The preseason has finally come and gone and we got a good look at most of the league in a competitive setting. Unlike the Summer League, preseason performance correlates highly with regular season performance. If you haven’t had your draft yet, this is an excellent opportunity to adjust those cheat sheets based on real basketball before the season begins. If you have had your draft, there are still trades to be made and free agents to be picked up. Without further ado, these five players improved their stock the most in the NBA preseason.
The 7 Preseason Stars
Jalen Green, Houston Rockets
Recommendation: Draft top 60
After a so-so rookie season, Green is hoping to build on the strong finish to the previous season and prove himself to be among the elite players of his rookie class. The preseason saw just that – Green is an excellent scorer who can contribute strongly in points, free throw percentage and three-pointers. An improvement on last season is obvious, and a top-50 season is not out of the question.
Lauri Markkanen, Utah Jazz
Recommendation: Draft top 70
The cleared-out roster of the Jazz is perfect grounds for Markkanen to make his claim for the team’s first option and have a break-out season. The preseason showed exactly that – Markkanen scored tons of points with high shooting efficiency and limited turnovers. What separates him from the fantasy elite is a lack of assists, blocks, and steals so, for now, mark him down as a good mid-round scorer. Expect a “good stats on a bad team” type season.
Keegan Murray, Sacramento Kings
Recommendation: Draft top 80
The fourth pick of the 2022 draft certainly showed that he belongs in the NBA from day one. Perhaps even more so than any other rookie in the class. Murray looks like a very comfortable shooter, while also averaging 2 steals per game in the preseason. With Keegan expected to play starter minutes, he can be safely drafted ahead of his ADP of 88 on Fantrax.
Tari Eason, Houston Rockets
Recommendation: Draft top 100
Tari Eason displayed his great ability to fill the box score in both the summer league and the preseason. By now it’s clear that the 17th pick of the 2022 draft is will get significant minutes in the Rockets’ rotation.
Santi Aldama, Memphis Grizzlies
Recommendation: Late-round pick
Seemingly coming out of nowhere after a forgettable rookie season, Aldama seems to have improved significantly in the preseason. He played heavy minutes and produced across all big-man categories with the highlight being 21 points with 4 three-pointers against Orlando. While Aldama is unlikely to start for most of the season, he should get rotation minutes and is likely to outperform his ADP of 158.
Tre Mann, Oklahoma City Thunder
Recommendation: Late-round pick
Another sophomore looking to improve on his rookie season, Mann had a phenomenal preseason. Mann averaged 20 points per game and seems to be set to be the scoring sparkplug off the Thunder bench. The ADP of 345 will be hard not to beat so if you’re looking for a potential scorer late in the draft, Mann is your man.
Trey Murphy III, New Orleans Pelicans
Recommendation: Late-round pick
Trey Murphy III looks to be the answer to the Pelicans’ three-point shooting problem. This is lucky for us since three-point shooting is also a scoring category in fantasy basketball. Murphy went 14-of-25 in the preseason from behind the line. With the gravity of Zion Williamson and the green light from coach Willie Green, Murphy could end up having a strong shooting season. The ADP of 166 is certainly in danger of being destroyed.
For more great analysis check out our full 2022-23 Fantasy Basketball Draft Kit!