STANDOUT Statistics

When you get to the middle tiers of your draft it can be challenging to identify those players who can help you in multiple categories rather than just one. You are not going to find players who you can rely on for triple-doubles on a semi-consistent basis. You need to create a standard for your strategy and these are not high standards. You want players on your team who can help majorly in one fantasy basketball category and can add on minimally in other categories. Here are some statistics I look for when deciding on drafting a player. Remember, a player’s defense can ultimately be the best offense for you because defensive players get more minutes.

  1. GUARDS: 3.5 Rebounds and higher on average: I cannot stress this enough; Guards who rebound are very beneficial. You only need minimal help from Guards in rebounding because not a lot of them rebound consistently or at all.  You can find Guards who rebound both in the front and back ends of your draft.
  2. GUARD/FORWARD: 0.5-1.5 Blocks Per Game: Some of the Guard/Forwards who qualify at multiple positions in fantasy and play multiple positions on their NBA team often play defense on the perimeter and at the elbow of the court. Consistent blockers are hard to find in general, but if you can find a G/F that can secure a block at least every other game, it will benefit you more than you think.
  3. MIDDLE ROUND FORWARD/CENTERS: 6.5 Rebounds and Higher: Once you hit the middle rounds of your draft, the double-digit rebounding big men become extinct and you have to decide which lower-rebounder to go with. Look for big men who play close to half of the game on average who can grab over 6 rebounds per game. When injuries occur and depth charts are changed, that player could be seeing a lot more playing time. Big men can accumulate many rebounds in a very short span.
  4. GUARD/FORWARD FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE 40%: Just because a player can score a ton of points in a game, it does not necessarily help your team. This is another reason why scoring is overrated. While your points category total increases, a bad shooting percentage could bring down your average in percentage categories. This does not apply to big men because they often take high percentage shots from right under the hoop. 40% is a good standard for those mid-range and outside shooters.
  5. PLAYING TIME: 20 MINUTES: Playing time equals fantasy points and serves as the life blood of your players and seeing a player play 15 minutes a game is not sexy even if they are specialists. Players who play under 20 minutes per game can often be held to less than 15 minutes per game if the rotation is working on that given night. You want players with the capability to play 30 minutes a game if needed.
  6. FREE THROW PERCENTAGE CENTERS: 60%. A shockingly low standard for Centers. For some reason, big men have trouble shooting free throws despite being hacked the most inside and stepping to the line more often than smaller players. If you want to invest in big men who shoot horribly from the free throw line like DeAndre Jordan and Andre Drummond go for it because they help you tremendously in other categories, but if you are very concerned about your free throw percentage, you may want to look at other options.
  7. FORWARD/CENTERS: 1 STEAL AND 1 BLOCK PER GAME: Centers are often the recipient of loose balls inside resulting in steals and with those categories hard to fill like steals and blocks, you can find players who help out with both in the 2nd half of your drafts.