After a big summer of player movement in the NBA, it’s time to start looking at some of these players in new situations. We can’t forget about these rookies though. This particular Rookie class has garnered a bigger reputation of having an All-Star studded draft class than any others in the last few years. A lot of these rookies are ready to play and when it comes to judging rookies and whether or not it is safe to draft them is by looking at the opportunities they’re facing. Some rookies are picked to go on a slow track to stardom on their teams that drafted them. Others are expected to start right away and make an impact. From a fantasy basketball perspective, we care about playing time and that is where the opportunity starts. Here are my current top 10 projected rookies for fantasy basketball for next season. It is never too early to start prepping. 

 

1. Markelle Fultz, G, Philadelphia 76ers: NOTE: The 76ers TRADED for this pick. They wanted Fultz. If they happened to win the lottery and have a somewhat established point guard, he would be a spot or two lower on the list. Lonzo Ball is fresher in NBA fans and analysts minds because he was the Summer League MVP. Fultz hurt is ankle early on and didn’t play again. Summer League should serve as an introduction to the player. It serves as a watch for basic fundamentals, not seasonal projections. The fact that the 76ers wanted Fultz shows that the offense will be run by him from day one. Joel Embiid is likely to have a minutes restriction next season meaning more chances for Fultz to score. Fultz will be playing well over 30 minutes per night. He is silky when he drives. He hits the narrow openings, and can attack from the center of the paint. He has no fears challenging big men and will frequently look to drive the lane first. Fultz will be expected to score, but he will also fare well in assists. The Sixers have a lot of spot-up shooters and the assist numbers should rack up. We don’t know what to expect for Ben Simmons yet as he will need time to find his place in the league. Fultz is my projected top rookie. 

 

2. Lonzo Ball, G, Los Angeles Lakers: Lonzo Ball is an excellent passer, however Fultz is a better overall player in the skills he brings. After a rough first start in Summer League, Ball settled down and began focusing on basic outlet passing. Ball has a very quick pass and he will keep the Lakers constantly on the run. Ball will speed up the tempo on offense and his quickness is lane-driving ability reminds me of Stephen Curry’s. The big question about Ball is what he can do without the ball in his hands. His shot is certainly in question and how consistent he can be, but NBA Coaches will often say that shooting is the final piece to the puzzle. Even though I don’t think Ball will score as many points as Fultz, it is very possible that he can be the assist leader among rookie guards. The Lakers have players that will bang inside, but they also have Brook Lopez to shoot elbow jumpers on the outside. Assists should be plentiful.

 

3. Josh Jackson, F, Phoenix Suns: The Suns need an attacker and Devin Booker is more of a shooter and Eric Bledsoe gets hurt a lot. Brandon Knight is hurt as well. Jackson is a good rebounder and fierce down low. He does not give up on the ball after the shot. His aggressiveness and ups are also solid, as he will serve as a prime attacker for the Suns. The Suns need any kind of defensive presence, as they were one of the most embarrassing teams defensively. Jackson will hit shots from the elbow and he has nice spinning post moves. Expect Jackson to make an impact immediately and he could end up flirting with double-double stats. The Suns have no system right now and Jackson will be playing over 30 minutes per game and could very well be the Suns most complete player by the end of the season. It will be hard for defenders to stop Jackson once he gets the ball in his hands. 

 

4. Dennis Smith Jr., G, Dallas Mavericks: The biggest critique against Smith was leadership capabilities. As stated above, as long as he stays on the floor, that’s what we care about. Smith has a ton of quickness and despite Dallas having other guards who impressed last season, they are huge fans of what Smith can bring to the table. He further did show that he can lead the Mavericks offense during Summer League. Smith is a small, quick driver and he is good at controlling the possession even though he’s very speedy. Smith showed his shooting range as well and will be able to share the perimeter with Dirk Nowitzki. Yogi Ferrell and Seth Curry will have to step aside as Smith will lead the Mavs into the future. He is currently my dark horse for rookie of the year. 

 

5. Jayson Tatum, F, Boston Celtics: I have been wavering back and forth regarding where to rank Tatum. Part of me thinks he will have a slow minutes progression, but then I think about what it exactly has taken to land Gordon Hayward and I am starting to think the Celtics have a legit role for him in which he will be playing 25 minutes per game. The other part of me thinks he’s just a piece for the future and will be given more playing time at a slow rate throughout the year. Part of the reason the Celtics traded down was because of what they saw in Tatum. Tatum’s size makes him hard to keep out of the lane. He can shoot, drive and rebound, and could potentially start. It certainly is not a lock at this point. The Celtics passing on Fultz and trading down showed how much they needed a fresh forward in there to try to stop the bleeding on the other end of the floor and with Tatum’s wingspan, expect a lot more plays to be turned away at the rim. 

 

6. Lauri Markkanen, F, Chicago Bulls: The centerpiece from the Bulls side during the Jimmy Butler trade and he does not have much competition at the position. Bobby Portis has simply shown flashes of being an effective forward but nothing consistent. The benefit of having Markkanen is that his playing style is exactly the opposite of Robin Lopez. Lopez is a strict inside banger with limited ability even 10 feet from the rim. Markkanen has an excellent long-range shot to draw out bigger defenders and he has good ball-handling ability and will take advantage of slower big men. Markkanen will also be able to find Lopez open a lot when the bigger defenders play outside the paint. Lopez did very well sharing a frontcourt with Kristaps Porzingis and Markkanen brings similar ability and should be playing over 30 minutes per game. 

 

7. John Collins, F, Atlanta Hawks: The Hawks are absolutely crazy if they think they will benefit from having Dewayne Dedmon start at Center for the entire season. The Hawks will need a player to start at Center who is not a liability when playing more than 18 minutes and both Dedmon and Miles Plumlee are those players. Ersan Ilyasova will need to spend time at both forward positions meaning there is an opening for playing time and at the PF and C spot and Mike Muscala should be playing at the Center spot for the most part. Collins should see ample playing time and he will help the Hawks primarily on defense. He is tough to box out in the lane and the Hawks need all of the help they can get on the defensive front. He will be able to create from the elbow with the ball and always finds ways to get in the paint. When he’s off the ball, he reacts quickly to screens before the defense can adjust and he will take advantage of slower defenders. I expect him starting by the end of the season. 

 

8. Donovan Mitchell, G, Utah Jazz: Even though I don’t expect him to start right away, Mitchell brings something to the Jazz that a lot of other options ahead of himdon’t bring and that’s lane driving ability. Losing both George Hill and Gordon Hayward takes a lot of fire power away from the Jazz and Rodney Hood, Joe Johnson, Joe Ingles and even Thabo Sefolosha are all jump shooters. Mitchell is an attacker and he will make defenses change their schemes and his big-play ability comes from ball-handling and driving. Mitchell should draw doubles and frequently find an open shooter at the arc. He is just different than a lot of the other players on the Jazz roster. Alec Burks and Dante Exum have not been able to stay healthy and that should benefit Mitchell even more. Mitchell will earn his minutes, but will have to fight through some of the seasoned vets around him for time. 

 

9. Ben Simmons, F, Philadelphia 76ers: After injuring his ankle last season, and then not playing in Summer League this year, it is hard to tell what we should expect to see from Simmons. Simmons will have some ball-handling responsibilities but with a jumper that needs work, it could oust him from the starting lineup in favor of Robert Covington who is a not only familiar with the NBA game flow, but also is effective on both sides of the ball. Joel Embiid being on a minutes restriction should help Simmons, but expect to see him mainly with the Sixers second unit. With the second unit, he could flourish and still play over 20 minutes per game, but his shot must improve. He will serve as a point-forward and will rack up steals and assists throughout the year. He’s an excellent ball-handler and will attack the rim with force. He may take a bit longer to adjust. Trust the Process!

 

10. Malik Monk, G, Charlotte Hornets: One of the biggest reasons the Hornets struggled last season is because of lack of depth. Most of the Hornets scoring came from their backcourt of Kemba Walker and Nicolas Batum. The Hornerts will have a big decision to make. They can absolutely move Batum to the SF spot and place Monk at the SG spot or they make him their sixth man. From a realistic standpoint, I feel Monk will serve as the Hornets first guy off the bench. Monk can shoot, drive, ball-handle and he has incredible ups and will poke the ball out of the oppositions hands. Monk should play over 20 minutes per game to start and if the Hornets (even with Dwight Howard) once again struggle to find balance in their scoring, Batum could move to that SF spot opening up a starting spot for Monk. Monk has proven he can be a reliable spot-up shooter. If Monk stays off the bench, he could very well be in the sixth man of the year conversation.