Blocks can be one of the hardest positions to acquire if you start out your draft with a point guard such as Stephen Curry, Russell Westbrook, or Chris Paul and miss out on the top big men on the way back. This makes punting a viable strategy for blocks, allowing you to focus on guards or forwards who will help you load up on other categories early on.
Here we will look at some ideal mid-round targets for fantasy owners employing a punt strategy on blocks, while maintaining an advantage in rebounding and FG%.
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How to Punt Blocks and Still Win Drafts
Guard - George Hill (PG/SG, UTA)
After five years in his home state of Indiana, Hill was unceremoniously traded to the Utah Jazz in the off-season. Hill should maintain a starting job while Dante Exum learns the ropes. The injury to Gordon Hayward will leave more shots available in the early-going for Hill, who had a .441 FG% last season.
Hill, a disciple of Greg Popovich from his days in San Antonio, is known for solid defense. Blocks are not a part of that equation, as he has averaged exactly 0.3 blocks every season until 2015-2016 when it dropped to 0.2. Hill's 4.0 TRB are an advantage over nearly every PG outside the top 50 overall players and he shoots enough threes to make him a starting caliber guard in deep leagues.
Others to consider: Will Barton (SG/SF, DEN), Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (SG, DET), D'Angelo Russell (PG, LAL)
Forward - DeMarre Carroll (SF/PF, TOR)
Carroll is a popular bounce back candidate after a disappointing first season in Toronto. Injuries are to blame for his lack of production, as he only played in 26 games during the regular season. If Carroll can return to the form he showed in the two prior years with Atlanta, expect over five rebounds per game, 1.5 STL, about 1.5 3PTM and a FG% above .470.
Undersized at power forward, Carroll only blocks 0.2 shots per game in his career. If you plan to play with a small lineup, he is an ideal fit at the four.
Others to consider: Chandler Parsons (SF/PF, MEM), Jae Crowder (SF/PF, BOS), Rodney Hood (SG/SF, UTA)
Center - Ryan Anderson (PF/C, HOU)
The prototypical big man with range, Anderson plays like a shooting guard but can slot at the center position. If you are not concerned about blocks and want to stack shooting stats, target Anderson around the 5th-6th round. In Mike D'Antoni's offense, Anderson will get plenty of opportunities to fire away in transition. He should see an uptick in FGA and 3PTA from his time in New Orleans now that he has the Bearded One drawing attention from defenders to leave him open on the perimeter.
Anderson's three-point numbers have gone down the last two seasons, but he still shot a solid .366 3PT% despite a tough year all around in New Orleans. At 6.0 TRB, he won't hurt you at the position as long as you are able to compensate with another solid big man around him. The offensive upside across the percentages are too great to ignore with Anderson and make him an ideal target for a punting scenario such as this.
Others to consider: Zach Randolph (PF/C, MEM), Enes Kanter (C, OKC), Jared Sullinger (PF/C, TOR)
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