Marreese Speights, Philadelphia 76ers
With news that Elton Brand will miss a month of action due to a shoulder injury, Marreese Speights now has fantasy value. He’s been one of the best rookies in the league as far as per minute numbers. If he gets the starting job or even if his minutes rise from off the bench, he could be a valuable fantasy piece.

Marco Belinelli, Golden State Warriors
Don Nelson’s flavor of the month is currently Marco Belinelli. Belinelli is starting for the Warriors and he’s putting up good scoring numbers. He’s also been handling the ball a bit so he has a chance to put up decent assist numbers.

Nenad Krstic, Oklahoma City Thunder
The Thunder recently signed Nenad Krstic to an offersheet. Krstic, who had been playing overseason, would likely step right into the Thunder’s starting lineup if the Nets decline to match the offersheet. As a starter, Krstic could be a very important piece for the Thunder and a viable fantasy option.

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This is bad news for Ellis, especially considering that this forthcoming season was planned to be his breakout season. With Baron Davis gone to the Los Angeles Clippers, Ellis was expected to take over as the team’s starting point guard. Those plans, for now at least, will have to wait.

The players this could help next season are Marcus Williams and Marco Belinelli. Williams will likely start at point guard. The former New Jersey Nets player could begin next season off strong and should be able to produce a high amount of assists. If he plays well enough, Don Nelson may elect to keep him as the starter even once Ellis returns. Belinelli, who is coming off of a disappointing rookie season, also might get a chance to run some point guard.

Expect Ellis to be back somewhere around the first week of December if his rehab goes smoothly. Until then, you can remember his game by watching this Monta Ellis highlight video:

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While Belinelli can score in summer league, he has a lot to prove on the NBA level. It appears as if he’ll be a one dimensional player for the Warriors whenever he is ready to contribute. Besides scoring, Belinelli doesn’t offer much to the table.

In terms of fantasy basketball, Belinelli can help you in scoring and three-pointers — but that’s about it. Many predicted that he’d have a good rookie season, but that didn’t happen. In his sophomore season, keep an eye on him but it is unlikely he’ll be worthy of a fantasy basketball draft pick.

Here is the Marco Belinelli video:

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At 6-foot-9, Gallinari has varied skills that have scouts thinking he can play either shooting guard or point guard. There are even some scouts who think Gallinari has the ball handling ability and the passing ability to play a bit at point guard if needed.

When watching Gallinari, the thing that first becomes obvious is his ability to score the basketball. For a young player in Europe, he has posted very good scoring numbers and that should be his main strength in the NBA. He can score off the dribble and with range.

The biggest question marks surrounding Gallinari aren’t anything he has done – rather it is the history of recent overseas prospects. Andrea Bargnani was the first overall pick of the 2006 NBA Draft and he has been a bust so far for the Toronto Raptors. Last year, the Golden State Warriors picked Marco Belinelli in the first round and Belinelli was a disappointment in his rookie season. These two recent cases of Italian prospects underperforming in the NBA will have scouts questioning themselves up until Gallinari proves he’s a capable NBA player.

Check out this Danilo Gallinari video:

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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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