With the 2024-25 NBA season right around the corner, now is the perfect time to enter a fantasy basketball league if you haven’t already done so. The final preseason games will be played on Friday (October 18), making the weekend a good time to craft your teams ahead of the October 22 opening night doubleheader. Raphielle Johnson and Noah Rubin have come up with some tips you can use to draft the best team possible and make a run at winning your league.
1. Know the league’s roster rules.
When signing up for a fantasy league, this should be one of the first things you do regardless of sport. Regarding fantasy basketball, how many active roster spots will you have to work with? Positions? Is it a one-center league, or will you need two for your active lineup? Also important here are the IL spots. IL+ spots are best due to the versatility they allow regarding player absences. And how many of those spots will you have at your disposal? Factoring roster rules into your draft strategy is essential, and this will make the process more fun. – Raphielle Johnson
2. Adapt to the draft.
You can enter the draft with the perfect plan, which can be thrown off the rails before the first round ends. It’s okay to have plans A-Z ready, but in reality, there is no perfect plan that works for every fantasy draft. You may be planning on getting Anthony Edwards in round two, but what happens when he goes in round one because someone is a huge fan? That likely bumps some first-round talents down the draft board, allowing you to have a better team than expected. It may force you to change your punting strategy, which is why adapting is essential. – Noah Rubin
3. Have some flexibility with your “punt” strategy.
Crafting a punting strategy before your draft is perfectly fine, especially if you know the draft order beforehand. However, a successful manager maintains some flexibility to account for potential surprises during the draft. Getting Giannis Antetokounmpo does not mean you have to punt free throw percentage, just as Luka Doncic or Trae Young doesn’t lock you into a punt-turnover build. As with driving, the path to a destination can change for various reasons. Try to maintain some level of flexibility. – RJ
4. Don’t have “do not draft” players.
Frequently, we can get frustrated by players who have a bad year or are constantly injured, causing us to say, “I’m never drafting him again!” Simply put, that’s a bad strategy. For example, Jordan Poole burned me (and everyone else) last season. I drafted him early in one league because I believed in him, and it didn’t work out. However, I will absolutely draft Jordan Poole this year, especially since I can get him a few rounds later than I did last season. His current Yahoo ADP has him going in round eight. If you were so frustrated with him last year that you still hold a grudge, set a number for yourself. “I’ll only take Poole if he’s still there at pick 100.” At that point, you’re playing it safe but still giving yourself a chance to make a value pick, depending on how the rest of the draft shakes out. – NR
5. Get your guys.
Fantasy basketball is supposed to be fun, so why would you not get the players you like? Sure, you can wait around and play the rankings game on the platform that you’re using, but the managers that win leagues aren’t afraid to reach if they genuinely believe in a player. Everybody has at least one guy that they’re higher on than everyone else every year. Don’t go off the rails to get that player, but feel free to reach a bit. It’s better to reach by a round or two to get a guy you believe will blow their ADP out of the water than to play it safe and have them break out for another manager in your league. – NR
6. For online drafts, make use of your queue.
Any online league will have a section of your draft room page allowing managers to build a queue (this explanation is for the newcomers). Before the draft starts, add “your guys” to the section, beginning with a few options you expect to come off the board around your first-round pick (if you’re picking 10th, there’s no need to have Wemby or Nikola Jokic in your queue). From there, as the queue clears out, add more targets. Not only does this protect you if you get distracted or there’s an emergency, you’re covered. And it can also help those who tend to get distracted stay on task. – RJ
7. Get bigs early.
There are a handful of incredibly impactful big men that you can get in the first 3-4 rounds. Make sure to get 1-2. There are many exciting guards that you can draft in the early, middle, and late rounds, but the bigs don’t go quite as deep. Perhaps it’s the draft hype getting to me, but if I’m not careful, I’ll draft only guards for the first 4-5 rounds, leaving me without any options I like at center. You may feel differently about the center options in the middle rounds, but I’m far more excited about the guard options in that range, and I don’t want to wait until round 10 to start collecting centers. I believe in drafting value over position, but don’t neglect the centers early on. – NR
8. Trust your process.
Playing fantasy sports is our little virtual way of competing. You can think of analysts as your coaches, but you have to make the final decision on the court. Frankly, coaching helps, but trust that you’re good at this! Your research and knowledge of the game give you an edge over your league-mates, who also use different analysts for help. Trust your gut when you’re deciding who to pick each round. Fantasy sports are the ultimate competition of who knows the most about the sport, so put your skills to the test with the help of some coaching from your favorite analyst(s). – NR
9. Take advantage of fellow managers who don’t pay attention.
This is for the in-person drafters. We all know those friends who would rather joke around and focus on everything but the draft itself. Their turn comes up, and the scramble ensues because they haven’t followed the board. That may result in some opportunities to land players you may have thought would be unavailable. Take advantage of this (bringing quality snacks/beverages can help in in-person settings). As for the repeat offenders, there needs to be some penalty involved when trying to select players who are off the board. – RJ
10. Keep the wins (and losses) in proper perspective.
If you’ve been around the fantasy sports space long enough, you certainly have stories of thrilling victories (and the cash that can come with it) and disappointing defeats. And those who finish dead last may have some embarrassing penalties to pay. But, as long as no one goes too far, this should be a fun experience. Losing a fantasy league doesn’t mean you lack knowledge, just as winning one doesn’t mean you’ll take the job of a Tim Connelly or Sam Presti in the next 12 months. And, as always, never put up what you aren’t able to handle losing, either financially or mentally. Failing to keep that in mind is how the process quickly stops being fun. – RJ