Last summer, we looked at five matchups of positional peers that were expected to go in the early-to-mid rounds in standard re-draft leagues with an eye on their past (two seasons ago), present (last season) and future (projections) as 9-cat producers. Admittedly, injuries mucked things up for some of the head-to-heads so there were some hits (Jaylen Brown over Brandon Ingram and DeMar DeRozan over Khris Middleton) and misses (LaMelo Ball over Tyrese Haliburton, Bam Adebayo over Domantas Sabonis and Terry Rozier over C.J. McCollum). In the game of fantasy projections, you win some and you lose some but the most important thing going into any draft is to ensure you’re getting good value within the range of your pick. Notwithstanding the uncontrollable -injuries-  my theoretical teams wouldn’t have suffered much for my misses, given the draft range of players in each matchup. I hope to improve my win percentage this year while picking player matchups that are solid bets to return good value in their projected draft range.

So here it is, folks. Let’s go matchup by matchup and review the seasons each player had. In some cases, I might switch my picks if I had to re-do the same matchups for the upcoming season but don’t be surprised if I double down on one or two of my misses. You’ll have to read more to find out who and why.

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LaMelo Ball vs. Tyrese Haliburton

My 2022-23 Pick: LaMelo Ball
Winner: Tyrese Haliburton

2022-2023 Stats

Ball: 

23.3 PPG, 4.0 3PT, 6.4 RPG, 8.4 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.3 BPG, 3.6 TO, .411 FG%, .836 FT%

36 games, 838 points, 144 3-pointers, 231 rebounds, 304 assists, 46 steals, 11 blocks, 129 turnovers, 296-of-721 field goals, 102-of-122 free throws

Haliburton:

20.7 PPG, 2.9 3PT, 3.7 RPG, 10.4 APG, 1.6 SPG, 0.4 BPG, 2.5 TO, .490 FG%, .871 FT%

56 games, 1160 points, 161 3-pointers, 205 rebounds, 585 assists, 91 steals, 25 blocks, 141 turnovers, 412-of-841 field goals, 175-of-201 free throws

There’s no debating the Ball-Haliburton matchup in hindsight. That was a clean sweep in favor of Haliburton after Ball only managed to appear in 36 games and his opponent leveled up as a scorer, shooter and playmaker while improving his efficiency. Ask dynasty managers how they feel about this matchup and you might still find that it is an open debate. There’s really no going wrong with two lead guards that seem likely to contend for first-round value in the next five-plus years. However, it’s now clear that Haliburton has the lead for the short term as the more productive fantasy player with the better team. 

Ball remains the better scorer and shooter but apparently less so than when I wrote the Fantasy Faceoff piece comparing him with Haliburton. There was once about five points per game between them and now there are less than three. I was correct in identifying Haliburton as the better potential assist producer in this matchup and was also proven right with his superior per-game production in blocks, shooting percentages, steals and turnovers. Assists could prove to be a swing category and Ball might be able to draw even as a steals producer but Haliburton is likely to stay at or above the level with his competitor in those areas. Despite some overall efficiency concerns, it seems clear that Ball has once again leveled up as a three-point sniper and is going to flirt with top-12 value there when healthy, so he should continue to outperform Haliburton there. However, if I had the chance to do this one over again, I would definitely switch to Haliburton as he has clearly thrived with another boost in usage and is already outpacing Ball despite the former’s considerably higher career usage rate. 

Bam Adebayo vs. Domantas Sabonis

My 2022-23 Pick: Bam Adebayo
Winner: Domantas Sabonis

2022-2023 Stats

Adebayo: 

20.4 PPG, 0.0 3PT, 9.2 RPG, 3.2 APG, 1.2 SPG, 0.8 BPG, 2.5 TO, .540 FG%, .806 FT%

75 games, 1529 points, one 3-pointer, 688 rebounds, 240 assists, 88 steals, 61 blocks, 187 turnovers, 602-of-1114 field goals, 324-of-402 free throws

Sabonis: 

19.1 PPG, 0.4 3PT, 12.3 RPG, 7.3 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.5 BPG, 2.9 TO, .615 FG%, .742 FT%

79 games, 1510 points, 31 3-pointers, 973 rebounds, 573 assists, 65 steals, 39 blocks, 230 turnovers, 577-of-938 field goals, 325-of-438 free throws

Remember last season when most people found it too easy to discount the Kings due to their extensive playoff drought? Even as a self-proclaimed Sabonis optimist, I didn’t see a surge to nearly top-20 per-game value and top-10 totals value in the cards. Both had been proven more realistic in Adebayo’s career and after what I remember being the closest call of all my matchups, I ended up giving the Heat pivot the favor of the doubt due to historical precedent as much as anything else. Was I wrong to expect a man nicknamed “The Ox” to continue trudging along at the same pace as he always had?

What I didn’t see coming was a nearly twofold increase in assist value from Sabonis, who also stepped up as a field goal percentage anchor. On the contrary, Adebayo both regressed and stayed in place, in a sense. On his way to another NBA Finals appearance, the 6’9” center actually beat his per-game and totals valuation from the 2021-2022 season despite backsliding in rebounds, assists, steals and field goal percentage averages. That’s a net draw for him, while his peer made a massive leap by comparison. They’re close enough that it could be argued either way but if history repeats itself, then the Kings center now has a slight edge. But which history? It’s equally possible that Adebayo could regain his 1-and-1 blocks and steals production from earlier years and in so doing would likely become the better choice once again. That or returning to 5+ assists per game could help to close the gap with Sabonis in that category. As he enters his physical prime on a championship contender, it’s hard to rule either scenario out for Adebayo. Sabonis just became a top-20 fantasy player for the first time in his career but his opponent reached that pinnacle several seasons ago and could reasonably return with previously-achieved marks in assists, blocks or boards. If I had to do this again, I wouldn’t do it differently because it likely will cost one of your first two or three picks to get either one and Adebayo’s peak potential remains higher than Sabonis. 

Jaylen Brown vs. Brandon Ingram

My 2022-23 Pick: Jaylen Brown
Winner: Jaylen Brown

2022-2023 Stats

Brown: 

26.6 PPG, 2.4 3PT, 6.9 RPG, 3.5 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.4 BPG, 2.9 TO, .491 FG%, .765 FT%

67 games, 1784 points, 163 3-pointers, 459 rebounds, 232 assists, 75 steals, 26 blocks, 197 turnovers, 679-of-1383 field goals, 263-of-344 free throws

Ingram: 

24.7 PPG, 1.4 3PT, 5.5 RPG, 5.8 APG, 0.7 SPG, 0.4 BPG, 3.3 TO, .484 FG%, .882 FT%

45 games, 1112 points, 64 3-pointers, 246 rebounds, 262 assists, 32 steals, 19 blocks, 148 turnovers, 404-of-835 field goals, 240-of-272 free throws

These two were natural opponents after being picked back-to-back in the 2016 NBA Draft and carving out similar careers as high-scoring second options. Of course, Brown has experienced better fantasy results recently along with significantly more team success, and is certainly benefitting from the gravity of his consistently healthy superstar teammate(s). That seems to be the case again, leaving last year’s arguments in Brown’s favor mostly unchanged. In terms of counting stats and general standing with the NBA fanbase, Brown and Ingram are fairly similar. However, yours truly was unequivocal in giving the Celtics swingman a past, present and future sweep as the better fantasy option and I promise not to change my tune. 

No matter what optimism Ingram’s summer with USA Basketball could generate, he remains the poorer defensive option and has lost ground to Brown in treys. Further, he has been less available for games than his peer. Last year, I wrote “Drafting Ingram commits a manager to four main categories: points, treys, assists and free throws. Among these categories, it’s only truly clear that Ingram can give teams an extra advantage over Brown in two of these areas.” Ingram is only better if you focus on assist or free throw value. It remains true that the Pelicans forward should be a worthy option within the top 50 for teams looking to get a boost in the aforementioned areas and that he has the tools to surpass Brown as a fantasy producer but I see no reason to predict that one will grow at a significantly greater rate than the other as they approach the pinnacle of their respective careers. You have to know what’s going to get better for the uniquely talented Ingram before you say it will be so. In particular, the Duke product will need to get his 3-point output back up to the two-plus treys per game that he started out with in New Orleans before he should be considered as a potentially better pick than Brown. That or a boost in assists could be x-factors in re-opening this debate. 

DeMar DeRozan vs. Khris Middleton

My 2022-23 Pick: DeMar DeRozan
Winner: DeMar DeRozan

2022-2023 Stats

DeRozan: 

24.5 PPG, 0.6 3PT, 4.6 RPG, 5.1 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.5 BPG, 2.1 TO, .504 FG%, .872 FT%

74 games, 1816 points, 46 3-pointers, 343 rebounds, 377 assists, 83 steals, 36 blocks, 657-of-1303 field goals, 456-of-523 free throws

Middleton: 

15.1 PPG, 1.5 3PT, 4.2 RPG, 4.9 APG, 0.7 SPG, 0.2 BPG, 2.2 TO, .436 FG%, .902 FT%

33 games,  497 points, 51 3-pointers, 140 rebounds, 163 assists, 23 steals, five blocks, 71 turnovers, 177-of-406 field goals, 92-of-102 free throws

Every DeRozan piece I write should come with a disclaimer: I am a lifelong Raptors fan and was following his career back when SLAM Magazine was writing features on his AAU career with Lil’ Romeo and under Master P’s tutelage. You will rarely get an unbiased take on DeRozan from me but in this case, my declaration in his favor was entirely defensible. Another top-30 fantasy season certainly beats the Middleton roller coaster from last season. If we’re being honest, that roller coaster had more drops than climbs. Middleton struggled with injuries and then was injury-managed through the latter half of a disappointing season for Bucks fans and fantasy managers that drafted the Bucks sniper.

Despite being the younger man by a few years, Middleton had poorer health and that made what was otherwise a very close matchup a bit of a wash. He was never going to match DeRozan as a scorer but the same was true -moreso, even- with the Bulls swingman’s chances of competing in treys. Bulls DeRozan isn’t producing assists like Spurs DeRozan did and he’s now averaging less on a per-game basis than Middleton since that transition. They’re also pacing each other in boards, so DeRozan’s points are the only tiebreaker in counting stats production. If he returns to form, Middleton will likely continue to be the better defender next season but it is no longer clear that fantasy managers will see any benefit and there should be little debate that he will catch up to DeRozan’s value as a field goal percentage or free throw percentage contributor. Middleton is probably falling outside the top 50 in most drafts this year but it’s highly unlikely that the same occurs with DeRozan. The Bulls swingman gets the nod again but it should be noted that Middleton could still provide solid value if he slides past the middle rounds and shouldn’t be discounted too much for last season’s poor results. I’m not willing to close the door on another potential top-50 season for MIddleton just yet but not at the expense of an All-Star like DeRozan.

CJ McCollum vs. Terry Rozier

My 2022-23 Pick: Terry Rozier
Winner: CJ McCollum

2022-2023 Stats

McCollum: 

20.9 PPG, 2.8 3PT, 4.4 RPG, 5.7 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.5 BPG, 2.4 TO, .437 FG%, .769 FT%

75 games, 1568 points, 211 3-pointers, 328 rebounds 429 assists, 70 steals, 38 blocks, 183 turnovers, 587-of-1344 field goals, 182-of-238 free throws

Rozier: 

21.1 PPG, 2.6 3PT, 4.1 RPG, 5.1 APG, 1.2 SPG, 0.3 BPG, 2.1 TO, .415 FG%, .809 FT%

63 games, 1329 points, 165 3-pointers, 259 rebounds, 319 assists, 74 steals, 16 blocks, 134 turnovers, 493-of-1188 field goals, 178-of-220 free throws

Don’t let their per-game valuations fool you: McCollum and Rozier are both better than top-100 players. It wasn’t that long ago that both were top-50 options and really, what changed? From a per-game perspective, they were actually quite good last season despite their seeming decline as fantasy producers. They were as good as ever in certain areas while declining in similar ways as well. 

I predicted a scoring boost for Rozier despite his stock trending down at the time and he came through with a career-high scoring mark of 21.1 points per game. McCollum was correctly identified as the better career scoring option and a likely peer or superior to Rozier as a points producer in the past season and he only narrowly missed the mark. Both set career highs in assists per game last year as well. However, I also was proven unfortunately correct that both would suffer a decline in efficiency, with McCollum continuing to disappoint as a free throw producer, narrowly missing a career-worst mark in turnovers per game and adding field goal percentage as a concern for the year ahead after putting up percentages not seen since his rookie and sophomore years with the Blazers. Not to be outdone, Rozier fell so hard in field goal percentage that he became an outright liability while also dropping to average in free throw percentage and losing a full point on his assist-to-turnover ratio. Their faults outweighed their gains last season and that explains the drop in fantasy valuation but that could work to some managers’ benefit if they fall to the top-100 range that they might seem to be. McCollum seems to be thriving as more of a primary playmaker and just beat Rozier in both per-game and total value. There were some red flags though, as the Pelicans guard played through thumb problems last year and waited until the offseason to have corrective surgery. His health picture looks worse when factoring in the torn labrum in his right shoulder from late last season. Terry Rozier is in a shallower backcourt rotation, has less wear-and-tear on his body and has kept pace with an elite combo guard like McCollum in counting stats over recent years. Declining efficiency and some injury concerns lost the day for McCollum more than they won the day for Rozier. A few years ago, it wouldn’t have been the same result or nearly as close.

Recap

I’m only willing to flip on one of my predictions from last year even though I missed more than I hit in hindsight. What can I say? I have my convictions. It’s important to know what you value and why when evaluating players for fantasy basketball and I think I have set out a clear standard for what amounts to a win or loss in each respective matchup. None of these matchups were foregone conclusions at the time of writing and that is arguably still true, with maybe one exception. I’ll be tackling these matchups and more as part of our NBA Draft Guide, coming out in just a few weeks!

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That’s a wrap for this week. When we return, it’s going to be Kristaps Porzingis versus Myles Turner in a battle of stretch bigs. Chime in with your thoughts on that matchup in the comments and we’ll see if we agree next time around.

This is not that kind of article. This article is about the polar opposite: players who are frequently rostered that do very little to help your team win. There are certainly emotional attachments, biases, and cluelessness that anchor these players in place. My hope is to snap you out of it if you habitually roster any of these players.

To be fair, these are all good players in real life. Most are lockdown defenders often responsible for defending the opposing team’s best offensive option and not much else. That’s nice, don’t care. This is fantasy and fantasy requires production. You’d think as a defense-first player they get at least a couple of stocks, right?

As a baseline, I looked at data from the past three years (thanks BasketballMonster) and established some cutoffs for the ADN team. The player has to have played in at least 41 games and averaged at least 25 minutes per game. This filters out scrubs. These are all meaningful rotation players. Then I screened out turnovers because this is about production. Then I looked at per 36 stats to create an even playing field. The remaining players were ranked by their overall z-scored value across all categories. For those of you not familiar with the method it adjusts for the relative prevalence of stats for all categories and combines them into one metric. For example, steals and blocks are more valuable than 3s because there are fewer of them, and that affects the overall value score.

Without further ado, I give you the first annual All-Do-Nothing starting five.

ADN Starters

PJ Tucker
Career Per-36 Averages: 8.5 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 1.8 APG, 1.4 SPG, 0.4 BPG, 42.5/36.6/74.9% Shooting Splits

I don’t get him at all. He’s all reputation at this point. Less than one three-pointer and less than one stock (steals and blocks) per game? If uncalled fouls and flops were a fantasy category then he’d rank a lot higher.

Isaac Okoro
Career Per-36 Averages: 10.7 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 2.1 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.5 BPG, 45.9/33/74.9% Shooting Splits

I’m not ready to call him Jarett Culver yet, but Cleveland finally reduced his minutes last year.

Reggie Bullock
Career Per-36 Averages: 11.7 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 1.9 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.2 BPG, 42.5/38.4/82.7% Shooting Splits

He’s a 3&D wing without the 3. Just 1.9 three-pointers per game last season despite averaging over 30 minutes.

Dorian Finney-Smith
Career Per-36 Averages: 10.7 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 1.8 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.6 BPG, 43.7/35.7/72.3% Shooting Splits

This guy must have incriminating photos of Mark Cuban. Hope he has some of Joe Tsai.

Ayo Dosunmu
Career Per-36 Averages: 11.7 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 4.0 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.5 BPG, 50.6/34.4/74.4% Shooting Splits

This may be a shocker, but what has he done really except for a couple nice runs when he got injury minutes on a bad team? At least he doesn’t shoot 40% like the other guys.

ADN Second Team

RJ Barrett – This is widely acknowledged and yet we continue to draft him. Other than points what does he do? When the shots decline he’s toast.
Cody Martin – We’ll have to make a special exception for the Martins as they are the only twins eligible for the ADN team.
Caleb Martin – Just shows how ridiculous his 2023 playoffs really were. As a Celtics fan am I petty? Bitter? Sure, what of it?
Patrick Williams – Time’s up, Pat. I had to make a special exception since he missed games in 2022, but he deserves the nod here.
Herb Jones – Whaaatttt? Everyone loves Herb. Just shows how little he does outside of steals. The ultimate one-trick pony.

So there it is. If you roster one of these guys you have no one to blame but yourself for losing. Who else would you put on the ADN team?

Minimum Team Salary

We’ll start with a simple one – if on the first day of the regular season a team’s salary is below the minimum team salary (90% of salary cap), then the team will not receive tax distribution payments. The team will also pay the difference between the two to the NBA which will then distribute that amount to all players in the NBA. Previously, this difference was just paid to players on the specific team.

This change should incentivize teams to hit the minimum team salary at the beginning of the regular season. Teams can achieve this in numerous ways – handing out bloated one-year contracts in free agency; giving out more guarantees to roster camp invites; agreeing to renegotiate-and-extensions with their own players; acquiring salary dumps of other team’s players before the season starts instead of at the trade deadline. Teams like the Rockets, Pistons, Spurs, Thunder, Jazz, and Pacers all project to be well below the Minimum Team Salary – expect these teams to not be afraid of spending big in free agency and potentially be the dumping ground for unwanted contracts. Players like Kevin Porter Jr., Killian Hayes, Tre Jones and Talen Horton-Tucker could see their fantasy values fluctuate accordingly depending on how these teams behave in the off-season.

Mid-Level Exception Changes Galore!

Diving into something more detail-heavy, mid-level exceptions across the board have been modified. Firstly, the room mid-level exception (the exception given to teams who utilize cap space) is increasing from $5.4M to roughly $7.6M and can now be up to three years rather than two. Next, the non-taxpayer mid-level exception (MLE) is increasing to roughly $12.2M from $10.5M. Lastly, there are two sets of changes to the taxpayer mid-level exception (TMLE): It is now limited to 2-years at $5M per year max, and teams above the second tax apron level (to be discussed later) will not have access to the TMLE at all.

Quick and dirty summary – tax paying teams have less spending power via exceptions than before, and cap space and non-tax paying teams have more spending power. Players wishing to be on higher spending teams (typically contending teams) will have to take a larger salary cut than previous, which may or may change their decision on who to sign with it. Additionally, the room exception is now a more lucrative offer than the TMLE, which was not the case previously. This allows the room exception to be a competitive alternative to the TMLE, further muddying the decision waters for players.

With the above changes, we may see a greater distribution of talent across the seventh to ninth spots in bench rotations across the leagues. We may see more veterans opt to take a larger guaranteed contract over chasing that ring. Not only would this lead to varying playtime opportunities for said veterans, it could also lead to rookies and young under-performing players  getting less run in the beginning of the season. Pay close note to rumors and rumblings about how teams plan to use these modified exceptions. One team that already seems to be aligning itself to utilize the greater room exception is the Sacramento Kings. With their salary dump of Richaun Holmes’ $12M contract, the Kings could open up nearly $30M in cap space this offseason and still have the capability of using the new and improved room exception. Could they be trying to snipe Draymond Green or Jerami Grant? Side note – these moves would mean the Kings could not bring back Harrison Barnes who could be a nice addition to a different NBA locker room.

New Second Tax Apron and Hardened First Tax Apron

As previously mentioned, the new second tax apron should bring about massive ramifications for the top-spending teams in the league. The bulk of the new restrictions involved with the second tax apron will not come into effect until the 2024-2025 NBA season, so we won’t go into detail on them here. Just know they are rather punitive and will be a deterrence to teams looking to spend above the second tax apron line. The one limitation going into effect for this upcoming year is second apron teams (set at $17.5M above the luxury tax line) will not have access to any type of mid-level exception.

Teams projected to be at this level include the Clippers, Warriors, Bucks, Heat, Suns, and potentially other teams. These teams will have to rely on their own Bird Rights free agents, minimum signings, and draft picks to round out their rosters. Without the TMLE, there is the potential for young prospects and players to earn rotation spots that otherwise vets would have taken. Deep league managers rejoice – perhaps MarJon Beauchamp, Jason Preston, Jalen Johnson, or Nikola Jović could provide steady lower-tier value. These are just some of the names I’m putting on my watch list; look for teams approaching the second apron line to opt for their current crop of cheaper options instead of looking outside the organization for rotation help. We just saw the Warriors make a grand move to alleviate future second apron concerns, dealing Jordan Poole and his 4-year/$128M along with a future protected first to the Wizards for Chris Paul and his potentially expiring $30.8M contract (his $30M in 2024-25 is non-guaranteed). Then there’s John Collins with his 3-year/$78.5M contract that was essentially dumped into the Utah Jazz’s cap space to keep the Hawks out of the tax. This could just be the tip of the iceberg – as discussed earlier, plenty of teams will be trying to reach that minimum salary floor, and there is no shortage of teams that could be looking to dump bloated contracts.

First apron teams (set at approximately $7M above the tax line) also have a minor reason to think about whether to enter this limit or not. Teams into the first apron cannot sign a buyout player if their previous salary was at the MLE level or higher. Buyout guys tend to be overrated, but there is still usually one or two who can play a part down the stretch for fantasy rosters. One of the clearest examples that would not be allowed going forward is the Clippers signing of Russell Westbrook after his trade and subsequent cut from the Jazz. The Clippers did give Westbrook more opportunity to “Let Russ be Russ”, and he was a useful and more efficient player than on the Lakers. However, I still don’t expect this buyout clause addition to have much impact on us dynasty managers.

Extension Allowances

We’ll end by discussing two changes to extension rules. The first is with veteran salary extensions. Veterans can now sign up to 140% of the previous salary, up from 120%. This could have impacted players like Myles Turner during the previous season. Turner did end up extending but under the renegotiate-and-extend rules, a type of extension rarely seen in the NBA. With this change, I expect even less mid-tier free agents available in upcoming seasons. Players like Kyle Kuzma this past year may have signed an extension with the Wizards; perhaps someone like Markelle Fultz will now be willing to sign an extension with the Magic this upcoming year. Expect some more immediate continuity on rosters with players securing the guaranteed extension and still having the option of seeking a trade later if they desire. Otherwise, this is probably not a huge impact for us dynasty managers.

The second extension change is with rookie extensions. Before, rookie extensions that were up to five years could only be for their max salary. With the new CBA, five-year rookie extensions are possible with any salary level. This change allows teams more options when negotiating rookies extensions similar to the above extension change. I don’t think this change will affect too much for fantasy – we may see similar guarantee numbers as a four-year max but now over five years instead to spread out the cap hit.

Summary

Whew, that was a lot of nitty-gritty cap lingo there! The above list was not necessarily a fully-encompassing one, but the major ones we should be aware of. I strongly believe at least a basic understanding of what tools and tricks NBA teams have in building their rosters can be beneficial to how we build our own dynasty rosters. Knowing what resources teams have at their disposal and what player moves can reasonably happen is key to our evaluation of players and their value moving forward. Getting a jump on acquiring players in previous years like Bruce Brown in Denver or Donte DiVincenzo with the Warriors would have paid dividends this past season. When free agency starts, be on the lookout for how teams navigate these new CBA rules, and identify and target those players you believe will be looking at new opportunities for their fantasy value to rise! Any questions, comments, or further discussion wanted? Hit me up on Twitter @MACAttack145 or comment below!

Kevin Porter Jr.

PG, Houston Rockets

This one is going under Kevin Porter Jr., but it might as well be the entire Rockets team. Houston is one of the few teams with ample money to toss around and all rumors indicate that they’re ready to do so. The big one is their alleged pursuit of James Harden, though that has cooled in recent weeks. Now the talk of the town is that Houston is considering a run at Fred VanVleet, Dillon Brooks and Brook Lopez, with Austin Reaves also a name of note. The Rockets aren’t shooting for bargains, there — VanVleet and Lopez are probably the top available names at their respective positions while Reaves is going to get a Lakers-related bump in value around the league on top of him already being quite good in his own right. Consider that the Rockets are already entering the season with:

Kevin Porter Jr.
Jalen Green
Amen Thompson
Cam Whitmore
Alperen Sengun
Jabari Smith Jr.
Tari Eason
Jae’Sean Tate
Kenyon Martin Jr. (for now)

That’s nine players who have strong claim to regular minutes; you could expand it to younger players who need playing time like Usman Garuba, TyTy Washington and Josh Christopher. Someone, or two, is already going to get the squeeze in terms of minutes, and we don’t know how Ime Udoka values these guys to begin with. He also didn’t take this job to steer another lengthy rebuild; Udoka was brought in to channel some of this talent into wins, with veteran help being brought in accordingly. This has the potential to be a big mess for fantasy purposes.

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