The upcoming NBA season should be an interesting one for power forwards. Giannis Antetokounmpo will likely be the consensus best fantasy option at the position for years to come, but impressive competition is emerging. Domantas Sabonis, Pascal Siakam, Karl Anthony Towns, and Zion Williamson are just a handful of the players who could explode with top-20 fantasy seasons at the four. Most bigs won't come close to posting the numbers those studs do, but there'll be top-notch value later in drafts.
I've factored in offseason roster movement to choose a power forward sleeper, breakout candidate, and bust for fantasy managers to keep track of ahead of the season. Keep reading to see who you should target and avoid come draft time.
Sleeper
Bazley seemed poised for a major demotion after the Oklahoma City Thunder drafted Chet Holmgren with the second pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. The high-profile rookie's foot injury will keep him off the court for all of 2022-23, though, so Bazley will get another chance to prove his worth. OKC cleared some room in the frontcourt ahead of the regular season by trading Derrick Favors, so Bazley's playing time should move closer to 30 minutes as he looks to headline as the Thunder's premier big. He's capable of besting the 13.2 points and 7.2 rebounds he averaged two seasons ago in a contract year. He'll be more productive than several big-name rookies with more appeal on paper.
Breakout
Jae Crowder has been a top-30 fantasy power forward for the last four seasons, but now he and the Phoenix Suns are nearing a split. The small-ball four's departure will open the door for Johnson, who set career highs in points, rebounds, and assists per game in the 2021-22 season en route to a top-30 finish among power forwards. Johnson started in just 16 of the 66 games he featured in last year and put together some impressive numbers in those outings. The North Carolina product posted 16.3 points and 4.9 rebounds per game when he didn't come off the pine. Dario Saric will provide depth at power forward after a one-year layoff, but Johnson has a clear path to more minutes and a lot more offensive involvement.
Bust
Mr. Triple-Single is capable of doing quite a bit, but I don't expect the Golden State Warriors' Swiss army knife to load up on minutes after a championship season. The point forward has played in less than 50 regular-season games in two of his last three campaigns. His well-rounded game will certainly lead to some big nights, but I'm relying on him to last for an entire season is a bit of a reach. Johnathan Kuminga and other young members of the Warriors' core should give him more relief than usual throughout the year so he can ramp it up when his contributions are needed most.
