Every year there are several NBA players who make the jump
from being a fringe player to a budding star.
These players can make or break your fantasy NBA season. Just like Fantasy Football, you want to take
the best risks possible.
Here are the names of some NBA sleepers to keep an eye on:
1) Tyson Chandler (C - New Orleans Hornets): Let's be
honest. When the Bulls selected Chandler
back in 2001, they were expecting to get a guy in the mold of Pau Gasol (who
was taken one pick after Chandler).
However, they were quickly disappointed when he could hardly break their
rotation. Fast-forward to 2008-09, and
Chandler has finally shed his bust label and is ready to make a big
contribution to the Hornets. He averaged
8ppg/13rpg last season and with the NBA center quickly disappearing-he seems to
be one of your best bets at center.
Expect a jump to 12ppg/13rpg next season.
2) Josh McRoberts (F - Indiana Pacers): Now before you label
me a complete homer, hear me out. In the
college game, the word "potential" gets thrown around more than "I love you" at
a Jr. High Valentine's dance. However,
McRoberts is the definition of untapped potential. Buried in Portland behind a bevy of forwards,
he gets a new start in his hometown team.
With the Pacers hurting for big men and choosing not to resign David
Harrison, the door is open for McRoberts to make a positive impact in their
rotation. Don't expect double digit
points/rebounds from the former Duke star but he is a guy you can draft and
store on your teams' bench for a rainy day.
3) Maurice Williams (G - Cleveland Cavaliers): It's hard to
call a guy like Mo Williams a sleeper.
He isn't the sexiest pick of the litter and doesn't make you forget
about the upper echelon of point guards in the NBA. However, with LeBron running by his side now
instead of a bunch of castoffs and Michael Redd in Milwaukee-Mo Williams should
be energized and boost himself in to the top-10 PG discussion. Mo averaged 17.2ppg and a little over 6.5
assists per game...those numbers should boost significantly playing next to the
contending Cavs. Keep in mind, LeBron
has never played with anyone who has averaged over 18 points a game. If Mo gets hot, he can switch to more of a
scoring guard with ‘Bron taking over the lead guard duties. Buy high on Mo in your fantasy draft and
he'll pay huge dividends.
4) Marcus Banks (G - Miami Heat): Last week I wrote about
Tinsley potentially going to the Heat in a trade. If he doesn't end up there, Banks would be
the de-facto starting point guard while Mario Chalmers is groomed for the
spot. Banks has always been a good
scorer and can defend pretty well-however, he doesn't play well with the ball
in his hands and struggles to get others involved in the action. In the 28 games he started for Minnesota
during the '05-'06 season, he averaged 12.2 points a contest and a shade over
five assists in the game. Keep an eye on
what Miami hints at doing the rest of the offseason and keep Banks on your
radar. He will get on the court because
of his aggressive defensive presence and the trick will be if he can produce on
the offensive side of things. If you
have room to stash a guy on your roster and wait and see, he's your best bet to
be productive.
5) Rodney Stuckey (G - Detroit Pistons) If there ever was a
candidate for breakout player of the year, Stuckey is your choice. He showed last year that he could step in and
be a very good player at either guard position for the Pistons. I like him a little better in the two-guard
position but he has been effective playing side by side with Rip Hamilton as
well. New coach Curry is going to give
him every chance to be an effective rotation player and could see anywhere from
20-30 minutes per game. The Pistons are
loaded with young talent to go with their solid core of experienced guys. Stuckey will be the first off the bench and
if you're going to take either Billups or Hamilton early in your draft, it's a
great idea to handcuff Stuckey to them as both are injury prone. During the playoffs last year when Billups
went down, Stuckey filled in to the tune of 17ppg. and four assists. He has the potential to be an excellent third
guard for your team and will provide great value as such.