NBA: Top fantasy player at every position

Many basketball fans would have imagined themselves as an NBA team’s head coach or general manager. They would fantasize about the star studded line-up they could possibly assemble if they had the resources. Rarely in real life will you see combos like Pau Gasol and LeBron James or a Chris Paul and Marc Gasol on the same team.Here is where the different NBA fantasy leagues on the internet come into play. The system is similar to the more popular football fantasy league where every registered user must choose his team based on the prices of individual players and the total budget allotted to him/her.As a fellow fantasy league player, it is obvious that whether football or basketball, there are few spots on the roster you are looking to fill with value for money players-those which don’t cost a lot, but give you a lot in return than you expect.So after a month of NBA action, here is a list of the best value for money players in the NBA at every position:

#5 Point Guard: Brandon Knight (Milwaukee Bucks)

Drafted 8th overall in the 2011 Draft by the Detroit Pistons, Brandon Knight was part of a guard for guard trade two years later that saw him go to the Milwaukee Bucks in return for Brandon Jennings. No doubt the latter was a better player then, but only a month into the ongoing season Knight is repaying the investment the Bucks made in him.

He is having a career year so far improving in every stat category by an appreciable margin. He and second overall pick in this year’s draft Jabari Parker are the only two players that have started all 16 games of this season. However,he is the only player on the Bucks that is registering more than 30 minutes on a nightly basis.

Now why is he value for money?

Prior to this season, he was still only remembered as the player that Kyrie Irving crossed over in 2013 NBA All-Star Rising Stars Challenge even though it was two years ago. Knight has the knack of keeping himself going by staying involved in the game. If he is having a bad night shooting, he will be active on defense and record steals otherwise you can expect a valuable 20+ points, 5+ rebounds and 7+ assists from him every night.

#4 Shooting Guard: Jimmy Butler (Chicago Bulls)

Despite being in the All-NBA Defensive Second team last season at the shooting guard spot, Jimmy Butler did not make it to the list of projected top 10 shooting guards for this season on any website covering the NBA.

He has surprised everybody by being the most economical and efficient two guard so far. He is averaging 21 points, six rebounds and three assists on 50% shooting from the field, the most efficient by a long margin. Of course, averaging 40 minutes a game does help him rack up the earlier mentioned figures, but it doesn’t change the fact that he is clearly the front runner right now for the KIA NBA Most Improved Player Award.

With Paul George out and Lance Stephenson having a rough patch with his new team the Charlotte Hornets, Butler’s name has joined the discussion for the best two way guards in the league. So pick him up in your fantasy team before his performances start rising his prices.

#3 Small Forward: Tobias Harris (Orlando Magic)

While wearing the Bucks jersey led to a better career for Knight, the same can’t be said for Tobias Harris. Being traded to the Orlando Magic from the Bucks was probably the best thing to happen to Harris in his short four year career.

His playing time escalated from 11 minutes to 36 per game which led to the rest of his stats becoming triple or double of what they were the previous year. Aged just 22, Harris is an integral part of the Magic’s growing young core along.

A position which is played by the likes of LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Carmelo Anthony, Harris is easily among the top 5 so far. He could be a huge contributor off the bench for your fantasy team. He averages 18.6 points and 8.5 rebounds a game including 5 double doubles which is bound to give extra points to your team. He would come in cheap, but contribute a lot in return.

#2 Power Forward: Shawne Williams (Miami Heat)

Injuries to key rotation players like Danny Granger, Josh McRoberts, Udonis Haslem of the Miami Heat meant that Shawne Williams not only got to start the game, but also received a ton of court time, something that he was never familiar with in his seven years in the NBA.

He is registering career highs in points (10.5), rebounds (5) and assists (1.5) during this season and provides the Heat with a lethal efficient outside shooter after the departure of players like Shane Battier, Ray Allen and James Jones from the Heat squad.

The current season is somewhat of a second innings for Williams given that he had to swallow his pride and perform in the NBA D-League last season in order to start getting the attention of NBA scouts and be signed by a team. He can still enter your fantasy team for cheap bucks so make it a point to pick him up.

#1 Center: Nikola Vucevic

Heard this name before?

Well if you haven’t heard of it you better remember his name or write it down because this Montenegro national is quietly in the shadows taking the NBA by storm. A center 7 foot tall, Nikola Vucevic has the most number of double doubles so far for the season which is stunning given the centers we have in our league.

Doc Rivers, the President of Basketball Operations and Head Coach of the Los Angeles Clippers had this to say about the Magic big man:

“Vucevic is an All-Star and a terrific player. He’s probably the best player in the league that nobody knows. I don’t think you hear anybody talking about him, but when you look at his raw numbers they are superstar and all-star worthy, but nobody knows it.”

He might be unknown in the league, but is immensely popular in the fantasy leagues considering his numbers of 18.8 points and 11.8 rebounds per game. He is young thus fit and also among the very few centers that come in cheap for high return. Grab him now and insert him into your starting center position.