Fantasy Basketball: (Early) Top 5 Power Forwards For 2015-16
Serge Ibaka, Oklahoma City Thunder
With the all the fantasy basketball hype surrounding his teammates, it’s easy to forget that Serge Ibaka is one of the top options at his position when he’s healthy.
He’s not an elite scorer (he averaged 14.3 points per game in 2014-15), but he’s one of the best in the business at swatting shots (2.6 blocks per game in his career).
Throw in his solid rebounding totals (7.5 rebounds per game in his career), and sound percentages (53.3% FG, 74.4% FT in his career), and it’s clear that he’s an option that can make a difference when fantasy owners aren’t relying on him to score in bunches.
The most interesting development in Ibaka’s game this season was his increase in three-point attempts. Over the course of his career, Ibaka has attempted a mere 0.7 threes per game, but in 2014-15 that number ballooned to 3.2 three-pointers attempted per game.
To the delight of his owners, he cashed in on 37.6 percent of those attempts (1.2 threes per game), making him a more versatile fantasy basketball asset.
Coming off of knee surgery, all indications are that he will be back at full-strength on a loaded Oklahoma City Thunder squad in 2015-16.
Serge Ibaka said he was aiming to play in Game 3 of the first round.
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) April 16, 2015
His return to health means he should again be one of the top power forwards to watch heading into draft season.
Next: #2 - Blake Griffin