Jabari Smith leads fantasy basketball rookies to target
Yahoo Fantasy analyst Dan Titus looks at some late-round rookies who could make a splash for fantasy managers ahead of the 2022-23 NBA season.
Video Transcript
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DAN TITUS: What up? Dan Titus with Yahoo Fantasy Sports here to talk about three rookies that I'm going to be targeting in drafts this season. Now typically, I don't get excited about rookies in fantasy basketball, but I think that this year's class has a few gems that I think will contribute to fantasy managers this season.
I'm not drafting Paolo Banchero, the number one overall pick in the 2022 draft, mainly because he carries a seventh round ADP right now, and I'd rather spend that draft capital on proven veterans. However, the first player I'm going to talk about is a guy that I've been buying in on, and that is Houston Rockets' power forward Jabari Smith Jr. He is the quintessential stretch for archetype that fantasy managers should covet.
He's coming off a preseason debut where he delivered 21 points with eight rebounds and five triples in 24 minutes of action. He looks confident and has a really smooth shooting stroke that I think, along with his size and length, will amount to at least seven rebounds and two stocks in his rookie year. I see why he's drawing comparisons to Rashard Lewis, a former all-star and veteran around the NBA.
Now, his ADP is 118, but I think there's a legit chance that he provides top 60 value by the end of this season. But, for now, I've moved him up to top 75 in my rankings, still three rounds ahead of where he's going in drafts right now. The second rookie I'm looking to target is Keegan Murray of the Sacramento Kings.
Now, Keegan Murray put on a phenomenal display in summer league. He showcased his talent and his abilities all the way to winning summer league MVP and earning first team all summer league honors. And that's already carried over to the pre season. Despite not starting in his preseason debut, he dropped 16 points with six rebounds and two steals in 20 minutes of action.
The 16 points and six rebounds led the Kings. It's only a matter of time before he cracks the starting lineup and earns 30 minutes plus. Right now, his ADP is sitting at 98.7. And, with the possibility of Harrison Barnes being moved this season, he could emerge as the third option in the Sacramento Kings offense, which would far exceed his ADP that's currently standing in the ninth round.
Really excited about Keegan Murray this season. The last rookie that I'm going to be targeting in drafts this season is Pacers combo guard Benedict Mathurin. Despite having a ton of guards on their roster, the Pacers still elected to draft Mathurin with the sixth overall pick this season. And I think it's because Mathurin's skill set.
He has the ability to score at all three levels, and he's an exceptional perimeter defender, all things that are necessary for fantasy value. Now, Mathurin is a late round guy, but I think he's going to contribute as the season wears on in steals, threes, and points. He is in a logjam behind Chris Duarte right now, but Rick Carlisle hasn't named a starter yet, so there's a chance that he still earns a starting gig.
And imagine if Buddy Hield gets moved at some point in the season? He's going to get a lot more minutes, and I think he emerges as one of the better fantasy guards from this rookie class. His ADP sits at 142, so it's not going to cost you much in your draft to scoop him up. This is going to be a draft in stash with the upside of getting a JR Smith type player. So the three rookies I'm going to be targeting is Jabari Smith Jr., Keegan Murray, and Benedict Mathurin.