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Jim McCormick, Special to ESPN.com
Working the waiver wire is pivotal to succeeding in fantasy basketball. With so many games, injuries and endless shifts in rotations throughout the marathon campaign, we’ll need to source stats from free agency to maximize imaginary rosters.
A willingness to entertain competition for the final few spots on your fantasy hoops roster can prove rewarding. When curating this fluid collective of statistical contributors, it helps to consider your end-of-bench players in direct competition with the talent floating in free agency.
The goal of this weekly series is to identify players at each position widely available in free agency in ESPN leagues. Some are specialists capable of helping in one or two categories, while others deliver more diverse and important statistical offerings. In the breakdowns below, I’ve listed players at each position in order of priority, rather than roster percentage in ESPN men’s basketball leagues.
Point guard
Jalen Suggs, PG/SG, Orlando Magic (Rostered in 34.4% of ESPN leagues): Speaking of gritty glue guys, Suggs has long been one of the best defensive backcourt players in the league and has recently — and impressively — added legitimate shooting volume and touch to his profile. For context, Suggs shot 27.1% from 3-point range through his first 101 NBA games, but is now up to 44.4% on six attempts per game. The sample is small, but the shift in approach, confidence and decision-making with the ball in his hands appears real and should lead to valuable numbers from a player bound to be among the league leaders in steals.
Tre Mann, Charlotte Hornets (20.2%): We saw some fun flashes from Mann last season when he transitioned to Charlotte from Oklahoma City, but there were real doubts over his ability to surface in an improved rotation this fall. Mann has responded with a strong start, albeit aided by injuries to Brandon Miller and Josh Green. As long as the team continues to lean on Mann as a scorer and secondary playmaker, the offensive results could prove rewarding.
Shooting guard
Norman Powell, SG/SF, LA Clippers (37.3%): A bucket’s bucket, Powell is never afraid to shoot from distance. Such a mentality works well riding shotgun to James Harden in a Clippers offense with an all-hands-on-deck approach to scoring duties. Don’t bank on him flirting with 40 points often, but his opus in Denver over the weekend does signal intriguing fantasy value for the veteran floor-spacer.
Dyson Daniels, SG/PG, Atlanta Hawks (59.3%): Somewhat of an afterthought in the Dejounte Murray blockbuster this past summer, Daniels has emerged as one of the early-season statistical stars as a capable starter for Atlanta. With the Hawks’ goal of protecting Trae Young defensively with a low-usage backcourt partner, it’s somewhat ironic they might have found that player in a Murray deal. With a strong steal rate dating back to his time with the Pelicans and this newfound role as a two-way glue guy, Daniels is fittingly one of the most popular pickups of the week.
Caleb Martin, SG/SF, Philadelphia 76ers (6.3%): An unintentional theme of backcourt nominations this week is guards working the glass. After all, Martin delivered a rousing double-double on Sunday in the 76ers’ road win over the Pacers. With Paul George and Joel Embiid sidelined, Martin’s usage and minutes should remain robust in the coming games.
Small forward
Rui Hachimura, SF/PF, Los Angeles Lakers (47.0%): An awesome start to the season for the team extends to this emerging forward. It’s clear the new coaching staff trusts Hachimura to log big minutes and handle top defensive responsibilities, which helps his ability to deliver clean scoring and helpful rebounding outcomes.
Julian Champagnie, San Antonio Spurs (10.3%): From the fringes of the league over the past few years to an important role for the Spurs this season, Champagnie appears ready for his moment. The two-way wing collected three combined steals and blocks in a recent game and, like several names above him, is an atypically good rebounder for his position.
Power forward
Bobby Portis, Milwaukee Bucks (67.1%): One of the game’s best bench bigs, Portis has been a force on the boards for the Bucks. A key part of a top-heavy veteran rotation, Portis is the rare reserve with a truly bankable bandwidth of playing time and production.
Santi Aldama, PF/C, Memphis Grizzlies (29.2%): A reliable role has formed for Aldama in the Grizzlies’ rotation. Still just 23, Aldama brings a valuable mix of skills to the floor in the form of shooting, rebounding, playmaking and even improved rim protection. Given the team’s need to manage Jaren Jackson Jr., Aldama should be busy in most matchups.
Center
Ivica Zubac, LA Clippers (59.8%): If Powell is benefiting from trailing and flexing out to the wing for open 3-pointers, Zubac has seen a leap in high-value touches on lobs and pocket passes from the bearded passing guru. As the lone traditional center in the rotation, Zubac will rarely leave the floor for the Clippers. Don’t forget how shallow the center position can be past the top tier.
Wendell Carter Jr., Orlando Magic (17.2%): It’s quite a feat to have just 19 points but also 35 rebounds already on the season. Which is to say, Carter isn’t going to save your team in the scoring column, but he is a reliable rebounding source. To be fair, more scoring pop should surface along with this blend of playing time and touches in the paint.
Andre Drummond, Philadelphia 76ers (25.0%): Whenever Joel Embiid is out, Drummond should surface among the nightly leaders in rebounding metrics. Given how often Embiid will be in street clothes, rostering Drummond will come with frequent opportunities.
Special teams
This section focuses on specialists, players who flash in a singular category and can provide specific value to those in category and roto formats. Nominations are based on which category such players are helpful in and will rotate throughout the season.
3-pointers: The Pelicans’ Jordan Hawkins (13.9%) has massive confidence and the freedom to test it in the New Orleans offense. The aforementioned Aldama is among the power forwards with the most added value via 3-point production on the Player Rater.
Steals: Atlanta’s Daniels paces the crowd so far in added value via swipes, while Drummond and Carter have active hands for centers.
Blocks: Charlotte’s Nick Richards (9.5%) has compiled six blocks across three games and should continue to see rim protection chances for a depleted Hornets frontcourt.
Rebounds: This trio of Drummond, Carter and Richards all sit in the top 10 in added value via rebounding at the position on the Player Rater.
Assists: Scotty Pippen Jr. (15.1%) has surfaced as a gifted passer for a Grizzlies team that needs added creation past their starting backcourt.