While some of you may be competing in leagues that run through Week 24, the final week of the NBA regular season, most fantasy leagues concluded at the end of Week 23. With that in mind, we will discuss some of the hot end-of-season topics for fantasy basketball this week.
Among those questions: who is our Most Valuable Player for fantasy basketball? Nikola Jokic has been a juggernaut in fantasy basketball for years, and he’s the betting favorite for the actual MVP award. But will that carry over into fantasy?
Raphielle Johnson, Zak Hanshew, and Noah Rubin make their picks for fantasy MVP, and a particular rookie takes center stage.
Noah Rubin’s Pick: Anthony Davis
Whether you’re looking at per-game or total value, Davis has been the best player in fantasy basketball over the past month and the past two months, according to Basketball Monster. He ranks fourth in per-game value for the season and third in total value.
He has always been dominant in fantasy hoops, but his lack of availability has made him a big question mark during every draft. However, if he is available to play for the rest of the season, he will set a new career-high with 77 games played. Davis may not have made the biggest 9-category impact, but he was the most valuable for a player with a Yahoo ADP of 12.0.
Raphielle Johnson’s Pick: Victor Wembanyama
Concerning the most valuable fantasy player discussion, two attributes immediately come to mind for me: availability and value. Of the 12 players who ended Week 12 in the top 12 of Basketball Monster’s rankings for per-game and total value, only three had a Yahoo ADP of 24 or lower: Victor Wembanyama, Kawhi Leonard, and Paul George (Chet Holmgren makes the cut for totals but not per-game).
Leonard missing time down the stretch eliminates him from consideration because availability for the playoff weeks is crucial. And while George has appeared in 72 games to Wembanyama’s 69, the rookie has been superior in rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks, making him my choice for fantasy MVP.
In 69 games, Wembanyama has averaged 21.3 points, 10.7 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.3 steals, 3.6 blocks, and 1.8 3-pointers, shooting 46.5% from the field and 79.7% from the foul line. While he also averaged 3.7 turnovers per game, that high number isn’t surprising for a rookie big man, especially given the offensive freedom that Wemby has enjoyed in San Antonio.
The draft value part of the equation can’t be dismissed, and there’s also a sense of “what could have been” for Wembanyama, even with his numbers. San Antonio began the season with Jeremy Sochan starting at the point guard spot and Zach Collins playing alongside Wemby. While the latter can be excused due to a desire to limit the physicality the prized rookie would deal with early on, Sochan over Tre Jones was an experiment that limited Wembanyama’s early growth; he was better once the Spurs inserted a legitimate point guard into the lineup.
Also, what happens if he isn’t placed under restriction as he was after his first sprained ankle injury? Beginning with San Antonio’s loss to the Bulls on December 21, Wembanyama averaged just 25.5 minutes per game over 16 appearances. As good as he was this season, Wemby hasn’t even begun to display his full potential, whether we’re talking “real” or fantasy basketball. In addition to being my fantasy MVP for this season, he’s my 1.01 in drafts in the fall.
Zak Hanshew’s Pick: Victor Wembanyama
I’m not sure how the answer to this one is anyone other than San Antonio’s resident interplanetary being, Victor Wembanyama. As of this writing, he’s fantasy’s seventh-ranked player on a per-game basis and has appeared in 69 of the team’s first 78 contests; he’s ranked sixth in total fantasy value.
One of the most hyped rookies of all time has somehow exceeded expectations, posting ridiculous averages of 21.3 points, 10.7 boards, 3.8 assists, 1.3 steals, 3.6 blocks, and 1.8 triples. Those are video game numbers, but he’s made ludicrous stat lines the norm throughout his inaugural campaign.
Ok, Wemby has been phenomenal all year, but has he delivered when it mattered most? Since the All-Star break, the 7'4 Frenchman has turned in 22.7 points, 11.9 boards, 5.3 assists, 1.6 steals, 4.3 blocks, and 2.2 triples. Per-game fantasy value since the break? First. Totals fantasy value? You guessed it - first.
Wembanyama isn’t the top-ranked fantasy player this season. On a per-game basis, Joel Embiid barely edges out Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for that honor. Shai is the current leader in totals, but he’s missed six of the Thunder’s last seven games. You can’t miss so many games in crunch time and be awarded the Fantasy MVP. Wemby has missed just one of San Antonio’s last 14 games.
When selecting this award, draft capital comes into play, and Wemby’s ADP was mid-to-late second round. That means you spent a pick likely in the 18-24 range to get a top-10 player. That’s excellent value. It’s not the same value as Gilgeous-Alexander provided a season ago, but it’s fantastic nonetheless. Guys like SGA, Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, and Anthony Davis all cost a first-round pick, and Joel Embiid spent over half the season on the sidelines.
Because of his incredible, all-around stat lines, availability, affordable draft capital, and magnificent performances down the stretch, Victor Wembanyama gets my vote for this season’s Fantasy MVP. Extraterrestrial, we salute you.
