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Unlike in fantasy football, in fantasy basketball, there are no off days when it comes to watching over your team. The next line of NBA rising stars are sitting right under your nose and the only way to sniff out these players before your competition does, is by watching the trends of all players early.
The opening night of the 2014-2015 NBA season showcased teams with a lot of depth on their respective benches. The Houston Rockets emerged victorious in their season opener versus the Los Angeles Lakers and the Rockets bench provided a ton of help. Jason Terry scored eight points in 21 minutes of playing time off the bench including hitting two three-pointers. Rockets forwards Donatas Motiejunas and Kostas Papanikolaou showed their defensive skill set by grabbing a combined 11 rebounds between the two. Papanikolaou also contributed two steals to the team’s winning effort. Both will provide rebounding help throughout the season. Terry will be playing as the first guard off the bench and will secure a ton of playing time early.
With Victor Oladipo and Channing Frye sidelined with knee injuries, the Orlando Magic need scoring help. Now is the perfect opportunity to see their depth. With rookie Elfrid Payton serving as floor general for the team and learning the ropes of the league, veteran guard Ben Gordon will see over 20 minutes of playing time and a lot of shot opportunities per game early on. Gordon shot a dismal one for eight from the field in the Magic season-opening loss to the New Orleans Pelicans. He did contribute four rebounds and guards who rebound are key when it comes to fantasy basketball. Gordon could be a good last guard off the bench option for fantasy teams. Rookie Power Forward Aaron Gordon showcased his potential by scoring 11 points and contributing a steal and a block in his season debut and is a considerable waiver wire flier.
It is no secret that the reigning NBA Champion San Antonio Spurs team will be relying heavily on their bench throughout the season. With Patty Mills (Shoulder) out until likely the turn of the New Year, sharpshooter Marco Belinelli will be a huge factor on the offensive end for the Spurs. In the Spurs season opening win versus the Dallas Mavericks, Belinelli scored 15 points, shooting 5 for 8 from the field. The trend seen last season when it came to Belinelli was that if he played more, he scored more. Belinelli hit three three-point field goals in 31 minutes of playing time in the win. Spurs veteran forward Boris Diaw contributed nine rebounds and six assists in 33 minutes off the bench. Both Diaw and Belinelli are definitely options that fantasy players should consider picking up early.
It does not matter how good or bad the team is as all 30 teams have some form of a rotation that will benefit fantasy players everywhere. Some teams, depending on their make up, will rely less on their bench for production barring an injury to a starter. The Magic and Spurs are on completely opposite ends of the NBA spectrum, but the one commonality between the two is that they will need to rely on the depth in order to succeed. The depth on the Rockets, Spurs and Magic should be watched throughout the season. At this point, playing time is key. Look for consistency in playing time when considering picking up a player and watch for trends in especially minutes and field goals attempted per game. If you watch the trends close enough, you will find plenty of diamonds in the rough.