This article is part of our NBA Blog series.
Welcome back, fantasy hoop fans! With every season, new questions arise. We do our best to forecast things during the pre-season, but some riddles just can't be solved until the season begins. Here are a few things to keep an eye on over the next few days:
Will anyone shoot well in Philly?
It seems like every basketball column keeps stressing that someone has to score in Philly, and with coach Brett Brown continually stressing an up-tempo offense, as he did last season, the Sixers will take lots of shots. But will anyone in the rotation put up a field goal percentage that won't make you wince? Michael Carter-Williams, in typical rookie fashion, put forth an unattractive 41 percent while putting up decent counting stats.
Shooting guard wasn't much better. I was burned on James Anderson's 43 percent effort, while Tony Wroten was a hair worse at 43 percent. That duo will once again sling more shots than their talent deserves. Low scoring with poor shooting is a losing fantasy formula.
Nerlens Noel did shoot an impressive 59 percent at Kentucky against mostly over-matched talent. After a year off, he'll be facing NBA frontcourt players, and Noel will probably have the usual rookie slumps. I'd expect a big dip. The days of easy dunks versus Vanderbilt are behind him. On the other hand, it'll be cool to see his monster blocks while he sports his flat-top.
Henry Sims surprised many while starting at center last season. He drained 49 percent of his buckets facing starters' talent.
Maybe the efficiency savior will be second-year small forward Hollis Thompson. After 41 starts last season, and a respectable 46 percent from the field with 0.9 made-threes per game, he's expected to get the starting nod again this year. Folks are excited about K.J. McDaniels' blocks, but Thompson's 40-percent shooting from three-point land will be more sorely needed than McDaniels' defense. Someone has to space the floor.
What the heck is the scoring pecking order in Orlando?
This was a good question three weeks ago, and it only got more confusing with injuries to Victor Oladipo and Channing Frye. For the last three games of the preseason, the Magic leading scorers were Andrew Nicholson, Nikola Vucevic, and finally Tobias Harris. The athletic backcourt of Oladipo and Elfrid Payton will play ferocious defense, but both have shooting concerns. Vucevic is a steady presence, but 15 points per game seems like his ceiling. Harris will be a nice, cheap fantasy stop gap scorer while Frye is out with knee issues.
Who will play defense in New York?
Would you be intimidated by a frontcourt of Andrea Bargnani, Samuel Dalembert, and Carmelo Anthony? How about 33-year-old point guard Jose Calderon? OK, Iman Shumpert is a quality defender, but he can't guard everyone. Maybe they will have some luck with Jason Smith at power forward. With Barg-Not-Playing-Defense out until early November, Smith will see some major minutes.
Everyone keeps wondering how the triangle offense will work out, but I think the real insight is that the Knicks could be magical opponents when it comes to daily fantasy. Good-but-not-great talents like Terrence Jones, Greg Monroe, and Chandler Parsons could have career nights at MSG this season.
Can Danilo Gallinari return to form?
After missing all of last season due to a torn ACL, what can Gallinari do this season? The team poorly handled his injury last season. Now they say he will begin the season as the starting small forward. It would be wonderful if The Rooster could return to his 2012-13 levels of 16.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.9 three-pointers per game, but one has to assume a slow November and December for him.
That's it for now – enjoy opening week! If you have some extra time, here are some mean tweets read by Tobias Harris and other Magic players.
