fantasy basketball review
Now that the basketball season is over and the Boston Celtics have been crowned NBA champions, it’s a good time to reflect on the 2007-2008 basketball season as the owner of a fantasy basketball. The following is a rundown of some emerging starts in fantasy basketball and the NBA.
LeBron James, CLE, SF: In the “duh” category, LeBron led the NBA in points per game last season and has become the player fantasy owners expected him to be coming out of high school. He has averaged more than 27 points per game in each of the past four seasons, and set career highs in rebounds per game and field goal percentage last season. It’s hard to believe that he will only be 24 years old at the start of next season.
Chris Paul, NO, PG: Steve Nash, who? Mainstream America took notice of this former Wake Forest star in the playoffs, but the Hornets’ dynamic point guard dominated all season. He led the league in assists per game with 11.6, steals with 2.71 per game and also put up 21.1 points per game. Paul showed what an incredible all-around point guard he had become, and he should be one of the top picks in fantasy drafts heading into the 2008-09 season.
Marcus Camby, DEN, PF: If you need blocks, there’s no one better than this UMass veteran. Camby led the league in blocks per game for the third straight season and also finished second in rebounds per game. He’s getting a little old at 34, but Camby should have a year or two left as a formidable player considering the career lines of other shot-blockers.
Dwight Howard, ORL, C: The NBA Slam Dunk Contest champion has finished in the top three in rebounds per game in each of the last three seasons, but 2007-08 was the first time he finished in first place. In fact, he had more than one rebound per game than the next closest competitor, Marcus Camby. The 22-year-old has seen his stats improve almost across the board in every season since his rookie year in 2004-2005, and he has yet to miss a game in his NBA career. Howard is the kind of safe, solid pick you can build a fantasy basketball team with.
Kevin Durant, SEA, SF: There was little doubt that Durant would be the NBA Rookie of the Year after Greg Oden was injured before the season, if only for the opportunity. The Sonics were really horrible last season, but Durant beat the next closest rookie in points by nearly 70 percent. Seattle can’t get much worse next season, but fantasy owners may not want them to add much more talent. Durant is absolutely the man in Seattle for points, and that’s unlikely to change as long as the level of talent remains at a constant decrepit level around him.