season.
Davis is the wild card in the bunch, and as I mentioned before, he's the one that I most bitterly regret missing out on. (Side note: I was in a keeper league that I opted out of playing in this season. My two A-keepers coming into this season would have been none other than LeBron James and Anthony Davis. In the words of Bill Simmons, "I will now light myself on fire.") Davis' stat-line right now reads like a misprint. How can one player average 21 points and 11 boards while contributing almost six combined steals and blocks per game, and oh-yeah, he's also shooting better than 48 percent from the field and 85 percent from the line on high volumes. On the RotoWire Fantasy Sports Today radio show, Chris Liss asked me two weeks ago if I would take Davis over James Harden (I said yes). He then asked me last week if I'd take Davis over LeBron (I hedged, saying I'd take Davis' production if guaranteed that he'd have LeBron-like health even though I prefer the comfort of LeBron's name). This week, I'm not sure there's anyone I would take over Davis.
Paul is doing all of the things that have made him a consensus top-5 pick for the past several years, but he's just doing more of them. His scoring is up; his assists are up; his steals are up; his rebounds are up. Paul is essentially posting the best parts of Rajon Rondo's stat line (everything except scoring) while averaging almost 20 points with tremendous free-throw shooting. His only down area is shooting from the field, and considering he's shot between 46.3 percent and 50.3 percent from the field in each of the last six seasons, it's a good bet that his shot will get better as the season progresses. The only thing keeping Paul from the top spot is the lingering question of his health, and whether he can play a full schedule at his best.
Finally, there's Love. He has been much-discussed this week, from Shannon McKeown's NBA Barometer that argues for taking Love over LeBron to
Overall, if I were re-drafting at this exact second, my top-5 would go in this order:
Davis' capacity is limitless, as that defensive impact can't be overstated. Durant's consistency and defensive stats edge him beyond Love, who edges LeBron on the theory that he's hungrier and has more weight to pull in the regular season. LeBron still edges Paul, though, as I just trust LeBron's health more.
Who you got? Comment below, or tell me on Twitter at @ProfessorDrz.
Around the League
Kobe watch – back in November? Nash on way out?: Two NBA legends are making news in LA, seemingly moving in opposite directions. Kobe Bryant resumed some practice activities last week, and has stated that he expects to be back by the end of November. Lakers' coach Mike D'Antoni expects it to be at least "a few games" before Bryant returns to game action for the Lakers, though D'Antoni wasn't willing to completely rule out that Bryant could play as soon as Friday. While there is still some mystery surrounding the situation, it sounds like Bryant will be back sooner rather than later. The news with Steve Nash doesn't sound nearly as promising, as reports have him seriously contemplating retirement if he continues to experience such continuous physical ailment. Nash's retirement would seem to secure Steve Blake's fantasy viability moving forward, though Bryant's return would eat into Blakes potential output.
Nets watch – KG and Pierce back, Williams and Lopez up in the air: The Nets had four of their five starters, plus sixth man Andrei Kirilenko, out with injuries this weekend. Kevin Garnett (ankle) and Paul Pierce (groin) returned after that single missed game, but the injuries to Deron Williams and Brook Lopez were a bit more serious. Lopez (ankle) has missed three games and is day-to-day with a return expected soon. Williams (ankle) surprised me by returning to the lineup on Wednesday after only having missed two games…as I'd said in the last Lab, I expected him to take some time off to make sure this ankle injury (which has lingered since the preseason) had a chance to heal. Instead he returned quickly…only to re-injure the ankle after only 11 minutes played. I once again expect that Williams will miss some time, which would make Shaun Livingston a viable short-term fix. We'll see if I'm right this time.
Curry concussion:Stephen Curry suffered a concussion that has him out indefinitely. With the rising awareness and care given to treating concussions, there's no way to really know how long he'll be out. Some players return from concussions in days, but the worst case is in situations (like Sidney Crosby in hockey) where a severe concussion can keep a player out for a season. Curry's concussion is said to be mild, so expect his recovery to be on the shorter end, but keep in mind that a concussion is essentially a bruise of the brain (how did we ever think of them as minor injuries?) so keep an eye on it.
Wade continues to rest:Dwyane Wade sat out on Tuesday to rest his knee in the first-half of a back-to-back, then surprised many by also sitting out the second game of the set on Wednesday. The Heat continue to be cautious with him, taking a long-term view that should help preserve him for the playoffs, but that makes Wade a risky play in leagues where you set your lineup for the week. As yet, there isn't any news that the knee injury is any more serious than it's been in the past, but if he misses a third game in a row, I'd start listening hard for more explanation.
Burke is back:Trey Burke finally made his NBA debut on Wednesday after a broken right index finger sidelined him for the first three weeks of the season. He scored 11 points (5-for-8 FG) with a rebound, an assist, a trey and a steal in 12 minutes off the bench. Presumably, he is headed for a much larger role once he plays himself into shape.
New Additions
Martell Webster (34% owned): I touted Webster in this space previously as a side-note to the hot start that Trevor Ariza had, but with Ariza out, Webster has played even better. Ariza should be back soon, but Webster's sharp-shooting from downtown and solid all-around game should help him remain viable moving forward.
Patrick Beverley (29% owned): Entering the season, Beverley was expected to challenge Jeremy Lin for the starting job. He had ouchy injuries early on that kept him out and allowed Lin to have a good start, and last week, Lin re-kindled Linsanity while James Harden battled injury. But Beverley quietly performed as well, and when the dust settled, it was Beverley holding down the starting point guard slot over Lin. He's not a huge scorer, but he can give you double-digits with solid assist and three-point totals as long as he's getting the minutes.
Lou Williams (27% owned) and DeMarre Carroll (9% owned): Williams was an explosive scorer in the 6th man slot for the Hawks last season before tearing his ACL, and even though he's slowly working his way into the Hawks' nightly rotation, he is worth a speculative long-term add. Carroll has played well in the starting small forward slot, averaging 12.5 points, 5.5 boards, 2.3 treys and 1.5 steals in over 30 minutes per game in his last four outings.
John Henson (27% owned): Henson is doing his best Larry Sanders impression in Milwaukee, averaging three blocks to go with about nine points and almost eight boards in 23 minutes per game over the last week.
Keeping up with the Professor
If you're interested in my takes throughout the week, you can follow me on Twitter @ProfessorDrz. Also, don't forget that you can catch me on the radio on RotoWire Fantasy Sports Today with Chris Liss and Jeff Erickson on XM 87, Sirius 210.
