Since you’ve clicked on this article, both ball and fantasy are life for you. We are five weeks into the NFL season — geez, where did the time go? Now the NBA season is just three weeks away, tipping off on Oct. 21. Life is good.
Until then, we have plenty of time to add more fantasy leagues into the portfolio. But don’t fret — this article is about best ball, which includes all the benefits of drafting without the hassle of in-season management. It’s like eating a cake fed to you by a robot arm that wipes your mouth, washes the dishes and bakes more cake!
Here is the 411 before you dive into the rankings:
Drafts are 16 rounds with 12 teams in each league. There are two options for drafting: 30-second clock and eight-hour clock. As it gets closer to opening night, drafts will all have 30-second clocks.
Lineups will consist of two G, two F, one C, two UTIL and nine BENCH (G/F/C). The highest scoring players are automatically chosen by our bot overlords.
Scoring is points format. Each point is worth 1 point. If it’s a three-pointer, it’s an additional +0.5 points. A rebound is +1.25 points. An assist is +1.5 points. A steal is +2 points. A block is +2 points. A turnover is -0.5 points. A double-double is +1.5 points. A triple-double is +3 points.
As for the tournament format:
Round 1 starts October 21st and ends on February 22nd. The NBA Cup championship game on December 16th will not be included. Top two teams advance.
Round 2 starts February 23rd and ends March 8th. Top team advances.
Round 3 starts March 9th and ends March 22nd. Top team advances.
Round 4 starts March 23rd and ends April 5th. This round consists of 34 teams with every team receiving a payout.
These rankings are skewed towards the playoff weeks.
Now to the rankings:
| PLAYER | TEAM | |
| 1 | Luka Doncic | LAL |
| 2 | Cade Cunningham | DET |
| 3 | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | OKC |
| 4 | Ja Morant | MEM |
| 5 | James Harden | LAC |
| 6 | LaMelo Ball | CHA |
| 7 | Trae Young | ATL |
| 8 | Anthony Edwards | MIN |
| 9 | Stephen Curry | GSW |
| 10 | Tyrese Maxey | PHI |
| 11 | Devin Booker | PHX |
| 12 | De’Aaron Fox | SAS |
| 13 | Jalen Brunson | NYK |
| 14 | Donovan Mitchell | CLE |
| 15 | Amen Thompson | HOU |
| 16 | Josh Giddey | CHI |
| 17 | Cam Thomas | BKN |
| 18 | Austin Reaves | LAL |
| 19 | Tyler Herro | MIA |
| 20 | Derrick White | BOS |
| 21 | Kevin Porter Jr. | MIL |
| 22 | CJ McCollum | WAS |
| 23 | Darius Garland | CLE |
| 24 | Jamal Murray | DEN |
| 25 | Immanuel Quickley | TOR |
| 26 | Jalen Green | PHO |
| 27 | Zach LaVine | SAC |
| 28 | Jaden Ivey | DET |
| 29 | Jordan Poole | NOP |
| 30 | Desmond Bane | ORL |
| 31 | D’Angelo Russell | DAL |
| 32 | Josh Hart | NYK |
| 33 | Coby White | CHI |
| 34 | Payton Pritchard | BOS |
| 35 | Anfernee Simons | BOS |
| 36 | Bradley Beal | LAC |
| 37 | Devin Vassell | SAS |
| 38 | Reed Sheppard | HOU |
| 39 | Dejounte Murray | NOP |
| 40 | Scoot Henderson | POR |
| 41 | Bilal Coulibaly | WAS |
| 42 | Brandin Podziemski | GSW |
| 43 | Malik Monk | SAC |
| 44 | Isaiah Collier | UTA |
| 45 | Jalen Suggs | ORL |
| 46 | Dyson Daniels | ATL |
| 47 | Stephon Castle | SAS |
| 48 | Jared McCain | PHI |
| 49 | Caris LeVert | DET |
| 50 | Bub Carrington | WAS |
| 51 | Quentin Grimes | PHI |
| 52 | Dennis Schroder | SAC |
| 53 | Jordan Clarkson | NYK |
| 54 | Jrue Holiday | POR |
| 55 | Shaedon Sharpe | POR |
| 56 | Andrew Nembhard | IND |
| 57 | Donte DiVincenzo | MIN |
| 58 | Ayo Dosunmu | CHI |
| 59 | Christian Braun | DEN |
| 60 | Jose Alvarado | NOP |
| 61 | Scotty Pippen Jr. | MEM |
| 62 | Ty Jerome | MEM |
| 63 | T. J. McConnell | IND |
| 64 | Walter Clayton Jr. | UTA |
| 65 | Lonzo Ball | CLE |
| 66 | Gradey Dick | TOR |
| 67 | Keyonte George | UTA |
| 68 | Klay Thompson | DAL |
| 69 | Egor Demin | BKN |
| 70 | Rob Dillingham | MIN |
| 71 | Kentavious Caldwell-Pope | MEM |
| 72 | Mike Conley | MIN |
| 73 | Lugentz Dort | OKC |
| 74 | Dylan Harper | SAS |
| 75 | Tyus Jones | ORL |
| 76 | Craig Porter Jr. | CLE |
| 77 | Jeremiah Fears | NOP |
| 78 | Tre Jones | CHI |
| 79 | V. J. Edgecombe | PHI |
| 80 | Tre Johnson | WAS |
| 81 | Anthony Black | ORL |
| 82 | Davion Mitchell | MIA |
| 83 | Alex Caruso | OKC |
| 84 | Buddy Hield | GSW |
| 85 | Gary Payton II | GSW |
| 86 | Terrence Shannon Jr. | MIN |
| 87 | Nickeil Alexander-Walker | ATL |
| 88 | Max Christie | DAL |
| 89 | Gary Trent Jr. | MIL |
| 90 | Ryan Rollins | MIL |
| 91 | Bogdan Bogdanovic | LAC |
| 92 | Nolan Traore | BKN |
| 93 | De’Anthony Melton | GSW |
| 94 | Corey Kispert | WAS |
| 95 | Collin Sexton | CHA |
| 96 | Johnny Juzang | MIN |
| 97 | Grayson Allen | PHO |
| 98 | Kevin Huerter | CHI |
| 99 | Jordan Hawkins | NOP |
| 100 | Dalton Knecht | LAL |
Amen Thompson has been the darling of the offseason — and for good reason. He’s one of the best athletes in the league and racks up those precious defensive stats. In addition, with Fred VanVleet out for the season, Thompson could garner more usage and playmaking responsibility. Houston is one of my favorite teams because they play 23 games, the most during the Best Ball playoffs with eight games during the final round. My projections are a little lower than the default rankings, but I probably haven’t banked in all the upside with the upcoming usage bump. Still some unknown.
Ja Morant has had trouble staying on the court throughout his NBA career. He’s never played more than 67 games in a season. However, I’m trying to optimize for the playoffs and the Memphis Grizzlies play 22 games over the three playoff periods, with eight games during the final round.
LaMelo Ball is one of the best players in this format, especially because he doesn’t get dinged for poor shooting percentage. He’s a triple-double threat on any given night. That said, he’s had problems staying healthy throughout his career. But we are optimizing for the playoffs. Charlotte plays 22 games with eight games during the final weeks. Not all is unicorns and rainbows, though, as Charlotte only plays six games during Round 3.
Jamal Murray is one of the best guards in the NBA but Denver has one of the worst schedules for the playoffs. The Nuggets play a league-worst 19 games, with Round 1 and final round both consisting of only six games.
Desmond Bane will likely lose some usage going from Memphis to Orlando, so a slight ding to his stats, but Orlando has one of the best playoff schedules with 22 games, eight games during the final round.
Dyson Daniels is a beast in this format due to all the steals he swipes. There’s also a scenario in which he levels up on offense as well. That said, Atlanta plays only 19 games during the playoffs, with only five games during Round 2.
Tyler Herro is going to miss the start of the season, but we really only care what happens at the end. There could be lingering effects from the injury and surgery, but I can only assume that he will be good to go by March. He’s a high-risk, high-reward option, so select him if he falls.
Stephon Castle looks overvalued by the default rankings. The Spurs do have a nice playoff schedule, though.
Cam Thomas is going to huck and chuck until….infinity? He even showed the capacity to dish out dimes last season. Brooklyn plays 22 games during the playoffs. There is a slight concern that the Nets sit Thomas to let the young kids play down the stretch, so I’d only draft Thomas if he falls.
Shaedon Sharpe is one of my favorite players to watch because he glides across the court and jumps like a gazelle. I think the default rankings have him too high, though. In addition, the playoff schedule is bad for Portland with only 20 games. During the final round, the Trail Blazers only play six games.
Andrew Nembhard is going to see an increase in usage and playing time with the Tyrese Haliburton injury. My projections aren’t as bullish compared to the default rankings. Indiana plays 20 games during the playoffs with only six games during Round 2.
Kevin Porter Jr. is my dude this season. I’ve been drafting him pretty much everywhere I can. Early in the draft season, he was outside the Top 100, but he’s been creeping in the Top 80 area now. With Doc Rivers confirming that he’s going to start, the ADP will continue to rise. KPJ has excellent size, length and anticipation to rack up steals. He also has the handles to get his own bucket while possessing the ability to see the court and dish out dimes — a triple double threat. Milwaukee also has a good playoff schedule with 22 games with every round at least seven games.
CJ McCollum is higher than I want him, especially since there’s a chance he gets traded or is replaced in the lineup at the end of the season due to getting the young players more experience and tanking. That said, if he does play, the playoff schedule is good with 22 games and every round with at least seven games.
Christian Braun broke out last season due to being a starter and averaging over 30 minutes a game. He’s a solid player but the playoff schedule is just so, so bad for Denver. 19 total games and two rounds with only six rounds is tough to overcome.
Keyonte George is a tough player to project. With Jordan Clarkson and Collin Sexton no longer in Utah, the depth chart looks to be open for George, but I’m thinking Walter Clayton Jr. and Johnny Juzang could get significant run at shooting guard. I have George down for 20 mpg. I could be totally wrong here, and it wouldn’t be the first time — or the last! Utah does have a good playoff schedule with 22 games and eight during the final round.
Jaden Ivey only played 30 games due to injury last season, but he showed a lot of things. He’s super athletic, explosive, and can get buckets. The defensive contributions are lacking but counting stats should be robust. Detroit is tied with Houston for having the best playoff schedules: 23 total games with two rounds with eight games, including the final round.
D’Angelo Russell is a tough one because Kyrie Irving could come back later in the season. I’m working off the assumption that he doesn’t while Russell continues to soak up most of the point guard minutes in Dallas. The schedule is decent with 21 games, but Round 3 only has six games.
Scoot Henderson will miss the first few months due to a hamstring injury. My projections must really love him because the playoff schedule is one of the worst with 20 games and only six games the final round. Yeah, don’t draft Henderson unless he falls way down.
Tre Johnson has a good playoff schedule with 22 games, but my projections are not as optimistic as the default rankings. While I think Johnson gets plenty of run, the Wizards currently have a glut of shooting guards. Plus, Johnson doesn’t project to rack up many stocks.
VJ Edgecombe is uber athletic and should thrive playing alongside NBA players with NBA spacing, as he did with the Bahamas National Team. That said, I rarely get too bullish with rookies.
Collin Sexton averaged 27.9 minutes per game with Utah last season. He’s now in Charlotte and I find it difficult projecting him for even 20 mpg.
Davion Mitchell balled out at the end of last season, both offensively and defensively. He certainly endeared himself to Erik Spoelstra. I actually love Mitchell in season long leagues, especially early on as Tyler Herro returns from injury. But come playoff time, Herro could be healthy and the Heat signed Norman Powell, which cuts the avenues for minutes for Mitchell. He’s still going to be involved, but not as much many expect.
Chris Paul is 40 years old, but he can still ball. I may have Paul projected for too many minutes (27 mpg), but the backcourt doesn’t have too much depth, especially with the Bogdan Bogdanovic injury. The good thing is that Paul is cheap so it’s easy to take a flyer on him.
