@jasehmorant Murray for Ivey is fine with me. I think Murray has the higher floor, but Ivey has the higher ceiling. The Pistons can afford to spend more time on development this year, so Ivey should be able to play through the rough patches more often that Murray probably will.
@killme Wow! Your early round picks definitely would have made the early season rough. It's not a bad team though. Are you streaming or is the roster size reduced? I noticed that you have 12 players and 2 are injured. If you're not streaming, you should be!
There's not much you can do about the injuries, and I doubt you'll get good value for Russell or Towns at their current pace. You basically have to ride it out with those guys.
Leagues can be won or lost in the later rounds of drafts and it looks like you got several sleepers. This squad may look a lot better by 2023.
You're probably not going to be very competitive in FG%, so I hope you'll try to keep your FT% as high as possible. You're off to a good start, but I think it's important to always be competitive in one or the other, if not both.
Your 3PT competitiveness should drastically improve at full health. You're probably not winning consistently yet, but I think you could. If you're up against another team loaded with snipers, I think it's worth it to stream extra producers in this area, and you should fine it pretty easy on a standard league waiver wire.
I'm not sure how competitive you'll be in TO, but my instinct is to say that you're on the wrong side of average. Keep those as low as possible with future moves, just in case you can get an edge. It's one of the most commonly-punted categories, so it's worth the investment.
PTS seems steady if not spectacular. You have several streaky players that you're probably going to have to rely on to win some weeks, so it's likely that you get burned a few times. Everybody scores, so if I'm not sure I'm going to compete in PTS, I generally try to make a push in other areas.
You are likely to find that REB will be one of your most reliable categories at full health. There's a solid balance of production across your roster. Not much to expand on here. AST will be close behind, I think. No action required to help either category.
This squad probably isn't doing much in BLK, so you might as well invest in STL. Ball, Garland, Melton, Siakam and Vanderbilt should form a solid base of reliable production which you could very easily top up with players that could also help you in 3PT.
If I had to rank your competitiveness from top-to-bottom, it would probably be something like: AST, REB, 3PT, FT%, STL, PTS, TO, FG% and BLK. There isn't a single category that I find to be irredeemable and you seem to have good positional coverage, so you should have some considerable flexibility with trades. Are you able to scoop some of the following names off the wire? I'd consider Aleksej Pokuesevski, Bones Hyland, Bruce Brown, Caleb Martin, Immanuel Quickley, Jalen Williams, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Kevin Love, Kyle Anderson, Larry Nance Jr. or Lu Dort.
Good luck with the rest of your season!
@johnwicky17 14 teams and you were able to pair Ball, Haliburton and Towns? Wow.
By my estimate, you will probably have seven players in the top-50 by year-end, and Grant might make it eight. Before digging into the specifics of your strengths and weaknesses, it suffices to say that you've got a strong floor of production on this squad.
Your point guard rotation is rock solid. You can probably spare one of Conley or Dosunmu, and I'd be more inclined to roll with Conley. Perhaps you can convert one of those roster spots into a third center?
AST should be one of your most reliable categories this season. Your point guards are probably enough to help you win there, but you've got additional value-added from guys like Barnes and Sabonis. No extra attention needed.
I'm less confident in PTS but I do think this squad can be competitive at peak production. I see nine players that I would feel confident in producing 15+ PPG on any given night. Securing a win in PTS may be a matter of creating a games played advantage over other competitive scoring squads.
You probably need to bump up REB if you want to get consistent wins there. In general, I see this as a below-average category that can be converted to a positive if needed. Most of the players that I see as end of bench players are bigs, and I think that's going to limit your productivity in this category. Bagley, Nance and Smith aren't going to get the raw numbers consistently enough to support the top-tier production of Sabonis and Towns. Given that none qualify for center and you probably need another big anyway, I'm into the idea of packaging two of these guys for one solid center that can give you an edge here.
This seems like the sort of team that should have solid FG%, but I am concerned about the negative impacts of some of your perimeter players. In most cases, I find that correcting any deficits in this area is best-accomplished by an "addition by subtraction" approach. You should start with Conley or Smith if you go this route, and I'm of the opinion that Smith is going to figure out how to succeed in the NBA sooner than later, so Conley is probably the better option for positional expendability and a generally-higher trade value at the moment. Basically, you should be trying to roster anyone who can get you ~47 FG% or up in order to secure an advantage.
There's not much to say about FT%. Barnes and Sabonis aren't good, but they're not so bad that they're going to outdo all of the good that your other star players will do. Moving down your roster, there should be a solid balance of production that keeps you afloat. I wouldn't make any conscious effort to address this category, but you shouldn't take on any additional risk with negative producers in this category.
You have some of the elite perimeter producers paired with one of the best-shooting bigs in the history of the sport, so I expect that you will be able to compete in 3PT whenever you choose to. As with FT%, you're not going to get much help from guys like Barnes or Sabonis, so it's not a rock-solid guarantee to win, but you should be able to top this up when and where needed with effective streaming.
There is very little BLK potential on this squad, so the default response should probably be to boost your competitiveness in STL. This is the point in my reply where I'm starting to consider the long-term value of Smith on your squad, given how drastically he impacts your FG% and how unimportant BLK is likely to be for you. While I still don't think you should shop him yet, it does occur to me that this is the sort of team that could probably afford to flip him when/if his value starts to peak. Streaming STL at the bottom of your roster can and should help you to win, but I would feel a lot more confident in this squad if you were to find another STL producer that can get you around or above 1.5 SPG.
Don't even bother with TO. You have way too many high-usage players for any investment in reducing TO to be worthwhile. This is a punt, if you ask me.
If I had to rank them from best to worst, I think your categories would probably be arranged like this: AST, FT%, 3PT, PTS, STL, FG%, REB, BLK, TO. With this in mind, I'd be targeting some of these players if they're in your free agency pool: Aleksej Pokusevski, Andre Drummond, Caleb Martin, Chris Boucher, Dennis Smith Jr., Dorian Finney-Smith, Grant Williams, Grayson Allen, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, Josh Richardson, Kelly Olynyk, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Kevin Love, Kevon Looney, Kyle Anderson, Lonnie Walker, Marcus Morris, Max Strus, Obi Toppin and Tari Eason.
appreciate the reply big time my friend but i think that you think its lamelo but its actually lonzo 🤣
@arthurnbafantasy Hey Arthur!
I'm pretty sure that anyone who drafted Antetokounmpo is punting FT% at this point, whether they intended to or not. Certainly that's true with Gobert, Plumlee, Poeltl and Sabonis added in as well. It's the same story with 3PT, which begs the question: why Cam Johnson? He's a solid player but not particularly valuable to your build and is a long-term stash. I think you could probably replace him.
I think that Antetokounmpo and Green for Allen and Doncic would be a coup. Less so with Maxey, but it's still okay. I wonder why you want to add Doncic to a punt AST build though? You should probably plan to be more competitive in some of Doncic's strength areas (AST, 3PT) if you give up Antetokounmpo for him, since your whole team should be built in the image of its most important player, if you ask me. Cunningham and Doncic would form a really solid base that would probably be worth the investment.
This squad seems like a near-lock to win FG% as currently constructed. You have a lot of the potential league leaders in this category on your roster. What more is there to say?
AST is somewhere around average or the wrong side of average, but I don't think you're in punt territory regardless of the potential Antetokounmpo-Doncic deal. Of your top-seven picks, only Gobert and Green are likely to return negative value in AST. I say go for it. You can take a hit in TO if needed.
On the note of TO, I think you're probably going to be competitive here. Reducing your TOs wherever possible should pay dividends, and I would try to restrict myself to sub-2 TO/G players in future moves. Doncic would push you in the wrong direction, but I think you can still save this one.
Your team doesn't seem remarkably competitive in PTS, so I'm inclined to say you shouldn't pay much attention to that category. It's one of those all-in or all-out things for me, since all players score but only the ones at the top of drafts will really give you an edge. I don't think you have a strong enough collection of top-end producers to make it worthwhile to collect the bargain-bin scoring options, who typically have some glaring negatives. This is part of the reason that I'm comfortable with you moving on from guys like Green and Maxey, if needed. There's 44.5 PPG and 5.8 3PM/G between the two of them and I'm not convinced that you're competitive enough in either category. Note that these are the only two categories that either man is a true positive in right now, with most other categories being below-average. Oh, and as one of the only remaining Norman Powell apologists in what seems like the entire world, I feel obligated to advise you that he hasn't been reliable for standard league production until very recently, and that even if he returns to form, three of his four above-average categories (FT%, PTS, 3PT) probably won't do much for you. He is just plain bad in AST, BLK and REB, which are categories that I think you should be trying to win.
I buried the lede for this one: you're obviously good in BLK. That was obviously a goal on draft day. You basically break even if you swap Antetokounpo for Allen, so I don't expect there to be any real variation if you do go through with the trade. What would really be interesting is the boost to REB you would get, somehow, by trading one of the best REB producers (Antetokounmpo) for two other elite producers. If that deal goes through, I expect you to be even more solid in REB than you probably already are. These seem very close to FG% as remarkably reliable strength categories, especially in a 14-team league.
It's definitely possible to win STL but I think you should be streaming for success in this category. I think you're in the same frame of mind, as you're currently streaming some really strong end of bench options for this category. Keep doing so in order to get an extra edge. Your post-oriented squad will likely need a bit of a boost against the premier perimeter defensive teams in the league.
If I'm in your shoes, I'm playing the free agency market very simply and looking for high-efficiency players. I'm talking about defensive specialists and high-percentage shooters. Again, you seem to already be on this path now. Keep aiming for the Thad Youngs and Torrey Craigs of the world, and I think you should be able to maintain a high level of competitiveness. You're probably not doing much in PTS and you don't need help in REB, so the only counting stat I would really focus on is AST, and only if you can get a solid AST-TO ratio out of the deal. I have to log off now so I won't make a list of potential acquisitions for you, but by all means follow up with me and I will try to do so later on.
Cheers and good luck!
@dballbball Thanks for the reply! Felt a bit better with LaMelo back, but looks like he'll miss time again. And a second fun week of waiting on Yahoo to give him an IL tag for me to make any moves. Blocks and Turnovers are two categories I'm going to pretend don't exist this year, as well as FG%. However my team still looks rough compared to others. I had to drop Melton to clear way for LaMelo, and my Vandy/Hart are now Ivey/Bagley.
I missed on Poku regrettably, though there are some good options available. Hart, Vanderbilt, Plumlee, Royce O'Neale, Hyland, Schroder, Bruce Brown all available. Should I swap one of Mathurin/Bagley for one of those you think?
12 Team H2H Standard Settings daily League:
J. Harden - IL
D. Lillard
D. Murray
T. Rozier
J. Ivey
K. Oubre
K. Huerter
K. Thompson
J. Vanderbilt
J. Collins
K. Porzingis
M. Turner
N. Vucevic
I. Jackson
C. Johnson - IL
Basically punting FG and TO. I'm struggling to find out whom to drop once Harden comes back (Other Managers are not so Trade-happy).
Right now I'm also bidding on Keegan Murray and would drop Oubre - good move?
Very thankful for any advice or rating of the team.
@dballbball Aaron Gordon was just dropped in my league. He's not amazing and doesnt really fit the punt FG% but wondering if hes worth scooping up for the rebound potential and just because he starts for Denver
Hi, Derek! New here. It's awesome to see your detailed responses. When I have time, I want to read through them because I'm sure I'll learn a lot. Thank you in advance! Here's what I'm working with..
8T 9-cat H2H, 10 standard slots + 6 bench + 2 IL (Dan said this is more like a 10T or shallow 12T).
PG: Haliburton, Kyrie, McCollum, Tre Jones
SG: Jaylen Brown, Maxey
SF: OG, MPJ
PF: Randle, JJJ, Marcus Morris
C: Embiid, Ayton, Bol, Horford, Vando
IL: Kawhi (not activated yet so I can get a couple more games from Morris and Jones + give Vando another two games before I decide what to do)
Draymond just cleared waivers. Can he make a difference in assists for my team? It's encouraging to see CJ averaging a career high in assists and Jones keeps getting better, but I'm not sure it's worth it to try to beat teams that are loaded with guards.
Dan's advice was to try to win both %s, compete in points, but make sure to win boards, steals, blocks, turnovers. He also said I can trade Hali if I want, for someone who assists less and to lean into guys like DeRozan, Butler, CP3 (guys with good %s but don't shoot 3s). Does that mean I should punt BOTH 3s and assists? If I do, then I'd have to prob try and move guys like MPJ and Maxey. I think I have to stick with 3s with the amount my guys already shoot. Even my big guys (as i write this Embiid has 2, horford has 4, JJJ has 3, Randle has been shooting and making a lot more since he hit 8 in Minnesota, and can't forget Bol)
With that said, I'm leaning toward leaving Draymond for someone else, moving away from assists. Keep Vando, Marcus, drop Jones (to activate Kawhi). I don't know. There are other names on the wire that are interesting but no one if feel is must grab (Jaylen Williams close)
Claxton, iHart, Olynyk, Plumlee, Melton (Maxey just got hurt, not sure how long he'll be out), Trey Murphey III, Nance, Strus, Grant Williams, Poku, Jaylen Williams, Eason, Bagley, Herb Jones. I also plan to add Rob Williams, Cole Anthony, and/or DSJ to my IL just in case.
The more I look around at the other teams, the more I feel Dan's suggested build would be good. Maybe it will help to list them.. if it's too much to ask, no worries, I am happy with whatever insight you have regarding my team.
team 1: Jokic, Ja, AD, SGA, THJ, KCP, Sexton, Giddy, PJ Washington, Vooch, Herro, JGrant, Scottie, Hayward(IL), MitchRob(IL), Tre Mann (3 top 10 guys don't hurt but he's not that active, and weak schedule vs teams that didn't set their lineups early on)
team 2: Luka, DBook, Sabonis, Siakam, Lowry, LaVine, Klay, Wiggins, Jalen Smith, WCJ, Westbrook, Barrett, Conley, JHart, Collins, Cade (beat 5-4 without Embiid and Kyrie! most likely can't beat in assists even with Draymond)
team 3: Tatum, Lillard, PG13, Clarkson, JMurray, Beal, Hield, Ingram, Poeltl, Jarrett Allen, Bojan Bog, BroLo, Keegan, Fox, Simons (pretty unbeatable in 3s but def has weaknesses I can take advantage of)
team 4: KD, Ball, DMurray, Brunson, Kuz, Portis, JV, Mobley, Garland, Wood, Keldon, Markkanen, Ivey, Stewart (IL), Huerter, Dinwiddie, Adams
team 5: Towns, Trae, Butler, DMitchell, Poole, Smart, Oubre, Wagner, Love, Turner, Mikal, Jrue, Bane, Vassell, Zubac, Capela (slow start but on paper doesn't look bad)
There are two more teams but I'm not too worried about them.
last bit of context, i haven't played fantasy bball, or followed the NBA since 2016 and was not prepared for this draft lol. Did some last minute research and drafted without a build in mind
Hi Derek! Appreciate the work you do.
Here’s my 9 Cat 10T team:
Hi Derek, what do you think about this trade in a points league?
DeRozan for Sengun and Keldon.
In my opinion DeRozan side.
Thanks!
hey sorry maybe i should be more clear on the roster spots. it's standard 10 meaning PG, SG, G, SF, PF, F, C, C, UTIL, UTIL...and then 6 bench spots and 2 IL spots. weirdly we only drafted 13 players and then added the rest thru the WW. that's how I got JJJ and Vando
update: was able to add maxey to IL and activate Kawhi without dropping anyone
