While the regular playoffs have taken center stage, it’s never too early to have an eye on next year’s drafts. While there are some players that we’ll be avoiding in fantasy leagues, the following list is a group of five players that we’ll be targeting:
C: DeMarcus Cousins, Sacramento
Cousins’ numbers for the season were fairly impressive but it’s his numbers following George Karl’s arrival as head coach that really make him stand out as a player that fantasy general managers should be eager to draft next year. Karl ramped up the tempo and pace that the Kings played at and Cousins was a major beneficiary. He averaged 24.8 points, 13.1 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.8 blocks per game in 19 games under Sacramento’s new head coach. Cousins also showed a higher level of consistency down the stretch and it’s clear looking forward to next season that the 24-year-old has the potential to be a superstar fantasy player. The Kings have finally surrounded him with some reasonable talent as Rudy Gay played well, Darren Collison is decent and even Ben McLemore came on. That should help take some pressure off of Cousins.
SF: Rudy Gay, Sacramento
Cousins was not the only beneficiary of Karl’s arrival as Gay really emerged as a more dangerous threat and a legitimate fantasy stud down the stretch. Gay has always been criticized as a player that settles for poor looks, takes far too many shots and doesn’t create for his teammates but he has always had the talent. It appears that Karl could be the mentor that helps him take his game to the next level. Gay averaged 23.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.6 three-point shots along with a steal per game under Karl, and coming off a career year, he could be primed for another big fantasy season.
C: Andre Drummond, Detroit
The lack of truly elite centers in the Eastern Conference has been talked about for years but after a number of teams focused on developing quality big men over the past couple of seasons, that commitment should being to pay off. Drummond is among the potential fantasy stars that could emerge next year. While he had a slow start to this season as the Pistons struggled to forge an identity early on, he came on strong down the final stretch when he averaged 16.4 points, 14.9 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game over the course of his last 20 games. Drummond will be just 22-years-old next season and with talk of Greg Monroe leaving town, he’ll have even more stats to soak up. He has the potential to really emerge as a fantasy stud.
C: Nerlens Noel, Philadelphia
Speaking of future star big men in the NBA Eastern Conference, there is no doubt that Noel has the potential to be among the best over the next couple of seasons as he continues to develop his skill set at the highest level on a team that is committed to building around him. Noel averaged 12.2 point, 9.2 rebounds, 2.1 steals ad 2.3 blocks per game over his final 34 games of the season and that’s with defenses focusing on him. If Joel Embiid emerges as a threat or someone else helps distract attention, Noel could have a much easier time of things. If he can even marginally improve on his point totals for next season, he will emerge as a legitimate fantasy star.
C: Rudy Gobert, Utah
Gobert is another excellent example of a player that isn’t a household name just yet and while he posted pedestrian numbers early on in the season, he came on very strong to end the season. Smart GM’s shouldn’t be overlooking him whatsoever. Gobert averaged 11.1 points, 13.4 rebounds, 2.6 blocks and 1.0 steal per game in 29 games as a full-time starter after the Jazz traded Enes Kanter at the deadline. Gobert is just 22-years-old and he is exactly the type of player that could emerge as a legitimate fantasy stud next year.
