The Dingo 69: #42 – #34

As the tip-off nears, we continue to count down the top 69 NBA players for this fantasy season. 

42. Danilo Gallinari, SF/PF, Denver Nuggets

Se la grande salsiccia italiana ottiene andando, e se il ginocchio non fibbia sotto il peso di buttare giù un migliaio di gruppi di tre , questo potrebbe essere un grande stagione per Danilo a Denver . Il Dingo predica pazienza con questo grande uomo con un tocco d'oro che potrebbe essere sotto un limite di minuti per i primi mesi , ma tenere duro e sarete ricompensati . Spaghetti orischetti fusilli alla carbonara a red sauce.

41. Dwight Howard, C, Houston Rockets

TOO LOW FOR THE BEST BANGER IN THE LEAGUE?? Maybe. MAYBE. But hear me out. 1. He’s awful to watch. 2. He gets fouled a lot. 3. He’s bad at the free throw line. 4. Someone in your draft is going to pay way too much for him/draft him too highly. 5. The Rockets have no chemistry, and are going to struggle this year. Have I convinced you yet?? I mainly just do not want to have to watch Rockets games this year.

40. Marc Gasol, C, Memphis Grizzlies

The paella-lovin giant single-handedly rose the Grizzlies into contention when he came back last season. Loves to bang, loves to score from mid-range on banging with his back to the basket, Spanish-style. Olé! Might be ranked kinda low here actually, has the potential to finish the season inside the top 20 if he can stay healthy.

39. Jrue Holiday, PG, New Orleans Pelicans

Do you remember that summer when Dizzee Rascal was relevant and released this banging track?? Every time I see Jrue I think of this song, because he’s often playing in that laissez-faire, shooting-hoops-in-the-summer style. When he’s not injured, of course. Has the potential to feed The Brow this year, plus sink plenty of treys when the defense focuses on his big banger of a teammate.

38. Marcin Gortat, C, Washington Wizards

GD, how did I rank this guy so low?? The Polish Hammer has had perhaps the greatest off-season of any player ever, ever, ever in sport’s history (not the sport, sport in general). If you don’t follow him on Instagram, you’re wasting your life. While it remains to be seen if the Wiz-ards are the Real Deal this year, or if they’re just talking a big game, you can be certain that The Hammer is gonna pull down a bunch of boards, and is gonna look damn good doing it.

37. Chandler Parsons, SF/PF, Dallas Mavericks

Put the Cuban club-signing aside for a second. Put the weight/muscle gain aside for a second. Put the self-obsession with his fancy, pretty-boy looks aside for a second. Put them all aside for a GD second because even though he signed the papers with the late-night Cubano sandwich, Chandler has entered Rick and Dirk’s World now. And what better place to release that potential and learn how to play some down and dirty, highly efficient bucketball than the house that Those Guys built. Club nights are OVER, Chandler! Time to STEP UP. 

36. Victor Oladipo, PG/SG, Orlando Magic

Okay, he was placed here pre-facial injury, and it really hurt me to see that injury because I truly, truly believed that this was the year of the Big Leap for Victor. He showed signs of promise last year, and even had the odd moment of fantasy greatness on a shitty Orlando team with few other contributors. When he eventually comes back, he could form a cranking backcourt combo with Elfrid Payton. Draft with patience in mind.

35. Klay Thompson, SG, Golden State Warriors

Possibly a little low for the guy who apparently is more valuable than Kevin Love (not true). He’s certainly been lighting up the pre-season, but what concerns me is that he loses a bunch of three point looks to the Second Splash Brother - it’s not like he’s the out-and-out shooter on a team. Maybe that helps in his efficiency, but it does have the capacity to eat into his attempts. Still, you’ll struggle to draft much better at shooting guard.

34. DeAndre Jordan, C, LA Clippers

Some bangers have a mystical, Zen-like ability: 9 times out of 10, the rebound seems to fall their way. Do they box out with more physicality? Do they position themselves better? Are they taller, faster, stronger? Nah, it’s magic. DeAndre HAS that magic. Usually can’t score for shit, but my me can the guy bang the boards. One concern for this season: how much does the addition of SP Spencer Hawes dig into his court time and stats? While it might take him down slightly from his astronomical numbers of last year, you can still expect plenty of double-digit rebound nights.