NBA Divisional Breakdown- Central Division
@Hoover__26 December 22
The Central Division seems to always produce at least one team with serious championship aspirations. For years, Chicago dominated the league. The Pacers had their years in the sun as well. Now, the Cavaliers are the Central Division’s title hopefuls. There are plenty of star players to own in this division, as well as a ton of sleepers. And of course, those guys you should avoid.
Favorite Guards- Reggie Jackson, Jimmy Butler, Monta Ellis
This really shouldn’t come as a surprise. All three are potent scorers, and while Ellis may not be stuffing the stat sheet like he did in years past, he is still a fantastic start against pretty much anyone. Jackson has really come on strong this season, and if he can retain his minutes when Brandon Jennings comes back, he will continue to be one of the best guards in the league. That is something to keep an eye on, however, as Jennings was never shy about scoring. He may cut into Jackson’s role a bit, but I still think Jackson is a must start. Butler has also emerged as one of the top fantasy guards in the NBA this year. I see nothing that can hinder his role, besides the sometimes “ball hog-ish” style of Derrick Rose (who you will hear about later).
Favorite Forwards- Paul George, LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kevin Love
Another shocker. Paul George has come back from his last injury-riddled season and played as well, if not better, as he did in the past. Besides his 25+ PPG scoring, he gives you great rebounding and defensive stats. What can I say about LeBron that hasn’t already been said. He will be a top 15 fantasy pick as long as he is still playing professional basketball. Giannis probably has the highest ceiling of the three. While he may be dealing with some minor injuries, his size and skill give him the ability to get to the basket in only a few steps (making him an invaluable threat). Love is another Cavalier with a storied fantasy history. Expect him to come out of this mini-slump and be the guy he was in the early season. All four of these guys should be (and probably are) on your radar at all times.
Favorite Centers- Greg Monroe, Pau Gasol, Andre Drummond
Here we have three totally different players. Monroe is a tremendous low post scorer. Gasol, as we all know, can step out and shoot from midrange or further. Drummond, however, is just simply a menace on the boards. He currently averages over sixteen rebounds a game, to go along with his 18+ points per game. All three are fantasy studs, but Drummond is going to bring you down in the free throw shooting category (for roto leagues). None the less, numbers like that are hard to ignore. As for the assist category (something seldom considered among centers), Monroe can give you a big boost. While he may not average a ton of assists per game, he has games of five and six assists on his recent stat sheet. Gasol is a jack-of-all-trades kind of center. He can score, rebound, pass, shoot, and pretty much everything else that can be done on a basketball court.
Sleeper Guards- Matthew Dellavedova, Rodney Stuckey
The addition of Delly may seem odd, as Kyrie Irving just came back from an injury that has held him out all year. However, Mo Williams is currently out, and Delly can take advantage of both that and the fact that Kyrie will be on a minutes restriction for a while. Despite that, Delly is only owned in about 12% of espn.com leagues. Stuckey, however, is another story. He is playing alongside guys like Paul George, George Hill and C.J. Miles, so scoring isn’t in short supply. However, Stuckey is getting over 25 minutes a game, so he has the opportunity to be a good fantasy player. He may be streaky, but I think Stuckey is very underrated.
Sleeper Forwards- Marcus Morris, Bobby Portis
Ok, so Marcus Morris isn’t exactly a sleeper. However, I still think he is vastly underrated. He is getting nearly 37 minutes per game, and has made the most of it. He is extremely efficient, and a strong contributor in all categories. Portis falls into the category of deep sleeper. He has proven himself as an effective scorer against second units in the NBA, and could see a spike in minutes with Joakim Noah’s status unclear. Even if he doesn’t break out now, stash him if you can in deeper leagues.
Sleeper Centers- Tristan Thompson, Jordan Hill
While Tristan Thompson might not be your traditional sleeper, hear me out. Thompson may see an uptake in playtime if a Kevin Love deal actually happens. Even if that is just a rumor, Thompson is still a very good play.
Hill is more of a sleeper, but he has come on very strong of late. He is averaging nearly ten points and eight rebounds, and has pulled away from fellow frontcourt mate Ian Mahinmi. Hill can give you a double double any day, and if his minutes start to go up, possibly even more.
Least Favorite Guards- Derrick Rose
D-Rose needs his own section here. I have never been a huge Rose fan, but I am even less of a fan of the current version of him. Yes, he scored 34 points last game, but he took 34 shots! While he may be giving you decent assists and rebounds from the guard spot, I just don’t think that outweighs the fact that he shoots the ball more than Andre Drummond yet scores less than Lou Williams.
Least Favorite Forwards- Taj Gibson, John Henson
Don’t get me wrong, I like Taj Gibson. But don’t let his starting role fool you, he isn’t someone to own in fantasy. Fred Hoiberg seems to be going with the “throw a dart at the depth chart’ technique to manage his bigs, and I just can’t see relying on one to play good minutes. John Henson doesn’t need to be owned in anything but the absolute deepest of leagues (maybe not even then). He isn’t a real part of the Bucks lineup, and is seeing only about 15 minutes of court time per game. While he isn’t owned in a ton of leagues, there are better players on the waiver wire.
Least Favorite Centers- Ian Mahinmi, Timofey Mozgov
Mahinmi is getting solid numbers for the time being, but watch out. Jordan Hill has arguably played much better, and could start to erode Mahinmi’s already borderline minutes. Mozgov just isn’t a big enough part of the Cleveland offense, and his less than five rebounds per game isn’t helping. He hasn’t been able to maintain more than 20 minutes per game, and he isn’t giving you enough in those paltry minutes to warrant owning.
Favorite Guards- Reggie Jackson, Jimmy Butler, Monta Ellis
This really shouldn’t come as a surprise. All three are potent scorers, and while Ellis may not be stuffing the stat sheet like he did in years past, he is still a fantastic start against pretty much anyone. Jackson has really come on strong this season, and if he can retain his minutes when Brandon Jennings comes back, he will continue to be one of the best guards in the league. That is something to keep an eye on, however, as Jennings was never shy about scoring. He may cut into Jackson’s role a bit, but I still think Jackson is a must start. Butler has also emerged as one of the top fantasy guards in the NBA this year. I see nothing that can hinder his role, besides the sometimes “ball hog-ish” style of Derrick Rose (who you will hear about later).
Favorite Forwards- Paul George, LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kevin Love
Another shocker. Paul George has come back from his last injury-riddled season and played as well, if not better, as he did in the past. Besides his 25+ PPG scoring, he gives you great rebounding and defensive stats. What can I say about LeBron that hasn’t already been said. He will be a top 15 fantasy pick as long as he is still playing professional basketball. Giannis probably has the highest ceiling of the three. While he may be dealing with some minor injuries, his size and skill give him the ability to get to the basket in only a few steps (making him an invaluable threat). Love is another Cavalier with a storied fantasy history. Expect him to come out of this mini-slump and be the guy he was in the early season. All four of these guys should be (and probably are) on your radar at all times.
Favorite Centers- Greg Monroe, Pau Gasol, Andre Drummond
Here we have three totally different players. Monroe is a tremendous low post scorer. Gasol, as we all know, can step out and shoot from midrange or further. Drummond, however, is just simply a menace on the boards. He currently averages over sixteen rebounds a game, to go along with his 18+ points per game. All three are fantasy studs, but Drummond is going to bring you down in the free throw shooting category (for roto leagues). None the less, numbers like that are hard to ignore. As for the assist category (something seldom considered among centers), Monroe can give you a big boost. While he may not average a ton of assists per game, he has games of five and six assists on his recent stat sheet. Gasol is a jack-of-all-trades kind of center. He can score, rebound, pass, shoot, and pretty much everything else that can be done on a basketball court.
Sleeper Guards- Matthew Dellavedova, Rodney Stuckey
The addition of Delly may seem odd, as Kyrie Irving just came back from an injury that has held him out all year. However, Mo Williams is currently out, and Delly can take advantage of both that and the fact that Kyrie will be on a minutes restriction for a while. Despite that, Delly is only owned in about 12% of espn.com leagues. Stuckey, however, is another story. He is playing alongside guys like Paul George, George Hill and C.J. Miles, so scoring isn’t in short supply. However, Stuckey is getting over 25 minutes a game, so he has the opportunity to be a good fantasy player. He may be streaky, but I think Stuckey is very underrated.
Sleeper Forwards- Marcus Morris, Bobby Portis
Ok, so Marcus Morris isn’t exactly a sleeper. However, I still think he is vastly underrated. He is getting nearly 37 minutes per game, and has made the most of it. He is extremely efficient, and a strong contributor in all categories. Portis falls into the category of deep sleeper. He has proven himself as an effective scorer against second units in the NBA, and could see a spike in minutes with Joakim Noah’s status unclear. Even if he doesn’t break out now, stash him if you can in deeper leagues.
Sleeper Centers- Tristan Thompson, Jordan Hill
While Tristan Thompson might not be your traditional sleeper, hear me out. Thompson may see an uptake in playtime if a Kevin Love deal actually happens. Even if that is just a rumor, Thompson is still a very good play.
Hill is more of a sleeper, but he has come on very strong of late. He is averaging nearly ten points and eight rebounds, and has pulled away from fellow frontcourt mate Ian Mahinmi. Hill can give you a double double any day, and if his minutes start to go up, possibly even more.
Least Favorite Guards- Derrick Rose
D-Rose needs his own section here. I have never been a huge Rose fan, but I am even less of a fan of the current version of him. Yes, he scored 34 points last game, but he took 34 shots! While he may be giving you decent assists and rebounds from the guard spot, I just don’t think that outweighs the fact that he shoots the ball more than Andre Drummond yet scores less than Lou Williams.
Least Favorite Forwards- Taj Gibson, John Henson
Don’t get me wrong, I like Taj Gibson. But don’t let his starting role fool you, he isn’t someone to own in fantasy. Fred Hoiberg seems to be going with the “throw a dart at the depth chart’ technique to manage his bigs, and I just can’t see relying on one to play good minutes. John Henson doesn’t need to be owned in anything but the absolute deepest of leagues (maybe not even then). He isn’t a real part of the Bucks lineup, and is seeing only about 15 minutes of court time per game. While he isn’t owned in a ton of leagues, there are better players on the waiver wire.
Least Favorite Centers- Ian Mahinmi, Timofey Mozgov
Mahinmi is getting solid numbers for the time being, but watch out. Jordan Hill has arguably played much better, and could start to erode Mahinmi’s already borderline minutes. Mozgov just isn’t a big enough part of the Cleveland offense, and his less than five rebounds per game isn’t helping. He hasn’t been able to maintain more than 20 minutes per game, and he isn’t giving you enough in those paltry minutes to warrant owning.