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Every NBA player is different in what strengths and weaknesses they have in their overall game. And some players can pile up stats more quickly than others, but at what cost?
In 9-cat H2H and Roto leagues, efficiency matters! FG%, FT%, and turnovers are three of the nine categories that you have to compete against the rest of your league. And while many managers opt to punt one or more of the efficiency categories to focus on counting stats, I think that's a mistake that we can exploit. I'm looking to target efficient scorers, rebounders, and passers in my drafts and I'll offer up some suggestions on who you should focus on in each part of your drafts in this piece.
Early Round Efficiency Studs
Lauri Markkanen - PF/C (UTA)
One of the best players to build around in the first round is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, but I'm not sure I need to tell you what a great fantasy player SGA is for this format.
Instead, let's drop down to the third round when you could grab Utah big man Lauri Markannen. He's just one year removed from being the NBA's most improved player as he averaged 25.6 points in his first season in Utah and followed that up with 23.2 points last season.
The biggest knock on Markkanen might be that he's played in an average of only 55 games per season during his 7-year career. And there is always going to be some injury risk attached to him, especially if Utah fails to be competitive and shuts players down early again this season.
But as far as Lauri's game goes, the big man can score with relative ease and made 3.2 threes while still shooting 48% from the field and 89% from the free throw line. He doesn't add many assists, blocks, or steals, but his 1.4 turnovers were the lowest of any player in the league to average 20+ points per game.
Jalen Williams - SG/SF/PF (OKC)
If you miss out on Markannen, Jalen Williams is being taken 4-5 picks later and is a player who is very high on my list of "must-haves" this season. Despite being a wing player, Williams shot an impressive 54% from the field last season and 81% from the line while upping his scoring average to a cool 19.1 points per game.
Jalen Williams through 2 pre-season halves
33 points
3 assists
5 rebounds
13/25 shooting
6/10 from 3Year-3. pic.twitter.com/0xzwp5d3OU
— TF (@ThunderFocus) October 10, 2024
He's ready to take another leap this season in his third pro campaign as the Thunder are early-season favorites to win the Western Conference. Williams gave us over four boards and four assists last season as well as 1.1 steals while limiting turnovers (1.7). The steals were actually down from his rookie campaign when he had 1.4 thefts per contest.
Williams added 1.5 threes and 0.6 blocks last year as well and is arguably the most well-rounded 9-cat player in this range of the draft. There's no reason to think he can't continue to thrive alongside SGA, Chet Holmgren, and newcomers Isaiah Hartenstein and Alex Caruso this season. Reach for him in the third round if you want him on your team, other managers will have him in their queue, too!
Also consider Kyrie Irving (second round)
Middle-Round Efficiency Studs
Jimmy Butler - SF/ PF (MIA)
Yes, Jimmy Butler has missed a lot of games over the last few years, but that's baked into his ADP and I'm very interested in drafting him in the fourth round where I can.
Butler isn't the scorer he once was but still offers solid contributions across the board for 9-cat. He finished with five boards, five assists, and 1.3 steals (his lowest since 2012) last season. His scoring dipped to 20.8 points per game, but his efficiency is still remarkable as he shot 50% from the floor and 86% from the line.
That free throw shooting is huge considering the volume of attempts (7.7) that Butler takes every game. And the fact that he can offer over five assists while limiting his turnovers to just 1.7 per contest is another bonus.
Butler's game has aged well and as long as he can stay on the court this season, I expect him to beat his ADP. Stay healthy, Jimmy!
DeMar DeRozan - SG/SF/PF (SAC)
We go from one old-timer to another here with DDR. Jimmy and DeRozan have both made their living playing old-school basketball, living in the mid-range and getting to the free-throw line. DeRozan's time in Chicago didn't end up bringing the Bulls a title, but he has morphed into one of the most efficient scorers in the game. He averaged 24 points per game last season on 48% shooting. He shot 50% from the field in the two seasons prior and is a career 84% shooter from the charity stripe.
DeMar DeRozan is proving to be one of the best signings this off-season 🔥
Can he be the addition the Kings need to go even further in 2025? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/LbCBeppNzG
— BettingToolsUS (@BettingToolsUS) October 10, 2024
His scoring could take a small hit in Sacto this year, but DeRozan's combination of points, assists, sparkling percentages and low turnovers (1.7) make him an appealing target in the late fourth or early fifth round. Like Butler, his game just keeps better with age, but unlike Jimmy - DeMar has been as consistent as they come in terms of suiting up for his teams every night. He missed just three games last season and has appeared in 70 or more games now in all but four of his 16 NBA seasons.
Also consider Jarrett Allen (fifth round)
Late-Round Efficiency Studs
Ivica Zubac - C (LAC)
Big men tend to be really good picks if you want to build a team around efficiency as they often shoot significantly better from the field than guards and come with fewer turnovers as they handle the ball less often.
But the sticking point is that a lot of centers are bad free throw shooters, so those who can make their free throws at a respectable rate allow us to forgo a "punt FT% strategy."
Zubac is a career 74% shooter from the charity stripe and finished last season at 72.3%. I can live with that, especially since he doesn't shoot a lot of them (just 2.4 attempts per game).
James Harden lobs it up to Ivica Zubac who flushes it down! 🔝💥🙌#NBAPhilippines #RepublikaNgNBA pic.twitter.com/3PKyvflQOt
— NBA Philippines (@NBA_Philippines) October 11, 2024
And the benefits here are uber-efficient shooting from the floor (65%) and very low turnovers (1.2). The 26-year-old big man has seen his scoring average rise in each of the last four seasons with the Clippers and he finished with averages of 11.7 points, 9.2 boards, and 1.2 blocks in 26 minutes per game last season.
There's no real downside to drafting Zubac late in drafts. You know what you're getting and it's even possible that Zubac increases his output a little more this season with Paul George gone and Kawhi Leonard possibly set to miss some time. Any big man playing a lot of pick-and-roll with James Harden is going to be in a good spot to produce.
Onyeka Okongwu - PF/C (ATL)
Will year five finally be the year that the 23-year-old Okongwu breaks out as a big-time fantasy asset? Well, he still has Clint Capela blocking his path to bigger minutes, but he has at least played his way into an almost equal timeshare with Capela as Okongwu played a career-high 25 minutes per game last season.
Those increased minutes resulted in career-highs in scoring (10.2 points), threes (0.4), and free throw percentage (79%). Okongwu has slowly started to add the three-pointer to his arsenal and still managed to maintain a solid 61% shooting rate from the floor. If he's ever totally unleashed, we could see him develop into some kind of version of Serge Ibaka as Onyeka's per-36 numbers last year were 14-10-2 with 1.5 blocks.
He currently goes after pick 100 and even if he has to split time with Capela all season, Okongwu is a great player to have on your team as he's an ultra-efficient player who can contribute in everything but steals, threes, and assists.
Also consider Tyus Jones (10th round), Al Horford (11th-12th round)
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