As we inch closer to the halfway point of the season as well as the All-Star weekend, it’s a good time to reflect on some of our draft choices in standard 9-cat fantasy leagues. We’ll take a look today at some of our biggest ADP-crushers of this season, who by extension, have been some of the best value picks of this NBA season. We’ll be using Yahoo Fantasy Basketball’s ADP as a baseline.
Milwaukee Bucks PG/SG Kevin Porter Jr.
- Pre-Season ADP: 107
- 9-Cat current placement: 21 (+86)
Kevin Porter Jr. has turned heads this season with his play. Despite the Bucks’ internal woes amidst superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo’s trade rumors, Porter Jr. has been maintaining an impressive 16.8 PPG alongside 7.4 APG. His shooting has come down from the beginning of the season and has settled into a subpar 44.3%, but it’s his contributions on the defensive end that have buoyed his ranking thus far. His 2.1 SPG ranks higher than Kawhi Leonard. Porter Jr. has been battling injury this season and has only appeared in 23 games, but he’s been a beast thus far and if he can finish at this pace, this would mark his most impressive 9-cat campaign thus far.
Utah Jazz PG Keyonte George
- Pre-Season ADP: 105
- 9-Cat current placement: 23 (+82)
Keyonte George flipped a switch this summer. He’s putting up a strong case for MIP en route to 24.2 PPG, 6.6 APG, 1.1 SPG, and 37.7 3P%, all of which are career-high marks. In his first two seasons in the league, he shot a putrid 39.1% from the field back to back. This season he’s hitting for 45.9%. This kind of improvement, while increasing his FGA, bodes well for the Jazz’s evaluation of George as part of their long term plans. It’s certainly encouraging him to make this type of jump in efficiency. George’s fantasy profile has benefited immensely from all of these improvements, but perhaps most notable is his improvement in terms of getting to the line. He’s shooting 89.3% from the line on 7.2 trips a game, which ranks ninth in the league ahead of players like Jaylen Brown, Victor Wembanyama, Cade Cunningham, Kawhi Leonard, and Kevin Durant.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see George picking up some traction as a late second or third round pick next season in fantasy leagues. And I also wouldn’t be surprised to see an All-Star appearance soon, at his current rate of improvement.
New York Knicks SF/PF Mikal Bridges
- Pre-Season ADP: 80
- 9-Cat current placement: 26 (+54)
We’re getting a big season out of Mikal Bridges, who has managed to continue his ironman streak of appearing in every NBA game (and before that as well). He’s smashing his ADP this season due to his steal numbers, which have seen a resurgence. He hasn’t come close to 1.5 SPG since his rookie season in which he averaged 1.6 on the Suns. Furthermore, he’s simply the type of player who won’t hurt you that badly in any category. Bridges’ rebounding (4.2 RPG) leaves more to be desired, but the steals, the threes, and his lack of turnovers comprise the majority of his value. In a way, I’m not a big fan of weighing turnovers too heavily in a player’s evaluation, but when it comes to Bridges, his lack of turnovers combined with his consistent availability does feel pretty sweet.
Bridges is averaging 15.7 PPG, 4.2 RPG, and 4.1 APG while slashing .50/.389/.815, which is impressive efficiency for the 29 year old wing.
