Let’s face it.  If you don’t have the first or second pick in your fantasy basketball draft this year, then you aren’t getting Lebron James or Kevin Durant.  And although that may be a bummer, you can still find plenty of value in Mini Lebron types throughout the draft.  What is a Mini Lebron you ask?  Well, to explain it properly, let’s first look at James’s 9-category line last season:

Just to make it clear, Durant had a similarly dominating season, but we can partially thank Goran Dragic for the title of this article.  James contributes across the board.  The only average stat-line he puts up is free throw percentage and that’s nitpicking.  Now that we explained what James is so awesome at doing, we can now define Mini Lebron.

1.       1.  Mini Lebron

A player who contributes quality numbers for all eight fantasy basketball (standard) categories (but not quite like Lebron James).

2.      2.  Mini Lebron

According to Goran Dragic, “Eric Bledsoe”.

For the sake of the piece, let’s go with the first one.  The goal here is to find the guys who can achieve this kind of success.  We will first look at last year’s numbers, and then select some other possible breakout players who can give us across the board results.  

In order to make this process manageable, I am going to use my own judgment, but I will lay down some general ground rules (that won’t be strictly followed).  I will try to avoid first round picks according to Yahoo! ADP.  All players selected must have come close to averaging (in 2012) 14ppg a game with at least four assists and rebounds per game, as well as make at least one three per game.  Since blocks are hard to come by, we are going to have to be a little more forgiving with that category, but we are looking for players who at least help contribute in both steals and blocks.  Now that we have the criteria settled, let’s find ourselves some Mini Lebrons.

Note: If you don’t see players like Dwayne Wade on this list, it is because they lack three pointers made.  They do not qualify for this list, but I do suggest you keep them in mind.  In saying that, I do emphasize the three-ball in fantasy basketball.  If you do not shoot the three, then you better be extremely beneficial in some of the more difficult categories (i.e. blocks).  According to Yahoo ADP, Nicolas Batum and Wade have almost identical draft averages (.1 difference), but I would draft Batum every time because he makes threes (among other reasons).

As you can see, obtaining blocks is extremely difficult.  A strict list would only contain four players.

If there is one thing this chart does tell us, it is that Nicolas Batum should be taken a lot sooner than his current ADP indicates.  He does it all, and if it wasn’t for that wrist injury and later a shoulder injury, I have a feeling he would have completely broke out.  Paul George is taken 10 picks ahead of him.  Batum is being undervalued and I can only assume this will change as the season draws near.  But there is no doubt the injuries gives us a discount, so take advantage on what should be first round profit.

Each player on this list has flaws.  I highlighted some of their deficiencies in red.  Personally, I like to avoid low shooting percentage players, but if you have a lot of plus percentage guys on your team, you can get away with having a couple of low percentage shooters, especially if they are as valuable as Batum or George.

Kobe Bryant really is amazing.  The age and injury are concerning, no doubt, but he hates to not play and that certainly helps his case for being taken towards the end of the third round.  If he is close to full health towards the start of the season, he is a guy to grab.

Josh Smith is the kind of fantasy player that is really enticing, but that free throw percentage is a disaster.  The turnovers don’t help either.  You also have to wonder if he will give up on shooting the three or if they will simply fail to go in.  He shot only 30.3% from downtown in 2012 and it was even worse in 2011.  A much more attractive fantasy option than real life option, I may bite the bullet on the FT% and TOs if I trust I can get the rest of my team to make up for his deficiencies. 

Chandler Parsons needs to be on your team.  His price should be cheap enough come draft day and I don’t believe Dwight Howard will hurt his value anyway.  In fact, those steals, assists, and threes may go up a tick.

There are a few players on this list whose numbers could decline.  Paul Pierce seems to be an early favorite to see that occur.  He is already a risk to miss double digit games (voluntary rest/injury), and his usage should be lessened on a Nets team that has a lot of weapons.  Another potential decliner is Jrue Holiday.  The more I look into him, the more I understand why the Philadelphia 76ers did what they did.  Holiday is more of a high volume/high usage player, than a highly efficient one, and the turnovers are a bit out of hand as well.  He will be entering his 5^th year into the league and has yet to improve upon any of his shooting percentages.  He will need to be paid big time soon, so why commit that much of your cap space to a guy you aren’t sure on.  You can’t take that chance anymore; the new CBA is so unforgiving. 

Potential Mini Lebrons in 2013:

Here are a few players who didn’t make the list above, but may enter into the Mini Lebron category this season:

John Wall (205 ADP): Some dislike Wall, and that contract will only make the critics come out stronger against him, but he is developing a three-point shot away from being a big across the board fantasy contributor.  He even averaged .9 blocks a game last season (.8 in 2011).  He does need to stay healthy, however.

Eric Bledsoe (49.2): As mentioned earlier, teammate Goran Dragic actually called Bledsoe, “Mini Lebron James”, so it is only right for him to be on this list.  Well that, and because he actually deserves it.  I expect an uptick in threes and I believe he will be filling up the stat sheet for the Phoenix Suns, and that could even include some blocked shots.

Gordon Hayward (95.6 ADP): He is ready for a big role increase on the Utah Jazz after the departure of Paul Millsap and Zach Randolph.  He already posted some real nice across the board numbers last season, and now with the added minutes and responsibility, I see no reason for a decline.  Teammates such as Derrick Favors have more than enough talent to help out the fourth year swingman. 

Jimmy Butler (95.8 ADP): He stepped up in a big way for the Chicago Bulls during the playoffs, but there is a chance this pick as a Mini Lebron could not work out.  Butler’s offensive game still needed some polishing last season, so it should be interesting to see how much he has developed.  However, I like his game and he could contribute in most of the eight categories.  Hopefully he worked on that three-ball.

Danny Granger (109.2 ADP): His health will probably stop him from really ever getting there, but there was a point in time when Granger put up close to a steal and block per game, drained threes, scooped a half a dime in rebounds, and added a couple of assists.  Those days may be long gone, but it is certainly worth to take a late flyer on that type of production.  Just be aware of his poor FG%.

Victor Oladipo (127 ADP): The Orlando Magic will give him every opportunity to be the focal point of their team.  Oladipo is expected to play both guard positions, and although there may be some bumps in the road, he should end up being a nice fantasy contributor this season.

Across the board contributors can help lead you to a title, so be sure to find those gems.  They may not be great at one particular thing, but they will help you each week in every category.  I suggest passing on players who provide awesomeness in a couple of categories and draft the more balanced player who gives you something in every area (ADP driving the context of course).  A collection of these guys could push your team towards greatness.

I sent the definitions of Mini Lebron to UrbanDictionary.com, but I’m not sure they will make the cut.  If I missed a player who could qualify for definition number one, be sure to point him out in the comments below.  Also be sure to follow me on Twitter @Rich_Migs.  You can tweet me any questions or comments you may have about basketball or anything else.  I will be involved with basketball all season long as I wait for the Knicks to disappoint me yet again.