Fantasy Basketball: (Early) Top 5 Centers For 2015-16

Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz

Heading into 2015-16, Gobert represents one of the higher upside picks in many fantasy basketball drafts.

The reason is pretty easy to see by looking at his physical profile; a 7’1” center with a 7’8” wingspan will certainly be one to turn heads.

But his play on the court in 2014-15, specifically after the All-Star break, is one major reason to get excited about the prospect of landing Gobert on your roster next year. In 29 games after the All-Star break, Gobert averaged 11.1 points, 13.4 rebounds, one steal, and 2.6 blocks (!!!).

Those are good all-around numbers, but clearly the elite stat he provides is blocks. Gobert finished second in the league in the category to Anthony Davis despite only starting 37 contests all year.

There is upside to picking Rudy Gobert. He’s going to shoot a high field goal percentage (60.4 percent in 2014-15) and he’s not going to absolutely kill you on the free-throw line like a lot of the players with similar skill sets (62.3 percent free-throw percentage in 2014-15). He is also only 22, and will be entering his first season as the unquestioned starter at his position.

While there will be a few growing pains, that means there should be growth, and he’s got the potential to be a five-category contributor next season.

Plus you get to watch one of your players fearlessly do this:

Next: #3 - Andre Drummond