Defense matters in the NBA and Memphis Grizzlies PF Jaren Jackson Jr., Milwaukee Bucks C Brook Lopez and Cleveland Cavaliers PF Evan Mobley finished in the top three spots in voting for last season's Defensive Player of the Year award.
They are important players who do not necessarily hit the most shots or pile on the rebounds, but they block shots, hit a high percentage of field goals and offer significant value to fantasy basketball managers looking for bargains after the early draft rounds.
Perhaps fantasy managers ignore all real-life voting results, but defense matters in fantasy as well, and this trio has something else in common: While they are very different players at different points of their careers, each is a solid value selection in ESPN average live drafts and players we should be targeting, especially considering their current average live draft position.
Lopez, 35, finished No. 8 on ESPN's Player Rater and he was 32nd in fantasy points via ESPN's scoring system. Perhaps due to his age and skepticism that he can produce similar statistics this coming season, few seem to be coveting him, as he is going in the eighth round of ESPN's drafts. It seems rather curious that a defending top-10 fantasy option who contributed the unique combination of 2.5 BPG and 1.7 3PM while shooting well, and someone expected to handle a similar workload for a top team again, would fall that far in drafts (how about Round 5?), but here we are.
Jackson, 24, was the No. 20 option on the Rater, and 43rd in fantasy points, and he is going in the fifth round of drafts. OK, Lopez slipping makes more sense, since he is older and many fantasy managers avoid players who fail to score many traditional points, but Jackson averaged a career-high 18.6 PPG, with 6.8 RPG, with 3 BPG and 1.6 3PG. He stayed healthy, shot well and with the Grizzlies missing PG Ja Morant for the first 25 games of the season due to suspension, and swapping Dillon Brooks for Marcus Smart, expect Jackson to score even more. He can be a top-20 fantasy option for years.
Mobley, 22, 36th on the Rater and 26th in fantasy points, is the youngest of the crew and barely a top-50 overall pick, which again seems odd because his pending third NBA season should be his best. Mobley is not a big traditional scorer yet, at 16.2 PPG, but only 10 players snared more rebounds, and he was sixth in blocks. Durability also matters, and Mobley played in 79 games. Perhaps this was not the major breakout so many expected, but Mobley is, again, clearly more valuable than his current ADP.
Drafting a fantasy team -- really, regardless of sport -- is often about avoiding early-round pitfalls and finding value in the middle and later rounds. Not every player needs to be a star. There should be some balanced combination of risk/reward players on your teams in order to extract said value, whether they are older or younger, durable or brittle, traditional big men and point guards.
Lopez, Jackson and Mobley are different players from one another, and not flashy scorers. In fantasy, however, they are worth much more than their ADP. Go get 'em!
Other players on the Do Draft list (in ADP order)
Nikola Vucevic, C, Chicago Bulls: Featured annually on this list because he is so underrated related to production, Vucevic has averaged double-digit rebounds each of the past five seasons, and he provides more assists than most centers. He shoots well, offered 1.5 3PG and is not showing any decline as he approaches his 33rd birthday. He finished ninth on last season's Player Rater, yet he is going in the fourth round. It just doesn't add up. I like his teammate SF DeMar DeRozan as well, for he is a big scorer promising to hit more 3-pointers, but he gets bypassed because he is on the other side of 30 years old.
Mikal Bridges, SF, Brooklyn Nets: The Bridges who was a defensive star in Phoenix but modestly underwhelming fantasy option finally blossomed after the trade to Brooklyn, averaging 26.1 PPG over 34.2 MPG. That alone, along with providing 3-pointers, excellent free throw numbers and more than a steal per game every season of his career, would seem enough, but Bridges also never misses a game. Like never! Invest in big-name Los Angeles Clippers SF Kawhi Leonard if you want -- he is going 37th in ADP, right after Bridges -- but I will take the durable Bridges every time.
Tyrese Maxey, SG, Philadelphia 76ers: Maxey's fourth NBA season should be his best statistically, mainly because his teammate SG James Harden -- definitely not on the "Do Draft" list, by the way -- seems to have no intention of playing in the same backcourt anytime soon. Maxey may end up running this offense and averaging more than the 4.3 APG from two seasons ago. Maxey already made great strides in 3-point shooting. Few 20 PPG scorers remain available in the seventh round or later. Maxey should be top 50 and his happier teammate SG Tobias Harris, in the final year of his contract, also stands to add value when Harden sits.
Nic Claxton, C, Brooklyn Nets: Claxton slips to the eighth round because he averaged only 12.6 PPG, but he was top 20 in rebounds and he made 70% of his field goal attempts -- not free throws, field goals -- and that has huge impact. Again, we focus on defensive players that may not score in the traditional way, but Claxton finished last season 28th on the Rater and 24th in fantasy points. You should not care how you get your numbers in a points league, but he provides them!
Tyus Jones, PG, Washington Wizards: Acquired in the Kristaps Porzingis trade, Jones comes off his best NBA campaign, mainly because he got to start 22 times when Morant was out, and he averaged 16.4 PPG, 8.1 APG, 1.8 SPG and 2 3PG in those contests. Now he gets to start for the Wizards all the time, and while it is a lesser team, Jones will have the highest usage rate of his career. He is an excellent third PG for your teams and he is going in the final rounds, and that is too late.
John Collins, PF, Utah Jazz: Collins finally escaped Atlanta for Salt Lake City, and fantasy managers should disregard his 2022-23 numbers, because they tell a misleading story. OK, so expecting Collins to return to 21.6 PPG and 10.1 RPG (from 2019-20) may be folly, but this is a solid, reliable player who has averaged 15.8 PPG and 8 RPG, along with 1 BPG and 1 3PG, while shooting better than 50% from the field every season. He should fit in quite nicely, under the radar perhaps, for a solid Utah squad, and since he is outside the top 100 in ESPN ADP, you can wait awhile to target him.
Rather than focus on every center going at too much of a bargain in ESPN ADP, take a look at New Orleans Pelicans C Jonas Valanciunas, Utah Jazz C Walker Kessler, Washington Wizards C Daniel Gafford, Atlanta Hawks C Onyeka Okongwu, Charlotte Hornets C Mark Williams and Detroit Pistons C Jalen Duren. Constructing rosters with point guards and big men is a smart way to build in fantasy.
As for other point guards who make for excellent late-round choices, look at San Antonio Spurs PG Tre Jones (the younger brother of Tyus!), Portland Trail Blazers PG Malcolm Brogdon, Toronto Raptors PG Dennis Schroder and Minnesota Timberwolves PG Mike Conley.