The 2024-25 NBA regular season is rapidly approaching, with the first games scheduled for October 22. With this being the case, the weekend of October 18-20 is an excellent time to hold drafts. The preseason has concluded at that point, and there tends to be far less mystery regarding final rosters in the NBA than in the NFL. For those who may be making their first foray into the fantasy basketball space, here are a few tips that may help you win some money this season.
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1. Determine the kind of league/draft setup you prefer to play.
The simple “snake draft” approach may work best for most newcomers since that model tends to be most prevalent. But even within snake drafts, there can be shifts. While some keep the same order (1-12 in Round 1, 12-1 in Round 2 as an example) throughout, others switch every two rounds. In this case, the team with the 12th overall pick in Round 1 would have the first pick in Round 3, and the order would shift back to the original in Round 5.
Other leagues will have a salary draft in which managers bid for players. There would be an order for managers to nominate players, but that will stay the same, unlike in a snake draft. While the salary draft can be a lot of fun for in-person drafts, managers must be honest regarding how much attention they’ll pay to the proceedings. Few things are more infuriating in a fantasy draft than dealing with someone who doesn’t pay attention. With that in mind, set up a fine jar for managers who attempt to draft or nominate a player who’s already off the board. The fine doesn’t need to be large, but it may help keep managers on task.
2. Read the rules before the draft. Seriously.
This is the most important tip for any fantasy player, whether a newcomer or someone with years of experience. Once you’ve entered a league, it’s vital to understand the in-season rules clearly. How many roster spots will you have to work with? Does your league have IL (or the preferred IL+) slots? Does your league have a games played limit for each position? What’s your waiver budget for the season? These questions should be addressed even before the draft occurs, as the answers may impact how a manager builds their team. And if you’re playing for money, it makes no sense not to take the steps necessary to understand the league rules. You’d be better off setting your cash on fire.
3. Get your prep work in.
Once you know the rules of your fantasy league, the next step is to research players. There are various draft guides on the market, including our FREE 2024-25 Rotoworld Fantasy Basketball Draft Kit, which can be found here. Rankings based on 8-cat, 9-cat, points leagues, and rotisserie formats will have their differences, so it’s important to do the research once you know your league’s setup. Whether it’s through reading, listening to a podcast, or watching a live mock draft on YouTube, there are a lot of resources out there to help inexperienced managers prepare for their drafts.
4. Enter a few mock drafts beforehand to go through different scenarios.
This is especially important if your league’s draft order will be determined on draft day. Whether it’s Yahoo, Fantrax, or another website, going through mock drafts with rules similar to your league’s is a valuable part of the preparation process. No two leagues are the same, so getting a few reps in can help prepare inexperienced managers to think on the fly. And the chatter you hear and read about fantasy prospects may align differently from what you see in a mock draft, or your league’s actual draft, for that matter. If you have the time, participate in a few mock drafts before going through the real thing.
5. Mock drafts are especially important if you’re playing in a salary league.
In most salary leagues, managers have a $200 budget to work with on draft night, and the bidding can get out of hand. Participating in a few mock drafts in this format can be helpful on multiple fronts. You get an idea of what managers are willing to pay for specific players, and the number can shift drastically depending on how close the start of the regular season is.
For example, Victor Wembanyama went off the board for a staggering $94 in an early September mock draft that I participated in. In another salary mock toward the end of the month, he went for $76. The more practice you get, the better feel you should have for player pricing in salary leagues. This can also help you formulate a strategy; are you all-in on the “stars and scrubs” method? Or do you prefer to spread the $200 out more evenly? And with managers allowed to nominate whoever they want when it’s their turn to do so, there’s also the question of when you should spend your money.
5. Once the season begins, set aside time to set your lineups.
This can be difficult for some new fantasy managers to get used to, especially if they’re coming in with no prior experience. Returning to the second bullet point, knowing when your lineups lock for the day (or week) is critical. For leagues that allow for daily lineup changes, do all the moves have to be made before 7 PM Eastern? Or is the deadline simply the tip time for each individual game? For leagues in which the lineups have to be set before the start of the game week, you’ll usually have until 7 PM Eastern on Monday to handle that. And this doesn’t even get into the difference in time zones. Players in other parts of the world will have different deadlines to work with. You may have to make your first run before heading off to work or school, then check back around dinner time for injury reports to ensure your lineup is fully active. Missing one day is unlikely to be the death knell for your team, but you never know.
6. Be bold in making an in-season pivot.
While one should not overreact to the first week or two of the fantasy basketball season, managers should be bold in changing course if their initial roster build isn’t working out. Trades and the waiver wire can push a struggling team into title contention if appropriately used. Sometimes, an inexperienced manager can get too attached to their drafted team, and by the time they realize significant changes need to be made, it’s too late. Keep an eye on the waiver wire and daily and weekly fantasy columns offering roster advice and player/team trends. Being attentive is critical in winning a fantasy league.
7. Don’t veto trades or attempt to manufacture egregiously bad deals
No friendship should end or be placed in jeopardy due to fantasy sports. If your team is struggling and won’t make the playoffs, don’t kick off a fire sale or suddenly drop your players onto the waiver wire, especially if there’s money on the line. As for vetoing trades, you’re playing with the wrong people if that needs doing at any point in the season. And while there’s room for some good-natured trash talk, try not to be disrespectful. Back to the money for one last point: only put up in team fees what you can afford to lose. Desperation is an excellent way to wind up in even worse shape, whether it’s fantasy sports or betting.
Good luck and make sure to keep it locked to the Rotoworld Basketball Player News feed all season!
