Fantasy Fallout: Lin on talent-devoid Nets could be mid-round steal in draft
Here are the fantasy repercussions following the news that PG Jeremy Lin has reportedly agreed to a three-year, 36 million dollar deal with the Brooklyn Nets, per The Vertical's Adrian Wojnarowski:
The Nets' immediate future doesn't project many championship parades because of a dearth of top-level talent. But by signing Lin, the team now has two pieces in the former Hornet and C Brook Lopez around which to build some semblance of an NBA roster.
There's a clear opportunity for Lin to immediately boost his fantasy stock as the primary facilitator and backcourt scoring option for the 2016/2017 Nets. Last season's top scorers for Brooklyn where Lopez (20.6), Thaddeus Young (15.1; traded to the Pacers for rookie SG Caris LeVert), Sean Kilpatrick (12.8, but only 23 games) and Jarrett Jack (12.8; cut less than 24 hours ago).
Prior to injury last year, Jack had well-outperformed his late-round draft status, averaging 12.8 points, 7.4 assists and 4.3 rebounds in 32 games. As both PG and SG-eligible, his versatility and cheap stats made him a great glue guy; there's something to be said about having an opportunity to play big minutes on a bad team packed with undeveloped young talent.
Now it's Lin's turn to fill the score sheet in what's sure to be another losing season. On a per-36-minute-adjusted basis, the journeyman has averaged 15.7 points with 5.9 rebounds and 1.2 three-pointers per game. He might not actually play 36 minutes a night but he's never had to carry a workload quite like this. Be prepared for plenty of 16-and-6 stat lines.
On average, Lin was being taken with a pick in the 14th round last season, owing to his supporting actor status behind key Hornets players Kemba Walker, Jeremy Lamb and Nic Batum. With the reigns to an NBA offense now firmly in his grasp, fantasy players should expect to see him go as early as the eighth round in standard 10-team leagues. Prepare for 'BrookLinsanity'.
Other Notes
- As The Vertical's Bobby marks notes, the Nets are still 40 million dollars under the salary cap. While it's likely that their final cap figure hovers closer to the salary floor than ceiling, there's still plenty of room to add free agent talent, which will certainly impact the value of both Lin and Lopez moving forward.
- Kilpatrick is still in the fold and played well enough in his first audition with the Nets to warrant a spot in the guard rotation this season. If Lin misses time, he could end up seeing minutes at PG, even though he's listed as a shooting guard.