Top 5 Best Fantasy Basketball Players On The Celtics

Considering tomorrow night marks most fans’ fantasy basketball draft, I figured I’d share my two cents on the fantasy value of Celtics players.

The way to win fantasy is not necessarily drafting a team comprised of great players, but a team of players who inflate their stats. Players like Nikola Vucevic, DeMar DeRozan and Reggie Jackson make great candidates for potential steals.

Besides Isaiah Thomas, unfortunately zero Celtics players make great fantasy players. That is one of the payoffs when your squad has a team-first mentality. There may still be a couple guys on the Celtics could may make for great late-round picks, however.

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1. Isaiah Thomas

Even if Isaiah keeps getting only gets 25 minutes per game, he still gets enough minutes to post a respectable stat-line. He’s consistently good for 18+/night this season with a couple three-pointers a game. Thomas is also looking to improve his ball distribution this year, so expect him to post greater assist numbers.

2. Avery Bradley

#0 shot a preseason-high 52.4% from behind-the-arc this preseason, so let’s hope he stays hot from three. If so, he’ll certainly improve his scoring numbers. He averaged 14 ppg last season, and 15 ppg the year prior, so he’s a consistent scorer, albeit rather limited – as he hardly ever scores over 25 per game. He’ll force some steals and make a couple three-pointers every night, so he’ll make for a great late draft pick.

3. Marcus Smart

This is where things get tough… Players like Olynyk and David Lee could have bigger roles this year than last season, and considering both are more proven scorers than Smart, each could be a far better fantasy player. However, Smart will likely see at least the third-most minutes on the Celtics this season. He could have a big sophomore season if he recognizes his potential, which seems plausible after his intriguing preseason/summer league.

4. Kelly Olynyk

It appears I’m not the only one who thinks the Olynyk- Amir Johnson frontcourt pairing will be a key part of this Celtics team, as Zach Lowe of Grantland.com believes the duo’s skill are perfectly complimentary. Olynyk’s three-point shooting – on top of his burgeoning driving ability – should make him a more consistent threat from setting up from the perimeter this season.

5. David Lee

Lee’s primed to start in the Celtics’ home opener this Wednesday night against the Philadelphia 76ers. Even if him and Zeller both start the game, they may both find themselves sitting for the majority of the second half, like Zeller predominantly did last season. But Lee’s a great scorer and rebounder who’s an excellent passer as well. We also know that he’ll definitely see more minutes this season than last year, even with the C’s depth.

Honorable Mention: Evan Turner

It looks like Turner’s not going to be starting this season, according to the Boston Globe’s Gary Washburn, so his minutes may take a steep drop. However, if Smart proves too inconsistent of a distributor, Turner will find himself back in the lineup, and thus, back to posting triple-doubles (in which he tied for third last year with three).

Next: Expect R.J. Hunter To Play Regular Minutes This Season

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