There have been many players who have shown that they may be ready to ascend to the next level in their development. Here is a summary of their performances.
Al Horford – 24 points and 16 rebounds! Can that production continue? Horford is a bruiser who will battle for his share of rebounds but the point production last night was impressive. He had 17 shot attempts last night and if that number of shot attempts continue, so will that point production. I may be kicking myself because I was offered Al Horford in a trade deal in one of my fantasy leagues and I turned it down. Will that decision come back to haunt me?
Andrea Bargnani – Bargnani was the leading scorer for the Raptors yesterday in their win over LeBron James and the Cavaliers. He finished with 28 points and 5 rebounds and appeared to be more than just the jump shooter he had shown over his first few years. Of course, the Cavaliers frontline players are not known for their perimeter defense so they did struggle with the 7-footer and his perimeter ability. Can he continue this production throughout the course of the year?
Michael Beasley – The Miami Heat did not make any huge moves this offseason and gambled that some of their young players would continue their development in order to make the team better. Well it seems that their gamble may have paid off – Beasley finished with 21 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals, and 1 block. Although, his rebound numbers need to improve from the PF position, this is a good sign considering his offseason issues.
Jeff Green – Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook get all the headlines for this young Thunder team but Jeff Green is a very solid fantasy pick. He is very versatile playing the PF position and he had a solid opening night against the Kings. He finished the game with 24 points, 8 rebounds, 3 blocks, and he also hit four three-pointers. Now it was against the Kings, but he should be able to continue putting up those numbers throughout the season.
Ryan Anderson – The Magic are high on Anderson, so much so that he has earned the starting job at the PF position. He played 25 minutes last night in the win against the Sixers and scored 16 points and hit 4 three-pointers. Although, he is not the playmaker that Turkoglu is, he is an aggressive scorer who may surprise fantasy owners with this type of production.
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