Antawn Jamison

We like Jamison’s signing on with the Lakers. The Lakers’ bench was not very productive in 2011-12, and Jamison figures to resolve that problem. The 14-year NBA veteran, who has been a starter most of his career, will come off the bench in Los Angeles, capable of backing up both forward spots. While coming off the bench will be different, Jamison does have experience in the role. He was voted the league’s sixth man of the year in 2004 when he was a reserve in Dallas. That season he averaged 15 points (53.5% FG) and six rebounds in 29 minutes per game. Jamison’s objective is to win a championship before he retires and will fill whatever need the Lakers ask him to. If Dwight Howard (back) is forced to miss any time at the start of the season, Jamison could get extra minutes in the early going.

A slow start to his 2010-11 campaign made it appear father time was catching up to Jamison. A knee injury limited him early in the season, and he was often used as a reserve by first year Cavs coach Byron Scott. Through his first 18 games, the 13-year veteran was averaging just 12.4 points and 5.7 rebounds while shooting just 40.9 percent from the floor. After the uneven play of J.J. Hickson opened up a spot in the starting five for Jamison, the veteran forward quickly reverted back to the form fantasy owners had come to expect from him throughout his career. In his 38 starts, Jamison averaged 20.7 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.0 steals and 1.7 treys. He remained spotty from the floor (43.2) and downtown (33.9), but Jamison has never been known as an efficient shooter. Unfortunately Jamison was shut down in February after suffering a fractured left pinky finger. The injury shouldn’t be an issue going forward. At 35, decline in his skills and propensity to suffer injuries should be expected, but with Hickson now playing for the Kings, Jamison should be a lock for the Cavaliers starting five once basketball begins.

Jamison was supposed to be the final piece that would bring a championship to Cleveland and convince the Cavaliers to re-sign LeBron James. Instead, he'll spend this season as one of the primary scorers on a team that seems likely to free-fall into lottery land. Ouch. He would have been better off staying in Washington. Last season was disappointing for Jamison even before the early playoff ouster and LeBron's decision – he was slowed by knee and neck injuries and played in just 66 games for the Wizards and Cavs, and finished with an 18.7 scoring average – his worst since 2003-04. But this summer's bad news for Cleveland fans could become good news for Jamison's fantasy prospects; with James out of the picture, Jamison figures to pick up a large portion of the load offensively, and new coach Byron Scott is reportedly hoping to put a more fast-paced offensive system into place, which might also inflate Jamison's attempts and makes.

Looking back at the draft day trade of Jamison for Vince Carter back in 1998, the outcome hasn’t been nearly as lopsided as once thought. Jamison has been extremely consistent for four straight years now, and he’s quietly putting together a pretty impressive career. His game has always been somewhat unconventional, but his uncanny ability around the basket has been supplemented by surprising production from beyond the arc. Jamison’s best years have come in Washington, and though Flip Saunders enters 2009-10 as the team’s new coach, the system shouldn’t change all that dramatically, which is good news for the steady veteran. However, a healthy return by Gilbert Arenas could cut into Jamison’s shot attempts. They have co-existed before, and both were able to put up nice numbers, but it’s an adjustment from the past two seasons. Jamison has missed three games or fewer in seven of the past nine seasons, never sitting out more than 14 contests in a year, so while he may be considered boring, Jamison’s a safe option with a high floor.

Agent Zero and his blog may get the most press, and Caron Butler may get lots of attention for his breakout season, but the most reliable third of Washington’s big three is power forward Antawn Jamison. An athletic four equally comfortable in the paint or out on the perimeter, Jamison’s steady presence helped carry the Wizards through Arenas’ and Butler’s long absences – and carried Jamison to a five-year high in scoring (21.5 ppg) and a career-best 10.2 rebounds per game. The other two thirds of the big three should be back and healthy in 2008-09, which probably means Jamison won’t equal last year’s point total – but don’t overestimate the drop; the running-and-gunning Wizards will score a heap of points, and the return of his running buddies will probably mean a boost to Jamison’s overall efficiency.

Jamison’s numbers were down very slightly across the board last season when compared to the year before, but he was still an impact player. Playing in Washington’s shot-happy offense, Jamison joined teammates Gilbert Arenas and Caron Butler as a primary scoring option (19.8 ppg). He was still solid on the boards (8.0) and with steals (1.1 spg), but his biggest strength is his still improving ability to knock down the trey (career-high 2.0 three pointers per game). The Wizards should continue to run-and-gun this season, so Jamison should remain near the top of the rankings for forwards.

Jamison is a perimeter-oriented PF/SF tweener that seems to have found a perfect fit in the Wizards run-and-gun offense as a sidekick to Gilbert Arenas. Jamison got his scoring average over 20 points last season for the first time since he left Golden State in 2003, and he also made almost twice as many three-pointers (1.8 per game) as he had in any season in his career. The lack of inside presence on the Wizards also allowed Jamison to average a career-high 9.3 rebounds per game, the first time since 2000-01 he had averaged more than 7.7. The Wizards have not appreciably changed their philosophy or personnel this offseason, so there’s no reason for Jamison not to produce similar offensive numbers this season as well. Defensively, Jamison is not a shot-blocker at all (.1 bpg) but he does contribute 1.1 spg to help in that category.

After a down 2003-04 as the Mavericks' sixth man, Jamison put up 19.6 points and 7.6 rebounds per game as a starter in Washington last season. And with the departure of Larry Hughes to Cleveland, Jamison’s role in the offense could grow even more this season, as he’ll be their No. 2 option behind Gilbert Arenas. Jamison will give you just about one three-pointer per game, and usually shoots for a good percentage, though 2004-05 was a down year for him at just under 44%. He doesn't give you much in the way of assists, steals, or blocks, however, and is the kind of player who fantasy owners have a tendency to overvalue because of his scoring average. Jamison needs to improve his all-around game to make a greater fantasy impact; as it stands, he's a good mid-to-late-round player in deep leagues, but not much more than that.

Buried behind Antoine Walker and Dirk Nowitzki on the Mavericks’ depth chart last season, Jamison disappointed a lot of fantasy owners. As a result, his move to the nation’s capital has largely gone under the radar in the flurry of offseason moves, and this could lead to a nice buying opportunity at your auction or draft. Jamison is more than capable of averaging 18-20 points and 8-to-10 rebounds alongside Gilbert Arenas and Larry Hughes on the Wizards, and he'll shoot a nice percentage as well.

Jamison, a high-scoring threat, will have a lot of help in 2003-2004. The Mavericks, unlike the Warriors, have a lot of weapons on offense, which could mean a decline in Jamison's point scoring production.