The start of the NBA season is almost here and for die-hard fans like myself, that means only one thing, it’s Fantasy Basketball time. I also dabble in fantasy football and baseball but nothing beats basketball. As your league is about to be set up, your thoughts start to race concerning who to draft first.
If you are lucky to get that top pick, you will be left with a tough decision. This is not baseball, hockey or football where you can hold off on one great player with hopes that he may be there for your next pick. Nope. This is the NBA where the talent is not as heavy. You must think every statistic when doing FB. Points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks, FG% and such, so that first pick is by far the most important of any fantasy sport.
With that first pick, you will have the choice of every player and the envy of everyone else in your league. As you hit the draft room, 30 minutes before you select you to scan the list, but there is no need to. It’s only four players you should be focused on and that’s Stephen Curry, LeBron James, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden
According to ESPN Fantasy Ranking Westbrook should be your No.1 choice as he is a daily stat filler with almost a triple-double to boot. I don’t agree with their ranking of Kawhi Leonard, he does plenty but not enough to warrant a top 5 ranking. When making that first selection you need a player that can keep you in the contest nightly. Harden can provide you with 30, so I get while he is ranked second behind Westbrook.
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Stephen Curry is another player that ranks high as he will provide the same as Westbrook but with a higher FG% in both 2-point FA and 3-point FGA. The next player is James and he is one of those all-around players that you must have. But with James this season, you may want to try a different approach. James has played in six straight NBA Finals and the Cavs may look to rest him on some nights of back-to-backs, but he is still LeBron and will be worthy of that No.1 selection.
That No.1 pick is tricky but you must do your research and look for the best players that will lead your team. Here are a few stats from four different players that you may choose to go with.
24 points, 0.3 blocks, 2.0 steals, 10.4 assist, 7.8 rebounds, 1.3 three-pointers
29 points, 0.6 blocks, 1.7 steals, 7.5 assists, 6.1 rebounds, 2.9 three-pointers
30 points, 0.2 blocks, 2.1 steals, 6.7 assists, 5.4 rebounds, 5.1 three-pointers
25 points, 0.6 blocks, 1,4 steals, 6.8 assists, 7.4 rebounds, 1.1 three-pointers
Who is your No.1 pick?