RADIO
A key part of doing a fantasy draft is avoiding players who find themselves in a bad situation. The wrong pick can completely tank your season. On the other hand, rostering players in perfect situations can be the ultimately league-winning move for savvy fantasy GMs.
Today, let's talk about some potential busts and sleepers that have been part of the Summer League tournaments held in early-to-mid July. For whatever reason -- be it talent, lack of opportunity, chances to rack up minutes, good and bad environments, etc-- these are players who fantasy GMs are currently buying at too high or too low ADPs this early in the preseason and who should be kept under the radar to track their progress in training camps as we each closer to the regular season's tipoff.
Let's look at some center-eligible players that have sleeper potential this year in fantasy basketball leagues who appeared in July's Summer League tourneys and explore their situations going forward.
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Summer League Winners: Centers - 2022-23 Fantasy Basketball
Chet Holmgren, PF/C - Oklahoma City Thunder
I don't think I need to introduce you to Slenderchet. Whatever they say (and I'm one of them, to a certain extent) about Chet's frame, the truth is that this kid can do it all and to phenomenal heights. Holmgren finished his Summer League stint with the most FP among players with fewer than 135 total minutes... and a top-six mark among all participants, with no minute-filter applied. That's why Chet posted the highest FP/min figure at 1.42 while no other heavily-featuring player got even close.
Holmgren is obviously going to be a building-rock of the Thunder now and for the next 10 years, so no surprise. The only thing that might slow his production is his slender body (shout-out Kenny Lofton!) but he made up for that with sound and solid defensive effort grabbing 8+ RPG and blocking nearly 3 BPG a pop. Kid even wrote his name in SL gold letters blocking the most rocks (eight) in a single game this July.
Don't hesitate for a second and draft Holmgren to be part of your fantasy squads without the tiniest regret. From 2000 on, a bunch of first-year centers have finished their rookie seasons as top-15 players at the position straight out of the draft day. I'm convinced Chet is above, at the very least, five of the 10 that did so. So yes, the floor is high, the ceiling unthinkable.
Day'Ron Sharpe, PF/C - Brooklyn Nets
We only got to watch Sharpe in bits and parts last season as he went on to play 32 games for the Nets, averaging barely 12 MPG a day. The efficiency, though, had us drooling: 1.18 FP/min on par with the marks of F/C stars such as Julius Randle, Brandon Ingram, or Pascal Siakam. Just saying. The Nets are pretty much a question mark right now with all of KD, Kyrie, and Ben Simmons making the rumor mill daily. But Sharpe should stay put and become a legit performer on a nightly basis for BK starting next year.
Sharpe had a masterful SL stint in Las Vegas. Only 10 other players (three of them with fewer than 65 minutes played) put up a higher FPPG average than Sharpe's 35.3 and the Net finished his five-game 15-day span averaging nearly a 13-10-2-2-2 line on just 26 MPG under the sun. One of just five kids to average that sweet and rare SL dub-dub on points and boards, that's what.
Sharpe started all five SL games, grabbed 9+ boards in each of them, blocked four shots on G4 against Minny, and also found his way to a 2-of-3 from three, 5-of-12 from the field against Memphis on July 12th. Sharpe is still honing his skills and clearly developing his game, but he's not even 21 and has a magnificent chance of becoming part of a rebuilding-but-challenging team starting as soon as next year.
Isaiah Jackson, C - Indiana Pacers
A late 2021 first-round pick, Isaiah Jackson was never going to play tons of minutes for the Pacers last year mostly because of two things: Domantas Sabonis and Myles Turner. That's why. Sabonis got traded to the Kings and Turner stayed but has been on trade rumors for the past three years and change. Odds are he eventually gets moved--and nobody would bat an eye. Jackson played 36 games last year and averaged 15 MPG, but he might be entering his breakout season as a sophomore in 2023.
Jackson did more than enough to merit at least a larger look next year. He had a three-game Summer League stint, which is to say a small sample run, but he made the most out of it closing his July with an average 29.8 FPPG mark (Pacers no.1 even above the figures of Bennedict Mathurin and Chris Duarte) and a neat 10-8-1-1-3 line.
Jackson's 3.3 BPG figure was the highest among this year's SL participants with only one other player getting 3+ BPG. The sophomore avoided turning the ball over almost entirely (0.7 TOPG) while also shooting great percentages for a big (56.5% from the field and 50% on 0.7 3PA per game). Jalen Smith and Turner currently appear on Indiana's no.1 PF and C roles, respectively, but the slightest of roster changes or trades might involve them (Buddy Hield's trade collateral damage?) and open the door for Jackson to play big-time minutes from the get-go.
James Wiseman, PF/C - Golden State Warriors
The Warriors won the chip last season and then covered their backs by erring on the safe side. Alas, the Kevon Looney three-year extension and projected start for another year at the center slot barring an impressive comeback from Wiseman. Only, are we sure JW won't actually accomplish that? Judging by his SL, that might very well be the case.
Wiseman has missed so much time since getting to the L that I don't want to write all of the numbers here because summer is not the season I'd like to use to fall into a dark depression. That said, it's been a good old chunk. Then, July happened, and with it came Wiseman Time once and for all. It's not that 81 minutes played over four games is a lot, obviously, but we're getting there. Wiseman looked good for the time he's been out, and that should be more than enough for us fantasy GMs out there licking our chops about this man's upside once his body gets fully right (here's hoping it does at some point).
The big man out of Memphis posted an average 10-5-1 line with 2 BPG on top of that. He shot a good-not-great 48% from the field, though he attempted 1.5 3PA per game, hitting 33% of those. Slowly but surely, folks, you just gotta keep believing. It will happen. It can't actually get better in terms of his teammates, coaches, and playing environment. The production will be there the minute he hits the floor in an NBA game. It is what it is. Don't chase Wiseman crazily, but surely keep an eye on him as a late-round pick or a surefire early WW target.
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