Upsyde Blog

UPSYDE SPORTS PRESENTS: MOCK DRAFT 2.0 I'd like to take this opportunity to send my prayers to the Clarke family. He was taken too young and was on such a positive trajectory. I hope his family is healing and they can find peace. There have been several position changes in the draft and I wanted to update it as I continue to scout this class. I'm very excited for this new group of prospects and there are a lot of promising young stars. I will go with a different format to make this more readable. 1. HOUSTON ROCKETS: Cade Cunningham - In my previous draft, I had the Rockets going second, targeting Jalen Suggs. While he is still a possibility, I don't think the Rockets pass on Cunningham. He is almost the consensus #1 overall prospect in this draft and a dream selection for this Rockets team. The fit does not really make sense if John Wall is healthy, but he could be a candidate to be bought out as the team is loaded on draft picks and they need minutes available to develop t...

UPSYDE SPORTS PRESENTS: UNDER THE RADAR DYNASTY KEEPERS: There are several players that toward the end of the year get free rein to accelerate their development. This usually occurs when there is significant swaths of injuries or a team is trying to tank for better draft positioning. These players are often young players, yet we will go over players that appear to be in a position to drastically improve their ADP next year. ISAIAH STEWART - He went undrafted in most leagues heading into the season. The Pistons had just signed Plumlee to a long-term deal and Stewart's raw abilities were expected to take time to develop. Over the last two weeks, he's been given significantly more playing time as they embrace the tank. In the last two weeks he's averaging 11.8 PPG, 10.8 RPG, and 1.3 BPG on 64% shooting. Barring them drafting Evan Mobley, he should be a major gainer in next year's fantasy drafts. Just for upside, he should get drafted in the mid-to-late rounds with top-50 p...

UPSYDE SPORTS PRESENTS: WEEKEND WINNERS AND LOSERS - 04/16/2021 - 04/18/2021 WINNERS: JULIUS RANDLE - It's quite obvious he's running away with the Most Improved Player award. He won both games this weekend, moving the Knicks into a top-6 seed and out of the play-in tournament (for now). In his two games he averaged 38.5 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 8.5 APG, 3.0 SPG, and 4.0 3PG with 47/42/79 splits. This... coming from a power forward. While the Lakers ended up getting LeBron and Anthony Davis, Randle has been a godsend for a Knicks team that saw their only viable star go to the Mavericks a couple of years ago. BRADLEY BEAL - The Wizards won both of their games over the weekend and are now basically tied for the 10-seed after their 4game winning streak. Beal has been the primary offensive weapon for this team and in his two weekend games have averaged 33.5 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 4.5 APG, 1.0 SPG, and 2.0 3PG. They still have a lot of work to do before they're a lock in the playoffs, but this is v...

UPSYDE SPORTS PRESENTS: If the Season Started After ASB, Who Is MVP? There have been several players that have drastically outperformed their season averages since the All-Star Break. Some players start out hot, some get more comfortable as the season progresses, and some players get more competitive as playoffs approach. Here is the list of players that would be in the MVP conversation if the season started the day after the All-Star Break. STEPHEN CURRY - 33.5 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 4.9 APG, 1.2 SPG, 5.5 3PG, 52/46/91 Splits. These numbers are just insane. He's on a ridiculous hot streak right now has he vehemently refuses to let the Warriors be eliminated from contention. All of the play-in tournament players should be regretting this match-up, as he's on a mission. Draymond Green has taken playmaking to another level and Curry has been the prime benefactor. With them having lost Klay, Wiseman, and several other players for the year, Curry is bringing is weakest team to the playoffs ...

UPSYDE SPORTS PRESENTS: WAY TOO EARLY NBA MOCK DRAFT: Right now we're going to use the current standings and assume all draft picks get executed. This will create the framework for future drafts. 1. MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES: Team Needs: Reliable PF, Bench Depth, Pure Shooters     PREDICTION: Cade Cunningham - The pick doesn't make sense, but I think they draft the most talented player on the board and figure it out later. Cunningham had a somewhat disappointing tournament by his standards, but his size, length, playmaking, and scoring is everything this team needs and more. Trying to fit Evan Mobley into the 4 seems like a disaster waiting to happen, and there will likely be consolidation with some of their young wings over the summer to fill the holes in this team's offense. They are going this route, as it has so far worked well with the Cavs and Kings, both of which appear to have their backcourt of the future. Cade can play both guard spots, so when the inevitable D-Lo in...