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Last season's rookie batch was a pretty good one, at least as far as Fantasy Basketball was concerned. It was a batch where we found many unexpected rooks that were "plug and play" ready. Those same rookies are obviously this season's sophomores. Are any of them slam dunks in this upcoming fantasy draft?
I'm not too keen on experimenting with this season's rookie crop in fantasy, with the probable exception of Blake Griffin, who I would most likely prefer to draft much farther down the line than most. So that leaves me to tinker around with the prospects of last season's rookies and speculate on their stat upgrades in time for them to grab some dates to the sophomore dance.
Here's the Top 10 Rookie Plays of 2009, just as a quick refresher.
I just loved how Derrick Rose fed Rajon Rondo some leather in the Number 2 play, wow! It put the swoosh back in my Nikes after seeing that.
Yeah, while the other sites are giving you sneak peaks at this season's rookies and speculating on how well they may or may not do in the context of Fantasy Basketball; I decided to do something a little bit different and highlight the sophomores you should keep your eyes on in this fantasy draft. I know, its so me. ALL of these guys are fantasy draft ready.
Guys on the bubble: D.J. Augustin, Marc Gasol, Rudy Fernandez, Jason Thompson, Anthony Morrow
10. Courtney Lee - SG, New Jersey Nets : I expect him to start at SG for the Nets, unless of course Coach Lawrence Frank has any better ideas. Lee's got some huge sneakers to fill as Vince Carter's replacement. He won't give you Carter numbers so don't even bother dreaming along those lines. He should be a respectable source of steals and treys. Please take into account that he will now have to adjust to his new team and that may prove to possibly delay his improvement. Be patient and he should pay off. He should be available in the late rounds of most drafts. Take a flyer on Lee, and he may just reward you with a good fantasy season.
9. Kevin Love - PF/C, Minnesota Timberwolves : Solid kid. He should now cement himself as Al Jefferson's partner in the paint. There's not much scoring talent surrounding them in Minnesota. He should also provide some good help defense. He may have to play a bigger role in the early part of the season as Jefferson gets his knees back under him. Love's FG% should be a bit better this season now that he has quality "true" point guards handing him the rock in Rubio and/or Flynn.
8. Michael Beasley - SF, Miami Heat: I'm hoping to see more of the "Marion-lite" that he was hyped to be coming into his rookie season, this year. He's versatile and a potential candidate to be in the "Just-under 1-block, 1-steal, 1-trey club". It's kind of the NBDL of the true 1-1-1 Club. He is expected to start at SF for the Miami Heat. Pat Riley wants his sophomores to bloom and show Dwyane Wade that they can potentially be a new crew for him (Wade) to lead to another NBA title down the line. Beasley is a component of that crew, so expect him to see loads of minutes on the floor. Let's up he can translate those minutes into quality fantasy-worthy stats.
7. Anthony Randolph - PF, Golden State Warriors : Experts are already quick to dub him as a potential sleeper coming into this season. Uh gee, thanks experts. Now everyone's got A-dolph (I'm sure that's not the kind of nickname he'd like to be called. Sorry Anthony, I'll think up a new one.) on their radars. He will probably get some good quality minutes on the floor and he will also most likely make good use of those minutes. A lot of the hype for this kid is rooted in his awesome performance from the NBA Summer League. Yeah he averaged like 20 points and 7.8 boards. Let's curb our enthusiasm just a tad. That was in Vegas. Sometimes, "what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas". I don't doubt that this kid will be a force to be reckoned with in the future, but will it begin this season? Upside material? Definitely. Monster break-out year? Maybe not just yet. Admittedly, you do have to be some kind of NBA monster to be able to do this to Yao. Twice.
6. Russel Westbrook - PG, Oklahoma City Thunder: I don't think Westbrook's TO problem (about 3.3) is going to magically drop just yet. If it does, then he should be a superior pick to Chalmers. He's got the PG duties in OKC all to himself, as the Thunder and Earl Watson have parted ways. Watch him, Durant, Green, and now Harden run like the wind on the fast break! 16 PPG and 7 APG are going to be easy fantasy goals for this dynamic scoring guard.
5. Eric Gordon - SG, Los Angeles Clippers: It was a bit sourly ironic that he got his earlier than expected and lengthened NBA exposure than due to his being the healthiest Clipper last season. Reasons aside, he took his window of opportunity and ran with it. I think he will be more consistent this season, and he should also improve on his shot selection now that Griffin's in the fold. His presence should help give you some open jumpers. No more need to force ill-advised shots Eric, help is on the way. When and not if his teammates (Kaman, Camby, Davis) start to drop like flies as they always do, expect Eric to light things up offensively for your fantasy team.
4. Mario Chalmers - PG, Miami Heat: He's not going to give you a lot of points, so don't be expecting much in that department. What will be fun to watch, will be him sporting a stat line that I expect to include 1.5 treys, 2 steals, 5.5 dimes an outing.Pat Riley's excited about the progress he's made, and I think so should we.
3. O.J. Mayo - SG, Memphis Grizzlies: I would love to see better shooting percentages and around a couple of more dimes from this kid. He and Rudy Gay are just going to rock it out in Memphis this season. 20 PPG, 1.3 SPG and 2 treys a night. Dude! Sweet!
2. Derrick Rose - PG, Chicago Bulls: He's working on his jump shot. We know he can beat pretty much anyone off the dribble and to the hoop, so it's going to be damn super if he can diversify his threat on the offensive end by helping spread out the defense as well. 20 PPG, 8 APG, 1.2 SPG, at about 48% from the field is just plain nasty - in a good way!
1. Brook Lopez - PF/C, New Jersey Nets: He was fantasy's best rookie. D-Rose and O.J. Mayo are going to give him a run for his money this fantasy season as far as being the top fantasy soph is going to be concerned. He's primed to be a Roto beast; 80% FT and 2 blocks, maybe even 10 boards. Drool baby, drool! More points would be nice, and that's not too much to expect. With the Nets stripped down to its knickers, it will obviously be about the Devin Harris show over at Jersey. Brook, however, will be an instrumental part of the Harris supporting cast. You can count on it. I'm talking thrid round draft material here, baby!
 
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