After two uneventful seasons with the Boston Celtics, Wallace was traded twice this offseason, eventually landing with the 76ers by way of the Warriors. In 32 games with the Celtics, the 14-year veteran averaged career-lows across the board. Wallace compiled 1.1 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 0.5 steals in nine minutes per game. He finished the year converting 14-of-34 shots from the field and 6-of-15 free throws in limited action. He is the oldest and highest paid player on the 76ers, but that doesn't mean he'll maintain a roster spot on the final year of his deal. The Sixers are paying JaVale McGee $12 million this season after waiving him last season, and the same fate could strike Wallace and his $10 million deal if the team wants to open up a roster spot for a younger player. The one-time All-Star is likely buried on the Sixers depth chart, but he may serve a role as the team's no-nonsense veteran who keeps the rest of the team accountable.
Wallace appeared to be an odd fit when the rebuilding Celtics acquired him prior to last season. They were certainly motivated by the first-round draft picks that came along with Wallace's contract (three years, $10.1 million per), but what his exact role would be was unclear. For Boston, Wallace eventually became the veteran helper, who deferred to his younger teammates on the court. He took just four shots per game, preferring to move the ball offensively before his season was cut short by ankle and knee surgeries. In 58 games, he averaged 5.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.3 steals, and 0.2 blocks in 24 minutes per game. Those numbers are well off the levels Wallace achieved earlier in his career. Thirteen NBA seasons have clearly reduced his athleticism and his efficiency. The health of his knee and ankle are the prime factors when speculating on a role for the upcoming season. The repairs may allow him to do more on the court. However, with Boston heading into the second year of a rebuild with an influx of younger players, Wallace should get fewer minutes in 2014-15.
Wallace is coming off an incredibly disappointing season in his lone full-year with the Nets. He averaged 7.7 points (40 percent from the field, 64 percent from the line), 4.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.4 steals and 0.7 blocks in 30 minutes per game in what was arguably his worst performance of his past eleven seasons. It's possible that being on a team with clear first, second and third offensive options ahead of him may have stunted his fantasy potential last season, as his minutes did not take too much of a dip for his lack of production to be justified. Now on the Celtics, Wallace has a chance for a fresh start with his new team. While he may come off the bench, Wallace's veteran influence on the rather young Celtics core could make him a vital cog in the rotation. As far as fantasy value goes, Wallace will remain a wild card for next season. His ability to produce in all categories is invaluable. However, whether or not he has enough gas remaining in the tank is yet to be seen. The veteran will head into his thirteenth season with 31 years of age. Hopefully his conditioning will allow him to remain healthy throughout the entire season.
Wallace was able to maintain strong fantasy numbers last season, despite playing on an underachieving Blazers team for half the season and then being traded to the lowly Nets. He averaged 15.2 points and 1.3 three-pointers in 16 games with the Nets last season, and while the acquisition of Joe Johnson should take some of his scoring chances away, he should be revitalized to once again be on a team with playoff aspirations. Wallace is one of many small forwards who specialize in contributing across the board, and playing a full season with a point guard like Deron Williams can only help his shooting percentages. Wallace, Andre Iguodala, and LeBron James are the only three players that have averaged at least 1.2 steals per game in every season since 2004-05. As he enters his 12th NBA season, Wallace should still have enough in the tank to once again hover right around the top-10 fantasy players at his position.
After a deadline deal sent him to Portland, Wallace averaged 15.8 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.2 three-pointers, 2.0 steals, 0.7 blocks, and 2.3 turnovers over 23 games. Those numbers might be a little misleading, however as he was forced to play out of position at power forward due to the team’s rash of injuries. Likely to be re-installed at his usual small forward spot, Wallace should thrive this year, especially after receiving more license from coach Nate McMillan to shoot threes. Wallace has always been an excellent source of blocks and steals and could join players like Kevin Durant and Rudy Gay in the rarefied one-three, one-steal, one-block per game club. The one consistent worry when drafting Wallace is his inability to stay healthy. He’s averaged 73 games played the last three seasons, and his nickname is “Crash.” Moving back to the small forward position should help him, but he’s still an above-average injury risk.
Wallace is a fascinating basketball player, and a look at his year-by-year stats tells an equally fascinating story. Really, there are three stages to his career. First, starting with the 2001-02 season, there are his first three years in the league, all with Sacramento. During this time, Wallace never averaged more than 12 minutes per game, never shot better than 53 percent from the free-throw line, never took more than seven three-pointers in one season. Then, starting with his move to Charlotte in 2004-05 – and proceeding for the next four years –- he got his chance to start. This is the Wallace with whom many of us are familiar. He still couldn't shoot, recording free throw percentages that topped out in the low-70s, but he was a physical presence who averaged more than 2.0 steals and, in 2005-06, 2.0 blocks per game. But Wallace's game has actually matured even since then – and in unexpected ways. Over the most recent two seasons, not only has the Bobcat seen dramatic improvements in his three-point and free-throw percentages (37.1 and 77.6, respectively last season), but he's also posted his two most prolific rebounding seasons, at 7.8 and 10.0 per game, respectively. That latter number is eye-raising, and fantasy owners will wonder if it's a fluke or if it represents Wallace's true talent. The answer, as usual, is probably somewhere in the middle. Nor should a third factor be ignored: Wallace averaged 41 minutes per game last season. That number's fine for anyone who owned him last year, but the abuse might make him more injury prone this season.
Wallace set three-year lows in scoring (16.6 ppg), steals (1.7 spg) and blocks (0.9 bpg) last season – his first under Coach Larry Brown. But there were some positives: First, he tied a career-high by making 71 starts last season after missing 57 games the previous three. Wallace also shattered his career-high in free throw shooting, making a strength (80.4%) out of what had previously been a weakness (career 69.6%). Wallace’s lower help-defense numbers were mitigated a bit by his extra efforts on the glass, as his 7.8 boards set another career-best and put him among the small forward leaders in that category. Wallace is a 6-7 high flying combo forward that plays above the rim at both ends of the floor and has historically had no regard for what he might run into (including the backboard, with his head) or who he might land on when he jumps. If Coach Brown has done nothing but settle him down on that front, Wallace should be one of the better roto options in the league. Wallace is just approaching his athletic prime at age 27, and as his game matures he should continue to improve on the court. But if he continues to live up to his nickname “Crash”, Wallace could again miss significant time.
Wallace would be a fantasy superstar – if he could stay in one piece. Already one of the game’s best options for hard-to-get categories like steals and blocks, Wallace emerged as an all-around threat in 2007-08, with career-highs in scoring (15.2 points), threes (1.1 per game), free-throw shooting (73.1 percent) and assists (3.5). Unfortunately, he amassed those numbers in just 62 games, missing 20 due to a variety of injuries, most notably a concussion and a pulled groin. We’re hesitant to throw the “injury prone” label around – many injuries are simply random bad luck – but Wallace is an exception. The same tendencies that make him so valuable – limitless energy, a constant breakneck pace, practically no regard for his own body as he dives for loose balls, takes charges, etc., make him a major injury risk, particularly when he’s guarding bigger, stronger players at the four spot. Charlotte management has indicated that they’ll stop using Wallace at power forward in the hopes of preserving his health and preventing more concussion problems – here’s hoping that tactic gives us more games with “Crash” at full strength.
Wallace is one of fantasy hoops’ elite “garbage men,” putting up excellent numbers in those hard-to-get categories like blocks and steals. As such, his 2006-07 numbers look like a step backwards, even though he posted a new career-high in scoring (18.1 ppg). His blocks fell from 2.1 to 1.0, steals from 2.5 to 2.0, and boards dropped slightly from 7.5 to 7.2. Still, as long as he stays healthy – something he’s had trouble doing in the past – Wallace’s name will grace a lot of championship rosters. It’s also worth noting that while his free-throw shooting is still poor (69% last year), it’s not nearly as bad as it used to be.
Wallace burst into the fantasy elite from nowhere last season to challenge Andrei Kirilenko for the title of “most likely to get a quadruple-double” in the NBA. Wallace used his excellent quickness, length (6-7, with long arms), and leaping ability to become a defensive menace and lead the league in steals (2.5 spg) while also finishing in the top-10 in blocks (2.1 bpg). Wallace also set new career-highs in points (15.2 ppg), rebounds (7.5 rpg), and field goal percentage (53.8%). With the return of injured big men Emeka Okafor and Sean May, the further development of point guard Raymond Felton, and the addition of rookie sharpshooter Adam Morrison, the Bobcats offense should be stronger this season and allow Wallace both to get more easy looks from the floor and also focus even more energy on defense. The major knock on Wallace is his health, as he missed 27 games last season and has only played in more than 54 games one other time in his career (70 games). This injury concern in conjunction with the fact that Wallace does not have the celebrity status of many other fantasy superstars may cause Wallace to slide a bit in many drafts, but when he’s healthy there aren’t very many players that are more valuable to the roto standings.
It was a tale of two seasons for Wallace last year. After a woefully inconsistent first half, he caught fire and piled up the points following the All-Star break. The former Alabama standout finished the year averaging 11.1 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. He also was helpful in steals as he averaged 1.6 per game, good enough for sixth in the league. With Okafor and Brezec expected to be better than they were last season, the lane should open up even more for Wallace.
Wallace is a great athlete who would start on many other NBA teams, but playing for such a deep Sacramento squad means he sees very limited minutes. Barring injury to either Pedrag Stojakovic or Doug Christie, Wallace will not average more than 15-20 minutes a game, eradicating any fantasy potential he might have.
