October 8, 2016

Jake Finnen looks at three overvalued NBA centers to avoid as potential draft busts in 2016-17 fantasy basketball leagues. Think twice before drafting them.

Let me set one thing straight before I get started on my three overvalued NBA centers for the 2016-17 fantasy basketball season. Just because these players are on this list, does not mean that they are bad players. They are simply the centers I found to be overvalued according to their Yahoo ADP rank. That's it.

I am also putting out a list in the near future about centers to avoid. There should be no surprise that one or two players from this list will show up on that list. With that in mind, let's get rolling.

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Centers Who May Not Return Their Draft Day Cost

Serge Ibaka - PF/C, Orlando Magic

We all know Serge is one of the premier mid range shooters in the Association. Unfortunately, he was already showing a precipitous decline in Oklahoma City and is now dealing with a crowded front court that poses a serious problem for his potential offensive production.

Ibaka was among the leaders in the league in blocks and should assume a heavy defensive role with the Magic. Nikola Vucevic should see more touches than Serge and with Bismack Biyombo coming off the bench, Ibaka slightly fades away as a low-ceiling center.

Offensively the Magic will rely on Aaron Gordon, Evan Fournier, newly acquired Jeff Green and previously mentioned Vucevic. The spacing he had with OKC thanks to Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook allowed him to excel, but in Orlando the lack of consistent production from the backcourt will hinder Ibaka’s production. If he proves me wrong, then fantastic.

I assume I'm not alone when I say that Serge is one of the most likeable figures in the league. Unfortunately, the only thing we care about is fantasy production. As an aging veteran on a mediocre team in Orlando, don't expect Serge to be the same player that he was in his prime surrounded by top end talent in Oklahoma City.

Gorgui Dieng - PF/C, Minnesota Timberwolves

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that because Minnesota brought in two other centers in the offseason, Tom Thibodeau is either trying to motivate Dieng or has little confidence in him. I'm going to go with the latter because Dieng was never a real force to be reckoned with.

He doesn't lead the league, or even come close, in any statistical category. He is behind ROY Karl-Anthony Towns and has Cole Aldrich breathing down his neck after a surprisingly impressive stint with the Clippers last season. Of course Dieng will get rebounds, a few blocks here and there, the occasional 15+ point game but the inconsistency will drive you crazy.

He's a solid basketball player but when it comes to fantasy, let him slide to whoever wants him. I'm confident there is another option out there for you to take before Dieng. This shouldn't be me completely ripping on Dieng but instead telling you why you should avoid him in the earlier rounds.

He's ranked as the 14th center on Yahoo, in front of plenty of talented H2H studs including DeAndre Jordan and Andre Drummond. Luckily his average draft position is around the sixth round which is still ahead of players like Greg Monroe, Myles Turner and Dwight Howard. (Howard can still ball, he just suffers from selective hustle and charity stripe-itis).  Dieng's percentages are nice for roto leagues, but in head-to-head leagues you can do better.

Steven Adams - C, Oklahoma City Thunder

THIS HAPPENS EVERY YEAR. One player has a quality highlight or solid game in the NBA playoffs. You know, the time of year when apparently everyone is an expert on the NBA and true fans of the Association are left laughing at the ridiculous takes these “fans” make.

Two years ago, it was Dellavedova who everyone claimed was SOOOO GOOD (still baffled by this) and this year it was Steven Adams. He is 7’0 tall so when he dunks and gets rebounds... it shouldn't make you rethink what a good center is.

The fact he has been drafted ahead of Enes Kanter is ridiculous. Kanter comes off the bench and drops buckets and grabs offensive boards like it's going out of style. Which it is. Kanter is one of the few players I see actively trying to grab every offensive rebound possible, thus making him a double double machine, even off the bench. This helps him and you if you draft him. Kanter should produce much more than Adams on a more regular basis.

Adams doesn't strike me and anything special when it comes to fantasy and should be left to be drafted by someone else. If you are contemplating taking Adams, which according to Yahoo is drafted around the 6th-7th round, look for Kanter who will be a much better asset to your overall fantasy production AND should still be available according to Yahoo. Don't let his playoff performance last year construe your vision. I'll be honest, Kanter should be the guy you want with an OKC front court looking for a lead big man.