Rajon Rondo
When it comes to steals, Rajon Rondo is elite. He’s a rugged defender with long arms and a mean streak. He has no problem going after your ball.

Monta Ellis
Currently the league leader in steals, he has free reign to go after as many steals as he wants since Golden State doesn’t care much about the defensive end.

Trevor Ariza
On the basketball court, few players have as much defensive range as Trevor Ariza. If you pass it, he will come into the picture.

Corey Brewer
At Florida, we remember Corey Brewer as a defensive ace who racked up a lot of steals. He’s starting to do that on the NBA level now.

Rudy Fernandez
If Rudy Fernandez starts getting more minutes — watch out! He doesn’t play much defense but he’s great at anticipating and stacking steals in a hurry.

Monta Ellis likes to score ... and get steals (Image: Zuma Press)

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Juan Carlos Navarro, Memphis Grizzlies
Juan Carlos Navarro has proven to be a world-class shooter who isn’t as one-dimensional as some pundits insisted. He can put up some nice stats but it’s true that he’s primarily at shooter. With the Grizzlies looking to unload even more talent, Navarro should get plenty of time to shine.

Corey Brewer, Minnesota Timberwolves
Able to play many positions, Corey Brewer is hard to pigeonhole into one category. He’s a multifaceted talent who is a consistent jumper away from being a really good player. Brewer will never be a big time scorer but he could become a fantasy basketball stud eventually.

Daequan Cook, Miami Heat
With the Heat looking to go young, Daequan Cook appears to be a key part of their rebuilding plan. He’s a natural born scorer who can fill up the stat sheet in a hurry. Even though he’s young, he could become a main scorer threat in Miami late in the season.

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Martell Webster, Portland Trail Blazers
Webster remains a prospect you should keep your eye on. He started out great, went through a lull and is now playing pretty good again. He has the talent to do a lot of things on the court but his forte is shooting. He has one of the best natural strokes in the league and could develop into a three-point marksman.

Dorrell Wright, Miami Heat
Pat Riley’s on-again, off-again love affair with Wright seems to be back on again. Wright is a small forward that can really rebound and also score some points and even block some shots. He doesn’t have a very good jumper but he has loads of athleticism and has great size.

Bobby Simmons, Milwaukee Bucks
Simmons was once upon a time a very good fantasy player. Injuries have reduced his role to the point that he’s barely a blip on the radar screen. That said, the talent is still there. If he can build up his endurance and earn a spot in the starting lineup, Simmons could get back to his golden days.

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No longer will the T’Wolves be thinking championship, instead their main goal will be to locate and grow their young core players. It’s going to be another two or three years until people in Minnesota seriously consider the T’Wolves a playoff team.

What makes this situation tough is there are so many players on the T’Wolves who may or may not be fantasy factors. The only real fantasy stud on their team is Al Jefferson. Aside from him, it’ll depend on which players are getting minutes.

Here’s a look at the Timberwolves’ players and their possibly fantasy impact:

Al Jefferson – Jefferson was the crowning piece of the Garnett deal. He’s a stud in the making that should be ready to produce this year. He’s a very good low post scorer who can rebound at a fantastic rate. His feel for the game is phenomenal and he still has room to get a lot better.

Ricky Davis – Davis is getting a lot of fantasy love but his situation is shaky. He doesn’t exactly fit with the youth movement and could easily find himself behind younger players. However, he’s also a likely candidate to be traded to a contending team in need of a scorer. Davis’ fantasy appeal is completely dependant on whether or not he’s starting and playing big minutes.

Randy Foye – Foye showed good promise last year in his rookie season. He can play both guard positions and has a good knack for scoring the ball. He’s not going to average a lot of assists because he’s not a pure point guard, but he should find himself starting at point guard at some point this season.

Craig Smith – After a fine rookie season, Smith is going to look to expand his game. Although he’s undersized, he can rebound and is a beast down low.

Gerald Green – Green is a guy who looks to score. Fantasy wise, his upside is somewhat limited as it stands because he doesn’t rebound or get many assists.

Corey Brewer – Brewer is a rookie with a good deal of potential. He could become a very good fantasy player if he gets minutes because he’s a threat to rack up steals, blocks and rebounds in bunches.

Rashad McCants – McCants has struggled with injuries but he’s another shooting guard option that can score the ball for Minnesota.

Ryan Gomes – Gomes had big games with the Celtics over the last couple seasons. He’s an all around player who can put up fantasy stats at nearly every category.

Sebastian Telfair – Telfair is a very talented point guard. Problem is he’s undisciplined and not very strong. If he could slow down and attempt to learn the game, he has the potential to one day be a starter.

Marko Jaric, Mark Blount, Greg Buckner, Juwan Howard, Theo Ratliff – These five guys could have solid fantasy value or they could have absolutely no value. It’s tough to tell because they are veteran players on a team trying to rebuild. If any of these players earns a starting spot or gets traded, that’s when they’ll enter the fantasy equation.

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Here are the top five rookie fantasy players:

Kevin Durant, Seattle Supersonics
Durant was born to play basketball. He’s a silky smooth athlete that makes the game of basketball look easy. While he’s young and doesn’t have great players around him in Seattle, he’s so good that it’s tough to tell what he’s capable of doing this upcoming season. His hype might push him higher on the draft board than he should be selected but if he falls, don’t hesitate to snag him.

Al Horford, Atlanta Hawks
Horford is a bigman who is read to play in the NBA. He has a low post game, a face up game and can rebound the ball. He should also be able to block some shots and was a good passer at the college level. It’s difficult to project Horford’s stats this season, but I wouldn’t be shocked to see him average somewhere around 15 points and eight rebounds.

Corey Brewer, Minnesota Timberwolves
Brewer is another player who is capable of stepping in and playing right away. While his offensive game is still coming around, he should be a beast defensively. With steals, rebounds and even some blocked shots, Brewer will fill up the stat sheet. The question is whether his offense will be good enough to make him a quality fantasy player.

Mike Conley, Memphis Grizzlies
Conley would be higher on this list if it were clear he had a starting gig with the Grizzlies. As it stands, he could very well be coming off the bench, which would severely limit his fantasy value for this season. However, if Conley starts, he should put up stats that will allow him to be a backup fantasy point guard.

Marco Belinelli, Golden State Warriors
Belinelli has a good chance to put up a ton of points in Don Nelson’s offense. It’s sounding as if he’ll start at shooting guard for the Warriors. With Nelson using a run and gun style, Belinelli could easily average around 18 points per game this upcoming season.

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