NBA Divisional Breakdown- Southeast Division
@Hoover__26 January 5
If the NBA playoffs started today, the Southeast division would have only two teams in the playoffs (tied with the Atlantic division for fewest in the conference). However, this division is stacked with young talent that is perfect for fantasy teams. Let me take you through some of the good and the not so good of this division.
Favorite Guards- Dwyane Wade, Kemba Walker, John Wall
The guard position in this division is one of the deepest in the NBA. It was very hard to narrow this down to three, but in the interest of keeping things moving, I have done just that. Dwyane Wade is a first ballot Hall of Famer, and certainly appears to have aged better than fellow veteran guard Kobe Bryant. Dywane is a top level player in all formats, on any given day. He never seems to have an fantasy off day, because he is crafty enough to manufacture points even when his shot isn’t falling. Kemba Walker may be the surprise of the fantasy season (next to Will Barton and C.J. McCollum). He was the 18th point guard taken in espn.com drafts on average, and has put up 19.3 points, 4.9 assists and an impressive 4.3 boards per game this year. John Wall was expected to be fantastic coming into the year (he was the fifth point guard taken on average), and he has more than delivered. Wall is currently 0.5 points and 0.3 assists away from averaging 20 and 10 respectively, and is easily a top five point guard.
Favorite Forwards- Paul Millsap, Tobias Harris, Chris Bosh
Millsap is a do-it-all guy at the 4 position. He can score from anywhere, his rebounding is very strong (nearly nine per game), and his assist numbers are higher than guys like Jeremy Lin. Harris is probably the lowest profile of the three forwards, as he spends time at both the small and power forward positions and scores only about 14 points per game. However, Harris averages 7.2 rebounds per game, and puts up an average of 29.1 fantasy points per game (espn.com). Chris Bosh may be considered a center by some people, but with Hassan Whiteside and Birdman Anderson playing the more prototypical center role for the Heat, I see Bosh as a PF. Everything about Bosh is something you want on your fantasy team, as he averages high stat totals, rarely has a bad game, and always has a chance to explode.
Favorite Centers- Nikola Vucevic, Hassan Whiteside, Marcin Gortat
Vucevic is one of four players named Nikola in the NBA (Nikola Mirotic, Nikola Jokic, Nikola Pekovic), and is probably the best fantasy player on the Orlando Magic. He averages 34.4 fantasy points per game (espn.com), and is a rock in the middle for the young Magic. Whiteside is pretty much a double-double machine. He can snatch boards with ease, using a unique combination of elite size and athleticism that only a few players have. The knock on Gortat coming into the year was that he was painfully consistent. While that may not sound bad, it seemed as though he would hit his average or right around there every game, and never really set himself apart. However, he has blown that out of the water with games of 18, 20, 25 and 27 points this season.
Sleeper Guards- Tyler Johnson, Victor Oladipo
Tyler Johnson may seem like the sort of guy that is destined to sit on the waiver wire all season, but I see potential. Johnson may not be getting a ton of minutes, but the fact that he sees minutes in crucial situations means that the coaching staff trusts him. Trust is the main factor in gaining more playing time, so Johnson may be someone to stash in deeper leagues. Oladipo started the season red hot, but cooled off to more of a Orlando blue color of late. His minutes have gone down, but I still think he is extremely relevant. If his current owner is dissatisfied, or he is on waivers, snatch him if you can.
Sleeper Forwards- Kent Bazemore, Luol Deng
Look up the word streaky in any basketball dictionary, and there will be a large image of Kent Bazemore next to it. His scoring will go from under eight points in three consecutive games to 26 and 18 in his next two, as it has in his last five games. That may appear to detract from his value, but there is a silver lining. Just as you can’t count a huge game as proof of more to come, you can’t count him out after a few poor games. Besides, while his scoring may be a roller coaster ride, he hasn’t put up less than twenty fantasy points since December 12th against the Spurs (espn.com). Deng is a different story. He gets plenty of minutes as the Heat’s starting small forward, but he seems to be low man on the offensive totem pole. Despite that, “The Man from Sudan” can be expected to give you solid production from long range on most occasions. His huge games, however, are extremely dependent upon matchups and the performance of his teammates. If Goran Dragic is feeling it, he isn’t going to dish it to Deng for three when he drives. So, watch for trends in other Miami players, and be ready to snag Luol Deng when the time is right.
Sleeper Centers- Cody Zeller
I honestly couldn’t come up with anyone else. Zeller is the only one in the division that has the right situation to be a sleeper center. Most teams in this division don’t have a backup center that they play with any regularity and, barring injury, they won’t have a real shot to break out. Zeller has fallen into some minutes with Big Al Jefferson’s suspension and injury, and it looks like he could be a serious double-double threat. While he may not be a fantasy star, he could certainly be viable in most deeper leagues.
Least Favorite Guards- Kyle Korver, Jeremy Lamb
Korver has been a bust this year. I am a fan of his skill set, but he just isn’t getting it done. He is ranked sixth in average espn.com fantasy points just on his own team! His usually huge three point field goal numbers are down to an average 1.8 per game, and he has cracked the double digit point mark just thrice in his past eleven games. Lamb is someone who you may call streaky, but I say otherwise. In order to be streaky, you have to actually go on some good streaks sometimes. Lamb has topped 20 espn.com fantasy points in just four of his last thirteen games. He may have a sporadic game where he scores big, but he rarely combines that with performances in other categories. Lamb is only a streaming option in perfect storm situations.
Least Favorite Forwards- Mario Hezonja, Al Jefferson
Hezonja has good potential, but he isn’t even close to there yet. His highly touted shooting needs a little work, and he hasn’t been able to string anything together. His minutes are far below what he would need to be seeing in order to maintain his value, and I don’t see that changing this year. Jefferson was underwhelming even before he was suspended and injured. Now, his only role is to fill out someone’s IR slot. Don’t put a ton of stock in him, but if you have him in an IR position, I don’t mind him staying there. I wouldn’t be pursuing him in a trade unless the owner was willing to give him to you for someone you would be dropping anyway.
Least Favorite Centers- N/A
I guess I could have tossed a non-relevant guy in here for symmetry, but the reality is that there doesn’t appear to be any pure centers in this division I dislike that anyone would consider playing. If you are in a super deep league, I would consider looking elsewhere.
Favorite Guards- Dwyane Wade, Kemba Walker, John Wall
The guard position in this division is one of the deepest in the NBA. It was very hard to narrow this down to three, but in the interest of keeping things moving, I have done just that. Dwyane Wade is a first ballot Hall of Famer, and certainly appears to have aged better than fellow veteran guard Kobe Bryant. Dywane is a top level player in all formats, on any given day. He never seems to have an fantasy off day, because he is crafty enough to manufacture points even when his shot isn’t falling. Kemba Walker may be the surprise of the fantasy season (next to Will Barton and C.J. McCollum). He was the 18th point guard taken in espn.com drafts on average, and has put up 19.3 points, 4.9 assists and an impressive 4.3 boards per game this year. John Wall was expected to be fantastic coming into the year (he was the fifth point guard taken on average), and he has more than delivered. Wall is currently 0.5 points and 0.3 assists away from averaging 20 and 10 respectively, and is easily a top five point guard.
Favorite Forwards- Paul Millsap, Tobias Harris, Chris Bosh
Millsap is a do-it-all guy at the 4 position. He can score from anywhere, his rebounding is very strong (nearly nine per game), and his assist numbers are higher than guys like Jeremy Lin. Harris is probably the lowest profile of the three forwards, as he spends time at both the small and power forward positions and scores only about 14 points per game. However, Harris averages 7.2 rebounds per game, and puts up an average of 29.1 fantasy points per game (espn.com). Chris Bosh may be considered a center by some people, but with Hassan Whiteside and Birdman Anderson playing the more prototypical center role for the Heat, I see Bosh as a PF. Everything about Bosh is something you want on your fantasy team, as he averages high stat totals, rarely has a bad game, and always has a chance to explode.
Favorite Centers- Nikola Vucevic, Hassan Whiteside, Marcin Gortat
Vucevic is one of four players named Nikola in the NBA (Nikola Mirotic, Nikola Jokic, Nikola Pekovic), and is probably the best fantasy player on the Orlando Magic. He averages 34.4 fantasy points per game (espn.com), and is a rock in the middle for the young Magic. Whiteside is pretty much a double-double machine. He can snatch boards with ease, using a unique combination of elite size and athleticism that only a few players have. The knock on Gortat coming into the year was that he was painfully consistent. While that may not sound bad, it seemed as though he would hit his average or right around there every game, and never really set himself apart. However, he has blown that out of the water with games of 18, 20, 25 and 27 points this season.
Sleeper Guards- Tyler Johnson, Victor Oladipo
Tyler Johnson may seem like the sort of guy that is destined to sit on the waiver wire all season, but I see potential. Johnson may not be getting a ton of minutes, but the fact that he sees minutes in crucial situations means that the coaching staff trusts him. Trust is the main factor in gaining more playing time, so Johnson may be someone to stash in deeper leagues. Oladipo started the season red hot, but cooled off to more of a Orlando blue color of late. His minutes have gone down, but I still think he is extremely relevant. If his current owner is dissatisfied, or he is on waivers, snatch him if you can.
Sleeper Forwards- Kent Bazemore, Luol Deng
Look up the word streaky in any basketball dictionary, and there will be a large image of Kent Bazemore next to it. His scoring will go from under eight points in three consecutive games to 26 and 18 in his next two, as it has in his last five games. That may appear to detract from his value, but there is a silver lining. Just as you can’t count a huge game as proof of more to come, you can’t count him out after a few poor games. Besides, while his scoring may be a roller coaster ride, he hasn’t put up less than twenty fantasy points since December 12th against the Spurs (espn.com). Deng is a different story. He gets plenty of minutes as the Heat’s starting small forward, but he seems to be low man on the offensive totem pole. Despite that, “The Man from Sudan” can be expected to give you solid production from long range on most occasions. His huge games, however, are extremely dependent upon matchups and the performance of his teammates. If Goran Dragic is feeling it, he isn’t going to dish it to Deng for three when he drives. So, watch for trends in other Miami players, and be ready to snag Luol Deng when the time is right.
Sleeper Centers- Cody Zeller
I honestly couldn’t come up with anyone else. Zeller is the only one in the division that has the right situation to be a sleeper center. Most teams in this division don’t have a backup center that they play with any regularity and, barring injury, they won’t have a real shot to break out. Zeller has fallen into some minutes with Big Al Jefferson’s suspension and injury, and it looks like he could be a serious double-double threat. While he may not be a fantasy star, he could certainly be viable in most deeper leagues.
Least Favorite Guards- Kyle Korver, Jeremy Lamb
Korver has been a bust this year. I am a fan of his skill set, but he just isn’t getting it done. He is ranked sixth in average espn.com fantasy points just on his own team! His usually huge three point field goal numbers are down to an average 1.8 per game, and he has cracked the double digit point mark just thrice in his past eleven games. Lamb is someone who you may call streaky, but I say otherwise. In order to be streaky, you have to actually go on some good streaks sometimes. Lamb has topped 20 espn.com fantasy points in just four of his last thirteen games. He may have a sporadic game where he scores big, but he rarely combines that with performances in other categories. Lamb is only a streaming option in perfect storm situations.
Least Favorite Forwards- Mario Hezonja, Al Jefferson
Hezonja has good potential, but he isn’t even close to there yet. His highly touted shooting needs a little work, and he hasn’t been able to string anything together. His minutes are far below what he would need to be seeing in order to maintain his value, and I don’t see that changing this year. Jefferson was underwhelming even before he was suspended and injured. Now, his only role is to fill out someone’s IR slot. Don’t put a ton of stock in him, but if you have him in an IR position, I don’t mind him staying there. I wouldn’t be pursuing him in a trade unless the owner was willing to give him to you for someone you would be dropping anyway.
Least Favorite Centers- N/A
I guess I could have tossed a non-relevant guy in here for symmetry, but the reality is that there doesn’t appear to be any pure centers in this division I dislike that anyone would consider playing. If you are in a super deep league, I would consider looking elsewhere.