If you have just risen from the trenches after all the off-season trade bombs, the Fantrax team is here to give you some insights into the forgotten soldiers of the biggest July trade war ever. That is, who are some key players from around the league that remain under contract that will see an increase in value because of the recent NBA offseason moves? Let’s break it down faster than you can say Russell Westbrook quickly 10 times without making a mistake.
The Forgotten Winners of NBA Offseason Moves
Criteria Outline for player improvement
- As of July 12, 2019
- Usage Rate increase likely
- Stat Trend From Prior Year
- New Coach, Players or System
- Contract Year
- JB’s 2019/20 Season Stats Predictions
- Key points for H2H (8-10 Cat) / Roto 10-12 Cat
Tier One Players
Boston Celtics – Jason Tatum
Tatum had high hopes heading into the start of last season, but with team disunity and questionable shot selection, his efficiency took a hit and consistency became an issue. Without Kyrie Irving and Al Horford in Bean Town, Tatum and Kemba Walker will be Boston’s primary scoring options and I expect a return to his rookie season efficiency. Tatum will play more ‘small ball’ power forward this season which will positively impact his rebounding and block numbers. Tatum shot over 47% from the field and 45% from three post All-Star in his rookie year. The Celtics rolled into the Eastern Conference playoffs without Kyrie and Brad Stevens had control of the team. In Boston wins in his rookie year, Tatum shot 50% from the field and 45% from three-point range. Kemba is regarded as one of the best teammates in the league and I expect him to have a positive impact on Tatum, very much unlike Kyrie. Tatum should bounce back in 2019/20 and will help spearhead a rejuvenated Celtics squad.
2019/20 Regular Season Stat prediction:
Boston Celtics Offseason Moves:
Toronto Raptors – Pascal Siakam
People may forget that only two seasons ago Siakam averaged just 4.2 points and 3.2 rebounds per game. He still has a lot of upside heading into his fourth season and is now well known by the world after two outstanding games in the finals. Finals hype aside, Siakam will see a big jump in usage and should be the focus of Toronto’s offense. I wouldn’t expect his efficiency to improve with defenses focused on slowing him down. In fact, in his 24 postseason games in 2019, his field goal percentage was 47%, down from 54.5% in the regular season and his three-point percentage was down to 27.9% from 36.9% in the regular season; all this after his minutes increased from 32 to 37 per game. Don’t worry though, Siakam will be taking a lot of the load on offense with Kahwi in LA LA land, so his per-game points, boards, and assists should all increase. The one knock on Siakam is his propensity to foul. He averaged 3 fouls per game in the 2018/19 regular season. If his minutes increase over 36 minutes per game, coach Nurse may be calling a few ‘necessary’ timeouts this season. Namely to pull Siakam out of the game. Spicy P is going to be hot property this offseason. Be careful you don’t overdraft or overpay for him. But be comfortable knowing Siakam will provide a decent bump in most key categories and he is still only 25 years old so durability shouldn’t be an issue.
2019/20 Regular Season Stat Prediction:
Toronto Raptors Offseason Moves:
Golden State Warriors – Draymond Green
Some weird statistics appear when you dig into Draymond Green’s history. Before Durant arrived in The Bay Area in 2016/17, Green finished off the best statistical season of his career. He appeared in 81 games (all starts), averaging career-highs of 14.0 points, 9.5 rebounds, 7.4 assists, and 1.40 blocks to go with 1.47 steals in 34.7 minutes. He was one of the best ‘point forwards’ in the league, he had 13 triple-doubles, was a first-team all-defensive player and 2nd team all-NBA. More interestingly though, he shot 49% from the field and 39% from three. If you dig a little deeper, as his minutes increased in this postseason just gone, his field goal percentage rose back up again to 49.8% and his points per game followed up to 13.3 from 7.4 in the regular season. We all know that Durant wasn’t around much in the latter part of the playoffs. This led to Green seeing a usage increase and improved numbers across the board. Green’s recent playoff stats may be an anomaly, but I am backing him to handle the ball more next season and bump back toward his 2015-16 season numbers. Without Klay for a good portion of the year, he will be further forced to take a bigger chunk of the playmaking load. Green is a fierce competitor and will be ready to prove all the doubters wrong who say the dynasty is done.
2019/20 Regular Season Stat Prediction:
Golden State Warriors Offseason Moves:
Dallas Mavericks – Kristaps Porzingas
The Big Zinger will be at 100% going into this season after more than a year off rehabbing his ACL. Rick Carlisle recently stated that Porzingas was ready to play late in last season, so KP is going to be itching to get going for the 2019/20 season with his buddy Luka Doncic. People may have forgotten the 2017/18 season when Porzingas went on a tear that had rumblings of MVP, and not just from the Madison Square Garden crowd. The lengthy Latvian was averaging 27 points, 7 rebounds and 2 blocks per game early in the 2017/18 season and Phil Jackson still had a job with the Knicks. Dallas has built their franchise around a 7-foot shooter, so Porzingas is going to be a plug and play into Rick Carlisle’s schemes. Porzingas now has an elite playmaker in Luka Doncic with him to further his ability to get better looks than he ever had in New York. Porzingas should come out firing next season and Dallas will get out to a hot start. However, durability will always be a concern when you are such physical freak. Lets hope his body holds up we get a full season of incredible numbers.
2019/20 Regular Season Stat Prediction:
Dallas Mavericks Offseason Moves:
Utah Jazz – Donovan Mitchell
Utah had a great offseason to help ‘The Spida’. Adding Mike Conley, one of the most efficient guards in the league and Bojan Bogdanovic, one of the best spot-up shooters in the league, will give Mitchell much-needed playmaking and spacing help. Utah has really helped Mitchell by replacing Rubio’s 40% from the field and 31% from three with Conley (43.8% FG and 36.4% 3PT) and Bogdanovic (49.8% FG and 42.5% 3PT). Adding two playmakers to Utah will also take the pressure off Mitchell having to constantly try to create his own shot late in the shot clock. Mitchell was heavily scouted by teams following an excellent rookie campaign and struggled early last season. He came on strong in the last two months of the season though, averaging 26.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.0 steals while shooting 46% from the field and 44% from three-point land. I’m expecting similar usage with better efficiency this year. Utah is going to be dangerous this season and if Mitchell takes another leap, he will be knocking on the door of being an All-NBA player.
2019/20 Regular Season Stat Prediction:
Utah Jazz Offseason Moves:
Chicago Bulls – Lauri Markkanen
Markkanen left a game at Toronto on March 26, because of an accelerated heart rate. However, he was cleared in April and should start the 2019/20 season ready to run with the Bulls. Chicago won’t be great next season, but they will be looking to continue Markkanen’s development along with their young core of Zach LaVine, Coby White and Wendell Carter Jr. Markkanen went off in 10 games in February last season, averaging 26 points, 12.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists shooting 48.6% from the field and 34.8% from three-point range. He’s proved he has the ability to be a fantasy weapon, but we now need to see consistency and some form of defensive numbers. With 0.6 steals and 0.7 blocks per game, Lauri lacks a complete game to take him into the top echelon of players. He does have a great free throw percentage (87.2%) and low turnover numbers (1.7) shouldn’t be ignored when you are looking to balance your team in upcoming drafts. The ‘Finnish Dirk’ could be a player that slides in drafts so be sure not to miss out if you need points, rebounds, threes and great free throw shooting.
2019/20 Regular Season Stat Prediction:
Chicago Bulls Offseason Moves:
Tier Two Players
Atlanta Hawks – Kevin Huerter
With the departure of Bazemore and the ever-green Vince Carter, Huerter should see a decent bump in usage with Travis Schlenk (Atlanta GM) rebuilding around youth. Huerter quietly built a nice back end to the last season, finishing off March and April with combined averages of 12.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 3.4 Assists with just under a steal per game while shooting 43% from three. Huerter will need to add some bulk to his frame and get to the rim more for a field goal % and free throw attempt increase. However, if he can round out these skills, which I think he can, he will be a legitimate top 100 player. Schlenk has been open about ‘copying’ the lessons he learned from his time with the Warriors. No doubt Atlanta’s dreams are that Huerter can develop into a poor man’s, red-headed, Klay Thompson.
2019/20 Regular Season Stat Prediction:
Atlanta Hawks Offseason Moves:
Indiana Pacers – Domantas Sabonis
Sabonis should see a decent jump in minutes this season as he is expected to start with the departure of Bogdanovic and Thaddeus Young. Indiana is also said to be pursuing an extension with him before the seasons starts which will solidify his position as a big part of the Pacers future. Sabonis’ per 36 offensive numbers from last season are impressive; 20.4 points, 13.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 58.8% from the field and 52% from three (on 0.2 attempts). I’m not suggesting he hits those numbers this season. However, I would expect his minutes to be above 30 per game. The big knock on Sabonis is his ability to protect the rim (0.4 blocks per game in 2018/19) so you will need to pair him with a good shot blocker unless you punt blocks in head to head leagues. Myles Turner fills the shot-blocking void in real life, but there are slim pickings for high volume shot-blockers across fantasy leagues. If you need points, rebounds, and good percentages, Sabonis is a great pick.
2019/20 Regular Season Stat Prediction:
Indiana Pacers Offseason Moves:
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P.S. Anyone need a spoon?