21-30 Player Rankings

Ok, 20 down…however many that I decide left. With the season opener in less then a week, lets try and rank some more players.

21. Tony Parker: Last season was truly a banner year for him setting career highs in a number of categories. If you want great FG%, good scoring and free throws he is the man. With the added firepower on his team he may not have to shoulder such a scoring load but maybe his assists will rise.

Projection: 20 ppg, 3 rpg, 7.4 apg, 52 FG%, 29 3P%, 78% FT.

22. Al Jefferson: The only 23-11 guy in the NBA last season before tearing his ACL. If it wasn’t for that he would probably be a top 12 pick. Hopefully he doesn’t take to long to rediscover his form of last season. Another thing that was keeping him out of the elite are his contributions in AST and STL categories.

Projection: 22.5 ppg, 12 rpg 1.6 apg,, 50 FG%, 73% FT, 1.7 bpg.

23. David West: This guy should give Chris Paul 15% of his salary, it’s the only reason he is ranked this high. Coming of back to back all star appearances D-West looks like a sexy pick and may be overvalued. I wouldn’t take him before here. It would also be fantastic if he could break the 50 FG% barrier with Paul getting him all those shots. Take him for what he is 21-8.

Projection: 21.5 ppg, 8 rpg, 2 apg, 47 FG%, 88% FT, 0.8 bpg.

24. Steve Nash: After last season’s nightmarish first half where he had to WALK the ball up the court Nash is happy again after last seasons second half fantasy charge. Happy enough that he willingly gave up a chance at a championship to stay in Phoenix, but that’s another story. Look for Nash to start pumping out the ROTO numbers again, one small concern: minutes. He is 35 but Phoenix knows that for them to have any chance at making the playoffs Nash is going to have to play and produce big.

Projection: 16.5 ppg, 10.5 apg, 3 rpg, 50 FG%, 44 3P%, 93% FT.

25. Joe Johnson: A very consistent player who, if he can avoid another slow start, could add another 2-3 ppg to his totals. JJ also will be able to join the free agent class next year so definitely expect him to showcase his skills in his contract year.

Projection: 22 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 6 apg, 45 FG%, 36 3P%, 82% FT.

26. Antawn Jamison: Last season without Agent Zero, Jamison put up 22.2 ppg. Expect that number to be lower now that Arenas is back, Foye and Miller are on the team, and Caron Butler is still there. If he maintains his RPG ,and FG% of last season that is enough to justify this ranking.

Projection: 19 ppg, 9.5 rpg, 2 apg, 47 FG%, 35 3P%, 76% FT.

27. Josh Smith: just a confusing player. Shot a career best 49.2% last season, while still throwing up an abominable number of 3 pointers and not making many. The rest of his game went to hell. This just proves the point that you can only get by on athleticism for so long, you eventually have to compensate with some skill.

Projection: 15.5 ppg, 7 rpg, 2.5 apg, 48 FG%, 28 3P%, 58% FT 1.5 bpg.

28. Caron Butler: Another casualty of Arenas returning. Last season averaged 20.8 ppg 6.7 rpg while basically doing everything for this team. It is logical to guess that his scoring will go down but with the increase in attention drawn by other players, maybe those shooting percentages will rise.

Projection: 19.5 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 4.4 apg, 47 FG%, 33 3P%, 86% FT.

29. Ben Gordon: A tricky pick due to the logjam in the backcourt in Detroit. However as a starter or sixth man pencil in Gordon for 22 ppg, lots of 3s, and not much else. For Gordon to truly be a fantasy commodity he must become a more well rounded player.

Projection: 22 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 3.4 apg, 46 FG%, 40 3P%, 87% FT.

30. Carlos Boozer: I have no idea where he will finish the season but I do know this, when healthy the man is a lock for 20-10. Jerry Sloan said that in respect to the Boozer-Millsap situation that the best player will get the bulk of the minutes. That should provide some incentive for Boozer to show his worth.

Projection: 20.5 ppg, 10 rpg, 2.1 apg, 50 FG%, 70% FT, 0.5 bpg.