Fantasy owners know that one of the biggest jumps an NBA player tends to make is from his first year to his second and there have certainly been plenty of examples of that this season. The NBA is a much different game than college basketball and after the initial experience and adjustment, players have the opportunity to really work on their skill sets and let the game come to them more naturally. With that in mind, here are a crew of second-year players that took big leaps in terms of fantasy production this season.
Gorgui Dieng – Minnesota Timberwolves
The former Louisville star has taken a major step forward in Year Two of his NBA career, averaging 9.7 points and a team-high 8.4 rebounds for Minnesota this season. In a recent five-game stretch, he averaged 13.4 points, 8.6 rebounds, 3.2 blocks and 1.6 steals. Dieng has had every opportunity to prove himself on a young Timberwolves team thanks to the Kevin Love trade and his progress from his rookie season has been obvious. He has nearly doubled his season averages across the board. His versatility and passing ability have already separated him from some of the game’s other young centers and Dieng still hasn’t completely reached his ceiling in terms of potential just yet.
Giannis Antetokounmpo – Milwaukee Bucks
Antetokounmpo’s talent was on display from the first game of his NBA career but there have been more subtle changes to his game that have showed up this year – including his maturity and focus as a defender. It’s impossible to quantify just how big Jason Kidd’s impact has been on the second-year star but his numbers are up across the board including a 12.8 points per game compared to a 6.8 mark a year ago. The biggest difference in particular has been his commitment to improving at the defensive end of the floor where he has looked like a much more complete player.
Shabazz Muhammed – Minnesota Timberwolves
Even though he has been sidelined for the remainder of the season with a finger injury, there is no denying the transformation Muhammad has made from his rookie season. Muhammad is too strong for most wings to handle and too quick and athletic for most big men to keep in check. The development of his midrange jumper and hook shot has made him that much more dangerous of an offensive player. The 22-year-old’s average points per game jumped from 3.9 to 13.5 in his second year and while his season was ended prematurely by the finger injury, it’s clear Muhammad has all of the tools to be a big contributor in fantasy leagues.
Dennis Schroder – Atlanta Hawks
Kyle Korver, Jeff Teague, Paul Millsap and Al Horford have been recognized as the All-Stars on an Atlanta team that owns the best record in the Eastern Conference but one of the overlooked contributors that has really helped the Hawks this season is Schroder. The 21-year-old point guard has been excellent off the bench, averaging 9.7 points and 4.0 rebounds in under 20 minutes per game. He has the potential to be a star in this league with his size, speed and ball smarts all showing up as he has made a big leap from his rookie season.
Kelly Olynyk – Boston Celtics
Olynyk has struggled with consistency in Year Two of his NBA career but his overall numbers have stayed strong despite losing Rajon Rondo as his point guard. Olynyk might not have the elite size or speed that is coveted at the highest level but he is an excellent shooter that has the potential to be very good working with an elite point guard. He has shown flashes of his progression from his rookie season even though there has been such a high turnover on the roster around him. Fantasy owners have received 10.1 points per game, 4.9 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.0 steals, 0.7 blocks and most importantly, since he’s a center, 1.0 threes. You don’t often get that from your big man. If he gets some more burn, Olynyk will have an even bigger chance to be a contributor in his third year.
