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Fantasy Basketball: Five second-year players ready to make a splash

Fantasy Basketball: Five second-year players ready to make a splash

While it seems like many NBA players get credit for making a big leap in their third year, fantasy managers shouldn’t sleep on second-year phenoms.

Trying to figure out which guys are ready to break through in year two can be a little risky as it’s very easy to get excited about young talent a year too early, but these are the ones I think will be the have the best chance of making that leap. this season.


Brandon Miller, SG/SF, Charlotte Hornets

LaMelo Ball checked in with 23.9 points in his 22 games last year, Miles Bridges averaged 21.0 points in 69 games and Miller scored 17.3 points in 74 games as a rookie. I expect that order to remain the same this year, but Miller is ready to take more snaps and is a key piece to the Hornets’ future. It shouldn’t be difficult for Miller to build on those numbers and I could see him averaging 20.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.3 steals, 0.8 blocks and 3 Seeing .0 triples when the stars align. And if he takes the leap we expect him to, he’ll be a fun fantasy addition to have on your team. With an ADP currently around 65 and LaMelo feeding him passes, Miller should be in line for a big year and should be seen as a potential value pick in rounds five or six of your draft.

Keyonte George, PG/SG, Utah Jazz

George’s rookie numbers weren’t exactly eye-popping, but speaking of vision, he certainly passed the “eye test” for those who watched him play. His ADP is currently hovering around 135, meaning you can probably get him late in standard leagues. My biggest concern is his shooting, as he shot just 39.1% with 13 points, 2.8 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 0.5 steals, and 2.0 three-pointers in his rookie year. But in the February 25 and March games, he looked better, averaging 15.7 points, 3.0 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 0.7 steals and 2.5 triples. He also shot 43.2% from the floor in the Feb. 11 games, which is encouraging. I don’t generally draft Jazz players, but I like to take a flyer on George late, especially if I need a starting point guard. The sky is the limit for the kid from Baylor and he should be unchallenged in his position.

Brandin Podziemski, SG, Golden State Warriors

Reports say the Warriors want Podz to shoot 8-10 three-pointers per game this season, which makes sense considering the loss of Klay Thompson. But they also have Stephen Curry and Buddy Hield, and no player in the NBA has made more three-pointers than Hield since the 2019-20 season, including Curry and Luka Doncic. That leads me to believe that five attempts from beyond the arc for Podziemski makes more sense, but we’ll have to see what happens. His rookie numbers weren’t stellar, but he played in 74 games and averaged 9.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 0.8 steals and 1.2 three-pointers. He should have a heavier workload coming his way and, like George, he passes the “eye test” and leaves everything on the floor when he plays. With a current ADP of around 130, the risk will be low, while the potential reward could be high. The Warriors need offense and the fact that they want him to shoot at will is encouraging. Take a late-round flyer and see what happens. If he can’t make it happen, trade him for a good free agent.

Ausar Thompson, SF/PF, Detroit Pistons

The Detroit Thompson Twin got off to a good start last season, but former coach Monty Williams crushed fantasy managers’ dreams and Thompson averaged less than 20 minutes in the Jan. 15 games. But Williams is gone, replaced by JB Bickerstaff, and we can only hope he has been tasked with giving Thompson all the minutes he can handle. He is a great athlete who could easily double last season’s stats. It’s not hard to imagine him averaging 18 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.0 blocks this year, but he’s not much of a three-point threat (last season 0.3 per match). The arrival of Tobias Harris is also somewhat concerning, but the hype train should start rolling on Thompson if he gets off to a strong start. It’s a matter of when, not if, he breaks out. Thompson’s current ADP hovers around 150, while his brother, Amen, is much more likely to be taken at 102. Taking Amen in the tenth round and Ausar with your last pick could pay off handsomely this season.

Scoot Henderson, PG, Portland Trailblazers

Henderson was invisible for much of the first half of the season, but he is ready to fill the starting point guard role this year and finished strong in his rookie campaign. Keep in mind that he won’t turn 21 until just before the All-Star break, which means he should be relatively safe from a benching as the Blazers will likely be eyeing a top spot for Cooper Flagg. Henderson averaged 14 points, 3.1 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 0.8 steals and 1.4 three-pointers while shooting just 38.5% from the field last year. But he was much better after the break, peaking with averages of 19.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 9.7 assists, 1.1 steals and 2.9 triples in seven April games. Those numbers are pretty enticing and while that run in April made him a bit of a ‘silly season hero’, he has nowhere to go but up. With an ADP of 130, he looks like another potential steal at the end of standard drafts.