Fantasy Basketball Need to Know from the NBA Summer League

John LorgeJul 21, 2009

The NBA Summer League is a great way to get a sneak preview of the up-and-coming talent in the NBA. Many rookies, sophomores, and a few vets travel to Las Vegas in July to make a statement, and most importantly, make a team.

In 2008 we saw a glimpse of O.J. Mayo, Eric Gordon, D.J. Augustin, and Thaddeus Young. Those four guys averaged more than 18 points per game, a precursor to their outstanding fantasy basketball seasons.

Before you draft everyone who did well in the Summer League consider that Jerryd Bayless, Donte Greene, Quincy Douby, and Alando Tucker all averaged more than 20 points per game.

Now that I have you thinking, let's take a look at how the 2009 NBA Summer League should relate to the fantasy basketball season.

Leading Scorers

Golden State's young Tonys, Anthony Randolph and Anthony Morrow, sported mid-20 point averages—leading Golden State to a 4-1 record. Although they were both stellar performers, I have one listed as my top sleeper and the other will not be seen on any of my teams, barring a big trade from the Warriors.

Randolph is a complete player and this performance solidified his spot as the starting power forward for Golden State. Not only is Randolph an efficient scorer (60.9 FG%) but he rebounds (8.5 RPG), blocks shots (3.0 BPG), and steals the ball (2.2 SPG).

Morrow is a one-sided player. He shoots the ball extremely well, especially from deep where he led the league last year, but what else can he do? With 0.3 assists and 0.7 steals per game, Morrow will be a quick fix for threes off the bench and a spot starter if guys are hurt.

Nick Young was filling it up for the Wizards as exhibited by his 23.8 point per game average, much like Morrow he is a one trick pony, however. With Randy Foye and Mike Miller coming to DC, as well as Gilbert Arenas coming off his rehab, don't expect Young to earn many minutes.

For his second Summer League in a row, Eric Gordon only played two games, but that's all it really takes to let the Clippers know he's ready. Gordon has established himself as the starting shooting guard for the Clippers—he can shoot the three as well as take it to the rack and earn the and-1.

I like Gordon as a late round draft pick but many Clippers warrant shot attempts, so expect an average around 16 points per game.

The last non-rookie, non-D Leaguer, with a 20-plus point per game average was Adam Morrison. The former No. 3 pick is shooting the ball confidently and looks like he is ready to contribute to an NBA team off the bench.

It looks like the Lakers will lose Lamar Odom, making Morrison a waiver wire guy to watch.

Rookies

Leading all rookies in scoring was Marcus Thornton of the Hornets with 20.7 points per game. Don't be fooled into thinking this will translate into a Rookie of the Year push from Thornton though.

Much like Bayless last year, Thornton is a guard who needs to control the ball to be really effective, and I don't think the Hornets want anyone taking the ball away from Chris Paul's hands.

Everyone was curious how Blake Griffin would do. It only took one game before NBA fans were believers of the No. 1 overall pick and Griffin went on to win the Most Outstanding Player award.

As a rookie I don't expect Griffin to have a double-digit rebounding average but he should approach it because of his combination of athletic ability and determination. Griffin does a great job of scoring off offensive rebounds, and he could produce Charles Barkley type numbers when in his prime.

I like Griffin in the lower half of the top 100 fantasy basketball players, if he can generate some steals and blocked shots he will sneak into the top 50.

Things didn't go so great for the second pick of the draft, Hasheem Thabeet as his points, rebounds, and blocks averages added up to 13.6. I expect a better showing for Thabeet in the season, specifically in the blocked shots category, making him fantasy relevant and a potential late-round pick at the thin center position.

We saw many point guards looking good in Las Vegas but for fantasy basketball only Jonny Flynn, Steph Curry, Tyreke Evans, and Brandon Jennings will be roster-worthy. I think Jennings will have the best combination of points, assists, threes and steals, followed by Flynn, and Evans will lead the bunch in scoring.

The other rookie PGs Ty Lawson, Darren Collison, Toney Douglas, and Rodrigue Beaubois will have to wait their turn before they deserve a fantasy roster spot—but keep and extra close eye on Douglas, his defense will earn him playing time.

There are three shooting guards that could be big time fantasy sleepers IF they are given the playing time. Those three are Jodie Meeks, Wayne Ellington, and Chase Budinger. All three of them can shoot the three and their teams are hurting for scorers off the wing.

In Detroit the tandem of DaJuan Summers and Austin Daye will be vying for playing time but after the Pistons' big free-agent signings there won't be a ton of shots to go around. Consider them fringe fantasy hoopers.

James Harden and DeMar DeRozan are two shooting guards who will be playing second fiddle to stars. Neither rookie will see the bulk of the defensive pressure from opposing defenses and both guys will come down the lane for a slam if you're not paying attention. I also like Harden's ability to pass, steal, and shoot the three, making him a mid-to-late draft pick while DeRozan is a late-to-waiver wire guy—the addition of Jarrett Jack could hurt him.

Jordan Hill will be heading to the up-tempo New York Knicks who may be leading their top big man, David Lee. If Lee goes, Hill will play big minutes and he will approach a double-double average with at least one block per game. Don’t ever expect monster production from Hill but he is a very good fantasy role player.

Sophomores & Vets

The Washington Wizards had one of the most experienced rosters in the Summer League, including big men Andray Blatche and JaVale McGee. Both guys are athletic and can post breakout rebound and block numbers. The only problem is that they will be splitting playing time, making both good late-round picks and hoping one establishes themselves.

Jason Thompson of the Kings had an up and down Summer League performance but when I say up, I mean way up. Thompson was a rookie sleeper last season and in a starting role he can post a double-double any night. Anticipate him improving on last season's success and give him a pick.

Another up and down guy was Joe Alexander who should be the starting small forward for the Bucks opening day. I have some questions about Alexander's skills but if the Bucks are going to give him 30-plus minutes per game he will be worth a pick. He may impress with his rebounds and defensive stats, and he does a good job of getting to the line.

Jerryd Bayless was back in Las Vegas and he was filling it up again, although he was trying to display his point guard skills as well. I don't think Bayless is a good enough point guard to get serious time at the position for Portland because Brandon Roy can do anything he can do better. If a team trades for Bayless, it may be the only way to make him fantasy relevant.

We saw George Hill running the point for the Spurs and he looked as good as ever. Hill is set to backup Tony Parker and he can do many of the same things Parker can. Unfortunately, that means he's not a big assists guy and he will only be worthy of a roster spot if Parker goes down.

DeAndre Jordan looked good in Las Vegas but he plays like a true five on a roster with two very good centers. LA will find a way to get him time, especially with Marcus Camby and Chris Kaman being injury prone, but his spot time won't be enough.

With his brother Brook being among the top fantasy centers, owners will be hoping Robin Lopez didn't fall from the tree. The defensive-minded Robin can rebound and block shots but his scoring ability is limited. If the Suns go small by starting Earl Clark at PF and Amar'e Stoudemire at C, Lopez's fantasy hopes will dwindle.