The first couple of weeks of the NBA season are in the books and while it is still early there have been some early surprises that have made significant impacts in fantasy basketball leagues. Nobody is betting on Toronto Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan to lead the NBA in scoring this season but the fact that he has averaged a league-best 33.7 points per game through six contests will have fantasy GM’s re-evaluating his true worth for the better. Which players have been even more surprising than DeRozan early on? Here is a look at the most impressive fantasy surprises so far this NBA season.
SG: James Harden, Houston Rockets
Harden currently ranks third in the NBA with an average of 31.6 points per game and while everybody expected him to be among the league leaders in that category, it’s his other contributions that have been the major surprise. Harden has averaged a ridiculous 12.7 assists per game while transforming his playmaking skill set under new head coach Mike D’Antoni and he has become even more valuable as a fantasy asset in the process. Remember when D’Antoni said in the offseason that they’d keep the ball in Harden’s hands more than ever before? And everyone laughed? Well, it’s working and it’s been a dream for NBA fantasy owners.
Harden’s 12.7 assists, 7.1 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 3.6 three-point shots per game has solidified his status as one of the top fantasy options in the NBA and it will be an impressive surprise if he manages to maintain those ridiculous assists totals throughout the season. He’s now become the first player in NBA history with 24 points, 12 assists and six rebounds in six straight games. He’s the most valuable player in NBA fantasy right now.
C: Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers
All of the talk about Embiid being poised to make a major impact in his first NBA season couldn’t have prepared us for what he has done through his first five games. The third-overall pick from the 2014 NBA Draft has averaged 17.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.6 blocks, 1.2 assists and 1.2 three-point shots in just 21.4 minutes per game and it’s scary to think about what he can accomplish over the course of the full season if he can stay healthy and play more minutes. Embiid has spent the past couple of years developing his game and getting in shape to have a long NBA career and he has certainly surprised early on this season.
C: Myles Turner, Indiana Pacers
Turner showed flashes of his immense potential with the Pacers last year but that still didn’t prepare us for what he has done early on this season. Turner has averaged 16.4 points, 6.9 rebounds, 2.6 blocks and 1.0 assist in 27.1 minutes per game and suddenly he is a legitimate No. 1 center in NBA fantasy leagues. Turner has only started to tap in to his immense potential and at 20-years-old he will only continue to get better.
Interestingly enough, as good as Turner has been, the Pacers have been struggling. They are just 4-6 on the year and wouldn’t make the playoffs if they started today. Obviously, we still have a long way to go. Keep an eye on the Pacers home-away splits as they are 4-1 at home compared to 0-5 on the road. Turner has followed a similar trend as he is averaging 17.5 points per game at home along with 8.8 rebounds and 3.3 blocks. On the road, Turner’s numbers drop to 13.0 points per outing with 5.4 rebounds and 1.8 blocks. It’s worth noting for NBA fantasy purposes.
C: Gorgui Dieng, Minnesota Timberwolves
Minnesota is so deep it was hard to imagine Dieng having a tremendous fantasy impact this season but he has proved the doubters wrong early on with an excellent start. Dieng has averaged 10.6 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.0 blocks and 1.0 steal per game early on and he has averaged just over 31.0 minutes per game. The Timberwolves continue to lean on Dieng as one of their best two-way players and as long as he continues to play big minutes under head coach Tom Thibodeau he will continue to be an impressive surprise as a center that can contribute at a high level in multiple categories across the board. As good as he’s been, though, the Timberwolves are still just 2-6 on the year, which is the second-worst record in the Western Conference.
