Fantasy sports is more or less based around projections. It is the equivalent of the scientific method except it’s pretty much all about educated guesses and an experiment is not a possibility.
And we know how our minds mess with us sometimes (or in my case, ALL THE TIME). Our brains, for some reason, work a little faster than the rest of our body at times and VOILA! WE say things that we probably regret later, but we have to say it anyways.
This time, I’ll go ahead and offer my three fearless predictions. (P.S. Should be taken with a grain of salt for reasons I won’t disclose.)
1. James Harden will be fantasy basketball’s best at season’s end.
Give James Harden the ball and he’ll be a beast; give him Mike D’Antoni and he’ll rule the (fantasy) world. Harden kinda already did last year with averages of 29 points, 6.1 rebounds, 7.5 assists, 1.7 steals, 0.6 blocks, almost 3 3PM, and 86% shooting from the line on 10.2 attempts per game. That’s crazy!
Steph Curry and Kevin Durant will likely shave off a couple or more points across the board while LeBron James‘ load and minutes will likely be reduced. That leaves Russell Westbrook as Harden’s main competition for No.1 but Russ is nowhere the shooter The Beard is. There is nothing wrong, of course, if you’d prefer #0 over #13 but my money is on Harden all the way.
2. Nikola Jokic is a top-30 value.
Nikola Jokic is all the rage among fantasy basketball enthusiasts and for good reason. He contributes at EVERY statistical category there is with excellent shooting percentages to boot. His per-36 numbers are as diverse as any: 16.5 points, 11.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.6 steals, 1.o blocks and 1.7 three’s a game. It’s easy to want more blocks out of the Serbian’s production but everything is just straight up gold, man. Mike Malone has got himself a good one here and it would be foolish of him not to take advantage of such a skill set like Jokic’s.
3. Greek Freak is going to be a top 5 player.
You know I typed Greek Freak because I don’t know how to spell Giannis Antetokounmpo, right? Okay, kidding aside, here’s the thing: I believe primary ball handler should be on Giannis’ job description from the get-go. That said, I think Antetokounmpo’s 18.8 points, 8.6 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.9 blocks in 28 post-ASG games are no fluke. AT ALL.
To make that leap, however, the Greek Freak needs to hone his free throw and three-point shooting first, to which I think he gradually will.
Featured Image Credit: Associated Press
