1. Blake Griffin, Los Angeles Clippers
Griffin is very talented and a great athlete on top of that. He’s also entering a situation in need of a superstar. As long as the Clippers trade a few bigs to make room for him, Griffin should be very good his rookie year.

2. James Harden, Oklahoma City Thunder
Next to Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant and Jeff Green, Harden will fit right in. He’ll likely start at shooting guard right away and provide the team with yet another young building block. For fantasy purposes, Harden should provide scoring, efficiency and good assist numbers.

3. Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
No matter if he ends up with the Warriors or if he’ll be traded to the Suns (like the rumors indicate), Curry will land in a very good situation. Both of those teams like to run and shoot … and that fits right in with Curry’s game.

4. Tyreke Evans, Sacramento Kings
If Evans can win the point guard job in Sacramento, he could have fantasy value right away. It’s not a lock that he can play PG at the NBA level, so stay tuned.

5. Hasheem Thabeet, Memphis Grizzlies
Thabeet is raw and might not be able to play many minutes in the NBA yet but his shotblocking could make him valuable right away in the 2009-2010 fantasy basketball season.’

Post from: Expert Fantasy

1. Blake Griffin
Not only is Blake Griffin going to be the first pick in the draft, he’s going to be the first rookie chosen in 2009-2010 fantasy basketball drafts. There’s a good chance that he could be productive right from the beginning.

2. James Harden
The player most ready to come into the NBA and put points on the board appears to be James Harden. With that in mind, he’ll be valuable in the fantasy basketball world.

3. Stephen Curry
Like Harden, Stephen Curry can score the ball. If he lands on a team like the New York Knicks or the Golden State Warriors, Curry could easily stuff the stat sheet.

4. Hasheem Thabeet
Although Hasheem Thabeet is undoubtedly raw, his shot blocking and rebounding should make him valuable as a rookie. His value really depends on how much playing time he gets. For fantasy purposes, he’ll need to be a starter to have consistent value.

5. Ty Lawson
While Ty Lawson could easily fall out of the lottery, he’s probably the point guard most likely to be ready from Day 1. That could make him valuable in 2010 fantasy basketball.

Post from: Expert Fantasy

James Harden Scouting Report (Image: Zuma Press)

The aspect of Harden’s game that the scouts love the most is his ability to put the ball in the hole. Last year, as a sophomore at Arizona State, Harden averaged 20.1 points per game to go along with 5.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.7 steals. He shot 48.9% from the field and 35.6% from beyond the three-point arc.

Despite not being an explosive athlete, Harden can score thanks to his very good jumper and his smarts around the basket. Even in the NBA, he should be able to score right out of the box.

The question marks in his game mostly surround his height. At 6-foot-5, Harden isn’t the optimal height you’d want from a shooting guard. He also isn’t enough of a playmaker to be a point guard. Add in his average athleticism and he might get overwhelmed by the bigger players in the NBA.

That said, he has very long arms and his overall basketball IQ should allow him to compensate for any shortcomings. When it comes to flat out scoring, Harden has to be considered to be near the head of the 2009 NBA Draft class.

Post from: Expert Fantasy