10. Marcus Morris, Detroit Pistons- Morris was traded to the Pistons, where he should flourish with an increase in playing time. He averaged 10.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.4 three-pointers made in 25 minutes per game last season with Suns. However, he was competing with Brandan Wright, his brother Markieff Morris, and a handful of small forwards for playing time. That will not be the case in Detroit, where they literally don’t have an established small forward and Ersan Ilyasova is slated as their starting power forward. That means Morris will get minutes at both positions. Morris’ per-36 minutes last season looked like this: 16 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.4 steals, and two three-pointers made per game. While he’s unlikely to play 36 minutes per game, he should definitely play over 30 minutes per game next season. His brother Markieff Morris is also a player that will flourish in Phoenix with Marcus and Brandan Wright gone.
9. Chandler Parsons, Dallas Mavericks- This is his year to prove how great of an NBA player he actually is with Monta Ellis is gone, Wesley Matthews is not going to be same player he was before the Achilles injury, and Dirk is another year older. That means Parsons SHOULD to be the focal point of the offense. His stats haven’t really changed the past couple of season as he’s averaged about 16 points, four rebounds, two-three assists, and two three pointers made per game. They signed Parsons to eventually be their franchise players, so this is the season where he’ll have to prove that he is worth the money that the Mavs gave him. Look for his field goal attempts to jump from 12.6 per game last season to about 15 to 16 this season, which would increase his points per game. Right now, Parsons is better for rotisserie formats than for total points leagues because he contributes in stats across the board.
8. Willie Cauley-Stein, Sacramento Kings- The Kings got rid of Jason Thompson and didn’t re-sign Derrick Williams in order to create more playing time for Cauley-Stein. He will struggle a bit on offense, but he’ll be a great source for blocks and rebounds. His field goal percentage will also be high as most of his shots will be close to the rim. He’ll be a great late round pick in rotisserie leagues.
7. Myles Turner, Indiana Pacers- This guy is my dark horse for rookie of the year. He’ll play huge minutes for the Pacers as they don’t really have any other center on the roster besides Turner since they traded Roy Hibbert to the Lakers. The Pacers did sign Jordan Hill, but he’s not that good, which is why he was signed to be their backup center and he is better suited to play power forward than center. Turner showed the ability to knock down long range shots in summer league. While it is only summer league, he did average 18.7 points (60.5 FG %), 8.3 rebounds, and an absurd 4.3 blocks in three games. Look, the Pacers want to be a fast paced offense and Turner can run the court very well, which will lead to fast break dunks and put backs. Overall, he is going to be one of the biggest draft day steals in any fantasy format and will be a great player to target in DFS.
6. Robin Lopez, New York Knicks- Gets the unfortunate opportunity (or fortunate opportunity for fantasy players) of playing for the New York Knicks this year. Ro-Lo will be the starting center for the Knicks, which means he’ll play huge minutes for them since they too don’t really have any other proven center on the roster. He averaged only 9.6 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks in 28 minutes per game last season. However, he averaged 11.1 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks in 32 minutes per game as the Blazers starting center in 2013-14. He could eclipse those numbers this season as he’ll definitely play over 30 minutes per game and could flirt with 36 minutes per game, that means he could average close to a double-double, while recording almost two blocks per game. That would make him a valuable fantasy asset considering there were only three players last season that averaged a double-double with at least two blocks per game (DeAndre Jordan, Anthony Davis, and Hassan Whiteside).
Make sure to check back with Fantasy Alarm as the final five players on this list will be revealed soon.
Player News
Buddy Hield had 15 points (5-of-14 FGs), three rebounds, one assist, one steal and four three-pointers against the Timberwolves in Game 2 on Thursday.
Hield moved into the Warriors’ starting lineup in the first round and the team became somewhat reliant on his scoring. With Stephen Curry (hamstring) out in Game 2, Hield started and played 29 minutes. The 32-year-old shooting guard led the Warriors in field goal attempts, though no one in a Golden State uniform was able to reach 20 points. The Warriors weren’t able to overcome a double-digit first half deficit. Despite the four made three-pointers, they’re going to need more from Hield as the series shifts to Golden State, especially if Curry remains out.
Jimmy Butler had 17 points (6-of-13 FGs), seven rebounds, four assists, one steal and two three-pointers against the Timberwolves in Game 2 on Thursday.
Butler couldn’t get it done without Stephen Curry (hamstring) on the road in Game 2. The Warriors fell behind by double-digits early and never recovered. Butler had 17 points on 13 shots, which wasn’t far off from the 20 points he had in Game 1. Still, the Warriors have to regroup as they head home for Games 3 and 4 as they try to figure out a way to keep this series close until Curry can return to the court.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker had 20 points (7-of-13 FGs), two rebounds, three assists, one block and four three-pointers in Game 2 against the Warriors on Thursday.
Alexander-Walker was a key scorer off the bench in Game 2. He, Naz Reid and Donte DiVencenzo combined for 10 made three-pointers off the bench. In a game where the Warriors were desperate for scoring without Stephen Curry (hamstring), those bench points were too much to overcome as the Timberwolves won by 24 points.
Julius Randle had 24 points (10-of-17 FGs), seven rebounds, 11 assists and one three-pointer in Game 2 against the Warriors on Thursday.
Randle led the Timberwolves in scoring in the Game 2 victory. The 30-year-old power forward was just three rebounds away from a triple-double. He was a steadying presence in his 33 minutes as Anthony Edwards dealt with an ankle injury towards the end of the first half. Edwards recovered from his injury to play 34 minutes, but Randle is still the next most important player in this series for the Timberwolves.
Anthony Edwards had 20 points (6-of-13 FGs), nine rebounds, five assists, three steals, one block and two three-pointers in the Timberwolves’ 117-93 victory over the Warriors in Game 2 on Thursday.
Edwards appeared to suffer a sprained left ankle towards the end of the second quarter as the Warriors’ Trayce Jackson-Davis landed on his foot. Edwards turned the same ankle in the first round against the Lakers and appeared to re-aggravate the injury. The 23-year-old shooting guard would go on to start the second half and play a team-high 34 minutes in the Game 2 victory. Edwards will only have one full day off before the series resumes in Golden State for Game 3 on Saturday.
Warriors will start Brandin Podziemski, Buddy Hield, Jimmy Butler, Draymond Green and Quinten Post in Game 2 against the Timberwolves on Thursday.
No surprise here as Curry was always a long shot to make it back for Game 2 after leaving Game 1 with hamstring injury. While there has been a report that the 37-year-old point guard is expected to miss a week, there is no firm timetable for his return. The Warriors will go big with their starting lineup for Game 2 with center Quinten Post entering the lineup in Curry’s absence.