RADIO
I truly believe that there are a lot of different pathways to build a winning team in fantasy basketball. Depending on the format of your league, certain players are going to have more or less value, so understanding your league settings and how to draft accordingly is paramount.
I don't play in points leagues, but if you hate worrying about shooting percentages and player efficiency, then those leagues might be right up your alley. If you do play in H2H or roto leagues and you are willing to punt a category or two, you are then able to hone in on players who can help you be consistently good in multiple categories.
Whatever the format, you are rarely going to punt one of the big three categories - points, rebounds, and assists. Today I want to identify some players to target at various parts of your draft that are going to give you above-average production in these three of these categories.
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Early Round Targets
Domantas Sabonis - PF/C (SAC)
The ultimate targets go early in the first round (Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic), and Giannis Antetokounmpo comes with the major wart of terrible FT%. But I love grabbing Sabonis in the late first or early second round as a foundational piece for my teams.
Sabo has taken his game to the next level in Sacramento, finishing last year as the top rebounder in the NBA for the second straight season (13.7) and setting a career-high in assists per game (8.2). He won't help you much in threes, steals, or blocks, but you can build around his boards and assists easily, as he finished seventh in the league in dimes last season.
Jimmy Butler. Anthony Edwards. LeBron James. Domantas Sabonis. Jayson Tatum.
Starting 5 premieres in 12 HOURS. pic.twitter.com/cKuTzRidrJ
— Netflix (@netflix) October 8, 2024
DeMar DeRozan might eat into his usage a bit, but the offense is still going to run through Sabonis in the high post and low post most of the time. He played in all 82 games last year and has been a reliable and durable player throughout his career.
LeBron James - SF/PF (LAL)
LeBron James is falling into the third round of drafts this season, and I'm going to continue to snag him there when he fits my build, which is more often than not.
He's set to turn 40 years old before the season is over, but the ageless wonder surprised a lot of folks last season by playing in 71 games for the Lakers and posting a solid 25-7-8 on 54% shooting. Those 8.3 assists were the sixth-most of any player and the most by any non-point guard not named Jokic.
We may see LeBron's scoring continue to dip with age, but he's shown no signs of slowing down in rebounds and assists. He's become an incredible facilitator in this last stage of his career in LA and is only four years removed from a 10.2-assist season.
Also consider James Harden (late-first, early-second round), Alperen Sengun (third round)
Mid-Round Targets
Paolo Banchero - SF/PF (ORL)
I'm probably not touching Banchero at 39 overall (his current Yahoo rank) based on his lack of defensive stats, high turnovers, and shaky percentages. But there's a good chance he could improve on some already impressive counting stats from his sophomore campaign, in which he averaged 22.6 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 5.4 assists.
The Magic don't have a traditional point guard on the roster, and therefore, we get a lot of "point-Paolo" on offense.
If he can improve his shooting percentages, he could really improve his appeal in 9-cat leagues, but even if he doesn't, he should continue to post some solid out-of-position stats with those assists and threes (1.5 per game last season). He's a solid pick in the 50s, but if you value efficiency, then don't reach for him any earlier.
Pascal Siakam - SF/PF (IND)
Siakam finished the season with averages of 21.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 4.3 assists. His scoring and rebounding held steady after the trade to Indiana, but his assists took a small hit (down to 3.7), which is to be expected while playing with an elite point guard such as Tyrese Haliburton.
Tyrese Haliburton with an insane no-look behind-the-back pass to Pascal Siakam 👀pic.twitter.com/t1IO0VrftS
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) October 9, 2024
That's four straight seasons with 7+ boards and 4+ assists for Siakam, who saw his efficiency increase in Indiana as he shot 55% from the floor in 41 games with the Pacers. Like Paolo, he's not going to chip enough steals and blocks to be a true 9-cat player, and his FT% dipped to 69% last season.
But he's still giving you 1.0 three-pointers per game, so he should continue to thrive as the second option on offense after Haliburton. The fact that Myles Turner is only a mediocre rebounder certainly helps his chances of pushing for close to eight boards per game again this season.
Also consider Cade Cunningham (fourth round) and Zion Williamson (fifth round), Josh Giddey (6th round)
Late-Round Targets
Kyle Kuzma - SF/PF (WAS)
In his three seasons in Washington, Kuzma has seen his assist totals rise each season from 3.5 in 2021 to 3.7 in 2022 and 4.2 in 2023.
With Tyus Jones now out of town, Jordan Poole is going to slide over to point guard and Kuzma will likely continue to function as a secondary playmaker and passer. He's like a poor man's Paolo in many ways, but offers up over two threes per game and has averaged 21 and 22 points per game in the last two seasons.
For all of his warts, Kuzma is being drafted far too late for a 20-point scorer who can also contribute above-average rebounding and assists. Sure, the Wizards are going nowhere, but the statistics from their games count just the same, and I expect both Poole and Kuzma to have some big stat lines this season when they play other bad defensive teams.
Deni Avdija - SF/PF (POR)
I have gone on a few different shows and podcasts this offseason to defend the honor of Deni as a fantasy pick this season. I'm a big fan of his game and I was a big proponent of picking him up off waiver wires early in the year last season.
If you stuck with Deni, you probably reaped the rewards as he finished the year with averages of 14.7 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game in 30 minutes a night. The scoring is a bit under the average NBA player, but those rebounds and assists will certainly pay, especially for a player being drafted in the 10th round or later.
“Deni Avdija is probably the best player on the team with his setup and the way he plays.”
- Chauncey Billups on Portland’s best player
(Via @BlazersArgento ) pic.twitter.com/ui2cGs6FGz
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) October 7, 2024
Avdija was shipped to Portland this offseason from Washington and was set to be the Blazers' sixth man until Shaedon Sharpe got hurt just last week and is now expected to be out for at least a month or two. That should open the door for Avdija to start at small forward and play around 30 minutes a night, which is all he really needs to be quite useful in category leagues.
Like Washington, Portland is a team that is rebuilding, and we could see some players traded or rested down the stretch, which could open things up even more for Deni to flash his solid skill set.
Also consider Austin Reaves (9th round), Brandin Podziemski (11th round)
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