X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Hustle Beats Talent When Talent Doesn’t Hustle

As lovers of fantasy basketball, we often have eyes trained to identify the valuable box score stats. But that’s not to say that we don’t appreciate the nuances of the game of basketball. Many of the most important players on an NBA roster provide help in areas that don’t get credited. Today we’re going to give credit where it is due.

The NBA just recently started tracking box out statistics (and defense box scores), which made me nerd out in embarrassing fashion. Box outs ensure that the opposing team has less of an opportunity to get to key rebounds, but often this may lead to a teammate getting the credit for a rebound while another player is performing the box out (Helloooooo Westbrook). I got to thinking about how a hustle stat like box outs leads directly to a key fantasy category in rebounds. Looking at players who perform well in box outs could help determine potential at creating rebounds, even if the player changed teams. For example, Enes Kanter, who got moved to the New York Knicks this season, is second in the NBA in box outs. He now is top 10 in the league for per-game rebounds, a vast improvement from last season.  The predictive nature of statistics strikes again!

I also began to draw connections between other hustle stats that the NBA had already been curating. Contested shots lead to increased potential at blocks, and deflections lead to increased potential at steals. I added these to the analysis of hustle stats. Let’s see what narratives are being created through these hustle stats.

Featured Promo: Get any DFS Premium Bundle for for 30% off using code NEW! Win more with expert advice from proven winners and exclusive DFS tools. Get instant access to RotoBaller's Lineup Optimizers, Research Stations, daily picks and VIP chat rooms across 10 sports! Go Premium, Win More!

 

NBA Hustle Stats: Hustle Beats Talent When Talent Doesn’t Hustle

For each category of hustle stat, I created a list of the top 15 players and then a list of the top 15 players for the corresponding box score stat. Then I looked at the corresponding box score stat leaders from the previous season. Consistency is key in fantasy basketball, and you want to rely on players that can perform from season to season. I color coded the charts to show connections between the various lists. (See key). Let’s start with box outs and rebounds.

From looking at the chart, some general questions come to mind. If the player is a rebound leader but not a box out leader, then who on their team boxes out for them? For a player like Karl-Anthony Towns, he actually still leads his team in box outs, but he shares the responsibility with another big man (Taj Gibson), therefore splitting the numbers. This is a fairly common occurrence among teams. It is an interesting note to make that even with the addition of Gibson to the Timberwolves, Towns still retains the same level of rebounding. The second question: If the player is a box out leader but not a rebound leader, does this mean they are leaking potential for the future or are they just a bad rebounder? For some of the 30+ veteran players like Robin Lopez and Marcin Gortat, it seems to be a matter of them knowing their role and relinquishing the rebound to their teammates who can move the ball quicker back into transition. For relatively younger players like 20-year-old John Collins or even the 28-year-old Ed Davis, I believe it means potential. Davis had been showing much better rebounding numbers (8.3 per game over the past month) despite playing with another big in Jusuf Nurkic. John Collins has incredible bounce and seems to be a lynchpin in the tanking Hawks future so he could be up to double digit rebound averages next season.

Another key point to notice about rebounds is that Bam Adebayo and Kelly Olynyk have been taking some of Hassan Whiteside’s box outs (and his minutes, to be frank), and this has resulted in a slip in his monster rebounding. Lastly, I believe a team like the Rockets shows to be very healthy in sharing box outs between its big men (Ryan Anderson, Clint Capela, PJ Tucker, Nene, Tarik Black), meaning that even if a primary box out player is injured, it won’t impact the primary rebounder’s numbers (Capela). For fantasy basketball, it is important to target the players highlighted in yellow, for they show consistency as a top rebounder, despite changes to their team.

For the other two hustle stats, we are more fortunate since they have been tracked in previous seasons. It adds another layer of analysis. Blocks is a little trickier because it’s likely the least correlated of the hustle stats, just because of the difficult nature of blocking shots. However, one can see the consistency in the names across the list. Defensive stalwarts make their mark in this arena, and it’s hard to move up to the top of the league. The changes here usually happen due to injury or the introduction of a defensive big (ex. Taj Gibson and Domantas Sabonis)

Our last category is deflections and it is a more volatile category. The turnover of leaders from one season to the next is quick. Deflections and steals is mostly dominated by quick handed guards and 3&D specialists. But also it surprisingly includes Andre Drummond! Deflections is interesting because sometimes it leads to a steal being credited to a teammate who might end up with the deflected block. So teams with strong defense will end up having a greater number of steals. This wraps up our quick analysis on hustle stats and what they can affect. Feel free to hit me up on Twitter for more discussion!

 

More Fantasy Basketball Analysis

 

DFS Premium Subscription

Get a free trial of our powerful Premium Tools. Our famous DFS Cheat Sheets, and Lineup Optimizers & Generators with daily matchup projections.

Win more. Try the most advanced lineup optimizer in daily fantasy sports.

Sign Up Now!




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Michael Conforto3 hours ago

Homers, Scores Three Runs
Jace Jung3 hours ago

Hits Home Run No. 2 At Triple-A
Jon Singleton4 hours ago

Signs Minor-League Deal With Mets
Niko Goodrum4 hours ago

Signs Minor-League Deal With Mets
Nick Kurtz4 hours ago

Belts Third Home Run In Last Four Games
Shohei Ohtani4 hours ago

Blasts Walk-Off Home Run
Zac Veen4 hours ago

Triples, Collects Four RBI At Triple-A On Wednesday
Zac Gallen4 hours ago

Strikes Out 13
Luke Waddell5 hours ago

Swinging A Hot Bat At Triple-A
Chandler Simpson5 hours ago

With A Two-Run Triple, Stolen Base On Wednesday
Los Angeles Chargers5 hours ago

Chargers Sign Tight End Jordan Petaia
Austin Gomber6 hours ago

Scratched From Rehab Start With Shoulder Inflammation
Zack Wheeler6 hours ago

Records 10 Strikeouts
6 hours ago

Matthew Golden Making Pre-Draft Visit To Steelers
Cincinnati Bengals6 hours ago

Trey Hendrickson Not Looking For Short-Term Deal
Aroldis Chapman6 hours ago

Earns First Save Of The Season
Garrett Crochet7 hours ago

Works Eight Strong Innings
Tutu Atwell7 hours ago

Rams Plan To Give Tutu Atwell A Bigger Role In 2025
Rafael Devers7 hours ago

Finally Delivers At The Plate
Tampa Bay Buccaneers7 hours ago

Bucs Restructure Antoine Winfield's Deal To Free Up Cap Space
Xavier Edwards7 hours ago

Collects Four Hits
Pete Alonso7 hours ago

Comes Up Clutch
Jackson Merrill9 hours ago

Goes Deep After Inking Nine-Year Extension
Jrue Holiday9 hours ago

Won't Play Against Miami
New York Jets9 hours ago

Xavier Newman-Johnson Re-Signs With New York
Luis Castillo9 hours ago

Finally Beats The Tigers On Wednesday
Al Horford9 hours ago

Sidelined Versus Heat
Seiya Suzuki9 hours ago

Carries Cubs Offense With Two Homers, Five RBI
Kristaps Porzingis9 hours ago

Ruled Out On Wednesday
Fred VanVleet9 hours ago

Out Versus Utah
Dennis Santana9 hours ago

Picks Up First Save Of The Year
Dean Wade10 hours ago

Sidelined On Wednesday
Trae Young10 hours ago

Expected To Suit Up On Wednesday
Joel Embiid10 hours ago

Will Undergo Arthroscopic Surgery On His Left Knee
Evgeni Malkin10 hours ago

Joins Penguins For Road Trip
Filip Chytil10 hours ago

Could Miss Rest Of Season
Declan Chisholm11 hours ago

Back In Action Against Rangers
Keaton Wallace11 hours ago

Sidelined Again On Wednesday
Samuel Girard11 hours ago

Exits Avalanche Lineup Wednesday
Joel Kiviranta11 hours ago

Returning Against Blackhawks
Eeli Tolvanen11 hours ago

Misses First Game Of The Season
Jaden Schwartz11 hours ago

Unavailable Against Canucks
12 hours ago

Kyle McCord Rising Up Draft Boards?
13 hours ago

Ashton Jeanty To Raiders Continues To Gain Steam
13 hours ago

Emeka Egbuka To Fall To Round 2?
Los Angeles Rams13 hours ago

Rob Havenstein Expected To Be Ready For Training Camp
Cleveland Browns15 hours ago

Mike Hall Likely To Miss Offseason Program After Having Knee Surgery
New England Patriots15 hours ago

Christian Barmore Expected To Be Ready For Offseason Workouts
15 hours ago

Saints Expected To Visit With Quinn Ewers
Jake Moody15 hours ago

49ers To Bring In Competition For Jake Moody
Pittsburgh Steelers15 hours ago

Steelers In Play To Draft A Running Back
Green Bay Packers17 hours ago

Packers Not Ruling Out Jaire Alexander Returning
Tennessee Titans17 hours ago

No. 1 Overall Pick Might Not Be For Sale
Kenny Pickett17 hours ago

Browns Feel Good About QB Situation, Kenny Pickett
Cleveland Browns18 hours ago

Browns Unlikely To Trade Up To No. 1 Overall For Cam Ward
Cincinnati Bengals18 hours ago

Bengals Still Working On Contract Extension With Trey Hendrickson
Dyami Brown18 hours ago

Jaguars Intrigued By Dyami Brown's Potential
Bennedict Mathurin19 hours ago

Iffy For Wednesday
Myles Turner19 hours ago

May Miss Another Game Wednesday
Al Horford19 hours ago

Considered Doubtful Wednesday
Jrue Holiday19 hours ago

Questionable For Wednesday's Game
Kristaps Porzingis19 hours ago

Listed As Questionable For Wednesday
Jaylen Brown19 hours ago

Could Remain On The Shelf Wednesday
Cade Cunningham20 hours ago

Likely Out For Fifth Straight Game
Anthony Davis20 hours ago

Probable Wednesday
Evan Bouchard21 hours ago

Tallies Two Assists In Victory
Jake Guentzel21 hours ago

Tallies Goal, Assist In Victory
Kirill Marchenko21 hours ago

Scores Hat Trick On Tuesday
Tage Thompson22 hours ago

Stays Hot On The Scoresheet
Lane Hutson22 hours ago

Dishes Out Three Helpers In Overtime Victory
Alex Ovechkin22 hours ago

Tallies Two Points In Victory
Cameron Young1 day ago

A Player To Avoid At Valero Texas Open
Kurt Kitayama1 day ago

In Search Of Consistency At Valero Texas Open
Si Woo Kim1 day ago

Looking To Bounce Back At Valero Texas Open
Tom Hoge1 day ago

Looking To Build Off Strong Performance At The PLAYERS Championship
Matt Fitzpatrick1 day ago

Looking For Consistency At Valero Texas Open
Corey Conners1 day ago

Continues Strong Form Ahead Of Valero Texas Open
Patrick Cantlay1 day ago

Eyeing Victory At Valero Texas Open
Gary Woodland1 day ago

Showing Great Form Ahead Of Valero Texas Open
Akshay Bhatia1 day ago

Aiming For Repeat At Valero Texas Open
Alejandro Tosti1 day ago

A Volatile Choice At TPC San Antonio
Guerschon Yabusele1 day ago

Out Against Knicks
Karl-Anthony Towns1 day ago

Sits Out Tuesday's Game
Jevon Carter1 day ago

Ruled Out Tuesday
Dalen Terry1 day ago

Unavailable Against Raptors
Julian Phillips1 day ago

Out On Tuesday
Jimmy Snuggerud1 day ago

Ready For NHL Debut Tuesday
Jacob Trouba1 day ago

Set To Rejoin Ducks Lineup Tuesday
Troy Terry1 day ago

On Track To Play Tuesday
Jonathan Marchessault1 day ago

Remains Out Against Blue Jackets
Alex Laferriere1 day ago

Expected To Return On Tuesday
Luke Schenn1 day ago

A Game-Time Decision Tuesday
Dante Fabbro1 day ago

Returns Against Predators
Olli Määttä2 days ago

Olli Maatta A Game-Time Call On Tuesday
Jordan Spieth2 days ago

Needs To Find Consistency At TPC San Antonio
Jake Knapp2 days ago

Making First Appearance At Valero Texas Open
Michael Kim2 days ago

Looking To Find The Magic Again In San Antonio
Tommy Fleetwood2 days ago

Is Nearly A Must-Play At Valero Texas Open
Tony Finau2 days ago

Hoping For Better Approach Play In San Antonio
Eric Cole2 days ago

Trending In Right Direction Ahead Of Valero
Sam Stevens2 days ago

Enjoys Nice Result In Houston
PGA2 days ago

J.T. Poston Seeks To Contend At Valero Texas Open
Denny McCarthy2 days ago

Keeps Making Cuts But Needs To Make More Putts
Brian Harman2 days ago

Off To A Subpar 2025 So Far
Ryan Preece2 days ago

Has Three Straight Top-10 Finishes For First Time In His Career
NASCAR2 days ago

Bubba Wallace After Third-Place Finish At Martinsville: "What a Great Day"
Todd Gilliland2 days ago

Has Mistake-Free Day At Martinsville, Grabs Another Top-10 Finish
Brandon Moreno2 days ago

Wins Back-To-Back Fights
Steve Erceg2 days ago

Losses Third Consecutive Fight
Drew Dober2 days ago

Gets Knocked Out At UFC Mexico City
Manuel Torres2 days ago

Gets Back In The Win Column
Harry Hall2 days ago

Bounces Back In Houston Last Week
CJ Vergara2 days ago

Gets Submitted
Édgar Cháirez3 days ago

Edgar Chairez Gets Submission Win At UFC Mexico City
Vince Morales3 days ago

Drops Decision At UFC Mexico City
Raul Rosas Jr.3 days ago

Gets Decision Win At UFC Mexico City
Saimon Oliveira3 days ago

Still Winless In The UFC
David Martinez3 days ago

Wins His UFC Debut
Kevin Borjas3 days ago

Earns His First UFC Win
Ronaldo Rodríguez3 days ago

Ronaldo Rodriguez Suffers His First UFC Loss
Christopher Bell3 days ago

Powers His Way To A Second-Place Finish At Martinsville
Chase Elliott3 days ago

Strong Martinsville Performance Ends With A Top-Five Finish
Kyle Larson3 days ago

Collects A Top-Five Finish At Martinsville
William Byron3 days ago

Places 22nd After Struggles At Martinsville
Joey Logano3 days ago

Claims His First 2025 Top-10 Finish After Up-And-Down Performance
Tyler Reddick3 days ago

Fails To Place In The Top 10 At Martinsville
Denny Hamlin3 days ago

Silences Doubters After Crew-Chief Change
Ty Gibbs3 days ago

Earns Best 2025 Finish At Martinsville Despite Failing Cool Suit
Ross Chastain3 days ago

Has A Great Day At Martinsville
Chase Briscoe3 days ago

Has Solid Run At Martinsville
Erik Jones3 days ago

Disqualified At Martinsville For Weight Violation
Josh Berry4 days ago

Has Top-10 Upside At Martinsville
Joey Logano4 days ago

Don't Overlook Joey Logano This Weekend
Ryan Preece4 days ago

Could Get First Three-Race Top-10 Streak Of His Career
Chase Elliott4 days ago

Looking To Continue Great Runs At Martinsville
Christopher Bell4 days ago

Wins Pole At Martinsville, But Can He Stay Up There?
Ryan Blaney4 days ago

Fast In Practice But Skeptical About Car
Denny Hamlin4 days ago

New Crew Chief Has Terrible Martinsville Record
Steve Erceg6 days ago

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Brandon Moreno6 days ago

A Favorite At UFC Mexico City
Manuel Torres6 days ago

Set For Co-Main Event
Drew Dober6 days ago

An Underdog At UFC Mexico City
Joe Pyfer6 days ago

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Kelvin Gastelum6 days ago

Set For Middleweight Matchup
Vince Morales6 days ago

In Dire Need Of Victory
Raul Rosas Jr.6 days ago

Looks To Extend His Win Streak
Saimon Oliveira6 days ago

Looks For His First UFC Win
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF