Monday’s NBA Preseason Action

While there were only two games schedules for Monday night, there were a lot of players in action with fantasy basketball appeal. Here is a look at a handful of those players:

Josh Smith, Atlanta Hawks
Smith is going to be a stud this season for the Hawks. In Atlanta’s win against the Wizards, Smith had 24 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and four blocks. He’s starting next to Marvin Williams at a forward spot, which will lead to Smith being able to grab as many rebounds as he can handle. He should also see his blocked shot numbers rise.

Andray Blatche, Washington Wizards
Blatche has been very impressive in the preseason for the Wizards. He continually plays a lot of minutes, which could very well be an indication that Washington plans on giving him extended minutes this season. Against the Hawks, Blatche had eight points, seven rebounds, two assists and two blocks in 29 minutes.

Nate Robinson, New York Knicks
Robinson has had a relatively quiet preseason. And while he’s competing with a bunch of quality guards for playing time, Robinson has the potential to have a very good season. He’s a great athlete and is a very natural scorer on the NBA level. Against the Celtics, Robinson finished with 20 points, nine rebounds, four assists and one steal.

Paul Pierce, Boston Celtics
While everyone in Boston is excited about the additions of Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, fantasy basketball owners are wondering how those two players will affect the stats of Paul Pierce. Pierce averaged 25 points per game last year but with few other capable scorers on the team, Pierce was expected to carry the load. If Monday’s game was any indication, Pierce should still carry a big part of the scoring load this season. With Garnett and Allen also logging big minutes, it was Pierce who led the way with 29 points, eight rebounds, three assists and three steals in 40 minutes.