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Today, here is this year’s All-NBA Fantasy Value First and Second Teams.
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FIRST TEAM
PG – GREIVIS VASQUEZ, New Orleans – 13.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, 9.0 assists, 1.1 threes, 0.8 steals, 43 percent FG, 81 percent FT
Average Draft Position: Yahoo! – 123.6, ESPN – 115.9
During some stretches this season, it felt like Vasquez was pushing a triple-double on a nightly basis. After not even being drafted in many fantasy leagues of 10 teams or less, he showed tons of improvement in his third season, playing in all but three of the Hornets games and leading the league in total assists. Vasquez is a lengthy, 6-6 point guard who is finally learning how to use his size to his advantage at the pro level and with another offseason to perfect his game, should be drafted in the middle rounds next season.
SG – STEPHEN CURRY, Golden State – 22.9 points, 4.0 rebounds, 6.9 assists, 3.5 threes, 1.6 steals, 45 percent FG, 90 percent FT
ADP: Yahoo! – 32.8, ESPN – 42.8
A freaky injury history deterred most owners from selecting Curry on draft day, but those who invested yielded a great profit from their third or fourth rounder. Curry put together a healthy season, missing only four games, and broke the record for most three-point field goals in a season. He shot 45 percent from downtown this year, good for 272 total treys. Without Monta Ellis next to him, Curry is now the lone offensive focal point for the Warriors and he will surely be off the board in the mid-late first round in next season’s fantasy drafts
SF – PAUL GEORGE, Indiana – 17.4 points, 7.6 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 2.2 threes, 1.6 steals, 0.6 blocks, 42 percent FG, 80 percent FT
ADP: Yahoo! – 39.3, ESPN – 41.3
Danny Granger who? The Pacers missed their best scorer since Reggie Miller for essentially the whole season and didn’t miss a beat because of the play of George. In his breakout fantasy campaign, he finished third among small forwards in steals per game and tied for eighth in treys per game. Those who drafted him at his late third to early fourth round ADP greatly reaped the benefits.
PF – TIM DUNCAN, San Antonio – 17.8 points, 9.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 0.7 steals, 2.7 blocks, 50 percent FG, 82 percent FT
ADP: Yahoo! – 57.7, ESPN – 57.6
There might have been some more deserving players at this spot, but those who selected Duncan on draft day got a first-round value out of their mid-fifth rounder. Duncan posted his highest blocks per game average since the 2002-03 season and shot a career-high from the charity stripe. He certainly won’t be getting drafted in the first round next year, but for as long as he stays around, he’ll be an efficient fantasy big man.
C – NIKOLA VUCEVIC, Orlando – 13.1 points, 11.9 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 0.8 steals, 1.0 blocks, 52 percent FG, 68 percent FT
ADP: Yahoo! – 137.7, ESPN – 140.0
Vucevic went from undrafted in many leagues to a nightly lock for a double-double. When the 76ers gave up a slew of young talent in exchange for Andrew Bynum (more on that next week when we unveil our All-NBA Fantasy Disappointment Team), his name slipped through the cracks of most NBA fans minds. Most importantly for fantasy owners, he finished the season strong, posting averages of 18.5 points, 15.3 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.5 blocks in eight April games. You can expect him to be off the board sometime in the middle rounds next year.
SECOND TEAM
PG – DAMIAN LILLARD, Portland – 19.0 points, 3.1 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 2.3 threes, 0.9 steals, 43 percent FG, 84 percent FT
ADP: Yahoo! – 86.2, ESPN – 77.4
I would have loved to put Jrue Holiday here, but Lillard’s rookie brilliance coupled with Holiday’s cold April wouldn’t allow it. Heading into the year, we all knew of his offensive firepower, but were hesitant on how smoothly his transition from a small basketball school to professional ball would go. Those who invested were handsomely rewarded. Although he still needs to work on getting his field goal percentage up, this will come in due time. Lillard is a lock for Rookie of the Year and has set himself up to be drafted somewhere from the third to fifth round next season.
SG – JAMES HARDEN, Houston – 25.9 points, 4.9 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 2.3 threes, 1.8 steals, 0.5 blocks, 44 percent FG, 85 percent FT
ADP: Yahoo! – 15.9, ESPN – 18.2
If you drafted Harden before his trade to the Rockets, don’t even pretend you knew he was going to put up numbers like this. Those owners who were fortunate to grab him at his second-round value received an extra first-round pick, immediately giving them a leg up on the rest of their league. Harden’s talent and Houston’s high-octane offense created the perfect fantasy storm as he finished the year fifth in the league in scoring and tied for seventh in threes per game.
SF – CHANDLER PARSONS, Houston – 15.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 2.0 threes, 1.0 steals, 0.4 blocks, 49 percent FG, 73 percent FT
ADP: Yahoo! – 127.3, ESPN – 140.0
Parsons is mostly an afterthought compared to the talent around him in both fantasy and the real game, but it’s glue guys like him that make your team competitive. There is no category that Parsons hurts you in and in Houston’s up-tempo offense, we can expect more of the same for years to come. Those who took him with one of their last picks or were able to scoop him up off the waiver wire won’t have the same luxury next season.
PF – LARRY SANDERS, Milwaukee – 9.8 points, 9.5 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.7 steals, 2.8 blocks, 51 percent FG, 62 percent FT
ADP: Yahoo! – 126.1, ESPN – 140.0
With talented shotblockers such as Samuel Dalembert and John Henson on the roster, Sanders wasn’t expected to have any impact in fantasy circles, but once he got his foot in the door, he made the most of his opportunity. In his third season, Sanders played more minutes than his first two combined, finishing behind only Serge Ibaka for blocks per game. Sanders also proved that although he still has a ways to go, there is potential for him to score as well. If he can improve even further this offseason, he will be a nightly double-double and high-end contributor to your team’s defensive stats.
C – BROOK LOPEZ, Brooklyn – 19.4 points, 6.9 rebounds, 0.9 assists, 0.4 steals, 2.1 blocks, 52 percent FG, 76 percent FT
ADP: Yahoo! – 75.4, ESPN – 48.7
I understand why people are hesitant to draft injury prone players, but literally any given player can get hurt on any given play and it’s foolish to pass on guys that you think might fall under that category. Sure, Lopez missed some time this year (eight games) and it’s frustrating to have your number one fantasy center average well under 10 boards a game, but he wound up way too far down on most draft sheets. Only a couple years ago Lopez was touted as worthy of a top-three round pick, and his rare combination of blocks and free throw percentage will probably have him land somewhere around there again next year.
Did we get it right?
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