Amidst the stress of work and the humdrum daily chores that are constantly calling my name, I’m always looking for ways to unwind. This time of year, one of the ways I de-stress is by building my daily NBA fantasy league. I’ve gotten pretty good at playing armchair basketball coach, too – and here are the tips that helped me build my skills.
1. Time on the Court Counts
If your players aren’t out there on the court, your players aren’t out there scoring points. Go for players who reliably play for over 30 minutes in each game. This puts me looking at leaders like LeBron James and Kyle Lowry. The longer they’re on the court, the more opportunities they have to score big.
2. Figure in Pace of Play
This measures how many possessions your team will use per game. If the pace of play is faster, a team will have more possessions and thus more opportunities to score.
How do you go about calculating the pace of play, though? One way is to get an average of two team’s possessions per game. Alternately, you can check out the Vegas lines to get their point totals.
3. Injuries Can Hurt You
When choosing your daily NBA fantasy picks, it’s also important to be aware of who’s currently sitting out. This changes quickly from one day to the next. I’ve started taking advantage of online tools that give me an instant look at who’s nursing a sprained knee or down with the flu.
4. Consider Under-appreciated Players on Bad Teams
One of the most surprising ways I’ve found to beef up my fantasy NBA picks is to take a look at some of the really great players who happen to be stuck on not-so-great teams. This year, I’m looking at players like Karl-Anthony Towns who averaged 10 points and 7 rebounds per game last season with the Minnesota Timberwolves, bringing him to #4 in ESPN’s player rater.
5. Understand Your Site’s Scoring
When you’re playing your NBA fantasy league online, keep in mind that different sites have different ways of scoring. Make sure you fully understand how your site works in terms of their overall scoring system, as well as how you create your roster, and flexibility in terms of choosing and swapping players. This will help you better strategize to dominate your game.
