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Josh Wiesel points out five fantasy basketball players to target who are going into contract years in the 2023-24 NBA season.
We are inching closer to the 2023-24 NBA season, which means it's time to start thinking fantasy basketball. It's time to visualize who you can snag at the top of your board, which players can be sneaky breakouts, and who will become your DFS darlings over the course of the season.
The NBA is implementing a new rule this season that will aim to prevent players from resting frequently. This is great news for fantasy owners as there is nothing more frustrating than drafting a player and having them sit out games. Does this motivate a player like Kawhi Leonard to play more games in order to reach incentives? Time will tell, but it's nice to see the NBA being progressive and recognizing something that has become a problem.
In this article, I'll be providing some names of players who will be very motivated for new contracts. Click here for more great fantasy basketball content from the RotoBaller team!
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1. Pascal Siakam - Toronto Raptors (PF, C)
With the departure of point guard Fred VanVleet, who signed with the Houston Rockets this offseason, Siakam is set to take on an even bigger role this upcoming season.
The Raptors forward had a really strong 2022-23 season and earned his second career All-Star appearance. Appearing in 71 games, Siakam averaged career-highs in points (24.2), assists (5.8), and played a league-high 37.4 minutes per game. He also averaged 7.8 rebounds, making it now four straight seasons of seven-plus rebounds per game.
According to Basketball Monster, Siakam finished as the 44th-ranked player in fantasy in the 2022-23 season. This was down from the 35th position he finished in 2021-22. His percentages dipped last season but it's easy to identify why.
Siakam put a lot (maybe too much) emphasis on expanding his outside game. In 2021-22, he hit 39/91 (42.9%) of his shots from 20-24 feet and 53/165 (32.1%) from 25-29 feet. These percentages don't stand out but the shot attempts will. In 2022-23, Siakam increased his attempts from these distances but didn't make much of an improvement. On shots 20-24 feet, he hit 43/128 (33.6%), and from 25-29 feet, he hit 66/199 (33.2%).
Where Siakam thrives is inside the arc close to the basket. Last season, he shot 68.1 percent from less than five feet and 61.5 percent from less than eight feet. An easy area he can improve on is non-restricted in the paint scoring. Last season, he shot 45.1 percent from that range, which was down from the 50.2 percent he shot in 2021-22.
Siakam averaged a career-high 24.2 points per game and had a 51.5 effective field goal percentage. Those numbers could look even better this season if he improves as a shooter and re-establishes himself as an unstoppable force close to the basket.
Fred VanVleet averaged 19.3 points, 7.2 assists, 4.1 rebounds, and took around 16 field goal attempts per game last season. That production is gone and new Toronto Raptors head coach Darko Rajaković will likely lean heavily on his star player.
In nine games without Fred VanVleet last season, Siakam averaged 25.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 6.4 assists.
He should be primed for a huge year.
2. Klay Thompson - Golden State Warriors (SG, SF)
The Golden State Warriors sharpshooter is another big name to target. Klay Thompson will be an unrestricted free agent in the 2024 offseason. It has been reported that Thompson and the Warriors have yet to talk extension offers. Assuming the Warriors legend starts the season without an extension, he should be extra motivated on the court.
Last season, Thompson actually showed good durability, playing in 69 regular season games at 33 minutes per game. The big question will be how his body holds up in his second full season since missing the entire 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons.
As per usual, Thompson provided a great source of outside shooting last season, hitting the most three-pointers in the NBA with 301. He also shot 41.2 percent from deep on over 10.5 attempts per game. The shooting should once again be there but another reason I like Klay is his potential to improve in other areas.
This offseason, the Warriors traded Jordan Poole and Donte DiVincenzo signed with the New York Knicks. Those were two players that cut into Thompson's production last season. With both gone, Klay should get even more touches and average better than the 22 points per game he managed in 2022-23.
Another element to factor is the addition of Chris Paul. If the Warriors plan on playing Stephen Curry, Chris Paul, and Klay Thompson together, Klay could see increased rebounding opportunities. Last season, he saw 7.3 rebounding chances per game but only pulled in 4.3. In terms of assists, he's not what you'd call a passing aficionado but has had at least 160 assists every year of his career that he's been healthy after his rookie season.
Basketball Monster had him as the 66th-ranked player last season. FantasyPros has him as their 87th overall player heading into the 2023-24 season.
3. Tyus Jones - Washington Wizards (PG)
After being one of the best backup point guards in the NBA for years, Tyus Jones should finally get to run his own show in Washington this season.
Playing on the final year of his two-year, $29 million contract, the 27-year-old is in a prove-it season to his new management. Jones fared very well in the 22 games he started for the Memphis Grizzlies last season. He averaged 16.1 points, 8.1 assists, four rebounds, and 1.8 steals while also shooting 50 percent from the floor. The former Grizzlies point guard also played in 80 games last season, an amount that would be shocking to a lot of players.
Doing this on a more consistent basis will be a big ask but it's a request he has no choice but to get up for. His calling card will likely be his ability to rack up assists and he could be near the top of the league in point-assist double-doubles this season. The 27-year-old has a decent cast of characters to distribute the ball to. Jordan Poole will be his backcourt running mate, Corey Kispert is a sharpshooter, and Kyle Kuzma can score from all over the court. This Wizards team should be near the bottom of the league in wins but Tyus should get a ton of playing time and shots.
Jones has also been fantastic at holding onto the ball. He's led the league in Assist to Turnover Ratio every season since 2019. His turnovers could go up with more playing time but they should still stay relatively low and not be of concern.
FantasyPros has Jones as their 73rd-rated player. I think he's a guy that has sneaky top-50 value this season.
4. Nicolas Claxton - Brooklyn Nets (C)
Claxton is coming off a career year that saw him average 12.6 points, 9.2 rebounds, 2.5 blocks, and shoot a league-high 70.8 percent on two-pointers.
He's in the second year of his two-year, $17.25 million contract and is set to become a free agent next season. The Nets center played 76 games at around 30 minutes per game and it wouldn't be surprising to see his minutes increase. Claxton is still only 24 years old and has a lot of potential to improve his game. The 6'11" center once again should be a rebounding and blocks beast that also provides solid scoring and great field-goal percentages. He hit 133/246 (54.1%) of his foul shots last season, which is not good but I would hope he's made an emphasis on improving that this upcoming season.
According to Basketball Monster, Claxton finished as the 24th-ranked fantasy player last season. Repeating that seems like a lofty goal and FantasyPros has Claxton ranked 72nd going into the new season. I think if he can crack the top 45-50, that would be considered great value for a player like Claxton looking for a new deal. He knows where he provides value and doesn't try to do too much on the court.
His chemistry with teammates Mikal Bridges, Cameron Johnson, and Dorian Finney-Smith should only go up as they all enter their first full season together in Brooklyn.
5. Tobias Harris - Philadelphia 76ers (SF, PF)
The always-solid Tobias Harris is playing out the last year of his five-year, $180 million max contract that he signed back in 2019-20.
Harris had a decent 2022-23 season where he averaged 14.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists, one steal, and 0.5 blocks per game in 74 games. His points, rebounds, and assists were all the lowest they've been in his four full seasons in Philadelphia.
He also took fewer field goal attempts, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing. His field goal attempts went from 14 in 2021-22 to 11.4 last season. Fewer attempts saw him increase his percentage from 48.2 percent to 50.1 percent. He sacrificed two-pointers for more three-point attempts and it worked in his favor.
Harris took 226 fewer two-pointers in 2022-23 than in 2021-22 but took 49 more three-pointers. The Sixers forward knocked down 25 more threes last season and raised his percentage from 36.7 percent to 38.9 percent. He hit 113/129 (87.6%) free throws, which is a great percentage, but it's the first time since he got to Philly that he hasn't had at least 200 free throw attempts in a season. The hope would be for Harris to be more aggressive this upcoming season like we've seen in years past.
I still think there is a lot of value around a guy like Tobias Harris who gives you a little bit of everything. There was a lot of attention around Joel Embiid winning MVP last season and I think that derailed Harris' season. We should see him cross back over that 15 points per game and six rebounds per game threshold. Last season, he also had 68 steals and 40 blocks, which doesn't sound like much but goes a long way in most nine-categories leagues.
He's durable, will shoot good percentages, and is just a solid player to have on your fantasy team every season.
Basketball Monster had Tobias Harris ranked 58th after last season. FantasyPros has the Philadelphia 76ers forward ranked 70th going into 2023-24.
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