The first five weeks of the NBA season have been filled with high-quality basketball, extraordinary individual performances, and pure excitement. In turn, the fantasy basketball season is proving to be enjoyable as well. While players like Anthony Davis and Giannis Antetokounmpo have lived up to their expectations, others like Karl-Anthony Towns and Donovan Mitchell have not proven their potential nor produced the strong numbers they’ve had in the past. There have also been plenty of surprises such as Nikola Vucevic and Kemba Walker as they continue to register more than 40 fantasy points per game. Here’s a total breakdown of the top fantasy players thus far:
The Top 5:
1. Anthony Davis
“The Brow” has been unstoppable thus far, leading the Pelicans which as a team has shown glimpses of its true potential. AD was expected to lead the league along with Antetokounmpo in fantasy points, but he has shown to be the better of the two thus far. While he lacks the versatility of Antetokounmpo, Davis has been efficient and averages 27.5 PPG, 12.4 RPG, and 4.9 APG.
2. Joel Embiid
Embiid has been a bit of a surprise this season. While Embiid has always shown great promise, injuries have plagued his young career. Nonetheless, “The Process” has been a monster so far this season. Although Embiid is dealing with minor injuries at the moment, he has been able to play through them and continues to be one of the best players in the league at the moment as he averages 27.9 PPG and 13.1 RPG. He will definitely be an MVP candidate if he continues to produce such strong numbers. Trust the process.
3. Giannis Antetokounmpo
Like Davis and Embiid, “The Greek Freak” has been also phenomenal this year. There isn’t much that separates the three, but Antetokounmpo’s numbers have just been slightly below Davis and Embiid. Nonetheless, Antetokounmpo is a versatile, all-around player, averaging 25.9 PPG, 12.7 RPG, and 5.5 APG.
4. Lebron James
LAbron wasn’t expected to have the season he is having right now. However, Lebron is Lebron. It doesn’t matter what team he is on, Lebron will be the leader every team needs. Carrying a young Lakers team, Lebron has averaged 28.8 PPG, 7.7 RPG, and 6.9 APG. At the age of 33, he’s having one of his best seasons in recent years. He’s aging better than fine wine.
5. Blake Griffin
Surprise, surprise. Yes, Blake Griffin doesn’t seem like an obvious candidate for a top five player in the NBA. Westbrook, Durant, and Harden could all arguably replace him. But, this isn’t the same Blake Griffin. This is Blake Griffin 2.0. Griffin has improved his shot tremendously and is looking like more than a showboating dunker. He’s been putting up solid numbers (24.3 PPG, 10.4 RPG, and 4.9 APG) and has quietly led the Pistons to 5th in the Eastern Conference.
Honorable Mentions
1. Kemba Walker
Kemba has been heating up recently as he put up a 60-point performance a few nights ago. While Kemba has always been a phenomenal player, it seems like this will be his best season as he is averaging 29.6 PPG and 6.1 APG. Kemba has been fun to watch and can lead the Hornets to the playoffs this year.
2. James Harden
Harden is producing solid numbers this season, averaging more than 50 fantasy points per game. However, he has been a bit underwhelming compared to last season. Moreover, Harden has already dealt with a small injury early on this season, and the Rockets have been one of the most lackluster and disappointing teams (Melo is not the problem by the way). It’s difficult to say that Harden is the same player as he was last season, but he still deserves an honorable mention as one of the best players in the league.
3. Steph Curry
One thing is for sure when it comes to the Warriors: Curry > Durant. While some may argue that Durant deserves to be mentioned as an honorable mention at least, I believe Curry has proven to be the better player. The Warriors have dropped four out of their last five games without Curry, and Durant has not made up for Curry’s absence. And in terms of Curry’s numbers, Curry has averaged 29.5 PPG and shot just under 50% from beyond the arc. Curry has been simply unreal, so hopefully, his current groin injury will not be reoccurring this season.