Zafir Nagji, Sports Editor | 

Sports are best enjoyed with friends and family, and one of the most effective ways to garner interest in a given game is to play in a fantasy league. Guessing which players will have statistically significant seasons in their respective sports is no easy task, especially in a discipline like basketball. With so many categories in the box scores to pay attention to, here’s a guide on how to fill out your roster and be your league’s winning fantasy basketball GM.

Season Preview

In the modern NBA, trades and free agency acquisitions have become commonplace. Teams look vastly different year-to-year and the 2024 off-season was a case in exactly that point. 

DeMar DeRozan, who led the Chicago Bulls in scoring last year, joined the Sacramento Kings as a perimeter playmaker with a perfect mid-range jumper. “Point God” Chris Paul was acquired by the San Antonio Spurs, who want to pair the floor-general’s passing wizardry with future superstar center Victor Wembanyama. Long-time Minnesota Timberwolves big-man Karl-Anthony Towns was traded to New York in a deal that broke up the “Nova Knicks” group that fans fell in love with during the 2024 NBA Playoffs. In the Big Apple, KAT brings unparalleled three-point shooting from the power forward/center position to one of the grittiest teams in the league.

Even the “Splash Brothers” of Golden State were not safe as the Dallas Mavericks signed Klay Thompson to bolster an already lethal offense led by Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. Paul George joined league MVP Joel Embiid in a move that turned the 76ers from pretenders into contenders, launching them into the upper stratosphere of the Eastern Conference.

Other teams, like the Celtics, Nuggets, and Thunder, have faith in the talent of their squads and have rosters that look eerily similar to last year’s groups. Some clubs, like the Suns, Grizzlies, and Pelicans, will hope to have healthier rosters in the upcoming season that can make deep playoff runs.

So, with all that has changed in the league, what are the best picks to make to win a fantasy basketball league and what factors matter the most?

Easy early-draft picks

For those who occupy a top-two spot in their draft order, Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic are easily the best choices. Both players barely rested for any games last regular season, with Doncic playing in 70 matches last year and Jokic playing in 79. That durability combined with their ability to fill multiple columns of the box score efficiently make them an easy choice early in the draft. 

Some may point out Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid as potential options for the same picking position, but both are less desirable picks with their injury concerns. Other solid first-rounders include Anthony Davis, whose tendency to pack points, rebounds and blocks into his stat sheet every night, and Karl-Anthony Towns, who brings all of the above with a side of highly efficient three-point marksmanship.

If threes are the X-factor, though, this may be the best year to pick Stephen Curry in fantasy basketball. With no Klay Thompson and the ball squarely in his hands with the greenest of all lights to shoot, the Baby-Faced Assassin is set to be unleashed as a true primary scorer. Chef Curry will almost certainly put up points, assists, and three-point shooting numbers that could lead any fantasy team to success.

With a late first-round pick, consider drafting Chet Holmgren or Domantas Sabonis, both of whom are known to play in the majority of games and put double-doubles on the board on a nightly basis. LeBron James also continues to be a solid first-round draft pick 22 years into his illustrious career and seems energized now that his son has joined him on the Lakers.

A dark horse pick would be Victor Wembanyama in the first round, who, despite entering just his second year in the association, possesses the size and skill to etch eye-watering statlines into fans’ memories this season.

Moving down the queue

As superstars get wiped off the board, fantasy GMs must ruthlessly assess what factors are most important to their team strategy. If drafting an offensively proficient squad focused on scoring and efficiency, look no further than the Phoenix Suns. Trust in Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal, all of whom can put 30 or more points on the scoreboard on any given night.

If the team in question is being built around two-way impact, combining lethal scoring with suffocating defence, the Celtics fit the bill perfectly. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are huge picks and are statistically interchangeable, splitting the number-one spot on the team equally. The Raptors’ Scottie Barnes and 76ers’ Paul George are also known to fill up the points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks on any given night and are great picks to bolster the shooting guard and small forward positions of all fantasy basketball squads.

If health is a determining factor and consistency is of utmost importance, choose the iron men of Tom Thibodeau’s New York Knicks. Thibodeau often plays his starters 40 minutes or more, but Jalen Brunson, all-star point guard, played in 77 games last year and is set to have his assists increase with some of the new additions to their roster. Pacers forward Pascal Siakam is known to remain healthy for long stretches in the season and puts up serious scoring and rebounding statistics that will boost fantasy numbers any and every night.

Other mid-to-high draft picks with legitimate credibility include Zion Williamson, who may be a gamble when it comes to remaining healthy, Brandon Ingram, who is regularly compared to Durant, and Tyrese Maxey, who recently signed a 5 year, $203,852,600 fully guaranteed max contract with the 76ers and is quickly ascending to the upper echelon of NBA point guards.

Two players returning from injury that should catch their stride as the season rolls on are the Grizzlies’ Ja Morant and Timberwolves’ Julius Randle. Their early season impact will seem bleak, but have faith in their ability to get back into game-shape and return to their previously established stardom. 

Rudy Gobert is an un-sexy but mathematically justifiable pick with his rebounding and blocking metrics. As a four-time Defensive Player of the Year, the French center polarizes fans every season, but puts smiles on fantasy GMs who draft him and reap the statistical benefits.

Underrated mid-range picks

As the drafts wear on, the names of players start to become less familiar. It can be easy to pick former stars with big reputations, like James Harden, but as those players continue to age and be phased out by younger talent, they become less viable choices in fantasy hoops.

Trae Young, for example, is a great, young alternative to Harden. With the ability to shoot from the parking lot and throw dimes with pin-point precision, Young no longer has to concede the ball to Dejounte Murray, freeing him up to average huge points, assists, and three-point shooting statistics.

If big names are too alluring to resist, Damian Lillard is a solid choice. If still available in the third or fourth rounds, the Bucks point guard has some of the most iconic shots in NBA history and is guaranteed to play huge minutes as a main feature of the offence. Injury troubles and playing for a small-market squad have allowed folks to forget about the brilliance of Dame Time, but his combination of deep-range shooting and deadeye facilitation make him an essential pick.

De’Aaron Fox and Tyrese Haliburton are two other point guards with great cases for mid-range picks. Both players average efficient scoring, assisting, and shooting statistics, but do it in adversely different ways. Fox is a slasher, aggressively slicing up defences and scoring with speed or using his gravity in the paint to attract defences and free up shooters on the three-point line. Haliburton, on the other hand, is an adept three-point shooter who manipulates the pick-and-roll to find players diving to the rim for easy layups.

Other players to consider in the middle of the draft are Fred VanVleet, Cade Cunningham, Jamal Murray, Donovan Mitchell, and Darius Garland. These players tend to be inconsistent but show flashes of superstar talent. They won’t always put in the best or most efficient statlines, but when these scorers start to heat up, no defence is safe from the terror they are liable to cause.

Lesser-known notable players

No team is complete without a set of outstanding role players, and fantasy hoops is no different. The Orlando Magic’s Franz Wagner dazzles defenses with his playmaking and crafty scoring ability and has been known to stuff multiple columns on the stat sheet. CJ McCollum, Khris Middleton, and Lauri Markkanen are other scorers who can boost a fantasy team’s statistics on any given night.

Clint Capela and Mitchell Robinson are hard-nosed centers who will be guaranteed to grab double-digit rebounds, score off of dunks, and chip in blocks on a nightly basis. Jarrett Allen, Myles Turner, and Nic Claxton all make good big-man picks as they secure boards and score in the paint with regularity and efficiency.

Armed with the guide above, prepare for a dominant and victorious fantasy basketball season in 2024/25.