Entering the 2017-18 NBA fantasy season, the forward position seems to be top heavy, dominated by a few superstars before trailing into a lower tier of veterans and youngsters. These elite forwards are building blocks to draft a team around. These players excel in many aspects relevant to fantasy. Pairing them with the right players is the first step towards creating a championship roster. Here are the top forwards to build your fantasy team around this season.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, SF/PF, Milwaukee Bucks
After what can only be described as a transcendent season, Giannis Antetokounmpo also known as the Greek Freak moves up to the top of the list for best forwards to build around in fantasy basketball. Giannis led the Milwaukee Bucks in every major statistic category (points, assists, rebounds, steals and blocks). He was the only player in the NBA to average more than 1.5 steals and 1.5 blocks. Giannis still has room to improve, as he was a lousy shooter outside of eight feet last season.
If he improves his mid-range game, he could be the best player in fantasy basketball this season. Even if he just duplicates his numbers from last season, his positional eligibility, being the only player able to start at both forwards and guard positions makes him the top forward this season and just a shade between Russell Westbrook and James Harden.
LeBron James, SF/PF, Cleveland Cavaliers
Even with all the minutes, LeBron James has logged in his career, James is still the best player in the NBA. LeBron’s ability to play, what can best be described as a point forward, continues to make him a superstar in fantasy. He is a rare forward who acts as the primary ball handler for his team, leading him to average 8.7 assists last season. With the Cavaliers trading Kyrie Irving and Isaiah Thomas out for who knows how long, LeBron may handle the ball even more which could lead to more assists and points per game. Last season, LeBron set a career high with 8.6 rebounds per game. The only weakness to LeBron’s game is he will occasionally sit out for rest. That could be mitigated with the NBA stretching out the schedule.
Kevin Durant, SF/PF, Golden State Warriors
MCL strain aside, last season Kevin Durant was near-unstoppable. Durant averaged 25.1 points last season while setting career highs in field percentage (.537) and blocks per game (1.6). He was even better in the playoffs last season, scoring over 29.0 points per game, on his way to winning Finals MVP. Durant is the best pure scorer in the league and underrated playmaker. Outside of some weird shoe beef between Durant and Curry, there is little reason to think Durant cannot duplicate his success in 2017-18.
Anthony Davis, PF/C, New Orleans Pelicans
As is the case with Davis every season, if he can remain healthy he is one of the best players in the NBA. His PER over the last three season has never been worse than ninth in the NBA and the 28.0 point he averaged last season is 3.6 higher than his previous career high. Another benefit of Davis is his position eligibility. Davis can play at both power forward and center. If this were a top centers to build around list, Davis would place first or second behind Karl-Anthony Towns. The early season injury to Rajon Rondo may slow Davis a bit to start the year, but having the offseason to build chemistry with DeMarcus Cousins should help the offense run much better than it did over the final two months of last season.
Kawhi Leonard, SF/SG, San Antonio Spurs
Kawhi Leonard made big improvements to his offensive game last season, while not sacrificing any of his renowned defensive capabilities. Seeing such growth has made Leonard a better fantasy option and a forward worth building around. Leonard averaged 25.5 points last season, a 4.3 point increase from his previous career high of 21.2 points per game. Kawhi saw a small dip in his shooting percentage last season, which is fixable going into this season. Outside of points, Kawhi’s best fantasy aspects come on the defensive side of the ball. Twice in his career, Kawhi has finished a season ranking in the top ten for steals per game. He should average between 0.7 and 1.0 blocks per game this season, which is extraordinary for a small forward with shooting guard eligibility.
The 2017 NBA futures are out. It’s been a wild offseason already, but keep an eye on the betting lines as they move around at Diamond Sportsbook! Get the latest NBA betting lines right here.
