From Deep: Did anyone see these 3 early season fantasy basketball trends coming?

On By Littum

The three-ball has undoubtedly become the most important score in the NBA – so we figured we’d also take some photos from the city center. Here, fantasy basketball analyst Dan Titus will break down the three things fantasy managers need to know. Or he’ll break down more three-point advice, analysis and more—it just depends on how open he is to From Deep.

In today’s season debut edition, I’ll discuss three teams doing three improbable things through the first week (plus) of the NBA season.

The Bulls have run the fastest offense in the NBA through four games, a significant improvement under HC Billy Donovan.

Totally unlikely.

Last year, the Bulls ranked 28th in the league (96.7) in Pace and were primarily middle of the pack during Donovan’s tenure.

So what has changed?

Not having to initiate mid-range offense through DeMar DeRozan is the first thing that comes to mind. The Bulls have gained more possessions through quicker decision-making and ball movement as their passes per game decreased 286.7 per game last season to 314.6 per game so far this season, per NBA Advanced Stats. While DeRozan’s subtraction would typically result in more volume for Zach LaVine, Coby White and Nikola Vučević, their shot volume is consistent with last season. The difference is that LaVine, White and company are attempting more 3s — a consistent theme we’ve seen this season throughout the NBA. The Bulls average 44 3-point attempts per game, which is top-three in the league.

From a fantasy perspective, Vučević and LaVine’s numbers have improved from a year ago, while White has established himself as a 19-4-4 player. Josh Giddey’s playmaking and facilitation is working well as he progresses toward having his best fantasy season. He currently sits in 122nd place in value per games in category formats.

The question is, will this quick, 3-point-focused strategy be sustainable? We’ll see!

It’s easy to attribute Charlotte’s early-season success to the LaMelo Ball effect; The Hornets are a completely different team when Ball is in the lineup. The last time LaMelo Ball played in more than 50 games was the 2021-2022 season, and the Hornets finished eighth in Offensive Rating that year. When evaluating this season, however, a few areas stand out besides the phenomenal play of Ball – the Hornets’ newfound commitment to offensive rebounding and second chance opportunities.

Looking back at last season, the Knicks had an uncanny knack for it clean the glass despite being bottom-10 in true shooting percentage in the NBA. Those additional options on offense helped the Knicks finish the year ranked seventh in offensive rating.

With a rebuilt offensive unit that gets a significant boost from the play of fantasy waiver gems Tre Mann and Nick Richards, we have yet to see what this offense might look like when fully healthy. Brandon Miller is still nursing a hip injury, Miles Bridges isn’t playing well, and there’s still no word on Mark Williams’ return from a foot injury.

And yet this team is somehow top-10 in offensive rating.

Nick Richards is basically becoming the Isaiah Hartenstein of last season, pulling down 4.8 offensive rebounds per game. match. Interestingly, Richards and Mann average the most second-chance points per game. match in the league, at 6.0 and 5.8respectively

If the Hornets continue to work on the offensive glass and get their big men healthy, Charlotte could be one of the most unlikely fantasy-friendly teams this season.

If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em. A little over a week into the season, Orlando appears to have changed its offensive identity from a team that barely attempted 3s to one of the league’s best. Last season, the Magic ranked 29th in the NBA in 3-point attempts and dead last in makes per game. Not surprisingly, their 3-point percentage was also bottom-10 in the league. The lack of 3-point shooting was a glaring weakness in their offense.

Fast forward to this season, the Magic are attempting the sixth most 3s (42.6) and are tied for seventh in 3s made (14.8) per game. match. Orlando brought in Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to help with their spacing and 3-point shooting, but he’s yet to hit the ground running, hitting just 11% of his four 3-point attempts per game. match. The most obvious improvements have come from Jalen Suggs, Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner.

Between the trio, they attempt six more 3s per match and hits them at a higher rate than last season. Orlando’s defense remains its calling card, but this increase in 3-point shooting will also increase the fantasy value of Suggs, Banchero and Wagner (assuming they continue to knock them down, of course).

On a related note, seven players in the NBA attempt more than 10 3-pointers per game. match this season. According to Stathead, three is the most we’ve seen in an entire season in the modern era.