With the trade deadline behind us, the beginning of silly season has arrived, and with it comes all of the madness surrounding teams shamelessly tanking for higher draft odds. For those not familiar with the term, silly season is the time of year when tank candidates begin digging deep into their rosters (sometimes even the G League, shoutout 21-22 OKC) in order to lose as many games as possible.
It serves as a bit of a waiver wire Renaissance of sorts and has gifted many league winners capable of grabbing gaudy stat lines while soaking up 35 minutes a night. Previous league winners include players like Dalano Banton, Drew Eubanks, and Trendon Watford (a lot of Portland alumni feature in these discussions), who all were capable of putting up stretches inside the top 50 to close out their respective years.
Part of gauging potential silly season value stems from knowledge of depth charts (all the way to the bottom in this case), and this list looks to highlight one notable player from ten of the worst teams in the league, all of whom have intriguing fantasy profiles or a path to heavy minutes (or both).
Keep in mind that some on the list have already begun to reap the rewards of extra playtime and might be less available, while others are still waiting in the wings, ready to make their mark on the league.
The list is ranked based on my opinion of who has the most potential, with the ones at the beginning being players with the lowest ceiling (nearly all should be top 100 candidates with opportunity regardless) and ending with some of the high profile names some already associate with silly season.
THIS LIST FEATURES THE LAST FIVE NAMES, FOR THE EARLIER CANDIDATES CHECK OUT PART 1 FROM YESTERDAY
5. Day’Ron Sharpe
(Brooklyn Nets)
We have arrived at the top half of the list, and the players here all have a much more realizable path to top 100 production. To kickstart this half of the list, we have Day’Ron Sharpe, a center on his rookie deal playing for the Brooklyn Nets. Sharpe has long been the backup center for the team and has been enough of a per-minute contributor to frequent rosters as a streaming option for a couple of years now.
The Nets have been very open about their desire to secure a top pick, and any injuries to Nic Claxton or Noah Clowney would catapult Sharpe into uncontested starter minutes. Sharpe is, first and foremost, one of the best rebounders in the league. He puts up just over six rebounds a night while playing 17 minutes on average and plays with an incredible amount of determination to grab boards on both ends of the court. He is consistent over the course of his career in that regard, and his per 36 rebound numbers have always been hovering between 12-14 a night.
Sharpe also adds value to blocks, field goal percentage, turnovers, and even free throw percentage. His consistent play is limited only by his lackluster minutes, but the Nets could be tempted to see what they have, as his rookie deal is due for extension this upcoming offseason.
He projects very similarly to traditional centers like Jalen Duren, albeit with the added boost to free throw percentage that most bigs cannot provide. There are some barriers to Sharpe being completely unleashed (he has only started one game in the last two seasons) and the Nets have proven to start Noah Clowney at the center slot in games without Claxton available.
However, finding rebounding upside equivalent to Andre Drummond just floating on the wire is not a common occurrence, and Sharpe is more than worth a gamble off that basis alone.
4. Kyle Filipowski
(Utah Jazz)
Similarly to Washington, the Jazz have not been shy about hiding their intent to win the draft lottery. The most notable name from the team has already proven to be Isaiah Collier, but he is widely rostered by this point, leading his teammate Kyle Filipowski (nicknamed the Victim) to make the list instead.
Filipowski has filled in for a host of his various frontcourt teammates over the course of the season and has the added versatility to play both the four and the five in Utah’s system, which only adds to his likelihood of getting consistent minutes down the stretch. Fantasy-wise, Filipowski often generates the stats expected of traditional bigs, although he does lack a bit on the defensive end.
He is averaging 10 rebounds per 36 and has consistently delivered up to that standard when given the playtime. In just his last game, he was given 37 minutes and delivered a 20/10 performance against a highly capable Clippers roster. The Victim shines brightest on the offensive end and serves as an emerging stretch big for a team that clearly lacks shooting.
He is converting 1.4 threes a night over his last five games, all while only playing 21 minutes on average. Should his role be deepened, he stands out as a nightly double-double threat with three-point and out-of-position assist upside.
As mentioned above, there have been multiple instances of him getting starter-level minutes on a moment’s notice over the course of the season. The Jazz have not hesitated to rest Lauri Markkanen, John Collins, or even Walker Kessler should they show any signs of playing well, and the loss of Drew Eubanks only opens up more minutes for the rookie.
While Filipowski is perhaps a couple of weeks away from being a dedicated add, he most definitely has top 70 upside, making him an easy stash candidate for those in a winning position right now.
3. Karlo Matkovic
(New Orleans Pelicans)
Any hopes that Pelicans fans may have had of being contenders to start the season can now firmly be looked back upon as a fond memory. Nearly every notable player for the team has spent extended time injured this year, and their replacements have only continued the cycle. Now, as a team sitting pretty at the 15 seed, the lone bright spot in rookie standout Yves Missi is also facing a potentially long-term absence, leaving the team with Karlo Matkovic as their lone center outside of veteran Kelly Olynyk.
With nothing to play for, it seems likely Matkovic will be granted a chance to show what he might be capable of. Matkovic is a center with a very intriguing fantasy skillset. He is a big man who is not afraid to let the three-ball fly. He has shot 38% from deep on nearly four attempts a night during his stint in the G-League. This already pairs him nicely with the nonexistent spacing of Zion Williamson, which makes him an easy candidate to develop while also pretending to be a competitive team.
His shooting extends to his free throws as well, and the rookie is a great candidate to anchor the category for a big man. Furthermore, he also is a great shot-blocking big and has averaged 2.3 in 22 minutes of game time over the last week. His game fits the mold of the ideal role player for a Pelicans team aching for defensive, shooting bigs, making him an easy shoo-in for minutes in the time without Missi.
Even with Missi, Matkovic has been explored as an option for the Pelicans leading into the All-Star Break. He currently serves as a streaming option; however, it would not be surprising at all to see a top-60 run from the rookie should he be granted a consistent starting spot following the All-Star Break.
His fantasy-friendly game combines perfectly with what the Pelicans ask of him in real life, and he projects to operate as a Temu version of guys like Chet Holmgren or Jaren Jackson Jr. in the limited minutes he has already received. It is very possible that Matkovic will provide value for the rest of the season, regardless of what the injury report might look like in New Orleans.
2. Matas Buzelis
(Chicago Bulls)
The Chicago Bulls have long been a franchise incapable of truly tearing things down when needed, much to the frustration of both fans and fantasy managers alike. They have taken a small step in the right direction, though, with the team promoting rookie standout Matas Buzelis to a starting role. The young forward is still very rough around the edges, which definitely hurts his ability to provide fantasy value on a consistent basis.
However, he has a great ceiling and very limited competition at his position (unless the Bulls once again decide to show faith in Patrick Williams), which makes him ideal for many as a breakout candidate. Buzelis is very unique as a fantasy player, with a frame and playstyle reminiscent of Andrei Kirilenko. He is an extremely long forward and has incredible block potential as a result of his build.
This has resulted in the rookie getting .8 blocks a night in his limited average of 15 minutes a night. Outside of his shot-blocking, Buzelis is forward with some playmaking ability and self-creation, which has allowed him to be a fringe contributor to a host of scoring categories. It also gives him some better scalability, as he has proven to have spurts of high-volume counting stats when his minutes have been increased.
While his performances on the court have stagnated to a degree from when he was the hottest name exiting the deadline, his upside to be a toned-down version of Kirilenko makes him a great dart throw. Not many rookies have the fantasy upside that a fully realized Buzelis carries with him, nor do they have the starting spot he has already locked down. There is hope that the Bulls will realize that they traded Zach LaVine for their own pick this year and drop out of the play-in race accordingly.
This could leave Buzelis a chance to explore a larger role as a primary offensive option and potentially step up as a top-50 contributor to round out the season. While it might not be the most likely option (that would be the Bulls staying mid), his tangible benefits, like playtime and role, already make him a fringe roster candidate as of now.
Donovan Clingan
(Portland Trail Blazers)
If there was ever going to be a league winner from this list, it would be Donovan Clingan. While the rookie center is far from the potential best player on the list from a real-life standpoint (I have a lot of faith in Buzelis), he has an incredibly high floor when he plays. A recent long-term (and I suspect season-ending) injury to DeAndre Ayton has now forced Clingan into a starting role, where he immediately delivered a 17/20 game against Nikola Jokic.
So what is Clingan exactly? I like to think of him as a rebranded version of Walker Kessler, trading in a small portion of the finishing ability for a bit of spacing. He excels in rebounding by about every metric and averages 12 per 36. He has had multiple games of pulling 15 or more boards when given the starting role and is often the best rebounder on the court at any given moment. He is also an unbelievable per-minute shot blocker who possesses the ability to finish top 5 in the league for the stat when given a chance.
Additionally, the rookie will regularly anchor categories such as field goal percentage and turnovers, as expected from any reliable big man. While his ceiling may be capped in terms of his output on the court (I doubt he ever becomes a truly well-rounded player in fantasy terms), we have seen players like Ivica Zubac and Kessler thrive when given the chance to play.
As of now, the minutes in Portland are his to hold, and the biggest limitation to the rookie has been concerns about fitness. Even as the starter, Clingan does not regularly flirt with 30 minutes, leading some (me included) to question if he can sustainably play a heavy workload on a nightly basis. Regardless, Clingan is a player with top-30 upside as a starter, and he is going to feature heavily for a team without Ayton. Frankly, he should already be on a roster everywhere, and if he is still available in your league, change that.
Clingan is genuinely the real deal as far as potential league winners can be judged. He fits the perfect mold as a great per-minute player who now has an uncontested starting spot on a team dying to see what he is capable of, which makes him more than a lock for our top spot on the list.