Fantasy basketball: One pressing question heading into draft season

August 22 was a big day for many fantasy basketball fanatics, as Yahoo was “open for business” regarding mock drafts (Fantrax had opened things up a few weeks prior). As a result, many got in some early drafting reps, which can be valuable for checking out opinions on players, both good and bad. With that in mind, the Rotoworld basketball staff has come up with one question each that will impact their approach to drafting their teams.

Noah Rubin: Is New Orleans finished making moves?

Seven players on the Pelicans are potentially worth drafting, with most of them having an argument for being selected in the top 100. However, there is only one ball and only so many minutes to go around. They added Dejounte Murray without giving up many pieces from last season’s rotation. Brandon Ingram was considered a lock to be traded four months ago, but that still hasn’t happened. Yves Missi seems like he’ll be the starting center, but they could still make a move for another big.

They could still make plenty of moves that could open up minutes for Trey Murphy, but it isn’t easy to imagine him starting at this point, even if his spacing would be helpful. There’s still time for New Orleans to figure this stuff out, but as of now, it is a problematic mess to sort through when drafting.

Zak Hanshew: Where will LaMelo Ball land in drafts?

As we head into the 2024-25 season, I wonder, “What if…” LaMelo Ball has played 58 games across the last two seasons, but when available, he’s been an absolute beast for fantasy hoops managers. Over those 58 appearances, Ball averaged 23.6 points, 5.8 boards, 8.2 dimes, 1.6 steals and 3.6 triples. His FG% and turnovers will undoubtedly leave much to be desired, but those blemishes can be expected with a high-end, high-usage point guard.

Ball is expected to be ready for Hornets training camp, and I’m keeping my eyes peeled for updates on his health. Ball’s current ADP (per Hashtag Basketball) is early third-round, putting him in 2023 James Harden territory for a savvy value pick. Given his injury history, Ball comes with plenty of risk, but getting a guy with a first-round upside in the…

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Author : NBC Sports

Publish date : 2024-08-26 18:30:00

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