The Boston Celtics demonstrated they are a contender again with their performance over the 2019-20 NBA season so far, but how are the better players on the roster as far as fantasy basketball options?
Locked On Fantasy — hosted by Josh Lloyd — recently released a podcast focusing on Boston’s younger players for fantasy value, and while there’s no games in the 2019-20 fantasy basketball season while games are also suspended in the NBA, Lloyd still had plenty to say on Boston’s roster.
The obvious place to start is the massive step forward taken by forward Jayson Tatum this season.
His numbers have jumped considerably along with his real-world production, pushing the Duke product, “from a guy that’s never been a top 60 player in his first two seasons, to where he’s on the fringe of top 20 now and is going to be top 15 moving forward” — heady praise indeed.
He also notes steals have gone from a respectable 1 per game to 1.5 per contest, and his rebounds making an impressive leap from “5 or 6 to 7 or 8” per game.
That his 3-pointers have jumped from 1.3 per game to nearly 3 has been another boon, and the scoring — up to roughly 28 points per contest over the last 20 games from 15.7 per game — especially so.
That Tatum has boosted his trips to the charity stripe as well is an excellent sign the St. Louis native’s progress isn’t fools gold, according to Lloyd, nearly doubling from 2.9 to 4.7.
The Locked On Fantasy host doubts the 44.8% 3-point shooting clip will continue, but is confident 40% is sustainable long-term. Ultimately, this adds up to a top-15 player with potential to crack the top-10 for Lloyd.
Episode 2 of "Game of Zones" season 7 is out, with many Celtics cameos https://t.co/bzlmuiTIhe via @thecelticswire
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) May 8, 2020
The fantasy basketball podcast host notes fellow Celtics wing denizen Jaylen Brown has shaped into a quality fantasy option as well this season, jumping from 182nd to 57th, largely through increased usage (21.4% his second season to to 24.7% this season) and improved true shooting.
On the latter count, he improved from .547 to .589, with his free throw percentage jumping from 65.8 % to 73.6%. His rebounding went up from 4.2 to 6.4 per game as well, which hasn’t hurt his fantasy stock.
He could improve in a number of areas, yet still has become a very good player. Getting to about 80% from the line would bump Brown up “another 10 spots at least”, and increasing the volume of 3-point shots would also help.
As for the rest of the younger end of roster, there are no clear values yet, but a few have caught Lloyd’s radar.
Robert Williams III intrigues, but can’t stay on the court. Blocks (of course), steals and field goal percentage are areas to watch for Time Lord, but the health is clearly paramount.
If he can average 20 minutes per game consistently, a top-100 player could be in the making.
Jaylen Brown talks resuming season, pandemic response in new interview https://t.co/KLmHF68rYP via @thecelticswire
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) May 6, 2020
The other Williams — rookie forward Grant — has also caught Lloyd’s attention.
“[Williams] didn’t hit a three for what felt like the first two months of the season, but then did start to come on and start to hit them; [He also hits] half a steel half a block in 16 minutes; they’re not great numbers, but again, they do translate out to one per 30 minutes.”
According to Lloyd, “good [things] happen when Williams is on the court”, with outstanding defense for a rookie, and while his offense needs work, he believes the Tennessee product will be Boston’s “starting power forward of the future” with Paul Millsap-like production an absolute best-case outcome.
Two way point guard Tremont Waters is another Celtic that has the fantasy analyst’s attention with his ability to play within his role but also take on a bigger role when needed at the NBA level.
His G League stats with the Maine Red Claws were good too — 18 points, 3.2 boards, 7.3 assists and 2 steals per game at the developmental league level with a not-improbable outcome of a backup guard in the NBA good for around 20 minutes per game.
Ex-Grizzlies exec unimpressed with Boston's 2019-20 rookies https://t.co/cUcK6LHKH4 via @thecelticswire
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) May 8, 2020
Javonte Green, Semi Ojeleye and Carsen Edwards are all singled out as poor fantasy options who may also find themselves out of the league if they don’t improve on both ends of the floor, and while forward Romeo Langford hasn’t played enough for a good evaluation, his defense at least is intriguing.
While the lion’s share of praise fell on the Jay Team, that Grant and Robert Williams (no relation) were cast in such a favorable light is refreshing after former Memphis Grizzlies executive John Hollinger shredded the younger end of a young roster in a recent piece.
While several Celtics still on their rookie deals have a lot of work to do if they want to remain in the league after those deals end, there’s some hope in Lloyd’s estimation for most — and some high potential ceilings to live up to for the rest.
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