RADIO
While the blockbuster James Harden trade dominated all NBA highlights last week, there were still a number of other noteworthy developments across the league.
The continued missed games from key players due to health and safety protocols have allowed a number of deep bench players to see opportunities they likely didn’t imagine going into the year – in the cases where games weren’t outright postponed, that is.
The four players below all certainly have short-term fantasy value due to the playing time increase they’ve seen lately, but we’re more focused on the dynasty implications as each of these four players look like they could be heading towards being fantasy league regulars in the years to come.
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Immanuel Quickley (PG, NYK)
New York Knicks point guard Immanuel Quickley has come on strong lately for a Knicks team that has surprisingly managed to stick right around .500 to start the year. Over his last four games, he’s averaging 17.5 points, 2.3 threes and 4.3 assists per game while shooting exactly 50% from the field.
The rookie first-round pick out of Kentucky has proven that he can deliver on the offensive end of the court when given an opportunity. True to his surname, he’s extremely quick with the ball in his hands and he has a solid foundation for his outside jumper. His floater game has also begun to take the Twitterverse by storm:
Elfrid Payton has been the Knicks’ starting point guard for the first 15 games of the year. Payton’s seen his assists plummet from 7.2 assists per game in 2019-20, his first year with the Knicks, to just 4.1 per game this year. Apart from that drop-off, he’s had a decent year but could still start losing minutes or even his starting job to Quickley at some point this year. The rookie has a superior PER (16.53) to Payton (12.72) and has also maintained a better assist-to-turnover-ratio (2.9) than the veteran (1.8).
Frank Ntilikina (knee) and Alec Burks (ankle) should be back in the lineup soon. Quickley’s recent play has likely enabled him to surpass Ntilikina on the depth chart. Burks, meanwhile, was one of the team’s most productive players out of the gate this year, averaging 20.7 points per game in his first three games before being sidelined with an ankle sprain. Burks might force the ball out of Quickley’s hands often, but he’s more of a two-guard, so he isn’t a huge threat to Quickley’s minutes.
As of now, Quickley is the closest thing the Knicks have to a point guard of the future. His game will need a lot of growth if he’s ever able to satisfy that role, but it appears likely that, if nothing else, he’ll get the opportunity to make his case for the role, and for the sake of fantasy, that’s half the battle.
Luguentz Dort (G/F, OKC)
Oklahoma City Thunder guard/forward Luguentz Dort has been a part of the team’s starting lineup each game so far this year. Through 12 games, the second-year guard out of Arizona State has averaged 12.8 points per game (second on the team) while playing 28.6 minutes per game (third on the team).
From a fantasy perspective, Dort has made his most meaningful contributions with threes (2.3 per game) and steals (1.2 per game). Last Friday against the Chicago Bulls, he recorded season-highs in each stat with four threes and six steals. Yet the most inspiring aspect of Dort’s season so far has been his efficiency. Last year, during his rookie season, he shot just 39.4% from the field on 6.1 field goals per game and only 29.7% from beyond the arc. This year so far, the expanded role has allowed him to settle in with his shot more. He’s shooting 46% from the field on 9.4 attempts per game and 43.1% from three.
This year is something of a trial run for all the young Thunder players. The future of the franchise is extremely up in the air beyond star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who himself has even been discussed as a potential trade piece.
Dort and Darius Bazley have gotten the most extended look amongst the unproven Thunder youngsters. Bazley has had some strong games here and there, but on the year he’s shooting just 37.3% from the field and he has a dreadful PER of 8.88, the lowest on the team of anyone playing over 20 minutes per game.
Dort is making a strong case that he deserves to be a part of the Thunder’s plans going into the next few years. He has minimal competition for playing time right now and it’s hard to see that changing much by next year. Expect to see his role expand as the year goes on and into the next few years as well.
Xavier Tillman (PF, MEM)
Memphis Grizzlies rookie forward Xavier Tillman made his first career start against the Phoenix Suns on Monday and turned in a solid performance. He shot 5-for-8 from the field and knocked down a three while racking up 12 points, six rebounds and a steal. It was his third-straight game with double digits in points. Over that streak, he averaged 13 points, 5 rebounds and – most impressively – 2.3 steals per game.
Tillman, a rookie second-round pick out of Michigan State, has a versatile game with the potential to contribute on both ends of the floor. On the offensive end, he can knock it down from the outside and also has a solid post game. On the defensive end, he’s a strong-bodied hard worker with surprising agility. Here’s an impressive sequence against the Philadelphia 76ers where he managed to stay in front of Tobias Harris and force Harris out of bounds during a key possession late in the game:
Tillman’s probably best-suited to play power forward in the NBA, but he was technically the Grizzlies starting center in Monday’s game with Brandon Clarke and Kyle Anderson getting the start at forward. Playing time might be a concern for him over the bulk of this season. He seems to have surpassed Gorgui Dieng on the depth chart, but it’s unlikely he’ll jump ahead of Clarke or Anderson. Tillman’s start on Monday came with Jonas Valanciunas (health protocol) out and the team will also likely get their starting power forward Jaren Jackson Jr. (knee) back at some point in the next month or so.
Tillman doesn’t have a high amount of upside for fantasy purposes, but he could be a strong contributor of steals, threes and maybe blocks while not hurting you in any one statistic. He’s an intriguing asset in deep dynasty leagues with a chance to be a key role player for the Grizzlies over the next few years.
Jordan Clarkson (PG, UTA)
Utah Jazz point guard Jordan Clarkson has been the team’s second-most productive offensive player this year by just about all measures. Only Donovan Mitchell has averaged more points per game this year (23.2) than Clarkson (17.5) and Clarkson’s surprisingly been the more efficient player of the two guards. Clarkson has shot 50% from the field, 42.9% from three and 93.8% from the line while Mitchell has shot 41.9% from the field, 37.4% from three and 80.1% from the line. Clarkson also has a team-leading PER of 21.60.
None of that is to say that Clarkson has outplayed Mitchell, one of the best guards in the entire league, so far this year or even that Clarkson deserves more than the 25 minutes per game off the bench he’s seen this year. Rather, it shows that Clarkson has been excelling in his second year as Mitchell’s backup, making great strides from last year and quietly entering the discussion for the 2020-21 Sixth Man of the Year award.
Clarkson is a gifted offensive player who has always shown the ability to score points in bunches. The biggest strides he’s made so far this year have been in his efficiency and his range. Over his career, he’s shot 44.8% from the field and averaged 1.5 threes per game. Last year, he averaged a career-high 2.1 threes per game, up from 1.8 per game in 2018-19. This year so far, he’s increased that rate even more substantially to 3.0 threes per game.
The biggest downside of Clarkson is that he’s the extreme version of a score-first point guard. You could almost call him a score-only point guard. He’s averaged just 2.5 assists per game over his career and has managed only 1.8 assists per game this year despite his solid play. He looks like someone who can provide around 18 points per game with solid threes and percentages over the next few years, just plan to get your assists from other guards on your roster.
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