The Playoff Picture (West)
Dec 20, 2017 4:38:02 GMT -5
Toronto Raptors (Perk), San Antonio Spurs (Chris), and 2 more like this
Post by The Athletic on Dec 20, 2017 4:38:02 GMT -5
Alright boys, the season is in full swing and the league is a lot more competitive than i thought it was gonna be. Here's a look at how things stand now and where i see foresee things going from here. I know the off-season will always be more active than the actual season, and that this season has been pretty dry but let's try and get some activity going heading into the playoffs.
Western Conference
1. Denver Nuggets (8-0)
2. Golden State Warriors (7-1)
3. New Orleans Pelicans (7-2)
4. Memphis Grizzlies (6-3)
5. San Antonio Spurs (6-3)
6. Dallas Mavericks (6-3)
7. Portland Trailblazers (4-4)
8. Sacramento Kings (4-4)
In the Hunt:
Utah Jazz (3-5)
1. Denver Nuggets
The Nuggets have had an unbelievable season. The no doubt leader has been Victor Oladipo who has exceeded even the highest of expectations and been flat out dominant this year. He's been the second best fantasy shooting guard in the league and doesn't look to be slowing down. Outside of Oladipo it's really been a group effort. There have been weeks where Vooch has gone off, weeks where Lamb has gone off, weeks where Kyle Anderson has gone off, all with others chipping in a long the way. The Nuggets deserve to be first, they've been great all year, but it'll be interesting to see if they come out the tough West. Aaron Gordon, Forunier, Ross, and Isaac will be back soon limiting Vooch's usage, and since Batum has come back Lamb has been pretty lackluster. Outside of that Leonard coming back should cut into Anderson's minutes as well. Millsap coming back would be huge, but we really wouldn't count on it. I still think the Nuggets should look to make another move before the playoffs start up but this is no doubt a tough tough team and a front runner for a title.
2. Golden State Warriors
The Warriors are currently the second seed out West and have been hit by the injury bug like a lot teams in the league. The Warriors have been without 2 of their big 3. Steph Curry and Rudy Gobert have both been out with semi major injuries this year. Luckily for the Warriors and their Ben Simmons stepped onto the scene this year. The rookie has been unbelievable this year averaging close to 40 fantasy points while missing just one game. The Warriors also boast a pretty depth roster with guys like Will Barton, Alex Len, Josh Richardson, Demarre Caroll, Wilson Chandler, and Dion Waiters all contributing. We like the Warriors as the favorite to come out West but really it will come down to injuries.
3. New Orleans Pelicans
It's crazy to think the Pelicans were thinking of rebuilding at the start of the year. The Pelicans are sitting pretty at 7-2 atop the toughest division in basketball and are lead by two bonafide stars, Russell Westbrook and Jimmy Butler. I still hate Russell, but hes great in fantasy and will continue to have insanely high usage down the stretch. Jimmy has really picked it up like i knew he would and looks like the leader out in Minnesota. Outside of those two the Pelicans boost pretty good depth. Timmy has had an outstanding year, and hopefully for the Pelicans won't be out too much longer. Kelly Oubre has really taken strides this year, Pascal Siakam has been good in limited minutes, JJ Reddick has better than expected and is doing more than just scoring, and Bobby Portis has been a per minute machine. I still don't think this Pelicans team is quite a title contender yet, but this is a damn good basketball team that is set for a very long time. Ownership could look to use the various assets at their disposal to improve this year's roster and make a run, or sit back enjoy the success and use the picks in then ext couple years. This is a loaded organization that will be mentioned as one of elites for years to come.
4. Memphis Grizzlies
The Memphis Grizzlies are my sneaky team to make a championship run. Chris Paul since returning from injury has been straight up ridiculous. He's balling every night, while shooting a high percentage and not turning the ball over. He's a top 10 player the rest of the way in this league imo. Another huge key to this teams success has been the emergence of Zach Randolph. The dude is straight balling, he gets to his spot on the floor and has even brought out the jump shot. Despite these two i think the key to this team moving forward is Devin Booker. With Bledsoe gone the keys to the Suns car are in Booker's hands. If Booker is healthy he should be a monster moving forward, something which is rare in this league at the shooting guard position. Willie Cauley-Stein has taken a nice step forward this year and if Gobert is out for a good chunk of time Favors is going to get more run. This team is sneaky good, and i can honestly see them getting their second division title. Should be fun.
5. SA Spurs
Good ol Chris and his Spurs. Early on in the season it looked like the Spurs were down and out. Don't look now but the Spurs are 6-3 and are well on their way to another playoff appearance. The Spurs are led by up and coming big man Clint Capela. Capela is the bet per minute player in the league and really with him all it comes down to is minutes. Greg Monroe is going to be really up and down the rest of the season so it's tough to rely on him, TJ McConnell is good whenever he plays. Kent Bazemore has had a pretty solid year but still not sure if he's worth the money. Batum has had a really weird season. He's struggled through injuries and you can see the production is still there as he contributes across the board, but not sure if he'll ever regain his peak Blazers form. I think Adams is being held back in OKC if he were to head to another team, i think he could be close to an 18 and 10 guy with a block or so a game, but who knows. I really liked that pick up for Chris. The Spurs aren't going to be a championship team, but they're solid and will be a stable in the Western conference playoffs for years to come.
6. Dallas Mavericks
I'm not gonna lie i didn't think Mavericks was going to be this good coming into the season. Yeah he had Lebron and Durant, but he had little to no depth behind them, and i expected Lebron and Durant to be rested a lot more this season. Lebron has had an absolutely dominant year, and has been the most consistent fantasy player night in and night out. Durant started out pretty lukewarm for his standards but with Steph out he's been a complete monster. The real key to this team's sucess has been Lou Williams. The guy is going to have all he can handle the rest of the season. Yes, the missed shots will hurt, but the fact of the matter is, his usage will be ridiculous the rest of the way. It will be interesting to see how the Mavs approach the rest of the year. Will the head into the playoffs with the team as is and rely on the big three with little depth behind? Will they look to add depth, or will they look to move one of Durant and Lebron for other stud players? There are a lot of possibilities here, and when Durant, Lebron, and Lou are all clicking this team is straight up spooky.
7. Portland Trailblazers
This team doesn't get enough credit. The Blazers are a really well put together, young team that should be in the conversation for years to come. The team is led by Kemba Walker (another guy who doesn't get enough credit) and Bradley Beal. Bradley Beal was traded for pennies on the dollar earlier in the league, and the Blazers have reaped the rewards. He should be rewarded with his first all-star appearance this year and be a huge part of this Blazers organization moving forward. Andrew Wiggins has been a disappointment this year. He started off pretty hot, but as the season has progressed it really seems as if he's taken a back seat to Towns and Butler. He doesn't offer a ton outside of scoring, and even his scoring is a bit inconsistent. It's way too early to give up on the kid, especially a guy with the talent and athleticism he posses, but this year has been tough. Lauri Markkenen was an unbelievable pick for the Blazers. He's been a monster this season and is another building block for this Blazers team. While this Blazer team may not be a championship contender right now, it won't surprise me if they are within the next two or three years.
8. Sacramento Kings
It's been a rough year for David's Kings. He came into the year with high hopes and a very solid roster. As we stand here in week 9 the Kings are 4-4 and have a roster decimated with injuries. Blake is gone, Bev is gone, and that means that the Kings are pretty much gone. The shining bright spot for this team has been Kyle Kuzma. The rookie hasn't played like a rookie at all and looks like he'll be a scoring machine in the league for years to come. He's definitely a building block. Dragic has been a hue disappointment. Coming off a 30+ FPPG season it looked like he was primed for another solid year, instead he's regressed and that's really hurt. Marc started off hot and has been really hit or miss lately and the Grizzlies have gone through a lot of change this year. Overall the Kings could still sneak into the playoffs but because of injuries to Blake and Bev even a first round upset seems out of reach. Rest assured this Kings team will be back and re-loaded for another title run next season.
Outside Looking In
Utah Jazz:
Sitting at 3-5 the Jazz are just on the outside looking, and a game back of the 8th seed. Teams really should hope TJ doesn't sneank in because this team is going to be a lot tougher to beat than the Kings down the stretch. The Jazz have been hit by injuries to a lot of their main players, Nurk, Conley, Ross, and Mirotic, along with Bledsoe sitting for what was close to a month. When all healthy this team has a ton of depth. Since Mirotic has returned he has been a man possessed and looks like he could be a key piece in getting this Jazz team both a playoff birth and a run once they're in. As long as TJ is active and setting his lineup this team should lock up a playoff spot. Once in,this team is scary, Conley, Bledsoe, Nurk, Joe, Gay, Wade, Mirotic, Ross and even Wes J can all contribute. I would not want to be a #1 or #2 seed facing this Jazz team. It'll be interesting to see where they finish off.
Western Conference
1. Denver Nuggets (8-0)
2. Golden State Warriors (7-1)
3. New Orleans Pelicans (7-2)
4. Memphis Grizzlies (6-3)
5. San Antonio Spurs (6-3)
6. Dallas Mavericks (6-3)
7. Portland Trailblazers (4-4)
8. Sacramento Kings (4-4)
In the Hunt:
Utah Jazz (3-5)
1. Denver Nuggets
The Nuggets have had an unbelievable season. The no doubt leader has been Victor Oladipo who has exceeded even the highest of expectations and been flat out dominant this year. He's been the second best fantasy shooting guard in the league and doesn't look to be slowing down. Outside of Oladipo it's really been a group effort. There have been weeks where Vooch has gone off, weeks where Lamb has gone off, weeks where Kyle Anderson has gone off, all with others chipping in a long the way. The Nuggets deserve to be first, they've been great all year, but it'll be interesting to see if they come out the tough West. Aaron Gordon, Forunier, Ross, and Isaac will be back soon limiting Vooch's usage, and since Batum has come back Lamb has been pretty lackluster. Outside of that Leonard coming back should cut into Anderson's minutes as well. Millsap coming back would be huge, but we really wouldn't count on it. I still think the Nuggets should look to make another move before the playoffs start up but this is no doubt a tough tough team and a front runner for a title.
2. Golden State Warriors
The Warriors are currently the second seed out West and have been hit by the injury bug like a lot teams in the league. The Warriors have been without 2 of their big 3. Steph Curry and Rudy Gobert have both been out with semi major injuries this year. Luckily for the Warriors and their Ben Simmons stepped onto the scene this year. The rookie has been unbelievable this year averaging close to 40 fantasy points while missing just one game. The Warriors also boast a pretty depth roster with guys like Will Barton, Alex Len, Josh Richardson, Demarre Caroll, Wilson Chandler, and Dion Waiters all contributing. We like the Warriors as the favorite to come out West but really it will come down to injuries.
3. New Orleans Pelicans
It's crazy to think the Pelicans were thinking of rebuilding at the start of the year. The Pelicans are sitting pretty at 7-2 atop the toughest division in basketball and are lead by two bonafide stars, Russell Westbrook and Jimmy Butler. I still hate Russell, but hes great in fantasy and will continue to have insanely high usage down the stretch. Jimmy has really picked it up like i knew he would and looks like the leader out in Minnesota. Outside of those two the Pelicans boost pretty good depth. Timmy has had an outstanding year, and hopefully for the Pelicans won't be out too much longer. Kelly Oubre has really taken strides this year, Pascal Siakam has been good in limited minutes, JJ Reddick has better than expected and is doing more than just scoring, and Bobby Portis has been a per minute machine. I still don't think this Pelicans team is quite a title contender yet, but this is a damn good basketball team that is set for a very long time. Ownership could look to use the various assets at their disposal to improve this year's roster and make a run, or sit back enjoy the success and use the picks in then ext couple years. This is a loaded organization that will be mentioned as one of elites for years to come.
4. Memphis Grizzlies
The Memphis Grizzlies are my sneaky team to make a championship run. Chris Paul since returning from injury has been straight up ridiculous. He's balling every night, while shooting a high percentage and not turning the ball over. He's a top 10 player the rest of the way in this league imo. Another huge key to this teams success has been the emergence of Zach Randolph. The dude is straight balling, he gets to his spot on the floor and has even brought out the jump shot. Despite these two i think the key to this team moving forward is Devin Booker. With Bledsoe gone the keys to the Suns car are in Booker's hands. If Booker is healthy he should be a monster moving forward, something which is rare in this league at the shooting guard position. Willie Cauley-Stein has taken a nice step forward this year and if Gobert is out for a good chunk of time Favors is going to get more run. This team is sneaky good, and i can honestly see them getting their second division title. Should be fun.
5. SA Spurs
Good ol Chris and his Spurs. Early on in the season it looked like the Spurs were down and out. Don't look now but the Spurs are 6-3 and are well on their way to another playoff appearance. The Spurs are led by up and coming big man Clint Capela. Capela is the bet per minute player in the league and really with him all it comes down to is minutes. Greg Monroe is going to be really up and down the rest of the season so it's tough to rely on him, TJ McConnell is good whenever he plays. Kent Bazemore has had a pretty solid year but still not sure if he's worth the money. Batum has had a really weird season. He's struggled through injuries and you can see the production is still there as he contributes across the board, but not sure if he'll ever regain his peak Blazers form. I think Adams is being held back in OKC if he were to head to another team, i think he could be close to an 18 and 10 guy with a block or so a game, but who knows. I really liked that pick up for Chris. The Spurs aren't going to be a championship team, but they're solid and will be a stable in the Western conference playoffs for years to come.
6. Dallas Mavericks
I'm not gonna lie i didn't think Mavericks was going to be this good coming into the season. Yeah he had Lebron and Durant, but he had little to no depth behind them, and i expected Lebron and Durant to be rested a lot more this season. Lebron has had an absolutely dominant year, and has been the most consistent fantasy player night in and night out. Durant started out pretty lukewarm for his standards but with Steph out he's been a complete monster. The real key to this team's sucess has been Lou Williams. The guy is going to have all he can handle the rest of the season. Yes, the missed shots will hurt, but the fact of the matter is, his usage will be ridiculous the rest of the way. It will be interesting to see how the Mavs approach the rest of the year. Will the head into the playoffs with the team as is and rely on the big three with little depth behind? Will they look to add depth, or will they look to move one of Durant and Lebron for other stud players? There are a lot of possibilities here, and when Durant, Lebron, and Lou are all clicking this team is straight up spooky.
7. Portland Trailblazers
This team doesn't get enough credit. The Blazers are a really well put together, young team that should be in the conversation for years to come. The team is led by Kemba Walker (another guy who doesn't get enough credit) and Bradley Beal. Bradley Beal was traded for pennies on the dollar earlier in the league, and the Blazers have reaped the rewards. He should be rewarded with his first all-star appearance this year and be a huge part of this Blazers organization moving forward. Andrew Wiggins has been a disappointment this year. He started off pretty hot, but as the season has progressed it really seems as if he's taken a back seat to Towns and Butler. He doesn't offer a ton outside of scoring, and even his scoring is a bit inconsistent. It's way too early to give up on the kid, especially a guy with the talent and athleticism he posses, but this year has been tough. Lauri Markkenen was an unbelievable pick for the Blazers. He's been a monster this season and is another building block for this Blazers team. While this Blazer team may not be a championship contender right now, it won't surprise me if they are within the next two or three years.
8. Sacramento Kings
It's been a rough year for David's Kings. He came into the year with high hopes and a very solid roster. As we stand here in week 9 the Kings are 4-4 and have a roster decimated with injuries. Blake is gone, Bev is gone, and that means that the Kings are pretty much gone. The shining bright spot for this team has been Kyle Kuzma. The rookie hasn't played like a rookie at all and looks like he'll be a scoring machine in the league for years to come. He's definitely a building block. Dragic has been a hue disappointment. Coming off a 30+ FPPG season it looked like he was primed for another solid year, instead he's regressed and that's really hurt. Marc started off hot and has been really hit or miss lately and the Grizzlies have gone through a lot of change this year. Overall the Kings could still sneak into the playoffs but because of injuries to Blake and Bev even a first round upset seems out of reach. Rest assured this Kings team will be back and re-loaded for another title run next season.
Outside Looking In
Utah Jazz:
Sitting at 3-5 the Jazz are just on the outside looking, and a game back of the 8th seed. Teams really should hope TJ doesn't sneank in because this team is going to be a lot tougher to beat than the Kings down the stretch. The Jazz have been hit by injuries to a lot of their main players, Nurk, Conley, Ross, and Mirotic, along with Bledsoe sitting for what was close to a month. When all healthy this team has a ton of depth. Since Mirotic has returned he has been a man possessed and looks like he could be a key piece in getting this Jazz team both a playoff birth and a run once they're in. As long as TJ is active and setting his lineup this team should lock up a playoff spot. Once in,this team is scary, Conley, Bledsoe, Nurk, Joe, Gay, Wade, Mirotic, Ross and even Wes J can all contribute. I would not want to be a #1 or #2 seed facing this Jazz team. It'll be interesting to see where they finish off.
