ESPN recently released its list of the top 150 fantasy basketball players in H2H (head-to-head) leagues — a list that included several Portland Trail Blazers players.
Unsurprisingly, Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama, and Sacramento Kings center Domantas Sabonis rounded out the top five.
Perhaps, what is more surprising is where Blazers players landed on this list. Let’s take a look…
No. 104: Deni Avdija
Avdija came to Portland on a draft-day deal with the Washington Wizards. The Blazers traded veteran Malcolm Brogdon plus draft capital for the young Israeli wing. Although Avdija’s raw per-game numbers (12 points, 6 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 41.7 % from the field) have shrunk this season from last, his impact on the court has no less been a key part of the Blazers’ improvement. Deni just missed out on making ESPN’s top 100, landing between No. 103 Cameron Johnson (Brooklyn) and No. 105 Kyle Kuzma (Washington).
No. 108: Anfernee Simons
Like Avdija, Simons’ stats have also decreased from a year ago. This season he is averaging 16.7 points and 4.4 assists per game on 33.1 % shooting from three. Yet still, despite his early struggles, Simons has proven capable of still popping off occasionally for microwave scoring nights, encapsulated by his 24-point third quarter against the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday.
No. 115: Deandre Ayton
Ayton entered this season with some momentum following a strong finish to his first campaign with the Blazers. After being the No. 1 overall pick in 2018, the Phoenix Suns jettisoned him to the Blazers in the now-famous three-team trade involving Damian Lillard. He has always been marked as an underachiever — a player who, on the surface, puts up solid numbers, but never has quite reached his full potential. Critics have long believed he has the ability to do even better. This season, Ayton is averaging 14.8 points and 9.8 rebounds per game on 56.4% shooting from the field. Not bad. But not good enough, according to ESPN, to outrank the likes of No. 113 Nic Claxton (Brooklyn) or No. 114 Jabari Smith, Jr. (Houston).
No. 119: Jerami Grant
Grant is a veteran on this young Blazers team who provides steady and reliable leadership on and off the court. He is averaging 15.8 points and 3.5 rebounds on 38.6/35.8/81.7 shooting splits. ESPN lists No. 118 Ayo Dosunmu (Chicago), and No. 117 Terry Rozier (Miami) just ahead of Grant. On the surface, it seems that Grant isn’t given credit here where credit is due, though his lack of assists and rebounding isn’t particularly suited for fantasy basketball metrics. He is making 40.5% of his three-point attempts over his last 10 games, a stat not to be trifled with.
Thoughts?
So what do you think? Did ESPN do a fair job ranking Blazers players on this list? Did any of it catch you off guard? In your opinion is there another Portland player that deserves being mentioned in the top 150? Let us know in the comments section below!
