Fantasy Basketball: Power Forward Value Picks
Once the elite power forwards in your fantasy basketball draft have gone off the board it becomes time to find the sleepers and value picks that could tilt the league in your favor. Here are three power forwards that are currently being drafted later than they should be. Let any of these three forwards fall in your lap and enjoy the early-round production at a later point in the draft.
Photo Credit: Keith Allison, Flickr.com
Ersan Ilyasova – Milwaukee Bucks
Ersan Ilyasova signed a five-year contract worth $40 million prior to the 2012-13 season. Expectations were justifiably high for Ilyasova heading into the season. He was coming off the best season of his career and the Milwaukee Bucks management and fans expected an even better season in 2012-13.
It is difficult to pinpoint what happened to Ilyasova early in the season but he was clearly not comfortable. Ilyasova reached double digits in scoring in only 10 of the Bucks first 15 games. His shooting percentage was down and he was inconsistent game to game.
Owners that had invested in Ilyasova grew impatient and dropped him from their teams. Savvy owners took this opportunity to buy low on the young forward and they were rewarded. Ilyasova averaged 11.2 points and 6.2 rebounds per game prior to the All-Star break in February, but he eventually began to resemble the player that the Bucks invested so heavily in. From the All-Star break until the end of the season Ilyasova averaged 17.2 points and 9.0 rebounds per game.
Ilyasova’s draft position tells me most owners remember the way he started the season and not the way he finished it. If you find Ilyasova slipping in your draft, make a play for the versatile forward.
Nikola Vucevic – Orlando Magic
Nikola Vucevic was a relatively unknown player that went undrafted in the majority of fantasy basketball leagues when the season began. There were numerous questions in Orlando as the Magic continued to reshape their young roster. Vucevic played only 16:04 minutes on opening night for the Magic but he became a fixture in the Orlando rotation from game two until the end of the season.
Those that were paying close attention to box scores likely snatched Vucevic up off the waiver wire early in the season and enjoyed his numbers the rest of the year. Vucevic finished the year averaging 13.1 points and 11.9 rebounds per game. Vucevic had played consistently well throughout the year but he saved his best basketball for the final month of the season. From March 4th until the end of the season Vucevic averaged 16.6 points and 14.3 rebounds per game.
Vucevic is entering his third season in the NBA and the arrow is pointing up for the young forward. He is more of a known commodity by now but the Magic are far from a sexy team and he is still overlooked by many on draft day.
DeMarcus Cousins – Sacramento Kings
While I don’t personally consider DeMarcus Cousins a sleeper (more of a sure thing), I am evidently in the minority. There are a number of forwards that I was surprised to see ranked above the talented forward/center. Cousins has displayed talent, scoring ability and athleticism during his three year NBA career. He has also unfortunately displayed his immaturity multiple times during that same period.
There are reports coming out of Sacramento that Cousins is beginning to mature, on and off the court. Sacramento showed Cousins they have faith in him this offseason as they rewarded him with a four-year contract for $62 million. Sacramento sees enough in Cousins to call him the foundation they want to build their team around. After signing his contract, Cousins quickly donated $1 million to local charities in the Sacramento area.
If Cousins has indeed matured and feels comfortable in Sacramento, he won’t be ranked this low next season. Cousins carries forward and center eligibility and is a lock to equal his 2012-13 numbers of 17.1 points and 9.9 rebounds per game. While these numbers are good, there is the potential for Cousins to have the best season of his career.
Cousins has averaged 30.0 points and 10.0 rebounds per game during the last two Kings preseason games. He piled up these numbers playing only 27 minutes per game. The reports about Cousins coming out of Sacramento are more positive than they have ever been. You could take an elite point guard early and still find yourself with a highly productive forward/center. You won’t regret drafting the big man in Sacramento this year.
[slider_pro id=”31″]