Best ball, best sportsbook, best time of the year. Welcome to NBA Best Ball on DraftKings.
This format gives players a chance to draft a fantasy basketball team for a season-long competition that requires no active in-season management. Each week your highest scoring players are automatically slotted into your starting lineup and their scores will count towards your fantasy point total.
You can find all the details, scoring, and rules for this format in Stan Son’s overview post along with links to the rest of our season preview content.
I have ranked my top 16-30 centers for the 2024 DraftKings NBA Best Ball season. Check out 1-15 here.
We’ll be providing additional Best Ball content as the season progresses. Good luck!
DraftKings NBA Best Ball is live! Click here to start drafting your team.
| Player | Team | DK Ranking | Average FPTS scored last season |
| 16. Ivica Zubac | LAC | 82 | 28.15 |
| 17. Jonas Valanciunas | WAS | 73 | 28.90 |
| 18. Clint Capela | ATL | 100 | 31.00 |
| 19. Mark Williams | CHA | 94 | 30.58 |
| 20. Jakob Poeltl | TOR | 103 | 29.85 |
| 21. Dereck Lively | DAL | 98 | 22.98 |
| 22. Daniel Gafford | DAL | 123 | 28.70 |
| 23. Zach Edey | MEM | 88 | N/A |
| 24. Brook Lopez | MIL | 114 | 27.80 |
| 25. Wendell Carter Jr. | ORL | 136 | 24.68 |
| 26. Onyeka Okongwu | ATL | 126 | 23.80 |
| 27. Mitchell Robinson | NYK | 147 | 21.48 |
| 28. Walker Kessler | UTA | 101 | 24.33 |
| 29. Donovan Clingan | POR | 125 | N/A |
| 30. Andre Drummond | PHI | 150 | 23.30 |
19. Mark Williams, Charlotte Hornets
A third year center out of Duke, Williams has failed to play more than 43 games in a season in his short NBA career. He’s entering his third season after sitting out the majority of last season with a back injury. His health is risky. He hasn’t proven that he can stay on the court for a full season, his team is dreadful, and his point guard also struggles with staying on the court. So why is he ranked above other reliable options such as Jakob Poeltl, Dereck Lively, and Brook Lopez?
The answer, as in most cases with fantasy basketball, lies in upside. His injury concerns are already baked into his ADP; he comes with a discount because of the uncertainty. Last season, Williams nearly averaged a double-double with 12.7 PPG and 9.7 RPG. Best Ball awards a +1.5 fantasy point bonus for double-doubles, and Williams’ averages, should this finally be the year he can stay healthy, raises some eyebrows. He’s only 22 years old and at his price point, there aren’t many more options with this kind of ceiling.
23. Zach Edey, Memphis Grizzlies
Standing at 7’4, Edey is the tallest player in Big Ten history. He bolstered his draft stock with his recent NCAA Championship run with Purdue which resulted in a 75-60 loss at the hands of UConn. There were and still are questions surrounding Edey’s place in the league. He has the size, but is he quick enough for the NBA? How good is his rim protection if he’s 7’4 but only averaged 1.7 BPG in college?
Clearly, Memphis shares none of these concerns. They’re high enough on the back-to-back Naismith College Play of the Year to burn a number nine pick on him. Rookies are always a bit of a crap-shoot for fantasy, though. Edey averaged 25.2 PPG and 12.2 RPG in his final year at Purdue but certainly won’t be seeing that type of usage on the Grizzlies. He should be a reliable front court partner for Jaren Jackson Jr., who presumably will play the free-safety role and provide help defense while Edey camps himself in the paint. Star point guard Ja Morant will likely mesh well offensively with Edey given his history with Steven Adams, who boasts a similar player profile. Morant will be able to use Edey’s massive frame in the pick and roll to open up his own offensive options while attacking the rim.
As far as his fantasy value goes, I’m not seeing a ton of upside here. There will be some nice double-doubles on some nights, but without many shot opportunities, Edey’s ceiling is a bit capped. Additionally, his low block rate in college suggests that we shouldn’t be too optimistic about his block numbers in the NBA, either.
28. Walker Kessler, Utah Jazz
After an impressive second-half rookie campaign in which he finished 3rd in ROTY voting, Kessler failed to carry that momentum into his sophomore season. His numbers remained largely the same. John Collins took the wind out of Kessler’s sails with his arrival. Those who salivated at Kessler’s per-36 rookie numbers were left with the same, unimproved player with a much more expensive price tag than the previous year. For similar reasons, I’m not too high on Kessler this season, either. Lauri Markkanen has not gone anywhere despite an entire offseason’s worth of speculation about the possibility of him moving to Golden State. John Collins is still on the roster and will continue to soak up Kessler’s usage and floor time.
Nothing dramatic has changed with the Jazz’s roster. We can assume that Kessler will remain within his similar role from the past two seasons, averaging around 23 MPG off the bench as a reliable backup big. Kessler is a reasonable late round pick with some upside if Collins or Taylor Hendricks get moved, but outside of that, it’s hard to be intrigued.
DraftKings NBA Best Ball is live! Click here to start drafting your team.
The Crown Is Yours: Sign up for DraftKings and experience the ultimate host for games and betting experiences!
I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
