Fantasy time in the NBA is coming up quickly. Remember, the NBA regular season starting early this year, so the time is now to get to some homework and start looking at this year’s potential busts in fantasy. Many great players highlight this list, but for some reason due to injury history, age or regression these players may not live up to their current fantasy draft position. Here are the NBA players with the biggest bust potential based on their ADP.
Kyle Lowry – 23.9 Avg Pick
Age and injury concerns are the primary reason for including the Toronto Raptors starting point guard on this list. Lowry missed 22 games last season, but in the 60, games he did play the veteran played excellently. Lowry set career highs in points per game with 22.4 and 3-point range shooting percentage at 41.2%.
What does not bode well for Lowry is minutes played per game, with Lowry setting a career high in consecutive seasons. The Raptors need to preserve Lowry better this season and utilize their you young guards more, which means less fantasy production from Lowry. If they over use Lowry, he has serious injury risks. Either way,y Lowry has some bust potential in fantasy, this season.
Joel Embiid – Avg Pick 28.5
If someone asked you the question “How high would you draft a player who averages ten games per season in his career.” You would likely answer “I would not,” yet Joel Embiid, the 76ers star, is getting drafted on average in the third round. Embiid has all the intangibles to be a superstar in the NBA and personality wise he is hard not to love. The problem with Embiid is he has lacked any semblance of ability to stay healthy. The 76ers limited him last season, letting him play just 25 minutes per game and he still only lasted 31 games.
Embiid was highly efficient in his limited minutes averaging over 20 points and 2.5 blocks per game. His per 36 were even better, averaging a double-double and close to 4 blocks. The numbers for Embiid are so good, he is nearly impossible to pass-on, but you should, especially when you really do not know if he can stay healthy for even half an NBA season.
Bradley Beal –Avg Pick 32.3
When he is on the court, Bradley Beal is a dynamic shooting guard with elite shooting abilities. But, as is the trend on this list, injuries are always a concern for Beal. In his five-year NBA career, Beal has only twice played more than 63 games in a season.
Another draw back for Beal this season is his shooting percentage, Beal shot a career high from the floor last year, besting his previous high by 5%, but Beal averaged fewer shots per game than his career average. If he regresses back to his career average, he may lose about 6.0 per game and nearly 7.5% in field goal percentage. Regression and injury concerns are the two reasons why Beal could disappoint in 2017-18.
Lonzo Ball Avg pick 54.9
The Los Angeles Lakers got the rookie they wanted this year in point guard Lonzo Ball. The relatively quiet superstar has a great set of skills that should translate well to the NBA. In college, Ball was best known as a playmaker, setting up his team and running the UCLA offense at a very effective clip. The Lakers are not the Bruins of last season and lack the surrounding cast to make Ball amazing in his rookie season. It will be a steep learning curve for the youngster in his rookie season. With all the depth at point guard, reaching on Lonzo Ball in the fifth round area is not a great fantasy move.
Zach LaVine Avg. 101.6
Known for dunking in Minnesota and not much else, Zach LaVine has a chance to star for the Chicago Bulls this season. Of course, the Bulls are not what they used to be, and many predict them to finish with the worst record in the NBA. LaVine is coming off a terrible leg injury that may keep him sidelined through training camp and into the regular season. Lavine is also likely to transition back to point guard, after playing the last two seasons as an SG. Without training camp and time to get acquainted with his new team, Lavine is likely to struggle once he returns to the lineup.
The 2017 NBA futures are out. It’s been a wild offseason already, but keep an eye on the betting lines as they move around at Diamond Sportsbook! Get the latest NBA betting lines right here.
