One of the most unique aspects of fantasy basketball is the importance of opportunity over almost anything else. There are plenty of talented players around the NBA whose numbers suffer as a result of a lack of opportunity either because of boneheaded coaches or hard-to-figure-out rotations. While in some instances it’s as simple as a crowded lineup where there simply isn’t enough touches to go around, there are also cases in which for one reason or another teams do not seem to be able to maximize the talent at their disposal. Here is a look at the four most annoying NBA teams when it comes to fantasy purposes.
Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers technically added two high first-round picks to this year’s roster when they selected D’Angelo Russell with the second-overall pick in 2015 while also welcoming back the seventh-overall pick from the 2014 NBA Draft in Julius Randle after he missed pretty much all of last season (because of injury). However, they have limited the playing time of both potential franchise players while allowing Kobe Bryant to plunge them in to fantasy irrelevance. Bryant has averaged 16.2 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists this season but his 32% field goal percentage is one of the worst in the NBA. That makes him a hindrance to any fantasy roster he is on. What’s also hard to handicap with the Lakers is the usage of their backcourt players. They drafted watched Jordan Clarkson blossom late last season, then drafted Russell and signed Lou Williams. Along with Bryant, this is a crowded rotation and it’s hard to figure out who is the getting the biggest opportunity.
Orlando Magic
The Magic are doing better than the Lakers in the standings but they are just as annoying of a team for anybody that owns members from their roster. The popular candidates to own have been either one of the pair of potential breakthrough candidates in Aaron Gordon and Mario Hezonja. Gordon and Hezonja are both very talented young lottery picks with immense potential but they have been forced to spend the majority of their time on the bench this season behind the likes of Jason Smith, Channing Frye and Shabazz Napier. Then we’ve also seen star Victor Oladipo both start and come off the bench based on Skiles’ whim. It’s hard to argue against the results Orlando has gotten based on Scott Skiles’ decision-making but that doesn’t make it any less annoying for fantasy owners of players like Gordon and Hezonja.
New Orleans Pelicans
New Orleans has one of the best franchise players in the NBA in Anthony Davis but they haven’t exactly done a good job of building around him. As a result, they have struggled both in the standings and in terms of fantasy numbers. Davis has still put up solid numbers this season but he simply hasn’t gotten enough help – even with Tyreke Evans back in the lineup. There have been rumors that the Pelicans are interested in trading for Markieff Morris of the Phoenix Suns and it will be interesting to see if they find a way to get the job done and bring in some legitimate help for Davis and company.
Houston Rockets
The fact that the Rockets aren’t among the top seeds in the Western Conference standings right now is testament to the importance of chemistry and an illustration of how they have underachieved as a team this season. Houston has plenty of big names but beyond James Harden, they haven’t had many reliable fantasy options so far this season. Dwight Howard has struggled to stay healthy since he joined the Rockets, Trevor Ariza hasn’t been nearly as good as he was last season and there is no doubt that Terrence Jones has been underused to say the least. Kevin McHale’s firing certainly hasn’t done much to change the annoying fantasy outlook in Houston. It won’t be a surprise if they continue to frustrate from a fantasy perspective as this team simply isn’t meeting expectations this season.
