NBA Fantasy Basketball Rising Star Stat Projections

Several young players will be seeing a jump in minutes this season.  These players have enticed fantasy basketball owners to take a second look at them in fantasy drafts in hopes they'll have breakout seasons.  Here's a list of those types of players, as well as stat projections.  The projections are based on their production last season projected out to 33 minutes (as opposed to their previous minutes per game).

 

  • Randy Foye, Minnesota Timberwolves - Stat Projection for 33 mpg:  14.9 ppg, 4.0 rbpg, 4.1 apg
     
  • Rajon Rondo, Boston Celtics, Stat Projection for 33 mpg:  9.1 ppg, 5.3 rbpg, 5.5 apg, 2.3 spg
     
  • Andrea Bargnani, Toronto Raptors, Stat Projection for 33 mpg:  15.3 ppg, 5.1 rbpg, 2.0 threes per game
     
  • Andrew Bynum, LA Lakers, Stat Projection for 33 mpg:  11.7 ppg, 8.9 rbpg, 2.4 bspg
     
  • Rudy Gay, Memphis Grizzlies, Stat Projection for 33 mpg:  13.3 ppg, 5.5 rbpg, 1.1 spg, 1.2 bspg
     
  • LaMarcus Aldridge, Portland Trail Blazers, Stat Projection for 33 mpg:  13.5 ppg, 7.5 rbpg, 1.8 bspg
     
  • Paul Millsap, Utah Jazz, Stat Projection for 33 mpg:  12.5 ppg, 9.5 rbpg, 1.7 bspg

Keep in mind that there are other factors that should be considered when trying to determine what these players could do with more minutes under their belts.  For instance, in the case of LaMarcus Aldridge, last season he played in the shadow of Zach Randolph, who averaged more than 20 points and 10 boards per game. With Randolph out of the picture, Aldridge has a chance to be the go-to player in the paint.  In the case of Rajon Rondo, he now has Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, as well as Paul Pierce to draw the defense away to give him more open shots.  He probably won't collect too many more assists, since the bulk of the offense will likely go through Garnett in the post.  Still, these young players have great shots at breakout years given their potential production and change of circumstance.




I really like the picks of

I really like the picks of Aldridge & Rondo, but everybody like those picks right now!  If Rondo can match those projections, he'd be like a mini Mo Williams with extra steals.  No a bad combo.

 

Foye seems like a guy who would be worth a chance. I grabbed him off the waiver after the draft last year and he was a bit of a disappointment. He had good runs from time to time though.

 

It still feels like Millsap and Gay have a hard road ahead of them - Millsap behind Boozer & Gay with that logjam of forwards in Memphis. But the talent is definitely there.