The most mixed-effort games of the year – the NBA preseason – have come and gone, and I come bearing news from the box scores. The pattern of these games is, indeed, one where prospects play their hardest while the veterans mainly focus on preparation for the real season. This pattern may or may not be reflected in the players below. I guess you’ll have to read to find out. Another pattern of the NBA is one where younger players take the veterans’ playing time too. That is, after all, the NBA’s circle of life.
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Preseason Stars and Scrubs
Star: Bennedict Mathurin (SG, SF) – Indiana Pacers
Stats (per 36): 33.5 PTS, 9.1 REB, 1 AST, 0.5 BLK, 1 STL, 3.5 FG3M, 69.1% (11.2/16.2) FG, 83.5% (7.6/9.1) FT
With the Pacers losing two of their best three players for the season – one via a trade and another an injury – someone will have to step up and carry some of the load. One of these someones is bound to be Bennedict Mathurin. As the Pacers will keep to their running and gunning playstyle, there will be a lot of points to go around for an athletic player like Mathurin.
Scrub: Klay Thompson (SG, SF) – Dallas Mavericks
Stats (per 36): 19.3 PTS, 3.2 REB, 1.1 AST, 0 BLK, 0 STL, 3.8 FG3M, 34% (6.4/18.8) FG, 71.1% (2.7/3.8) FT
What if this is the year the youngsters pass Klay definitively on the Mavs depth chart? Naji Marshall, Max Christie, and Jaden Hardy are all more versatile options already. In a backcourt with D’Angelo Russell, there may be more need for wing-defense, particularly when the rest of the lineup is so big.
Star: Luke Kornet (C) – San Antonio Spurs
Stats (per 36): 24.9 PTS, 13.5 REB, 3.6 AST, 1.6 BLK, 0.8 STL, 0 FG3M, 79.1% (9.1/11.5) FG, 84.8% (6.7/7.9) FT
It may just be that Victor Wembanyama found his frontcourt partner in Luke Kornet. Playing with two centers is all the rage these days, at least until the season starts. Regardless, Kornet seems to be a good fit to take the swanging and banging down low while Wemby takes the free role.
Scrub: Dennis Schröder (PG) – Sacramento Kings
Stats (per 36): 14.5 PTS, 4.7 REB, 2.5 AST, 0 BLK, 0.4 STL, 0.4 FG3M, 42% (5.5/13.1) FG, 91.7% (3.3/3.6) FT
A reminder to those who need one that the NBA isn’t international basketball. While Schröder is the reigning World Cup and EuroBasket MVP, back in reality, he’s the point guard for the woeful Sacramento Kings. In fact, can he even get enough of the ball to be the point guard? Sabonis, DeRozan, LaVine, and, now, Westbrook, all need the ball.
Star: Reed Sheppard (PG, SG) – Houston Rockets
Stats (per 36): 23.2 PTS, 6.2 REB, 4.6 AST, 2.3 BLK, 2.3 STL, 4.3 FG3M, 51.2% (8.5/16.6) FG, 82.6% (1.9/2.3) FT
This preseason was clearly an audition for a starting spot for Sheppard, and it looks like he passed. Already a generational shooter coming into the league, Sheppard is also playing with a lot of intensity, which will be necessary to get any playing time for the Rockets. The playmaking for the team will likely be a joint effort between Sheppard, Durant, Thompson, and Sengün, but Sheppard’s shooting will be what makes him a worthwhile fantasy player, provided he can stay on the court.
Scrub: Nikola Vucevic (C) – Chicago Bulls
Stats (per 36): 10.7 PTS, 13.8 REB, 4 AST, 0.4 BLK, 0 STL, 0.8 FG3M, 34.6% (4.4/12.7) FG, 50% (1.2/2.4) FT
Vucevic is entering his age-35 season, so a nice regression is due. Furthermore, he just had a career-best shooting year, going over 40% from three. With the Bulls going nowhere this year, this may be a good opportunity for them to try something else at center.
Star: Wendell Carter/Goga Bitadze (C) – Orlando Magic
Carter Stats (per 36): 26.2 PTS, 13.6 REB, 4.2 AST, 2.3 BLK, 0 STL, 1.9 FG3M, 64.8% (9.4/14.5) FG, 80% (5.6/7) FT
Bitadze Stats (per 36): 15.3 PTS, 16.5 REB, 1.2 AST, 3.7 BLK, 1.2 STL, 0.6 FG3M, 57.8% (6.7/11.6) FG, 100% (1.2/1.2) FT
If only we could combine these two players into one, but the technology isn’t there just yet. The best we can do is try to come up with a combined name… Gondell Cartadze? In any case, both dominated the paint in the preseason, while the Magic guards struggled. Sign of things to come?
Scrub: Jaren Jackson Jr. (PF, C) – Memphis Grizzlies
Stats (per 36): 24.8 PTS, 3.8 REB, 2.2 AST, 0.8 BLK, 0 STL, 3 FG3M, 33.1% (8.2/24.8) FG, 76.5% (5.2/6.8) FT
Do I think Jackson Jr. will really struggle this year? No, well, maybe. He doesn’t rebound, we all know that. So it all comes down to blocks and threes for him in fantasy. The blocks have halved from 3 per game in his DPOY season. The threes are expected to be around 2 per game. Does he do enough stuff for fantasy basketball?
Star: Neemias Queta (C) – Boston Celtics
Stats (per 36): 12.8 PTS, 16.8 REB, 1.6 AST, 4 BLK, 1.6 STL, 0 FG3M, 66.7% (6.4/9.6) FG, NaN% (0/0) FT
Queta is the ultimate hustle center for the Celtics. Just look at the preseason rebound and block numbers. He’s unlikely to partake in the Celtics’ three-point melee, but given enough minutes on the cleanup crew, he could just be a serviceable fantasy player.
Scrub: Andrew Wiggins (SG, SF) – Miami Heat
Stats (per 36): 15.8 PTS, 2.6 REB, 3 AST, 0 BLK, 0.8 STL, 1.9 FG3M, 40.5% (6.4/15.8) FG, 50% (1.1/2.2) FT
Wiggins might be another player that time is passing by this year. With the Heat coaching staff demanding high effort every play, younger players like Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Pelle Larsson could be eating into his minutes. Wiggins is still a high-pedigree player, but when he’s off, he doesn’t do anything.
Star: Dereck Lively (C) – Dallas Mavericks
Stats (per 36): 14.4 PTS, 13.9 REB, 3.1 AST, 3.1 BLK, 2.1 STL, 0 FG3M, 72% (6.7/9.3) FG, 66.7% (1/1.5) FT
Lively is another player in a support frontcourt role for a star big man. While these preseason numbers are mostly next to Anthony Davis, imagine how good he’d be in a bigger role. Some say the Mavs should move on from Davis as Lively is clearly a better fit for the future next to Cooper Flagg.
Scrub: Desmond Bane (SG, SF) – Orlando Magic
Stats (per 36): 16.3 PTS, 5.2 REB, 3.5 AST, 0.6 BLK, 0 STL, 0.6 FG3M, 35.9% (4.6/12.8) FG, 100% (6.4/6.4) FT
While a three-game 62-minute sample isn’t the end-all be-all, something is off with shooting in Orlando, right? Bane is a career 41% shooter from three. It will be interesting to see how that develops in Orlando.
Star: Collin Sexton (PG, SG) – Charlotte Hornets
Stats (per 36): 26.4 PTS, 4 REB, 8.4 AST, 0 BLK, 1.5 STL, 4.4 FG3M, 52.1% (7.3/14) FG, 100% (7.3/7.3) FT
There’s something quite exciting happening in Charlotte. And Collin Sexton is a part of it. Wild, huh. They’re unlikely to contend for the playoffs, but there are still a lot of fantasy stats to be generated. Currently, Sexton is held back by LaMelo Ball on the depth chart, but his off-the-bench numbers are solid. And, if Ball were to get injured (hard to imagine, I know), Sexton would be quite the prize.
Scrub: DeMar DeRozan (SF) – Sacramento Kings
Stats (per 36): 11.5 PTS, 4.6 REB, 2.8 AST, 0.5 BLK, 0 STL, 0.9 FG3M, 44.6% (3.7/8.3) FG, 86.5% (3.2/3.7) FT
Remember when the plan in Sacramento was to imitate the Warriors? Now they’ve ended up with the Bulls. Yikes. DeRozan had a poor preseason and is 36 this season. The positive here is that the Kings don’t quite have the young prospects to take the veterans’ minutes.
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