RADIO
Every year there are breakout, bust, and lock players in fantasy basketball. Max Kulish identifies one player for each category on the Phoenix Suns.
The regular season is just one week away and here at RotoBaller, we want to help prepare you for the 2022-2023 fantasy basketball season and your upcoming fantasy drafts!
If you play fantasy football, you'll probably recognize the format here as we had a series of preseason NFL articles that followed the same outline. The idea here is to hone in on several players from each team that we see as values for the upcoming season or that are possibly being drafted too high this preseason.
In this piece, you'll find a fantasy basketball breakout candidate, a fantasy basketball bust candidate, and a fantasy basketball lock (think steady production and being drafted correctly) for the Phoenix Suns based on early ADP for fantasy basketball drafts for the 2022-2023 season. Be sure to follow me on Twitter (@Maxadelphia) for more fantasy basketball insight (amongst other things).
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Fantasy Basketball Breakout: Cameron Johnson
Johnson was a classic case of a 3rd-year player taking a step forward. Johnson set new career highs across the board and shot a scorching hot 42.5% from 3 on 6 attempts per game. He raised his fantasy points per game by 4.5 to a total of 22.3 as a result.
As if there wasn't reason enough to like Johnson; he's already been confirmed as the team's starting PF by coach Monty Williams as a result of the Jae Crowder fallout saga.
Cam Johnson is starting at the four, says Monty Williams. #Suns pic.twitter.com/2XRMXLPAwu
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) September 29, 2022
Johnson is being drafted as a late-round dart throw but offers some of the best 3-point upside available at the forward spots.
Fantasy Basketball Bust: Deandre Ayton
There aren't really any bust candidates on the Suns' shallow roster. However, only one player has a dark cloud hovering around their head.
After Ayton and Monty Williams' infamous feud during last year's Game 7 home embarrassment to the Mavericks, there has been confirmation from both parties involved that the two didn't speak once between the season's end and the start of 2022-23 training camp.
Monty Williams was again asked whether he’s spoken to Deandre Ayton and if they’ve gotten a chance to air things out.
“We don’t need to air anything out. That’s my point. I’m not gonna keep addressing that.” pic.twitter.com/UJeRZqGpUR
— PHNX Suns (@PHNX_Suns) October 4, 2022
The vibes are already contentious in Phoenix, and if things go south I can't help but feel Ayton will be at the center of the mess.
Fantasy Basketball Lock: Chris Paul
Paul is aging like fine wine. He led the NBA in assists per game (10.8) and posted a double-double in 34/65 games.
Paul's 3-point % took a huge dip last year, and yet he still averaged the most fantasy points per game since 2017-18 (his first year in Houston).
Paul is currently being drafted around the start-middle of the 4th round, and I find him a much more reliable option than other guards in the area such as Terry Rozier and CJ McCollum.
Conclusion
The Suns feel like a team that's primed for some regression after their last two seasons being at/near the top of the West. This is the thinnest roster of the CP3/Devin Booker era – the dropoff from the starters to the bench is noticeable. I think the Suns are talented and well-coached enough not to fall off entirely, but I do think they will drop to the bottom half of the Western Conference playoff seedings.
As for fantasy, the starters all project as great value, due to the lack of threat of competition from the bench. I would feel confident in drafting any of the 5 starters, and wary of anyone else until the injury bug hits.
Thanks for reading and good luck in your leagues this year!
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