September is always a weird time for Fantasy Basketball. The season is six weeks from starting, which is both further and closer than you think, especially with training camps set to open in two weeks for some teams.
So, we are close enough to see the start of the season, but far enough away that there is plenty we still don't know about. For example: where is Eric Bledsoe going to play next season? Also, will the 76ers have even two NBA-caliber players in their rotation?
As the season nears, we wanted to take a look at some of the biggest questions we have about the upcoming Fantasy season. You won't necessarily find the answers to these questions here, though. Many won't be answered until well after the first ball tips.
How will the Lakers' frontcourt timeshare work?
In the immediate afterglow of the NBA Draft, I had Julius Randle pegged as a sure-fire Fantasy starting option. The Lakers had lost Pau Gasol and Chris Kaman and were sure to give the talented big man a starring role as the next face of the franchise. Here is a timeline of what happened next, along with my thoughts:
July 12: Lakers re-signed center Jordan Hill -- OK, that's fine. They need someone to play center, but Randle should still find plenty of playing time at power forward.
July 16: Lakers agree to two-year deal with Ed Davis -- Well, that makes things a bit more crowded, but I'm not worried. Davis can play center as well and has never found a way into the rotation consistently, despite playing under four separate coaches.
July 18: Lakers win waiver claim for Carlos Boozer -- What. The. Heck.
So, the Lakers, in their almost-certainly futile attempt to make a playoff run this season, have essentially buried their highest draft pick in 22 years. That seems smart.
It wouldn't be a surprise to see all four members of the Lakers' frontcourt -- sorry, Robert Sacre and Ryan Kelly -- taken at some point in your draft. However, with four worthy players fighting for time at two spots, you almost certainly won't want to rely on them as starters until we see how the playing time is split up.
How much can you trust Derrick Rose and Kobe Bryant?
Though Derrick Rose and Kobe Bryant aren't the only big names working their ways back from injury -- we haven't forgotten about you, Danilo Gallinari! -- they are probably the players with the most boom-or-bust potential. If you want to take the risk on either of these guys, you will have to do so fairly early on in your draft, possibly as early as the second round.
With both Rose and Bryant, we know what kind of upside they have if they can just stay healthy, but that might not matter all that much at this point. I have more faith in Rose staying healthy and contributing, but that is almost by default. Despite having had two straight seasons wiped out by knee injuries, Rose at least has age on his side.
Though we will still wince every time Rose drives and gets knocked to the ground this season, he wouldn't be the first player to come back from a string of knee injuries. Still, his performance in the FIBA World Cup so far has to give you some pause. In a competition where Kyrie Irving is shooting over 50 percent from the field, Rose has managed just a 29.8 percent mark through his first seven games. Don't forget, Rose shot just 35.4 percent from the field in 10 games last season.
Having said that, you'll find me settling for Rose more often than Bryant. You'll hear a lot about the indomitable will of Kobe Bryant as he prepares to return from his own lost season, but he may not be able to fight his way back to stardom at this point. For evidence of this, take Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter, Major League Baseball's nearest analogue to Bryant. As recently as 2012, Jeter was an All-Star who finished in the top 10 in MVP voting. However, he lost the 2013 season due to an injury and has been a step-and-a-half too slow to contribute much throughout his farewell season.
I tend to be fairly risk-averse, so you probably won't see me taking either of these players early on Draft Day.
Who will stand out in crowded Bucks and Timberwolves rotations?
When doing projections, these two teams stood out as the toughest to figure out. Both should be diving headfirst into rebuilds, but they might have too many veterans on the roster to really turn things over to the young guys.
What a shame that would be. The top two picks in this year's draft reside here, along with some of the most potentially interesting picks from the last two classes. However, it might be hard for Jabari Parker and Andrew Wiggins to top the 30-minutes-per-game threshold given the presence of guys like Kevin Martin, Corey Brewer, John Henson and Ersan Ilyasova, to name just a few of the veterans next to them.
These teams both have plenty of players you might want on your roster, but you might have to temper expectations until seeing who gets the playing time.
How will Bosh, Love, Irving and Parsons adapt to new roles?
The Heat eventually figured it out, but the combination of the first "Big 3" four summers ago showed us just how tough it is for stars to adapt to new roles. After a huge offseason that once again saw a number of All-Star players change teams, Fantasy owners have to consider just how these changes of address will affect these players' Fantasy values.
Chris Bosh: Might have been the big winner from this offseason, assuming he goes back to being an offensive focal point. The Heat have a floor-stretching power forward to play next to him, so that should mean more time closer to the basket for Bosh. He should go in the second round in most drafts.
Kevin Love: Is he the new Bosh? Both were 26 when they joined forces with LeBron James and an all-world guard, and were coming off more similar seasons than many might think. It is easy to forget after Bosh took a huge backseat in Miami, but he averaged 24.0 points and 10.8 rebounds per game in his final season in Toronto, remarkably similar numbers to what Love put up with the Wolves. There are real questions as to whether he might be the Bosh of the Cavaliers' Big 3. Unless, of course, that turns out to be ...
Kyrie Irving: Irving isn't nearly the player Dwyane Wade was when he joined up with LeBron, and even Wade saw a drop in his production across the board. Irving is the least accomplished of the Big 3, and has strangely seen his efficiency drop in each of his three NBA seasons, despite an improved supporting cast. He should be able to figure it out while playing with two of the most offensively skilled forwards in the game, but there is at least a chance he takes the backseat here. With how many good point guards there are, you might want to wait until the third round to look Kyrie's way.
Chandler Parsons: I don't really expect Parsons to take much of a step back in his new home. If anything, there might be more room for him to operate, since Dirk Nowitzki and Monta Ellis aren't as high-usage as James Harden and Dwight Howard. This is one question I find particularly easy to answer -- Parsons should once again be one of the best options in the league at a shallow position.
