How The New Players On The Warriors Have To Change

By Keith Allison from Owings Mills, USA - Kevin Durant, CC BY-SA 2.0, Link

A team doesn't just win 73 games by being amazing players. They win because of their offense and defense. They win by doing what works. But when new players come in, things can change. Here's how guys like Kevin Durant and Zaza Pachulia must adapt to the Warriors offense.

Last year, the Warriors lead the league in points coming off an off-ball screen with 1139 points that season. The Thunder on the other had were 17th with only 411 of their points coming off of off-ball screens. Durant is going to have to get used to always coming off of screens. It's not about just getting open, it's about getting in  the best position to score right off of the screen. The Warriors are always moving, and Steve Kerr wants to cut down in isolation this year. KD needs to be moving all the time. In fact, the Warriors also lead the league in points off of cuts with 1225 points. OKC had 892. To get these wide open looks, isn't a talent thing, it's a movement thing. The whole team gets points by players cutting, something that KD has to get used to.

Zaza has to get used to playing more high post. The Dallas Mavericks last year had an offense that really revolved around the low post. The Warriors were at the bottom in those terms. Andrew Bogut and the other bigs for the Warriors started up top behind the three point line, made a pass, then would go to set a screen for someone to come back up to the top, cut, set a ball screen and then roll. There was very little posting up for the big men in that offense. Zaza isn't going to be able to camp out in the paint this year. He's going to be moving and moving. He will also have to learn how to work the high post like Bogut was able to. Bogut did a lot of work in the high post hitting cutters and doing hand offs. Players would curl off him and he would hand off the ball for wide open layups. The Warriors loved to keep the paint open for baseline cutters so Zaza's going to have to learn how to play outside the paint.

The Warriors' most deadly lineup last year was their small ball lineup. The reason why this lineup was so successful was because of cutting and passing. KD is going to have to learn that it isn't about getting off good shots, it's about getting off the best shot possible. Draymond's ability to move at the 5 made it tough for the big to help on guys like Curry and Thompson, but get back onto Draymond. This made it easier for guys to cut and get to the rim. It also made it so the baseline was open a lot. They'd have most of the offense working behind the 3 point line which would make it easy for cutters to come in baseline. There was very little isolation in this lineup and lots of passing and cutting, something that KD isn't that used to. The bigs are his friends, they are going to get him open, and he's going to have to help them by moving and hitting them while they are moving.


It's not just the new players that have to adapt though. Curry is going to have to realize he can't go into isolation as much. But KD is on a totally new team with a totally different offense, and him and Zaza have some changes to make.

Spurs VS Thunder (Game 4)

Series Tied 2-2

You couldn't stop KD. You just couldn't. 41 points. The Spurs had no answer for what he brought last night. They might not have been able to stop Kevin Durant, but could they have stopped the Thunder? That's the real question.

I think that the Spurs did a great job defensively on Russell Westbrook. They really defended him well in transition. The mistake that they made was that they didn't defend the other guys well. The pick and roll with Adams and Westbrook really killed this team. Westbrook was always looking for the open guys and the Spurs were always helping off way to much. They challenged Adams and Waiters, and both of these players delivered.

The Spurs also didn't seem to play Spurs basketball offensively. The team only had 12 assists in the game. Kawhi and Aldridge were isolated a lot. Danny Green rarely touched the ball which who is a huge part of the Spurs offense. He only got 33 touches on the night. He never really got off a good shot. Their team was just not playing like they usually do for whatever reason and the Thunder thrived off of it.

Besides that, Tony Parker played really good for the team. He seems to be destroying Westbrook who is yet to step up on defense. Westbrook seems to be very lazy on defense still. He doesn't want to stop Parker and is acting like he isn't a threat.

Anyways, Gregg Popovich just said that Durant had a good game and he didn't have any comments really about went wrong but I positive that he knows what his team must fix to win game 5 at home. Let's also not forget that Spurs still have home court advantage. The Thunder also played great so give some credit to them. If they continue to play like this, they are going to be tough to beat.

Spurs VS Thunder (Game 2)

Series Tied 1-1

You could say this game came down to the last play. Maybe Popovich should have called time out. Maybe there should have been a foul called on the inbounds. Maybe Patty Mills shouldn't of shot that 3. Anything could have happened. But more importantly, it was too close of a game for either game to like.

Let's start by saying that the Thunder played great defense. They looked like they actually wanted to win. Durant did a great job of rotating and guarding Kawhi. Tim Duncan was brutal in this game because of the great defense from Serge Ibaka and Steven Adams. The Thunder had the effort that they didn't have in game 1. They were defensively sound.

The Thunder's offense was really fluid. Kevin Durant is my player of the game. Not only was he great defensively, but he scored on Kawhi Leonard at will, and he did it efficiently. He had 28 points in the game. Russell Westbrook was finding players and rebounding as usual as he had 29 points in the game. The Thunder were just hard to beat.

Even though the Thunder had a good game, the Spurs lost by 1 points. A basket would have won the game. Let's face it, the Spurs just had a bad game, yet they still were so close to winning. The Thunder had 18 turnovers in the game. This hurt them as the Spurs had 24 points off turnovers. The Thunder need to cut that down. They also can't let LaMarcus Aldridge get 41 points. He is too talented of a player and he has carried a team before. You can't let this guy be that efficient.

I really enjoyed this game despite the controversy about some of the no-call towards the end of the game. The Thunder need to make some adjustments because the Spurs won't continue to shoot like this. That just isn't them.

Thunder VS Mavericks (Game 4)

Thunder Lead Series 3-1

This was a very testy game. You can tell that the Mavericks will to compete is really getting under the Thunder's skin. This caused for multiple technicals on the Thunder and Durant to be ejected with a flagrant 2. This could mean Durant might have to sit out of game 5. That would be the Mavericks best chance to steal another game.

The Mavericks played like they were the better team. They fought and every time the Thunder would make a push, the Mavs would come right back. The Mavs shot 51.8% on the game. They got some great looks at the basket with their pick and roll and kickout looks. Raymond Felton was at the heart of this. He did a great job finding open players as he had 11 assists but also did a great job finding openings and scoring at the right time as he also had 19 points on the night. Dirk was a big part of that pick and roll. He had 27 points on the night.

The Mavs did a great job guarding Westbrook and Durant, but they were so focused on them that the other guys carried the team. Ibaka had 16 points, Steven Adams had 14, Dion Waiters had 12, and Kanter had 28. Kanter was also 12-13 from the floor. All of these guys shot very efficiently while Westbrook and Durant had their shooting woes. The Mavs have a hard task of guarding the Thunder, but Kanter can't be shooting 12-13. They also can't let the Thunder get 60 points in the paint. You could tell the Mavs were trying, they just weren't always fundamentally sound on defense though.

A big part of there loss was J.J. Barea's inability to hit shots. He was such a big part of their offense in game 3, but in game 4 he shot 0-7 from the floor with 6 assists. He seemed very passive when he was in the paint almost always looking to pass off. If Barea played better, I have to think that this would have been a much different game.

Justin Anderson was the guy that really caught my eye. He had 10 points and 7 rebounds off the bench. You could tell he wanted the ball and he wanted to win. He did a great job and put in the effort.

If Kevin Durant is out the next game, and the Mavericks show the same heart and effort, they have a good chance at winning that game. They have a few things that they could fix up. Game 5 will be a great competitive one as the whole series has been.

Thunder VS Maverick (Game 3)

Thunder Lead Series 2-1

The Mavs looks great in this game despite loosing by 29 points. The Thunder just looked even better. This was really anyone's game til the 4th quarter, which is the Thunder just finally pulled away from the Mavs. The Thunder shot over 60% from the field and from 3 in the fourth quarter, giving the Mavs no chance to catch up.

I was very impressed by the Mavs guard play. J.J. Barea looked great in his return. He had 15 points and 7 assists. Raymond Felton also had 18 points. They were just great offensively, but they were great defensively as they were very physical. Westbrook shot only 4-9 in the paint. Also, Westbrook didn't get 1 rebounds in the game. This was the first time this has ever happened to Westbrook in the playoffs and only the 7th time in his career where he didn't record 1 rebound in a game. Westbrook also had 6 turnovers in the game.

Durant was defended really well. While he had 33 points, most of them were free throws. Durant only shot 8-22 on contested field goals and only had 3 uncontested field goals in which he made all of them. It really the bigs for Dallas that didn't do a great job defending the rim. Dirk was their best big man defender and the bench really hurt them when Barea and Dirk were out of the game. If they played the whole game, Dallas would have theoretically lost by 3 points. Big difference. Barea and Dirk in pick and roll were so great. They dominated the floor and sent Dallas on some big runs during the game. They will be a crucial part of this series if it is going to be pushed to a game 7.

I though OKC was very comfortable in moving the ball around and finding open players unlike in game 2. Dion Waiters and Serge Ibaka had a combined 35 points and Kanter had 21 points to add to that as well which really took the pressure off Westbrook and KD a little bit. They looked very comfortable on offense but on defense they need to figure out a way to stop the Barea and Dirk pick and roll because it's killing them. 

Thunder VS Mavericks (Game 1)

Thunder Lead Series 1-0

Last game of the night, and the Thunder were full of energy. You could tell that they were so excited to be back in the mix after they didn't make the playoffs last year. On the other hand, the poor Mavericks are having a very tough time matching up with this Thunder team. They were blown out by a total of 38 points. So here is really why the Mavs had such a tough game.

The Mavericks couldn't guard Westbrook in the paint. The main fault lies on Dirk. If Westbrook was in there, you could almost always mark it down as 2 points, Dirk was just too slow. Also, Wesley Matthews can not guard Kevin Durant. KD is way too tall and really took it at Matthews all night long. And that is the problem, they have no one to guard KD and Westbrook. The best defender they have to guard Westbrook is Raymond Felton. Westbrook would just blow by Deron Williams.

A big thing that limited Dallas's scoring was OKC's defense. Their pick and roll defense was amazing! Steven Adams did a great job in it whether he was guarding the roll man or he was help side. All of the rotations were on time. Serge Ibaka and Russell Westbrook also did a great job and so did Roberson. They all were on the same page defensively. Dallas was forced to take a ton of tough shots in the paint and from mid-range. The team only shot 29.8% from the field, 22.2% from 3, and 61.5% from the FT line.

What Dallas really needs is more guard play. It was really limited from them. J.J. Barea, who is now injured, only had 2 points, he shot 1-6 from the field. Deron Williams finished the game with 2 points, he shot 1-9. Raymond Felton shot 2-10 from the field, however, he did have 7 points. As you can see, these guy need to produce. Dallas can not win without them.

And last, Dallas got out rebounded badly. The Mavs had a total of 33 rebounds. OKC had 56. Dallas also had 0 blocks in the game. You can tell what that says about their big. I think, if you are Dallas, you have to have JaVale McGee out there to protect the rim and grab board. That is all he has to really do. That and be open for lobs to open up the floor. Mejri did not work out and you a guy who can protect the paint because Dirk can't. Not to mention, JaVale was the only player on the Mavs to have a positive +/- advantage. He needs to be a part of the rotation.

Is Russell Westbrook Is Better Than LeBron James?

"Russell Westbrook shoots against Cavs (cropped)" by Erik Drost from United States - Russell Westbrook. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Commons.

Both Russell Westbrook and LeBron James are athletic all-star players at their positions. Both of these players are given a lot of hype due to the teams that they play for and their fan base. However, if someone was to ask who was the better player, chances are that most people would say LeBron James as most people call him "the best player in the world". Lot's of people would say it's unfair to argue which one is the better player since they both play 2 different positions but both of these player have the same style of play. Not to mention that James is handed the Point Guard role most of the time. So which one is better, Let's dive into the stats to find out.

Lets' start out by looking at their scoring abilities. They are about the same, James averages 25.8 ppg while Westbrook averages 25.5. Can you really say that LeBron is the better scorer though? No. Westbrook is a second option on his team to start with, LeBron is the first option. We saw last year what Westbrook can do as the first option; it's scary. It is impressive that Westbrook can average those numbers with a guy who averages 26.5 PPG.

While these two are similar in their numbers for scoring, they both score in the same ways as well. By getting to the rim. However, Westbrook does spread out his scoring more. 53.6% of LeBron's points come from the paint while only 42.6% of Westbrook's comes from the paint. While you think both of these guys just take layups all game, you are actually wrong on that. While LeBron shoots layups more than any other shot, you may be surprised that Westbrook shoots more jump-shots than he does layups. Now you are probably saying that I'm crazy, but Westbrook has made 163 jumpshots and only 130 layups. Now, you could include dunks in this but if you included bank shots also, then Westbrook still has more jumpshots. The reason why is because Westbrook takes tons of pull-up jumpers, and he hits them at a pretty good percentage (comparing them to his other percentages). He shoots 50% on pull-up jumpers and 34.7% on 3-pointer pull-up jumpers. He has made 78 pull-up jumpers this season, so I'd say he should keep shooting pull-up jumpers.

Both of these guys have about the same shooting numbers as well, Westbrook shoots 45.8% from the field while LeBron shoots 50.1% from the field. Both of those players also shoot very poorly outside the paint and beyond the 3-point line. Westbrook is only shooting 30.4 from three point land while LeBron is shooting an even lower percentage of 28.8% (he has seemed to be shooting a lot better of late though). Russell Westbrook is clearly the better Free Throw shooter though, which has never really been LeBron's best thing. Westbrook shoots a pretty good 83.1% while LeBron shoots 71.7%.

Now, what do these guys do besides scoring. LeBron doesn't have the reputation of being one of the best players in the league just because of his scoring, because in that case, James Harden would be the best in the league right now. LeBron is well known for his rebounding and passing along with his overrated defense. Let's compare LeBron's numbers to Westbrook's.

Russell Westbrook is a 6-3 guard. LeBron James is a 6-8 forward. Westbrook somehow is averaging 7 rebounds while LeBron is still averaging a great 7.4 rebounds. Both of these numbers are great, but Westbrook is 6-3. That is shorter than Troy Daniels, Matthew Dellavedova, and Ricky Rubio, and he is averaging 7 rebounds. LeBron is still averaging great rebounding numbers, but Westbrook's are astounding. In fact, Russell Westbrook leads all guards in rebounding this season, and that includes guys like Nicolas Batum (who should be listed as a forward, but plays the guard position this season).

Not only that, but while Westbrook is averaging over 25 points, he is averaging 9.5 assists as well. LeBron averages 6. That is still a good number, but 9.5 is a great number, especially when you are averaging over 25 points.

Defensively, who is the better player? Russell Westbrook averages 2.5 steals to LeBron's 1.5. LeBron has Westbrook in blocks, but not by a lot as it is only a difference of 0.5 and neither of them average over a block. Both of these guys aren't great defensive players, mainly because most of their effort is contributed to offense, however, Westbrook seems to put in more effort on defense. However, defense is more than just getting steals and blocks. In PnR, LeBron is the better defensive player by far. Same with Isolation. The better on-ball defender is probably LeBron, while the better off-ball defender is most likely Westbrook.

As you can see, both player are very talented and are very similar in there style of play. To me, Russell Westbrook is the better player, but it is really close. They're really close in numbers which does make it hard to see which one is better, but considering that Westbrook is the number 2 option while LeBron is the number 1 option, Westbrook seems to average great numbers still.

So next time you are comparing LeBron to Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant as the best player in the league, add Westbrook in there. Most people say he is overrated (which is somewhat true) but he IS underrated compared to LeBron. Which one is the better player is a close call and you can make a case for either one.

Is Bradley Beal Worth Max Money?

"Bradley Beal Austin Rivers" by Keith Allison - Flickr: Bradley Beal. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Commons.

Bradley Beal is one of the best young guards in this league. He is merely 22 years old and is on the cusp of receiving a huge raise. He has the talent to be a top 5 Shooting Guard in this league. His shooting ability is on par with the best of shooters. He has the athleticism to beat a guy off the dribble. He has the clutch gene that makes you guard him in the 4th quarter. He has the intangibles to potentially be an All-Star. So what holds him back from being a star?

Injuries

 He is trying to do his best this season but he can't do that if he isn't on the floor.The biggest issue with Bradley Beal is his inability to stay on the court. His body is entirely made out of glass and is very fragile. I am not saying this in any rude tone whatsoever as its not his fault either. There is nothing he  can do except try to come back healthy and prepare himself more before games. 

He has not played a full season yet in his NBA career. In his first season, he played a total of 56 before getting hammered with ankle injury after ankle injury after ankle injury. The series of injuries started when he collided with his teammate, Nene, in a game vs 76ers on March 3rd, 2013. He was basically out for the season as he only played in 5 out of the next 24 games. He missed out on some key experience during that summer as the Wizards training staff didn't clear him to play in the Team USA camp or the Summer league. 

"Bradley Beal Amar'e Stoudemire" by Keith Allison - Flickr: Bradley Beal, Amar'e Stoudemire. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Commons

The following season, Beal missed nine games of the season due to a stress reaction. He returned vs New York Knicks in Madison Square Garden where he came up clutch and won the game for the Wizards, being called "Blue Magic" because of his performance. He played in limited role for a couple of months before being cleared to play full time. He was able to play through the season and the playoffs in his second season. 

In October of 2014, Beal underwent an MRI that showed a fracture of a bone in his left wrist, which would require surgery. That surgery would also cause him to miss the first 9 games of the season. After making his debut, he went on to play 42 consecutive games until February 5th where he hurt his big toe and, after going through multiple tests, he had another stress reaction in his right fibula.  Beal returned after missing 8 games and played the rest of the season injury-free!

In the 2015-16 NBA season, Beal got off to a fantastic start but the same old nemesis came to say hello as he went down with multiple injuries. He has missed 9 games already this season. Let's hope he can stay healthy for the rest of the season. 

So what makes him max money worthy?

His nickname fits because he is literally the Real Deal when it comes to on-court ability. He has always been a knock down shooter as he has shot over 38% from three in all of his seasons. His contribution in other aspects on the game is also improving at a rapid pace. He also seems to have a knack for showing up for big games. He turns it to another level when necessary. 

The 2015 playoffs alone proved his value as an elite Shooting Guard in the league. He was definitely a top 10 player in the playoffs because of his leadership of the team while John Wall was out. He had very solid numbers, too, as he averaged 23.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.6 assists, along with 1.6 steals.

Conclusion

He has not proven enough to earn a max contract (especially when the cap rises) but that doesn't rule out the fact that he can still earn a max contract. The 2015-16 season is not yet over and there is still a lot of basketball to play. The Wizards held back on giving Beal a max extension last summer simply because they are a contender in the Kevin Durant sweepstakes.

The perfect scenario for Beal is if he gets traded to a solid playoff team. That would ease off the pressure a little bit and also give him a chance to regroup and come back stronger than ever. That would be the best case scenario but the worst case scenario seems to be in he gets traded in a deal for DeMarcus Cousins. He would be entering a situation of chaos where he would be the focal point of the team because Rondo sure isn't droppin' 20 a night. That pressure could ruin his career.

NBA Inside The Player Of The Week (Dec. 8-14)

KD is not nice. He is just a mean person. Especially this week. He came out and completely dominated to help his team win every game this week. Let's take a look at KD's game this week, shall we?

This week, Durant averaged 27.3 PPG. For Durant, they aren't overly impressive. What was amazing about this is that Durant averaged only 15 shots per game. He shot so well from the field. He shot 60% from the field, 47.4 % from the 3-point line, and 96.3% from FT. Not only that, but Durant just completely took the team on his shoulders as 54% of his shots were Durant unassisted. That is a lot of isolation. That hasn't been the case for the season, however. In fact, this season, Durant has actually had more assisted shots than unassisted.

Lots of players have one talent and that is scoring. Not Durant. He is a player that can do more than score. Durant was just crashing the boards this week, grabbing 8.8 rebounds per game. He has 2 double-doubles this week.

The other reason why Durant won this weekly award is because he was very unselfish. He averaged 6.3 assists this week. When you can get everyone else involved in the offense and still average 27 points at the SF position, that is impressive. And Durant did it in an efficient way, only averaging 3.5 turnovers. In fact, OKC committed the second least amount of turnovers in the entire league over the last 4 games.

Durant has also played great on defense. The Thunder had a defensive rating of 98.1 this week. The Thunder actually had the 2nd best net rating this week. Durant this week averaged 1.8 steals and 0.5 blocks. The Thunder themselves only allowed 16.5 assists per game from their opponent this week. That is the best in the league. They also only allowed 92.5 PPG from their opponent this week. That is great defense from an offensive Thunder team, and Durant is at the heart of it.

Durant played really great this week as he was lights out on shooting the basketball. He had shown that he was great without the ball as he was with it. That is why Durant is you NBA Inside The Player Of The Week. Congradulations Kevin Durant on winning the NBA Inside The Player Of The Week Award. He was clearly had a great impact for his team and helped them win all 4 of their games this week.

Thunder VS Magic: A Double Overtime Story

This game was a double overtime thriller with ton of clutch shots by multiple players. Everybody seemed to be hitting shots and it seemed like some players just couldn't miss. At the end of the 4th, Kevin Durant hit a 3-pointer that ties up the game. Then Victor Oladipo hit a 3 to put them up. With only 3.9 seconds left. The shot was really impressive as he drove and then stepped-back to hit the open shot. So with 3.9 seconds and no timeouts left, Russell Westbrook hits a bank shot in between halfcourt and the 3 point line to put the game into overtime. There were many more plays that went into overtime, but this to me was the best part of the game.

Victor Oladipo Is An All-Star
Last night, Victor Oladipo had a triple-double. His 21 points, 10 assists, 13 rebounds, 1 block, and 3 steals really helped any fantasy owners that owned him. While he racked up so many stats and hit so many big shots, he only shot 29.6% from the field, and 30% from deep. He really needs to shoot better from the field if the Magic expect to win a lot of games. Despite Oladipo's great performance, I think his shooting was the main reason why they lost this game. However, if Oladipo continues to put up these great numbers, I do see him making the all-star team this season.

Kevin Durant Is Back!
KD was looking great. This game, he didn't have Kawhi Leonard blocking and contesting his shots, and Durant was knocking tons of shots down. He had 43 points on 15-30 shooting on the night and 10-11 on free throws. He also did really well on the boards, getting 12 rebounds, and he really showed off his defense as he had 2 blocks and 1 steal. It was clear that he was the difference maker in that game and lead his team in that comeback as he fought alongside...

Russell Westbrook!
Westbrook did really well in the game as he had 48 points, 8 assists, and 11 rebounds. What did Westbrook do that really helped this Thunder team? He did great on the offensive rebounds. His 5 offensive rebounds were great and really helped the team. The whole team was on the offensive rebounds though. The team had a total of 22 offensive rebounds. One thing concerning about Westbrook last year was his shooting. He really took good shots in this game and shot 47.2% in this game. However, his 3-point shooting could improve as he shot 1-5 from deep. The other thing is Westbrook's turnovers. He had 6 turnovers in the game and that is something he can also improve on.

How About Them Magic Starter Kids?
The starting 5 for the Magic really played well. They had a combined total of 113 points. 4 of the starters had over 20 points. That is pretty impressive. They really had a great night, especially Tobias Harris 30 points and 9 rebounds. I was very impressed by this starting 5 and I expect them to have a great season. If there is an exciting team to watch this season, it is going to be the Magic. So far I haven't been disappointed by this team.

Other Points

• The Thunder were a little disappointing with the fact that they only had 19 assists on their 139 points. Hopefully we see some more assists in more games to come.
• Aaron Gordon had a nice performance off the bench with 15 points. Gordon will be a big key to Orlando's success this season.
• D.J. Augustin had 12 points and 5 assists off the bench and was a big part of that comeback run. It was really nice to see someone other than Durant or Westbrook contributing to the team.
• The Thunder really had a big advantage on the boards as they had 62 rebounds, versus the Magic's 49 rebounds. If the Thunder continue to crash the boards like that, they are going to have lots of success.
• Durant and Westbrook had a combined total 91 points. While their performances were great, the rest of the team really needs to get involved. I would like to see more from Ibaka who had an under performance of 8 points.

This was a great game and I'm excited to see more from both teams in future games. This was a very entertaining game and these are the game I love to watch.

Fantasy Friday: Small Forwards

Small Forwards can be great players to have on your team. If you remember, there were actually 3 Small Forwards starting for the East in the 2014 All-star game. There are a lot of great Small Forwards and you must pick them wisely. Hopefully, this article with help you with that problem. So without further ado, here are the top ten NBA fantasy Small Forwards for the 2015-16 season.

10. Luol Deng: This man is slowing down. No doubt. But he will be a big influence on the upcoming season for the Heat. What does he have to offer you say? Maybe a steal or an assist? Well, he will give you about 5 RPG and 14 PPG. That's it? Well, he is a good shot selection. He will give you about 35% from three. But the main thing is he shoots a high FG%. Really high. Infact, he has a FG% of 46.9% and shoots over 50% from inside the three point line. This veteran player will give you some scoring and great shot selection.

9. Nicolas Batum: He had an off-season last year but I expect him to get back on track with his new team. You might say that Batum is getting too old but the fact is that he is only 28 and if Batum was going to have a breakout season, this would be the season. Last year he dipped down to 9.4 PPG after he averaged over 13 the year before, scaring fantasy owners. But with a change of scenery, Batum could be a great fantasy player seeming that he is a great rebounds and can pass the ball well. Not only that, he is a great defender with his length. Batum would be a great guy to pick up for your fantasy team.

8. Chandler Parsons: Parsons is going into only his 5th season in the NBA. He averaged over 15 PPG last season and I wouldn't be surprised if he raised that this upcoming season. Let's face it, Dirk is getting old, and he can't keep taking on this big scoring load, someone is going to have to take a little weight off. And Parsons is the man. He will provide few turnovers and will give you great shooting.  Parsons is a great offensive player and would be a great addition to your team.

7. Gordon Hayward: He is perhaps the best player that is not yet an all-star. He averaged 19.3 PPG last season and he lead his team in a great second half of the season run. Hayward is most likely going to be snubbed in your fantasy draft so pick him up now!

6. Andrew Wiggins: After almost averaging 17 PPG last season in his rookie campaign, Wiggins is looking to make the all-star team this season as the game will be held in his native homeland, Canada. Wiggins was a dominant figure on offense last season for the Timberwolves but he also was a big help on defense, taking on big guys like James Harden and LeBron James. He proved he could guard them both, blocking both of them when the Wolves played them. Wiggins will provide some defense but will bring a boat load of offense to whoever has him.

5. Kawhi Leonard: Averaging 16.5 PPG last season for the Spurs, Kawhi proved why he was the 2014 Finals MVP. He had shown that he could score well and this next year, he is looking for his first all-star appearance. However, it isn't Kawhi's scoring that makes him stand out to fantasy owners. Kawhi averaged 7.5 RPG, 2.5 APG, 0.8 Blocks, and 2.3 Steals while only averaging 1.5 Turnovers last season. If he improves even more next season, expect Kawhi to be one of the ultimate fantasy players.

4. Carmelo Anthony: When Injuries struck last season, Carmelo went down and averaged only 24.2 PPG. Carmelo is now 31. He is obviously on the decline. While he will give you scoring and rebounding, his numbers will most likely start to drop. Another thing is if he can stay healthy. His health has proved to be questionable every year. That is why I put him at 4.

3. Rudy Gay: He averaged a career high of 21.1 PPG last season and I expect it to get even higher this next season. Gay is a great Defensive player that will also help a little in the assist and rebound department. Unlike LeBron James though, Rudy Gay is a great shooter. He is going to give you threes and will do a lot of scoring. Scoring is Gay's main category. If you need a scorer, Gay will show you the way.

2. LeBron James: He averaged 25.3 PPG, 7.4 APG, 6 RPG, and 1.6 steals last season, LeBron is a stat machine. However, he will hurt you in turnovers and shooting. To be fair, LeBron is not the best shooter and that is the main reason why he is not the best Small Forwards in fantasy. However, he is a really great player to have on your fantasy team. Most likely he will be taken very early on though, so I don't think you will be able to get him at a good position.

1. Kevin Durant: KD is not nice. Leading the league in score for 3 consecutive years is not nice. Shooting way above average from FG, 3, and FT is not nice. Being an above average defender and averaging 1.2 steals and 1 block over his career is not nice. Being a great overall player by averaging 3.5 APG and 7 RPG over his career is not nice. KD may have injured last season, but in all of his other seasons, KD never missed more than 8 games. That's not nice. Let's face it KD is not a nice player... Unless he is on your fantasy team. 

So, are you going to listen too me. I don't know. I honestly don't care how you run your fantasy team. I'm just trying to help. You might choose Andre Iguogala as your first pick. I would say that is a stupid decision, then with my luck, Iggy would have a 24 PPG, 9 RPG, 6 APG, 1.6 Blocks, and 2.3 steals per game season. Then you would tell me I was wrong and I would feel like an idiot. So, I'm just going to save the time and just not even care how you run your fantasy team and let you do what you want. These are just who I think will be the best small forwards for the NBA fantasy in the 2015-16 season. So go ahead and listen to me or take Iggy, I don't care. Take some chances and have some fun this fantasy season. See you next Friday fantasy lovers.

Welcome back Paul George

"Paul George Pacers" by File:Anthony Tolliver defending Paul George.jpg: joshuak8derivative work: Chrishmt0423 - →This file has been extracted from another file: Anthony Tolliver defending Paul George.jpg.. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Paul_George_Pacers.jpg#/media/File:Paul_George_Pacers.jpg

Paul George is back. We have waited a long time for this moment. Pacers fans have had a hard time without him. I don't care if he is on a minutes restriction. Although, this is a Paul George we have never seen before. PG-13. Wearing his #13 jersey for the first time in a Pacers uniform. Of course, we haven't seen the best of PG-13 yet, but expect him to improve through out the rest of the year. Imagine if Paul George wasn't injured this year. He would most likely be an MVP candidate. But then again, imagine if Kevin Durant wasn't injured. He would also be an MVP candidate. Yet, I think we all forget just how skilled Paul George was. Last year he averaged 21.7 PPG, 1.9 Steals per game, 3.5 APG, 6.8 RPG. Not only that, but he was a star player that only averaged 1.9 Turnovers. That's less than Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Durant, and LeBron James. The Pacers are on the outside of the playoffs, and I don't expect them to make it, so this is great encouragement for next year. All I got left to say is, Welcome back Paul George, welcome back.

Injured Teams

This year has been struck by injury for many team. Many teams were hoping for playoffs and more but then injury got in the way. Lets take a look at the worst

5.Oklahoma City Thunder: Durant and Westbrook went down. But Westbrook came back with fire in his eyes. After Ibaka went down and Durant was out for the rest of the season, it's really hard to see this team making much noise in the playoffs. But you never know with Westbrook.

4. Minnesota Timberwolves: This is a team that suffered way too many injuries this season. They were looking at the possibility of the 8th seed in the West. All of a sudden, Rubio went down on their 5th game against the Magic. Kevin Martin played against the Knicks and broke his wrist at the beginning of the game. After he broke it, he scored 37 points that night. Nikola Pekovic went down (as usual) Shabazz Muhammad went down for the season after averaging about 13 points per game. And this is just to start with.

3. Miami Heat: It's bad enough that LeBron James left their team. Now Chris Bosh is out with blood clots on his lungs. This team thought they could do some great things in the playoffs. Dwayne Wade and Shabazz Napier are out. How does this team expect to beat anyone with two of their stars out. It's going to be a bumpy ride for this Heat team. Someone needs to send them a sympathy card.

2. Los Angeles Lakers: Julius Randel goes down before the season even starts. So does Steve Nash. Kobe goes down of course. Nick Young is injured. The playoff hopes that this team had pretty much flew away. They had to start players like Wayne Ellington who was supposed to be a bench player this year. No playoff for this team. And no more Steve Nash.

1. Indiana Pacers: This team was coming back from the loss in the Eastern Conference Finals looking toward next season. Then Paul George goes down ruining all their hopes of a title run for next season. Minor injuries occurred along the way like George Hill going down. They still await the return of Paul George. We all miss him. But I'm pretty sure the Pacers miss him most.