Fantasy Basketball: Season Takeaways
With the fantasy basketball season officially ending, it is time to reflect on the season and see the biggest lessons learned going forward.
1. Be safe with your first few picks
Even with great pickups and trades throughout the season, it is crucial to hit on your first few picks of the draft.
These players are the ones that can explode for points and should be consistently playing.
The worst-case scenario is picking a top player who gets hurt, or who misses multiple games with load management.
It is impossible to predict injuries, but it is worth staying away from guys who are proven to be injury prone.
This would include guys like Zion Williamson, Kawhi Leonard, Lebron James, Anthony Davis, Kevin Durant and more.
These are some of the most talented players in the league, but considering all of them have missed numerous games in the past few seasons, it is better to pick more reliable players.
2. Stay away from drafting rookies
Rookies can be fun and exciting to have on your team, but there is no guarantee that they will pan out in the NBA.
Many are often overrated initially because of the potential and excitement, leading to them being taken instead of players who have proven to be successful.
Additionally, many first-year players are inconsistent as they learn their role in the league and with their team.
It is worth picking up rookies from free agency, and there are usually many breakout players who go undrafted.
For example, Jalen Williams and Walker Kessler were two top rookies this year that were available to be picked up for much of the season.
In general, it's better to wait for guys to develop before spending a draft pick on them.
3. Don’t be afraid of players in new situations
Going into this season, there were plenty of familiar faces in new places, such as Donovan Mitchell with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Lauri Markkanen with the Utah Jazz, Jalen Brunson with the New York Knicks, Dejounte Murray with the Atlanta Hawks and more.
There are always questions about how a player will fit on a new team, but sometimes there are players who elevate with a change of scenery.
The key to finding the players that will succeed on new rosters is to find the ones who have succeeded in a limited role and will likely be a larger part of the offense on their new team.
Brunson is the best example of this, as he was a very solid sidekick to Luka Dončić on the Dallas Mavericks, but flourished on the Knicks as he was able to become the primary ball handler.
Talented players tend to find a way to be successful regardless of their situation, and this year was an example of that as many either kept their fantasy value or improved it.
4. Keep up with the waiver-wire
This final tip is really just a matter of putting in the effort.
Having a good draft is crucial, but the in-season pickups can save your team.
With injuries, trades and players developing, there are plenty of players throughout the season worth spending a waiver on.
The best opportunities are at the very beginning of the season, around the trade deadline and in the final weeks of the season.
The end of the NBA regular season is the fantasy playoffs, which complicates things even more.
Many top players sit out because either their team is out of the playoffs or their playoff seed is locked, giving them no incentive to play.
During this stretch, there are plenty of young players and bench players seeing an uptick in minutes.
It is essential to keep up with this towards the end of the season, and some of those players can make or break a team in the fantasy playoffs.
Christopher Reynolds is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email him at clr5971@psu.edu.
