Everybody knows that Russell Westbrook and James Harden will be among the top picks in fantasy NBA drafts for this season. However, the devil is in the details when it comes to fantasy success and there is a good chance the most important details will be the breakout stars that the smart GM’s are able to land in the later rounds of their drafts. Here is a look at five potential NBA fantasy breakouts to target in 2016-17.
C: Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets
Kristaps Porzingis and Karl-Anthony Towns will be the top sophomore big men off of draft boards this year but fantasy managers would be smart to target Jokic is a player with similar value despite flying under the radar. Jokic followed up a strong rookie season with an impressive performance at the Olympics and he appears poised to take another major step forward this coming season. Jokic has the potential to thrive in double-doubles, blocks, assists, steals and even three-point shooting and there is a very good chance he breaks out as a top-40 fantasy basketball stud this coming season.
SG: Evan Fournier, Orlando Magic
The Magic decided to trade their All-Star guard Victor Oladipo to the Oklahoma City Thunder in a deal for Serge Ibaka, which means they are banking on their young guards to step up and fill the void at the position. Fournier is expected to emerge as the team’s top option in their backcourt as 23-year-old that is poised to take another step forward in his development. Fournier averaged a career-high 15.4 points including 2.0 three-point shots and 1.2 steals per game last season and he appears to be on the verge of a breakout fantasy campaign.
PG: Dennis Schroder, Atlanta Hawks
All of the signs point towards a breakout season for Schroder, who should benefit from the perfect blend of talent, circumstance and situation in Atlanta. The Hawks were confident enough in Schroder that they felt comfortable trading Jeff Teague to the Indiana Pacers and hand him the starting point guard duties for this season. Schroder averaged 11.0 points, 4.4 assists and 2.6 rebounds in just 20.3 minutes per game last season so look for a significant bump in his production across the board with a bigger role for Atlanta this season.
PG: D’Angelo Russell, Los Angeles Lakers
Russell showed flashes of his potential towards the end of his rookie season and should benefit from the arrival of a new head coach in Luke Walton and the departure of Kobe Bryant. Russell is poised to take on a bigger role in his second NBA season and Walton could be the perfect coach to maximize his offensive potential after spending the last couple of years helping to develop Stephen Curry as an assistant in Golden State. We’ve already seen how much Russell has grown in the NBA preseason.
Russell has all of the tools to become a stud fantasy point guard and his production should improve dramatically after he averaged 13.2 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 28.2 minutes per game last season.
SG: Victor Oladipo, Oklahoma City Thunder
Oladipo heads to Oklahoma City where he will be on the receiving end of plenty of open looks from Russell Westbrook now that he will be relied on as the team’s second guard option following Kevin Durant’s departure. Oladipo should benefit from having more talent around him including most importantly Westbrook.
Remember that Oladipo has always been the focal point of the opponent’s defense. He has played with so-so players around him, which has meant that he’s had to do way too much with way too little help. Now the situation is reversed as he comes into a situation in Oklahoma City where the team is already built out. This is the best cast he’s ever played with and there will be minimal pressure on him to perform.
The fourth-year guard averaged 16.0 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.9 assists in 33.0 minutes per game last season so look for a substantial bump across the board from Oladipo in a breakout 2016-17 season.
