Fantasy basketball roundtable: Who are the best draft-day picks, free agent pickups this season?
Credit to Author: Fantasy Staff| Date: Thu, 15 Feb 2024 13:13:30 EST
With the NBA All-Star break spanning from Feb. 16-21, now is a great time to look back at some of the best fantasy values of the season, both from the fantasy draft itself and the waiver wire.
Who has exceeded expectations and proven to be invaluable on winning fantasy teams in 2023-24?
Here are fantasy experts André Snellings, Eric Karabell, Jim McCormick and Steve Alexander with the players that stood out to them.
Victor Wembanyama, PF/C, San Antonio Spurs: Throw out the six missed games (not bad) and I couldn’t be happier with drafting Wemby in all my main leagues, including No. 25 overall in my 30-team league and No. 14 overall in my main league. Monday’s blocks triple-double was icing on the cake and every team in which I reached for him is in a position to win a championship. He is going to be the No. 1 pick in a lot of leagues next season. — Alexander
Tyrese Maxey, PG/SG, Philadelphia 76ers: My best draft early draft pick was probably Maxey, who I got with the 55th pick in my 30-team league, 30-Deep. Maxey had a breakout campaign last year, but at the time of the draft was still dealing with question marks about what the 76ers would do with James Harden. Of course, Harden got traded and Maxey has exploded into the pole position to win NBA Most Improved Player in his first All Star season. — Snellings
Jalen Johnson, SF/PF, Atlanta Hawks: The first name that came to me was Johnson. Buried deep in drafts and often undrafted altogether in many leagues, Johnson has emerged as the athletic two-way vertical threat that John Collins was once tabbed to become. Not only is he an efficient scorer sporting a .601 true shooting clip, but an awesome blend of rebounding and diverse defensive rates combine to make for a compelling fantasy profile. — McCormick
Jalen Johnson, SF/PF, Atlanta Hawks and Coby White, PG/SG, Chicago Bulls: Neither the Hawks’ Johnson nor Bulls’ White were drafted in one of my leagues, and I added each of them during the first week of the season. I am sure glad I did! Johnson seized opportunity right away after the John Collins trade gave him the chance for big minutes and production. White, so disappointing last season, was presumably in a preseason battle for a starting spot, and he emerged victorious. He leads the Bulls in starts. Fantasy managers should always pay attention to early regular season patterns and be willing to pounce in free agency. You never know! — Karabell
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Malik Monk, SG/SF, Sacramento Kings: The free agent pickup that comes to mind for the first half of the season is Monk, who I picked up in my 14-team War Room league. According to the Player Rater, Monk is currently returning top-85 value, which is starter value in a league that deep. He has really picked up the action as a distributor with more than five APG which, when combined with his shooting/scoring and almost a block per game from the backcourt has been solid value. — Snellings
Amen Thompson, SG, Houston Rockets: The free agent that I anticipate will be a favorite after the All-Star break is Thompson, who I got off the wire a couple weeks ago after his health struggles early in the season. Thompson has started five games this season, and in those five has shown his upside as an across-the-board contributor with averages of 11.2 PPG, 12.0 RPG, 4.6 APG, 1.6 SPG and 0.6 BPG. If the Rockets, who are currently fifth in the West, were to fall out of the playoffs race and start building toward the future, I could see them giving their young lottery pick more burn and Thompson being a fantasy hoops league winner down the stretch. — Snellings
Coby White, PG/SG, Chicago Bulls: I got him at No. 126 in my 30-team league and he’s been a monster in both categories and points leagues. And he was a total steal and is a key player for my 30-Deep team. White has been worth a seventh-round fantasy pick this season but if you throw out steals, blocks and turnovers, he jumps up to a nearly a third-rounder. In addition to scoring, rebounding, assisting and hitting 3-pointers, his shooting percentages are great. Despite the steals issue, he’s been a game-changer in fantasy leagues. — Alexander
Vince Williams Jr., SG/SF, Memphis Grizzlies: and Jonathan Kuminga, PF, Golden State Warriors: I got lucky and picked both of them up off waivers just before they got hot this season. Both have been a blast to roster and despite some ups and downs, are key players for several of my teams. Williams should keep it going all season as the Grizzlies are already looking ahead to next year with half the team shut down, while Kuminga has emerged as one of the key pieces to the Warriors late run that finally has them looking ahead to the final third of the season. And as Klay Thompson continues to fade, Kuminga could continue to get even better. — Alexander
Collin Sexton, PG/SG, Utah Jazz: Sexton was also an afterthought in many formats this past fall. Utah’s combo guard was one of my favorite values coming into last season, but it appears his revival needed time. Having regained much of the deft scoring touch that made him an emergent talent with Cleveland early in his career, consider that Sexton has averaged 21.2 points with a brilliant .626 true shooting clip in 31 starts. For context, such scoring efficiency as a starter is just above that of Luka Doncic and Devin Booker this season. Add in his 5.5 dimes per game in a starting capacity, and it becomes clear that Sexton’s renaissance as a top creator is entirely sustainable. — McCormick