The Playoffs have arrived for the NBA, and that means a lot of people have stopped playing in their season long fantasy basketball leagues. However, single day leagues are still going strong in this sport. If you are already missing out on your fantasy action, getting your feet wet in a one day league event is a great introduction to this new and fast paced fantasy format.
In the NBA, players are generally consistent because the season is long, but not as long, or as slump-ridden as the MLB is. This is good news for fantasy managers because it allows them a better opportunity to predict what’s going to happen. Usually, a player that thrived during the regular season will also thrive in the postseason. Take Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder as an example.
He won the NBA MVP this year, and is now dominating in the postseason, much like LeBron James did last year. He averaged 32.0 points per game during the season. Only two other players were within 5 points of him: Carmelo Anthony and LeBron. For something like that to just disappear during the postseason is not likely, even if the quality of the teams he is facing are a bit better. Durant might see his PPG number drop a little, but he will still be at or near the top every game. This makes him a good fantasy player for season long leagues, but even better for one day leagues.
In a snake draft, it will be hard to get Durant unless you are first pick in your league. Unfortunately, probability will work against you here. But in a salary cap league, you can choose Durant and then build the rest of your team around him. Different leagues will value him differently, but you can bet he will be expensive regardless of where you play because of his continued dominance. To do this effectively, look at what the league values for points. Some sites will have special categories for defensive stats like rebounds and block, while others are extremely offensive heavy and give predominance to three pointers. Find out the rules of your particular site or contest before you draft your team so you can work around this.
One underrated player that might be helpful right now is Joe Johnson of the Brooklyn Nets. You won’t find him in any league wide Top 10 lists because of his stats, but he had a season long three point percentage of over 40 percent. If your league places extra value on these, he could be a sleeper in your league with potential. Even though the Nets are up against the Heat in the Playoffs now, three points are notoriously hard to block and the quality of the team shouldn’t really affect his stats here.
Do remember, though, that much like in Major League Baseball’s postseason, you will sometimes find a player that rises above the masses and performs amazingly–sometimes much better than anyone could ever have guessed. This happens in the NBA, too, so be on the lookout for these players so you can put them on your team their next game.
