It’s that time of the year again, when sports fans around the world rave over the NBA. After countless hours of research, fantasy draft night begins what leads to countless hours of smack talk. For those of you who do not know what fantasy basketball is, it is when a group of people draft NBA players for make-believe rosters. The better the players they choose, the better the team is. To find out if you drafted value picks, sleepers, or busts, let’s take an in depth look at the best and worst players.
The most controversial topic this season is who the best fantasy player in the NBA is, and the answer is surprising from my point of view. Four-time MVP, two-time champion, and with the most complete and elite all-around game in the universe, LeBron James— not Kevin Durant— reigns as the best NBA fantasy player of the 2013-2014 season. James brings an all-around game to your team, not only points, but a game that features an eight assist, six rebounds, three steals per night. While Durant is a phenomenal player, he primarily brings points only and rebounds to the table. James is also one of the best defenders in the league. Other value picks in the first round would be Paul George of the Indiana Pacers and Chris Paul of the Los Angeles Clippers.
Next we have the sleepers, the picks that all NBA fantasy players hope they can get a steal. If you can get Eric Bledsoe, point guard of the Phoenix Suns, in the seventh round, you just got one of the steals of the night. Mini-LeBron, that is all I can say about Bledsoe. Derrick Favors, power forward for the Utah Jazz, is also another sleeper. 18 points and 11 rebounds can be expected. Jeff Green, the lone ranger on the Boston Celtics, is another great pick. Being the only viable offensive option on the team, you can expect Green for many 20 point nights.
Tristan Thompson of the Cleveland Cavaliers is another sleeper who can probably be obtained in the last round. The sleeper of the year goes to Michael Carter Williams. Point guard and rookie of the Philadelphia 76ers, MCW almost had a quadruple-triple in the opening night. Being one of the best guards on the team and projected to have about 35 minutes a night, MCW will get you points, rebounds, assists, and steals. Williams will come down as the Damian Lillard of last season and he can probably be picked in the later rounds of the draft and if you are lucky, off the waiver wire.
Then there are the busts. Serge Ibaka, Dwyane Wade, and Andre Iguodala are just to name a few. Anyways, NBA fantasy is all about the value picks. Having a solid team means having consistent players and to win games in fantasy, your players must be contributing consistent stats.
Ultimately, you should not be worried about the busts or the sleepers you get, but how well you choose your first five or six picks. They will be the determining factor for your fantasy ranking.