2011 NBA Draft: Fantasy Basketball Analysis – Part 2

Categorized as: Author: Nels, Fantasy Basketball, Fantasy Draft Guide 2011, NBA Draft
Posted on: July 10th, 2011

Part 1 in which we go over the first 10 picks of the 2011 NBA Draft is here.

This is Part 2, where we will analyze the fantasy prospects of picks 11-20. The talk gets a little cheaper, as do the contracts. The fantasy potential, though? Who knows…

11. Golden State Warriors: Klay Thompson SF (Washington State University) – Great shooter without much defense? Sounds like a perfect fit for the Warriors. Not exactly what Nate at Golden State of Mind wanted, but if you think Thompson can end up as a better Small Forward than Dorrell Wright or Reggie Williams, then you are probably of the opinion that the Warriors will be pretty tough to defend. What it means for Thompson from a fantasy standpoint is much harder to decipher. Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry already handle a lot of the scoring load and Dorrell Wright emerged last season as a very nice Small Forward scoring option. David Lee is also still around to score 16 to 20 points for the Warriors. That’s a tough nut to crack.

12. Utah Jazz: Alec Burks, SG (Colorado) – Most people think that the Jazz knocked it out of the park with their draft. Of course, a big part of that was grabbing Enes Kanter with the third overall pick. And while Utahans wanted the Jazz to find a way to get Fredette with their other first round pick, Burks comes with a lot less fan fair but arguably more potential upside. The one thing Burks should be able to do right away in the NBA is score – he averaged 20.5 PPG as a sophomore and one of his strengths is attacking the basket. The big question is can he develop a three point shot and learn to play passable defense in the NBA. Burks has the ability to contribute for the Jazz immediately, but he’ll be fighting for minutes at the wing with C.J. Miles, Gordon Hayward, Raja Bell and possibly Andrei Kirilenko (if he returns to the team). That means he’s a better bet to come off the bench his rookie season while he works on that three.

13. Phoenix Suns: Markieff Morris, PF (University of Kansas) – I’ll make the comparison because it’s there: I think Markieff is going to be a lot like his fellow twin teammate Robin Lopez; he’ll be a decent back up player at his position who will record a few double-doubles, mostly when the guy ahead of him in the rotation gets injured. He might be a decent fantasy pick in the last two rounds in case he can pick up 20 minutes playing behind the combination of Channing Frye, Marcin Gortat, and Robin Lopez. Those guys are bound to miss a few games between them – maybe just enough to get him in the Top 156.

14. Houston Rockets: Marcus Morris, PF (Kansas) – Expected to go off the board before his twin brother Markieff, Marcus instead went one pick after to the Rockets. Morris has a few elite skills that should translate into the NBA immediately – he’s aggressive going to the hoop, can score a lot of different ways in the post, and his jump shot has improved a lot this season. The Rockets currently have a logjam at power forward, including Chuck Hayes (if he resigns), Luis Scola, Jordan Hill, and Patrick Patterson, so it’s possible that they try Morris out at the 3 and see if he can stick with small forwards on defense. Given the Hollywood casting call look of Houston’s roster at the moment, we’ll have to wait and see if the Rockets make any moves before judging exactly how Morris fits in with the Rockets this season. I wouldn’t be putting Morris high on my draft day cheat sheet unless he’s their starting small forward come October.

15. San Antonio Spurs: Kawhi Leonard (San Diego State University) – The Spurs gave up George Hill for Kawhi Leonard, the former of whom had worked his way up to almost 30 minutes per game last year. Leonard, though, could almost be considered an upgrade at Small Forward considering the human letdown that has been going by the name of Richard Jefferson. Leonard will at least get some playing time because of his length and defense. He will have to prove that he can shoot at least close to Jefferson’s level, but the Spurs can afford to play match-ups and shift playing time between Leonard and Jefferson. That being the case, until Leonard can demonstrate a reliable shot to go with his defense, he’s probably not a going to be a standard league fantasy player.

16. Philadelphia 76ers: Nikola Vucevic, PF, (USC) – The fact that the Sixers’ starting center this past year was Spencer Hawes practically demanded that the team take a center in the draft. And the team obliged, drafting the 7-foot Vucevic with the 16th pick. Vucevic’s NBA comp is Mehmet Okur (without the three point range) so it’s not a surprise that Sixers’ fans are feeling a little underwhelmed. Vucevic has a polished offensive game, can score in the post and out to about 18-20 feet and should be a decent center in the league. The big knock on him is that he’s about as athletic as Betty White in a Snickers’ commercial, but the number of athletic 7-footers with polished skills and a smooth jumper in the NBA can be counted with one German finger. Given that Vucevic’s main competition will be Hawes, he could be worth a flyer in the later rounds of a fantasy draft in case he takes the starting job.

17. New York Knicks: Iman Shumpert (Georgia Institute of Technology) – Another great draft for the Knicks fans who like to boo their teams picks. Considering that Chauncey Billups only has a year left on his hefty contract, perhaps they do have a realistic need for a Point Guard instead of drafting Chris Singleton to back up Amar’e Stoudemire at Power Forward. You would think with their draft history, though, that they would have gone with a sure thing instead of another gamble. Even though Billups is getting old, he’ll still get at least 30 minutes a game starting for the Knicks next season, and Toney Douglas is hanging around to take up some of the remaining minutes at whichever guard position the Knicks will play him.

18. Washington Wizards: Chris Singleton, SF (Florida State) – Singleton is a plus defender who is big and athletic for a small forward. In his own words, he was drafted to bring a defensive mindset to the Wizards. Unfortunately, other than some modest catch and shoot ability, his offensive game is basically non-existent. Guys drafted for their defensive abilities don’t usually make the best fantasy plays their rookie seasons (see Avery Bradley or Luc Mbah A Moute). He’ll rack up some steals and blocks right out of the gate, but generally stay away from him in fantasy drafts. Especially since there is a good chance he’ll be competing with the Wizards’ other first round pick Jan Vesely for time at small forward.

19. Milkwaukee Bucks: Tobias Harris (University of Tennessee) – BrewHoop gives a very objective overview of Harris’ prospects in the pros, but considering the Bucks roster consists almost entirely of sort-of-tall, basically-GF-type players, he’s going to have a hard time breaking out in Milwaukee, especially with as raw as people are saying his game currently is. The Bucks have three legit scoring options ahead of their new rookie and a couple more sketchy options with NBA experience. I’m staying away in the draft, but willing to give him a look if he starts taking significant minutes from Luc Mbah a Moute as the season progresses.

20. Houston Rockets: Donatas Motiejunas, C (Lithuania) – The Houston Rockets are stockpiling assets. And there are few assets in the draft whose upside is higher than Donatas Motiejunas. He’s a 20-year old seven footer who has an established inside/outside game. He’s athletic, can run the floor, handle the ball, create is own shot and has three point range. So, why did he go 20th in this draft? There are serious concerns about his maturity level and commitment to the game. He’s also described as soft, especially on defense. With his potential he could be the second coming of Dirk Nowitzki… or maybe Andrea Bargnani… or maybe Yi Jianlian. Now the word is that he’s expected to play with his old club Benetton Treviso during the lockout and could miss the upcoming NBA season (if it happens).

Other Stuff Like This:

• 2011 NBA Draft: Fantasy Basketball Analysis – Part 1 (5)
• Day 114 of 124: This Overtime Goes to Three (4)
• Day 109 of 124: Waiver Wire Team Assemble! (19)
• Day 93 of 124: Night of the Living Waiver Wire Player (32)
• Day 91 of 124: It’s Almost Over When Klay Thompson Is Still Available (19)
• Day 88 of 124: Where Ben Gordon Strokes It (24)
• Day 81 of 124: Where Mike D’Antoni Hits the Emergency Eject Button (76)

Tags: Alec Burks, Klay Thompson, Marcus Morris, Markieff Morris, NBA Draft, NBA Draft 2011