While fantasy football players have already drafted their teams and are watching the action-packed season unfold, fantasy basketball fans have been carefully crafting their draft boards. With the extremely talented new class of players coming into the NBA, fans should consider taking a gamble and drafting rookies into their 13-man lineup.
Fantasy basketball is a game where players act as managers who have control over which players to draft and which players get to play on certain days. Participants earn points based on the real-life performance of the players they choose to start. Star players like Lebron James are usually selected early in the draft as they usually grant players some early points, which are decided through the player’s statline.
Rookie players are unpredictable, which is why it is a high-risk high-reward decision to draft them on your dream team. However, with the influx of talent, fans should consider taking the risk to draft one of these freshmen into their 13-man lineup.
Victor Wembanyama
Being the prized prodigy of the 2023 draft, the seven-foot-four French giant is ready to wreak havoc in the NBA after putting up jaw-dropping statistics in the European league. One of his greatest physical blessings, his height, is also a curse since no one of his size has been able to stay healthy for their entire career. Despite this, Wembanyama’s upside is simply too enticing to give up. He would be a great pick during the late second round and a steal if he falls to the third.
“Wembanyama is the NBA’s greatest prospect in decades,” senior staff writer of The Ringer Kevin O’Connor said in his latest draft guide. “He has the ceiling to be an all-time great and is unlike anyone the game has seen before.”
Cam Whitmore
With the vertical of Vince Carter and the explosiveness of a prime John Wall, Whitmore is a player who will thrive around the great playmakers in the Rocket’s young core. While Whitmore is not an early-round caliber player, fans should definitely consider giving this rookie forward a chance in the later rounds of the draft.
“Some love his potential as a shot-creator, ” NBA analyst Sam Venecie said to The Athletic. “He’s a terrific above-the-rim finisher. Athletically, he’s a powerful 230-pound force; Defenders bounce off of him on his way to the basket.”
Amen and Ausar Thompson
For the final positions—the guards— the Thompson twins are fantastic picks for any fantasy team trying to round out their team towards the end of drafts. They both showed flashes of stardom in the summer league, with Amen showing off his incredible playmaking abilities and Ausar showing off his impressive ability to finish at the rim.
“Both prospects stack up against the NBA’s most complete athletes when it comes to quickness, bounce, coordination and elasticity.” NBA scout Jonathan Wasserman said to Bleacher Report. “They each possess exciting finishing potential fueled by wild hang time that allows for adjustments, plus coordination to alter layups mid-air.”
