5 Dynasty Centers to Watch - NBA Fantasy Basketball by Noah Rubin
Fantasy Basketball Gems!
Today we’re wrapping up our dynasty positional series by talking about the centers. Here are five intriguing centers and how to value them in dynasty leagues.
Evan Mobley
We’ve known Mobley is a stud for a long time, but he still took a big leap forward this season. He averaged 18.5 points, 9.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 0.9 steals, 1.6 blocks and 1.2 triples per game while also collecting the first Defensive Player of the Year award of his career. The main development for Mobley was the deep-range shooting. He shot 37 percent on threes while shooting 3.2 per game. He isn’t a high-volume shooter, but it was a big improvement from making less than 0.5 triples per game in each of his first three seasons, and it didn’t drop his field goal percentage significantly. He’ll be 24 at the start of next season and has a decade of dominance ahead of him.
Donovan Clingan
Clingan was selected with the 7th pick in the draft last season, and his role in his first season was inconsistent. He dealt with a knee injury, and he had to split time with Deandre Ayton and Robert Williams. Still in 37 starts, Clingan showcased his potential and averaged 7.9 points, 10.0 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 2.1 blocks per game. He’s the center of the future in Portland, but what they do this summer will determine how quickly he becomes a fantasy beast. Will they finally shed their skin and trade away the veterans to focus on their young core? Or will they continue to make the young guys compete for minutes so Jerami Grant and Deandre Ayton can start?
Onyeka Okongwu
It happened! It finally happened! Okongwu took over the starting center role in Atlanta, and the results were fantastic! He averaged 15.0 points, 10.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.2 steals, 0.9 blocks and 0.9 triples after moving into the starting lineup in January. Clint Capela was a fantasy star for a long time because he was the starting center for James Harden and then Trae Young. Okongwu is more dynamic on offense than Capela ever was. He’s undersized, so he isn’t a flawless big, but he’s talented enough to make up for any deficiencies. Expect him to have a monster season and stick around for a while.
Ivica Zubac
Though Dyson Daniels won the award, Zubac certainly had a strong case for winning Most Improved Player. Tyronn Lue finally put his trust in Zubac and played him 32.8 minutes per game, which led to him averaging 16.8 points, 12.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.1 blocks per game. He’s 28 years old, so he’s certainly a late bloomer, but that was partially because his previous career high for minutes was 28.5 per game. Zubac is going to be a star in fantasy for at least a few more seasons.
Yves Missi
Another center from this past class, Missi was selected by New Orleans with the 21st pick in the draft. He joined a team with a huge void at center, and he quickly earned the starting job. He averaged 9.1 points, 8.2 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.3 blocks per game in his rookie season. However, there are still questions about how he fits next to Zion Williamson. His numbers took a hit during his 28 games alongside Zion, and it will be difficult to make things work with two non-shooters. Missi can be a strong fantasy center for a long time, but keeping him away from Williamson may be best for both of them. We’ll see if that impacts new GM Joe Dumars’ decisions this summer.
Check back next week as we take a look at the upcoming draft class, starting with point guards!
Noah Rubin - NBC Sports Rotoworld
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Robbin Marx
NBA Fantasy Analyst
Experience: NBC Sports - Rotoworld, HashTag Basketball, Bleav Network
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