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In this weekly column, we’ll be looking at the players who have done the most over the past week’s NBA action to increase their value in dynasty fantasy leagues.
Most of them are similarly going to have seen their value increase in season-long formats, but their dynasty outlook over the next two-to-three years or more is what we are primarily interested in.
So without any further ado, here’s a look at the first four dynasty risers from the first week and a half of the 2020-21 NBA season.
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Chris Boucher (PF/C, TOR)
Toronto Raptors power forward/center Chris Boucher had one of the most eye-catching stat lines over the season’s opening weekend. On Saturday, against the San Antonio Spurs, Boucher scored 22 points while racking up 10 boards and a whopping seven blocks.
Boucher was extremely efficient in Saturday’s game, shooting 9-for-13 from the field and hitting three three-pointers as well.
Boucher has flashed some intriguing upside in the past. He offers the potential to provide significant blocks and three-pointers, a rare combination to find. His main obstacles over previous seasons have been his playing time and his overall inconsistency.
With Serge Ibaka and Marc Gasol both in Los Angeles know – albeit playing with different jerseys – there’s a huge opportunity for Boucher to see a big boost in playing time. Right now, Aron Baynes is his main competition. Baynes started the team’s two opening games and performed moderately well, averaging 12 points and eight rebounds while shooting 55% from the field.
Boucher is probably a bit older than you think. He turns 28 in January. He was 24 when he first entered the league in 2017 and barely played in his rookie year with Golden State before joining the Raptors. Baynes might do just enough to cap Boucher’s upside this year, but Boucher has the potential to be a fantasy gem in the coming years if he can earn consistent playing time and continue to develop. He’s got a fantastic skillset for the modern NBA, offering both rim protection ability and the ability to stretch defenses with his three-point shooting range.
Darius Garland (PG, CLE)
Selected fifth overall in the 2019 NBA Draft, Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Darius Garland had a somewhat underwhelming rookie year. He averaged 12.3 points and 3.9 assists per game, but shot just 40.1% from the field and averaged 2.6 turnovers per game. Plus, he saw a lot of playing time last year, averaging over 30 minutes per game, which makes his points and assists totals even more underwhelming.
Through his first three games this year, Garland averaged 19 points, 8.3 assists and 1.7 steals. He also shot 54.8% from the field and averaged 2.3 threes per game. His backcourt partner Collin Sexton has been impressive as well, averaging 27 points over his first three games, but Sexton showed he can fill up the points column last year already. He averaged 20.8 points per game in 2019-20. Sexton should be a steady source of points all year, but Garland has the potential to take the bigger leap overall and to offer a more complete fantasy game both this year and in the years to come.
Garland’s done a fantastic job distributing the ball through the early going this year. He’s been the table-setter for a Cavaliers offense that scored over 110 points in each of its first three games.
Garland has a great opportunity to be the point guard of the future and a key building block for the Cavaliers. Garland has a skill set that bears resemblance to Damian Lillard. Don’t expect him to become quite the scoring machine that Lillard is, but 25 points and eight assists per game are certainly in the realm of possibilities in a few years for Garland.
Keldon Johnson (SF, SAN)
Keldon Johnson has been a member of the San Antonio Spurs’ starting lineup out of the gate this year and he hasn’t disappointed. Over his first three games, he averaged 14 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.7 steals as well as one three and one block.
His rebounding numbers are likely to fall down to earth either this year or in the following years. Johnson is 6’5” and best-suited as a small forward, but the Spurs have been lining him up alongside LaMarcus Aldridge and DeMar DeRozan in the frontcourt so far this year, essentially making Johnson their power forward.
Johnson has great three-and-D potential and has a chance to be a legitimate stat-stuffer. He may not excel in any one particular category, but his versatility could make him a fantastic supporting player in fantasy leagues in years to come. Expect for him to average around one three, one steal and one block per game this year and if he continues to develop, he could make solid strides in each of those three stats, particularly the former two.
Terry Rozier (PG, CHA)
The LaMelo Ball draft pick seemed to spell potential doom for Charlotte Hornets point guard Terry Rozier. Ball was drafted to be the team’s point guard of the future and there’s certainly a chance that he becomes the team’s starting point guard as soon as this year.
Prior to last year, Rozier signed a three-year, $58 million deal with the Hornets. He went on to have an uneven year in his first season with the team, averaging 18 points, 4.1 assists and 4.4 rebounds along with 2.7 threes per game. He shot only 42.3% from the field and averaged 2.2 turnovers, making for an uninspiring assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.86.
Rozier opened the 2020-21 campaign with a bang, hitting 10 threes on the way to 42 points against Cleveland. It was almost like a statement to the franchise, to make sure that they knew Ball wasn’t the only point guard in town. He certainly came down to earth in the next two games, hitting just three of his 10 shots from downtown. But he did have this monstrous poster dunk over Kevin Durant in game #3:
Meanwhile, Ball has been slowly eased into things. He played about 17 minutes per game over his first three games, averaging 6.3 points and three assists per game. The big red flag out of the gate has been his 2.7 turnovers per game, leading to a dreadful assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.11.
What’s clear from the early going this year is that Rozier isn’t simply going away with Ball in town. Whether he stays in Charlotte or ends up elsewhere over the next few years, he should remain a solid source of both points and threes as long as he can force his way into some playing time.
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