While some fantasy managers compete in leagues that run through the end of the NBA’s regular season, most were completed by the end of Sunday’s games. Congratulations to those who won their leagues and the money (and bragging rights) that comes with it. Those who did not will reflect on what went wrong and how they can avoid a similar fate next season.
With the fantasy season effectively over, now is a good time for the Rotoworld fantasy basketball staff to have a few roundtable discussions. Tuesday’s conversation focuses on the most disappointing player in fantasy basketball this season. Nick Schlain, Noah Rubin, Raphielle Johnson and Zak Hanshew made their picks, with two landing on the same name.
Who was the biggest disappointment in fantasy basketball this season?
Nick Schlain: Joel Embiid’s preseason Yahoo! ADP was 12, making him a borderline first-round pick. On a per-game basis, he’s 41st on Basketball Monster. However, according to Basketball Monster, Embiid ranks 290th in total game value. The 76ers’ big man only managed to play 19 games. This was a toss-up between Embiid and Paul George, his teammate who played in 41 games but wasn’t as good on a per-game basis. However, George wasn’t drafted as high with a preseason ADP of 35, which makes Embiid the bigger disappointment this season.
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Noah Rubin: Not that I had high expectations for Kyle Kuzma, but I expected him to provide plenty of points, rebounds, assists and threes, even if it came inefficiently. While the inefficiency was undoubtedly there, the other numbers weren’t. His points, rebounds, assists and threes have all been his lowest since he was a Laker, and his field goal and free throw percentages have been the worst of his career. He has been slightly better with Milwaukee, especially in recent weeks, but Kuzma hasn’t been worthy of a roster spot for most of this season.
Raphielle Johnson: For this question, I wanted to pick a player who has been available for at least 60 games. So, Joel Embiid and Paul George were not considered. Instead, I went with Kyle Kuzma. Sure, most fantasy managers understand that they should not expect to get too much value from rostering him, but this season was incredible. Kuzma is ranked outside the top-250 in eight-cat value between Washington and Milwaukee according to Basketball Monster, and he’s been even less valuable in nine-cat. If you’re like me and thought moving to a team that aimed to win games would give Kuzma a shot at regaining fantasy relevance, he’s ranked 250th in eight-cat since the trade, according to Basketball Monster. With a Yahoo! ADP of 86, that’s an abysmal return.
Zak Hanshew: It’s hard to tag Chet Holmgren as a sophomore slump because some of his struggles in Year 2 are likely the result of an injury. Holmgren got off to a solid start before a hard fall, which resulted in a hip injury that kept him sidelined for three months. He’s appeared in just 30 games this season, and his turnovers are up while his efficiency is significantly down. Holmgren’s defensive numbers have held steady, but there have been no significant strides as a rebounder or facilitator. The big man ranks just inside the fourth round in per-game fantasy value, even though he was drafted on average as a mid-second-rounder. After missing his entire rookie season with a foot injury and most of his third season with a hip injury, fantasy managers should be concerned about his availability for Year 3 and beyond.
