NBA Fantasy Basketball: Kevin Love, Manu Ginobili, and The Top 10 Surprises
Who drafted their team knowing that DJ Augustin would be the NBA's leader in assist-to-turnover ratio?
Some owners thought that they were getting a steal when they nabbed Brook Lopez in the second round. While he hasn't been bad, he hasn't been as good as many had predicted, and his owners probably wish they waited a couple rounds to grab Kevin Love instead.
The incredible thing about fantasy basketball is the ability to find hidden production from those waiver wire gems. As a firm believer in Terrence Williams this season, the wire and I have gotten to know one another quite well, and introduced me to a plethora of faces like Sonny Weems, Kris Humphries, and even Nick Young.
While they have all been good, the following 10 guys have definitely been the most surprising thus far in 2010-11.
10. Arron Afflalo, SG Denver Nuggets
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2010-11 Stats: 12.5 pts, 4.4 reb, 2.7 ast, 0.6 stl, 0.6 blk
While his numbers certainly don't jump off the page, Afflalo has been a great asset to his owners as a value pick this season.
Running as the starting shooting guard and averaging 35 minutes per game, the UCLA product has shown a proclivity to contribute across the board. Not reflected in his statistics above is his dynamite shot from long range, as he's shot 43.6 percent from beyond the arc this season.
With JR Smith entrenched in an unstable role off the bench and no other legitimate challengers to take his spot, Afflalo will continue to go about his work in a humble, yet prolific manner as his owners continue to reap the benefits of their investment.
9. Landry Fields, SG New York Knicks
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2010-11 Stats: 11.1 pts, 7.2 reb, 1.6 ast, 0.9 stl, 0.2 blk
When the Knicks selected Fields in the second round, many were wondering the same question.
Who is Landry Fields?
A dynamic scorer out of Stanford, Fields began to emerge in training camp as a legitimate suitor to win the starting gig. He has been a perfect fit for Mike D'Antoni's up-tempo system, and he's seeing an average of 30 minutes per night as a rookie because of it.
A guard with the rare ability to contribute on the glass, not only will he kick in double-digit rebounds from time to time, but he also shoots at a tolerable 32.6 percent from downtown.
Odds are you scooped him off of the wire at the beginning of the season for a late-round dud, so this type of production is very welcomed.
8. Manu Ginobili, SG San Antonio Spurs
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2010-11 Stats: 21.6 pts, 3.6 reb, 5.1 ast, 1.8 stl, 0.4 blk
Ginobili is happy, healthy, and producing like a monster on the hardwood.
Enjoying one of the more productive seasons of his career, Manu is playing like a man possessed. Getting tons of burn averaging 33 minutes per contest, he's hit in double-digit scoring every game this season, but that's just the tip of the iceberg.
Shooting 40-plus percent from three-land and above 90 percent from the foul line, Ginobili's ability to contribute in categories across the board have his owners grinning from ear-to-ear. Odds are he was stolen in the mid-rounds of your draft, and owners of guys like Tyreke Evans are sure to just shake their heads.
7. Wesley Matthews, SG/SF Portland Trailblazers
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2010-11 Stats: 12.4 pts, 2.9 rebs, 1.3 ast, 0.8 stl, 0.2 blk
Matthews' season numbers don't reflect how well he's been playing of late, and after officially taking over the starting small forward job from Nicolas Batum moving forward, his stock is going to rise immensely.
Going off for 20-plus points in three of the last five games, Matthews has become an offensive play-maker for a very banged up Blazers squad. A free agent acquisition from the Utah Jazz, Matthews' path to prominence is very welcomed as the team's biggest star, Brandon Roy, continues to battle chronic knee troubles.
With no real play-maker on the team if Roy is sidelined indefinitely, Matthews' arrow is only pointing up from here.
6. Kevin Love, PF Minnesota Timberwolves
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2010-11 Stats: 19.4 pts, 14.9 reb, 1.9 ast, 0.4 stl, 0.6 blk
Okay, so he doesn't block shots, but really who cares?
While many projected Love to take a step forward this season, he's taken a quantum leap instead.
With four 20-plus rebound games this season including consecutive efforts in his last two outings, Love has formed a tag team with C Darko Milicic to form the whitest, most prolific frontcourt in quite some time.
No longer a victim of Kurt Rambis' random benching, his 33-plus minutes per contest have his owners salivating at what he could do if he got even more burn.
The scariest thing? The center-eligible big man shoots 89.7 percent from the charity stripe, and even 34 percent from beyond the arc.
The kid got game.
5. Raymond Felton, PG New York Knicks
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2010-11 Stats: 18.1 pts, 3.9 reb, 7.9 ast, 1.9 stl, 0.3 blk
Drafted much later than popular names like Jason Kidd, Darren Collison, and in some cases even Baron Davis, Felton has been a pleasant surprise in his first season with the Knicks.
Unsurprisingly the second member of D'Antoni's squad to make the list, Felton has really flourished in his first year in Madison Square Garden, putting up some very impressive statistics. Playing near 38 minutes every night, Felton's long-term outlook is a concern, but right now he's a threat to go off for a double-double every night.
With the ability to contribute in key categories like points, assists, threes, and steals, Felton's value gets an uptick and if an owner wanted to sell high, now might be as good of a time as ever to do so.
4. DJ Augustin, PG Charlotte Bobcats
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2010-11 Stats: 13.3 pts, 3.8 reb, 7.3 ast, 0.7 stl, 0.0 blk
As alluded to earlier, Augustin has been one of the best late-round steals this season.
How he hasn't managed to record a block is astounding, and one would think that a point guard could compile more than 12 steals through 17 games, but Augustin's contributions are so great in other categories that his owners can overlook the peripherals.
Proving to be more than just a source of threes and points, the young man who took over for Felton has really come into his own as the starting point guard.
With a commanding court presence and the ability to lead his team down the court, Augustin's smart decision-making and carefully crafted passes have him looking like one of the budding stars at the position.
3. Paul Millsap, PF Utah Jazz
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2010-11 Stats: 18.4 pts, 8.5 reb, 2.7 ast, 1.2 stl, 0.8 blk
With the offseason acquisition of Al Jefferson, many owners were left forgetting big Milly on the draft board.
A history of being one of the most underrated contributors in the game, Millsap has rewarded his owners with a very impressive season line in the early going. A guy who can really provide versatility to a lineup, his average draft position (ADP) was between rounds five and six, which in retrospect was one of the biggest values in the land.
Producing like a third round pick, he's even shooting almost 10 percent better from the stripe than he was last season, and he's capable of going off at the blink of an eye.
Enjoying a career season already, if Jefferson were to go down (which is always a possibility), Millsap's value would be set to explode.
2. Dorell Wright, SF Golden State Warriors
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2010-11 Stats: 15.5 pts, 5.0 reb, 3.1 ast, 1.1 stl, 0.8 blk
After signing a free agent deal with the Warriors, Wright was a popular preseason sleeper heading into drafts.
However, with an unstable past and a cloud of uncertainty circling his present, owners were understandably hesitant to burn a pick on him too early. For those that pulled the trigger, bravo.
Rewarding his owners immensely this season, Wright has been everything that the Warriors could have hoped for when they inked him. Shooting a ridiculous 43.6 percent from downtown, while proving to be a dynamic scorer and capable rebounder, Wright has really elevated his game to the next level and put himself firmly on the map.
1. Eric Gordon
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2010-11 Stats: 24.2 pts, 3.1 reb, 4.9 ast, 1.1 stl, 0.5 blk
Wow.
On the edge of the rare 25-5-5 club, Gordon has really established himself as a major fantasy asset this season.
Looking like the dynamic scorer he was at Indiana, the young shooting guard has proven that he is very capable of playing the position at the NBA level despite his smaller stature. Regularly exploding past multiple defenders to the cup, Gordon's explosive skill set has proven to be tough for opponents to handle in the early part of the season.
In what definitely constitutes a breakout season, the third year guard is proving to be almost as invaluable to the Clippers' future as superstar rookie Blake Griffin.
