Hopefully, you’re ready with cheat sheets, rankings and tips for your annual fantasy basketball draft party. If it hasn’t happened already, just know it’s coming. In the coming week, we’ll be breaking down and debating key matchups so when the time comes to choose, you’ll know where to go.
First up is the debate over the best fantasy player in the game. Is it LeBron or KD? We argue. You decide.
*based on head-to-head format*
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LeBRON JAMES
When it comes to the head-to-head format in fantasy basketball, it’s not always about selecting the player whose going to contribute in virtually every category. In H2H leagues, it’s perfectly fine to “punt” categories, or build your team around specific strengths. Kevin Durant is flat out built for roto leagues because of his incredible percentages on the line and from the field, as well as his contribution on the defensive end of the court. But in H2H, LeBron James cannot be matched in the fantasy world. The beauty of “The King” is quite simple. Not only is LeBron a threat to lead the league in scoring every season, but he can also be considered a top tier point guard. Having a player with small forward/power forward eligibility who gives you between 7-9 assists per night puts your team light years ahead of others. LeBron was the only forward within the top 12 assists leaders last season.
Many fantasy managers love three-point shooters and LeBron doesn’t disappoint too much there. We all know LeBron is not known as a three-point sharpshooter, but last season he averaged 1.4 threes per game on 40.6 percent shooting. That’s a career-high, showcasing his growth in efficiency as he becomes more of a veteran every year. Not only is he coming off a career year in three-point shooting, but last season marked his best year shooting the basketball, hitting nearly 57 percent of his shots from the field. That’s an ungodly percentage for a player who flies around the court as much as him.
Yes, James has his struggles from the free throw line, so that percentage will be impacted, but who really cares about that? He may have some off shooting nights from the field, but again, don’t worry too much about percentages. It’s a very difficult stat to judge on a nightly basis due to it’s inconsistency for all players. If you have the luxury of owning a player whose a triple-double threat on a nightly basis, that chances of you edging a victory in H2H grows immensely. Let’s just face, LeBron is the “king” of those type of players (no pun intended) and it’s impossible to ignore what he brings to the table.
Including every player in fantasy basketball with small forward eligibility, LeBron was second behind only Josh Smith in rebounds, averaging 8.0 per game, fourth in steals and sixth in blocks. Need I say more? Look, nobody is calling you crazy if Durant’s your number one pick. But LeBron will set your team apart from the rest and you’re going to see it fast. If you’re lucky enough to be rewarded with the number one pick, enjoy having Carmelo Anthony‘s scoring, Josh Smith’s rebounding, Deron Williams‘ assists and an array of defensive stats to go along with it, wrapped up in an ultimate fantasy ball named LeBron James.
-CHRIS DIGIOIA
Hit page 2 to hear why KD is even better…
KEVIN DURANT
I know, I know. LeBron James is the King, even in the fantasy world. The thought of him rounding out his post game and increasing his efficiency makes me tremble with fear (except in the leagues I drafted him in of course), but in the end, fantasy basketball mainly boils down to which team is most productive in the fantasy playoffs. And where was LeBron over the final few weeks of last season? You guessed it, at the end of the bench.
The Miami Heat play in a division where two of the five teams, Orlando and Charlotte, are looking more forward to Andrew Wiggins than anything else. Another team, Atlanta, gave up two of their three core players over the last few offseasons and aren’t sure if they’re rebuilding or retooling. That leaves the Washington Wizards as the biggest threat to the Heat’s Southeast throne, and given their youth, they’re nowhere near competing on that level.
Sure, there’s much better competition when you look at the Eastern Conference more broadly, but Miami’s three biggest threats are flawed. After the offseason improvements made by the Pistons and Cavaliers, the Pacers and Bulls are all of a sudden playing in a division that features four potential playoff squads. All season long, these teams should be beating up on each other, causing Indiana and Chicago to lose ground on the one seed. The Nets, considered by many to be Miami’s most dangerous Eastern Conference foe, will have their record hampered by the necessary time needed to gain camaraderie at the beginning of the season, especially under a rookie head coach.
The point is, Miami is right on track to cruise to the first overall seed once again. It’s bad enough that LeBron seemingly misses out on fourth quarter stats on a nightly basis due to blowouts, but it’s even worse when the first overall pick is absent during the most important stretch of the fantasy season.
Then, there’s the Russell Westbrook factor. Over nine playoff games without his biggest helper last season, Durant averaged 31.8 points, 9.8 rebounds and 6.2 assists, with 2.1 treys, 1.3 steals, and 1.0 blocks per game. Sounds like LeBron numbers to me. Durant expanded his offensive game last season, putting up a career-high 4.6 assists per, and although it’s scary to think about, at age 24 there’s more room for improvement. Westbrook will miss the first 4-6 weeks of the season after undergoing another knee surgery, so the opportunity to produce even more ridiculous numbers than usual will be there to kick off the year, if nothing else. It wouldn’t be shocking if the Thunder brought Westbrook along slowly, or monitored his minutes in order to avoid too early of an exit from the postseason once again.
If you’re lucky enough to advance to your league’s championship, you’re going to need your first-round pick to win it all. LeBron may be the better player, but there’s no excuse for his absence from your squad if you could see it coming from a mile away, which is why I’ll be taking Kevin Durant first overall come draft time.
-KEVIN SMITH
Who would you take in fantasy?
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