Offseason Beat: Draft Guide Preview: Sleepers
It’s that time of year when the news starts pouring so fast that it’s hard to keep up with. Preseason overreactions are everywhere, but at the same time you do have to be bold enough to move the needle on projections when warranted.
Speaking of bold (my segue class on the Internet is really paying off), the Rotoworld Draft Guide is popping with bold predictions, sleepers and maybe even twice the content as we’ve had in years past. Also included we have:
- 350 player profiles
- Customizable projections (I jumped on those this year)
- Double-digit mock drafts encompassing just about every format imaginable
- Positional tiers
- More
You can check it all out right here and let us know what you think or what you might like to see added in the future. In the meantime, here are a handful of spicy hot takes from our Bold Predictions and Sleepers column.
Editor’s Note: You can follow Aaron Bruski on Twitter right here.
Steve Alexander
Sleepers
Jarrett Jack – He’s currently the starting point guard for the Nets and I expect him to surprise people this season and be a nice source of value in the middle rounds.
Bold Predictions
Roy Hibbert goes to the Lakers, starts 80 games at center, shoots well, doesn’t miss layups and puts up his best numbers as a pro. It’s a long shot, but the change of scenery at least gives him a shot at doing so.
Aaron Bruski
Let’s stay in the boring and dull department and talk some P.J. Tucker. After getting a super extreme DUI about two years ago, it’s hard not to associate him with some of the Suns’ other shenanigans, ranging from players to ownership and management. But taking a step back from all of that for a minute, Tucker checks in with some easier-to-predict numbers and defensive chops that keep him on the court. There aren’t any glaring red flags with him right now, and in particular with Markieff Morris being a mess there isn’t much standing in his way for a top-75 season.
Bold Predictions
Brandon Wright finally has his fantasy coming out party (or more accurately he has sustained fantasy success). Fantasy heads have been waiting for him to get sustained minutes and stay healthy for years. A per-minute monster, he’s the only thing standing behind Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol in the paint as of August. In fact, I don’t see how the Grizzlies stand pat here, so this bold prediction could be knocked back a few steps if they do indeed find another backup big on the market. But if they don’t, or if they decide to purposely rely on Wright in a small ball approach – he’s going to get the magical 25 mpg that he needs to dent fantasy leagues.
Ryan Knaus
Sleepers
The thought of drafting Ersan Ilyasova gives me heart palpitations, but he will end up on more than a few of my rosters as a late-round gamble this season. Assuming Marcus Morris starts at SF, Ilyasova’s strongest competition comes from veteran Anthony Tolliver. He has the 3-point range Stan Van Gundy covets, and most fantasy owners shun him due to his long injury history, rather than any on-court concerns. The injuries do give me pause, but he closed out the 2014-15 season with a nice stretch and has too much potential to ignore in the waning rounds of standard drafts.
Bold Predictions
DeAndre Jordan will become the second player in NBA history to accumulate 1,200 points, 1,200 rebounds, 200 blocks and 100 steals in a season. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar pulled off the feat during the 1975-76 season and it hasn’t been done since. The steals are a stretch but Jordan’s offensive role should see a marginal boost this year, he’s in his prime, and he’s missed zero games in the past four seasons.
You can head on over to the Draft Guide by clicking this link.
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