RADIO
Well hello NBA regular season, it's nice to see you right around the corner! We've been calling you guys ever since the Olympics were over, but it looks like they left us on read until we just got hit with the "You up?" text when training camp began. The good news...I AM UP!
Let's just all skip over that terrible analogy, deal? Okay, anyway, with the return of the NBA, that means fantasy basketball returns! For those who decided to jump feet first into the dynasty format, fantasy basketball season never ended. I hope you all have been making five trades a day through the off-season with the hopes that the ghost of Ben Simmons will finally turn his off-season mixtapes into reality. What we're about to get into may even help trade deals or fantasy managers who are diving into a startup draft for the first time.
I'll highlight a few areas of these dynasty rankings where I may have ranked some players either a lot higher or lower than usual. ADP data is scarce for dynasty formats right now, so we won't be touching on that much. So without further ado, let's make like Sam Hinkie and have the longest view in the room!
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Fantasy Basketball Dynasty 9-Category Head-to-Head Rankings
Note: In dynasty formats, we're looking at the body of work up until this season as well as trying to project the next three seasons in the future
Cornerstones
Victor Wembanyama, Scottie Barnes, Chet Holmgren, Alperen Sengun
When we're talking first-round players in a dynasty startup draft, the players who are going to produce at an elite level across the board are the ones to target. Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic had a firm grasp of the first and second picks over the last few seasons until Wembanyama decided to arrive on the scene and tell everyone, "I'm the superstar now."
In his rookie season, Wemby averaged 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.2 steals, 3.6 blocks, and 1.8 threes per game while shooting 46.5% from the floor. In case you were wondering, he's the only player in NBA history to average at least 21/10/3/1/3/1. Yeah, he's that good.
We get even more centers when we reach Alperen Sengun and Chet Holmgren. The common theme here is big men who can deliver huge center numbers but can also sneak in some great guard-like numbers. Holmgren is going to bring more blocks, threes, and efficient free-throw shooting. Sengun has already been teased as the "poor man's Jokic" with the amount of all-around offensive stats he posts. Both are high-quality cornerstones that can start a few different team builds.
Chet Holmgren coming through for the two-handed jam 🔨pic.twitter.com/a4NCsDi9sJ
— Dime (@DimeUPROXX) October 8, 2024
Finally, there's a non-center we can talk about! Scottie Barnes is the cornerstone of the Toronto Raptors, that much is very clear. While you may have to bring field goal percentage aspirations a bit lower for Barnes, the all-around stats are the biggest plus. Last season, he received his first All-Star nod while averaging 19.9 points, 8.2 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 1.3 steals, 1.5 blocks, and 1.7 threes per game. Only two other players have averaged those numbers in a season, and they happen to be Hall of Fame talents LeBron James and Larry Bird. Do with that what you will.
Solid Building Blocks
Paolo Banchero, Bam Adebayo, Immanuel Quickley, Myles Turner, Derrick White
The Orlando Magic are fun to watch again and the biggest reason for that has been Paolo Banchero. Along with Franz Wagner, Banchero has cemented himself as one of the top players of the newer generation in the NBA. He's another point-forward type of player who has a few pieces of his game to work to be truly elite. His field goal percentage improved, but if his free throw percentage sees a jump too, he could become a cornerstone while he keeps his all-around play at a high level.
Bam Adebayo and Myles Turner fill the spots of solid building blocks to pair with top guards. If you happen to be the one lucky enough to select Tyrese Haliburton or Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, then Adebayo and Turner can round out a quality team build. Adebayo gives you essentially everything minus threes and top-notch free throw efficiency, while Turner provides elite block numbers with solid scoring, efficiency, and rebounding.
Then we get to a couple of guards at different ends of the age spectrum. Derrick White is a high-quality option for teams that are contending right away. His defensive numbers, especially for a guard, are downright filthy. 1.2 blocks and 1.0 steals to go along with 4.2 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game as a combo guard? Yes, please!
Quickley, on the other hand, finally landed in a situation where he could take on more opportunities and increase usage. The moment he stepped foot on the court for the Toronto Raptors, his traditional stats all took a jump while his field goal percentage took a hit. The defensive and rebounding numbers are the bigger question marks holding him back from rising up draft boards.
Higher Potential for rebuilds
Jonathan Kuminga, Reed Sheppard, Bub Carrington, Taylor Hendricks, Trayce Jackson-Davis
There are a lot more names that could fit in this section ranging from rookies up to 24 or 25-year-olds. This rookie class didn't produce many top dynasty picks for startup drafts, but there's always a good surprise or two. Reed Sheppard and Bub Carrington are the two rookies that stand out to me the most. there has been nothing but great things about Sheppard from when he was drafted through this point in the preseason. His training camp tape was great and he seems to have the chance to crack the lineup pretty early on despite how deep the team has become.
Carrington, on the other hand, is in a bit better of a situation in terms of playing time right out of the gates. The Washington Wizards are desperately looking for good players throughout their rebuild and Carrington is just the draft-day steal they've been looking for. The Pitt product has a great all-around game that should see even more benefits as he matures and gets an offseason with NBA facilities. Right away, he provides solid scoring, a great IQ that leads to a good assist-to-turnover ratio, and could even see good rebounding numbers for a guard.
Then, you get to your second-year players and under-25 guys. Hendricks was highly touted coming out of the 2023 NBA Draft, but it took him a while to get on the court. Towards the end of the season, Hendricks flashed some serious potential at the power forward spot and would benefit greatly from a John Collins trade.
Trayce Jackson-Davis playing some SOLID defensive on Sabonis in the opening quarter of this Warriors-Kings game. pic.twitter.com/cemVVGayLF
— Cyrus Saatsaz (@SurfJournalist) October 10, 2024
Jonathan Kuminga and Trayce Jackson-Davis are part of the new generation to lead the Golden State Warriors when Stephen Curry and Draymond Green hang up their sneakers. Kuminga has already shown tremendous scoring potential with the possibility of an even bigger improvement with more minutes this coming season. Jackson-Davis was tremendous in the role he played last season and has even more room to grow into an everyday starter.
Buy Low, Win-Now Candidates
Jrue Holiday, Tobias Harris, Draymond Green, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
For every dynasty championship, some win-now players are hitting the later stages of their careers while still able to produce some numbers to put fantasy teams over the edge. Players such as Jrue Holiday will give you above-average numbers across the board to bolster an already contending roster. He contributes some defensive numbers while consistently producing 12/5/5 to push the total numbers of each category just enough to equate to a win.
Tobias Harris is another candidate who is now hitting his 14th year in the NBA but is projected to be a starter with the Detroit Pistons. He doesn't have the added pressure that came with the spotlight in Philadelphia and his expectations aren't high at all. With that being said, he's still an underrated producer and can provide efficient scoring along with some rebounds.
Draymond Green and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope are going to give you a little of everything on both sides of the ball. Green will be the better rebounder with some more assists, but Caldwell-Pope produces more steals, threes, and a better free throw efficiency. As a contending team, the thing to aim for with this type of player is trading away assets that won't break the bank. Second-round picks, maybe some project type of players with upside, that's the goal to acquire these players.
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