- B(Bigs): Being that you are only required to start one Big, I tend to place less value at this position during the early portion of the draft. At the same time, i'm not advocating passing on top Big's early. There are only a handful that can be considered ELITE, and getting someone like Anthony Davis on your roster is never a bad thing. Just be aware that you can get productive Big's late in the draft. It seems to be easier to get a Big who is locked into a solid role late in the draft, where as the other positions are more like throwing darts, take who you like and hope for the best. This position reminds me of the TE position in fantasy football. Having an elite talent is an advantage, but with the way this game is constructed, your roster has bigger needs at other positions that should be addressed early and often.
- W(Wings): The Wing position seems to fall off a cliff around the 5th round. After Andrew Wiggins (ADP 42) and Kelly Oubre (ADP 49) it becomes tough to find players you can trust to put up fantasy points. Getting trustworthy players at the Wing position proves to be a tough task if you don't do it early. Waiting until later to build your Wing depth could leave you with an inability to put up competitive scores on a weekly basis. This position is very similar to the RB position in football. Loading up early provides the depth you need, but does leave you neglecting the elite talent at other positions. At the same time, going with a zero-Wing strategy early on could be a dangerous game that leaves you with inferior talent at the position.
- G(Guards): This position group appears to be full of talent, and is a position that is easy to load up on. I try to stay aware of how many players I have at each position when making my selections. When i'm on the clock there is numerous options I would be happy with selecting. Much like the WR position in fantasy football, there is a ton of good options later in the draft that could play a significant role and get big minutes.
Getting a solid score every week is an ideal way to have success in best ball. Constructing your roster in a way you believe will score the most points on a weekly basis is an optimal plan. There are two glaring factors that can deter you from having success and finishing the season in the $GREEN$:
- Injuries: While injuries are hard to project, it is a good plan to hope for the best but be prepared for the worst. Having a balanced roster will minimize the chances of you putting up zero's at a position because you don't have the depth to withstand an injury or two. There are already a plethora of players who are expected to miss some time so stay up to date with the latest injury news before you construct your team.
- Weekly Schedule: The NBA season is different than the NFL where each team either plays one game or has a bye. NBA teams commonly play either three or four games in any given week. Having players from a good mix of teams gives you a better chance of having a weekly lineup of players with that coveted fourth game, which could put you ahead of the competition. Loading up on players from one team can be a boom or bust strategy. While there will be weeks where they excel, there will be weeks where they play less games than others and handcuff the amount of points you can score. Having a roster of players from a good variety of teams prevents you from becoming too dependent upon the fortunes of any one team.
With less than two weeks until the start of the season, now is the time to start drafting! The recently released Small Ball tournament on the Underdog app gives you a chance to win big while only having to fork up a $5 entry fee.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Photo Credit: Harry How/Getty Images
Tyler Valdez - Twitter @tyylerv
