Here we go baby!

12-team, 9-category league, H2H:

PG - Colin Sexton
SG - Anthony Edwards
G - Josh Giddey
SF - LeBron James 
PF - Anthony Davis 
F - Scottie Barnes
C - Steven Adams 
C - Onyeka Okongwu 
Util - Mikal Bridges 
Util - RJ Barrett 
BN - Dorian Finney-Smith
BN - Kentavious Caldwell-Pope 
BN - Ayo Dosunmu 
IL - Jamal Murray

Let me know what your thoughts are! I had the 12th pick on our draft, and I know Lebron and AD are risky, but they have huge upside if they stay healthy. Thanks in advance!

@brandonbourassa Interesting roster! It's always a challenge being stuck with that pick. 

Right off the bat: field goal percentage is your biggest strength, and you're probably not going to be as competitive in treys or free throws. I believe you can fix treys. Rebounds and steals seem to be your secondary strengths. You're close to the mark on points, assists, blocks and turnovers, so consider those as potential growth areas. 

Since you have an advantage in field goal percentage and rebounds, I'd recommend that your initial roster moves lean towards building on blocks and turnovers as opposed to points and assists. This might not work in some matchups, but remember that players that generate points and assists tend to have lower shooting percentages and aren't as helpful on the boards. If your injury-prone stars go down, you're definitely not going to compete in points anyway. Players that help blocks and turnovers also tend to collect boards and take high-percentage shots, so this should work for you.

Let me know if you have more questions!

@dballbball Thank you for the feedback, I really appreciate it! I do have some follow-up questions if you don't mind!

Should I just punt the free throw percentage then and build in those categories like you mentioned? (FG%, rebounds, steals,points, assists, blocks, turnovers). With that said, why are my rebounds a strength for my team, if my centers (Adams and Okongwu) are not really great? 

In terms of initial team moves, anyone I should target from other teams, or anyone I should look to move from my team?

Should I hold on to Murray, do you think he will return to his 2020 form?

Davis and Bron are my two elite stars, but I worry about them because of age and injury risk. Should I hold on to them and take the risk? Or look to move one of them for a safer elite player, like Haliburton or something? If you think I should try to trade one, which of the two should I trade?

Thanks again! 

@brandonbourassa No problem! 

I think you've already punted free throws, to be blunt. None of James, Davis, Edwards, Barnes or Giddey are above-average there (Ant is close). Add in Adams and Barrett and you're several points below average. Might as well use it to your advantage in the future! All the guys who drop in the rankings because they can't make free throws have hidden value on your team. Streamer-level guys like Isaiah Hartenstein and Gary Payton II are good examples of players that could work on your squad.

Considering that we agree that you have injury risks in Davis and James, you could also consider how that scenario plays out with your roster. For the record, I'd argue that Murray belongs in this conversation until proven otherwise as well. If some combination of those guys are out of play, this roster will not compete in points. Future moves to build on points might not be as effective since you've got names like Adams, Caldwell-Pope, Dosunmu, Finney-Smith and Okongwu in your lineup.

You're right: Adams and Okongwu aren't stars. However, Adams is among the premier rebounders in the league. On a good night, he can also help in blocks and field goal percentage, and is one of the better centers for assists and steals. Every other category? Not so great. It's a similar story with Okongwu: he's good in blocks, field goal percentage and turnovers, with some potential in rebounds. See how there's some consistent categories between these two players and your overall roster strengths? Contrast them with Caldwell-Pope, who will hurt your field goal percentage but boost your treys and free throws. A low-end player that helps your weak categories isn't really adding much value.

RE: Murray. You could consider trading him, but it may be difficult until he strings a few games together. If the other managers wanted him, they would have drafted him. His recent injury may still be on the minds of the others in your league, so they could try to low-ball you. Whether you want to go that route is up to you, but it's too early to be desperate. The key is that you're getting returns that build on your strengths. 

Haliburton would be a great addition to your team but the cost is sure to be enormous and could completely change this whole discussion. Proceed at your own risk!

@dballbball 

Hmm interesting, sorry if I missed it in the text, but it appears we agree on Davis and Lebron's risk, so if you were me, would you hold on to them or try to trade one of them?

Outside of streamers, what kinds of guys in the league should I be looking to build a trade for? Or anyone I should definitely try to move off my roster in order to play to my strengths?

I want to build on my strengths and get rid of guys (like KCP) that barely help one of my weaknesses. I would rather get someone who doubles down on my strengths rather than barely helps one of my weaknesses. 

Thanks again for all the advice and help!

@brandonbourassa I'm happy to help.

Trades are entirely up to you, my friend. Davis and James have first round upside but there are some variables that could limit their impact. Move on if you don't think the risk is worth the reward, but these players are part of the core of your team. Their strengths are your team's strengths, so how does moving them help you? I imagine that it will be hard to get players with the ceilings of Davis or James in most trades, so I think it's safer to hold them. The same is true for Murray, but his strengths aren't as close to your team's best categories. Diversity isn't a bad thing on a fantasy roster, so Murray isn't a must-trade player by any means. However, he could be a name to circle back around to as the season progresses. 

Another thing I noticed (which might answer one of your questions) was that you're in a league with two center spots. That means you're rotating Davis, Adams and Okongwu, and hoping that two of them play on most nights. Consider using one of the spots occupied by Caldwell-Pope or Dosunmu to add a fourth center, while using the other spot as a streamer all year. Whether by trade or free agency, I think that adding an extra center could help your team. The value of that position is increased in leagues like yours. A player like Jarred Vanderbilt might be unavailable by now, but he's probably not going to cost much in a trade. Players like Hartenstein, Andre Drummond and JaVale McGee might still be free, but that's far from an all-inclusive list. 

Remember that you're tweaking your team and not remaking it. Splashy trades can sometimes help, but only if you're going in with clear objectives (ex. boost BLK/FG%, sacrifice PTS/FT%) that you can achieve, and not making the trade for its own sake. The early season always has breakout players that are difficult to predict, so you'll have a chance to add extra value to your roster in the first few weeks of the season if you're diligent. That's a safer way of improving your team, so start to identify the players that are most redundant (ex. Caldwell-Pope and Dosunmu) and pay extra attention to how they perform when the season kicks off. Any moves you make now will be blind, but you can get ready to make quick decisions when the time comes. 

14 team, 9-cat H2H, 12th pick

Lillard (12)

Paul George (17)

Porzingis (40)

Rozier (45)

Vassell (68)

Capela (73)

Markkanen (96)

Kevin Porter (101)

Gordon Hayward (124)

Cole Anthony (129)

Olynyk (152)

Suggs (157)

Beverley (180)

Thank you!

@vcube111 Lots of interesting names on that list! You've definitely built a "guard stats" team. Depending on how the seasons of players like Porter and Hayward turn out, you could have a fun year. 

By my estimate, your best stats should be treys and steals. Points, blocks, free throw percentage and turnovers seem likely to be your secondary categories. You're almost definitely going to miss the mark on field goal percentage, while assists and boards could be problem areas in certain matchups. Considering your core players, I'd say you're generally set up pretty well to be competitive this season. 

One name which sticks out: Clint Capela. This isn't a criticism of the player, but his strengths are your weaknesses. Capela is primarily a field goal percentage and rebounds producer. He has an atrocious free throw percentage and is the only player on your team (centers included) that might not make a trey per night this season, or one trey all season, for that matter. If there is a player on your roster to test the trade market with, it's Capela.

Start thinking about which one of Suggs, Anthony and Beverley you really want to commit to. Alongside your other PGs (Lillard, Rozier, Porter), they are redundant and one could be replaced. That's six lead guards and none of them are going to win assists for you, but they'll all commit extra turnovers. Consider which of them you would be most prepared to move on from if there's a strong waiver wire or trade option to improve your points, blocks, free throws or turnovers at another position. 

Players like Chuma Okeke, Derrick White and Robert Covington could be interesting fits on the end of your roster.

14Team Roto 12th pick

I hated picking at 12 so I just went for lots of home runs lol

Kyrie (12)

AD (17)

Jrue (40)

Zion (45)

OG (68)

Vassell (73)

KPJ (96)

Jalen Smith (101)

I.Jax (124)

Bones (129)

Fultz (152)

THJ (157)

Caleb Martin (180)

@jamesandrewdy You absolutely did take some swings here. That's going to make it hard for me to give you a fair answer before the season starts. So much will depend on how things play out for your young guys. 

Right now, it seems like your safest past to victory is through defense and efficiency stats. Blocks, field goal percentage, steals and turnovers seem like your best categories, while I'm not confident you'll do well in assists, free throw percentage or rebounds. Your swing categories are points and treys, so focus on those areas with some of your initial moves.

Jackson and Smith as a handcuff duo make a lot of sense this year, so they will probably be fixtures in your lineup. Fultz is another player that suits your team very well. However, I have some concerns about others in your lineup. Kevin Porter can help your points, treys and steals, but he'll drag your field goal percentage, free throw percentage and turnovers in the process. It's a similar story with Hardaway, who is a passable points and treys player that won't hurt you in steals or turnovers, but will hurt you in field goal percentage. Hyland gets points and treys but doesn't collect many steals or blocks, and isn't a high-percentage shooter. Each one of these guys addresses a secondary category by sacrificing a primary category on your team. Porter is too valuable to release, but I'm less sure about the other two. Explore your options for swapping other players into those spots, but it may be safer to see who breaks out in the first few games of the season. While I'd argue Martin is a good fit for your purposes, he's also not a must-roster player, and could be on the chopping block if you sense an opportunity to improve your team early on.

Playing the waiver wire should be easy for you this season. While some of your opponents will be struggling to replace injured points, assists and rebounds producers in free agency this season, you will have the option to ignore those categories at your convenience. You're looking for the stereotypical 3-and-D player at every position. Even a defensive specialist that only takes one shot and makes one pass per game could fit better on your team than others, since you're more likely to compete in turnovers than assists, and to win the defensive categories instead of points. Competing in points should be secondary to building your strong categories, although it's not a lost cause with your roster. Just remember that scorers typically drain your field goal percentage; especially when they're from the waiver wire. 

Is there anyone who didn't have the 12th pick in their draft? 

@dballbball

Thanks for the feedback (again)! Lol

Sorry if it got lost in translation, but I may have gotten a confused. So in summary, what were my teams strengths and weaknesses? Basically, Which categories are gonna win me matchups, and which won’t?

Furthermore, in terms of those stengths and weaknesses, which players on my team should I build around and which should I shop on the market for because they might not help my stengths as much, or are redundant? 

Thanks again! I love this forum!

@brandonbourassa It's what I'm here for!

Strengths: Field goal percentage (*), rebounds, steals

Weaknesses: Free throw percentage (*), treys

Mid: Assists, blocks, points, turnovers

Players that are good at your strengths: Adams, Barnes, Bridges, Davis and James

Players that are bad at your strengths: Caldwell-Pope, Dosunmu, Edwards and Sexton

Players that are good at your weaknesses: Bridges, Caldwell-Pope, Edwards and Murray

You will have to judge which of your "mid" categories you'll win each week based on your opponent. Maximize your moves each week and focus on those categories.

Whether you make a trade is up to you. If you need a top three, I'd recommend Edwards, Murray and Sexton. Caldwell-Pope and Dosunmu might not have enough value to trade, but you could consider dropping them.

Consider low-cost players like Drummond, Hartenstein, Payton, Vanderbilt, Bruce Brown and Patrick Beverley. If you want to make a splash, players like Jakob Poeltl, Josh Hart, Jrue Holiday, Jusuf Nurkic and Wendell Carter Jr. could work well with your squad.