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The NBA regular season is just around the corner and you're probably getting ready for your drafts by reading articles like these! There are a lot of different ways to build a winning team in fantasy basketball. And depending on your format (Roto, H2H, Points), players are going to have varying degrees of value to your team. That's why it's always important to know your league settings before drafting, as you might draft a much different team for one format than for another.
I don't play in points leagues and they've become rather uncommon lately. My favorite format is 9-cat H2H because it allows me to punt a category or two and build on my team's strengths. If you play roto, you really can't afford to entirely punt a category, but you can still ride top finishes in multiple categories to a league title without being great across the board.
Whether you play roto or H2H, you should never focus exclusively on players who only pile up counting stats without paying attention to their efficiency. There are three categories of the nine that are most commonly used in 9-cat that measure a player's efficiency - FG%, FT%, and turnovers. There are plenty of high-usage players who can rack up stats quickly but at the cost of their percentages and most of the top fantasy players all have high turnover rates. In this article, I present to you several players that you can target at various stages of your draft who are masters of efficiency. They don't produce the same volume of stats as others, but they can help anchor the less sexy categories and win your league!
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Tier 1 Efficiency Artists
To be completely honest, there should probably be a tier break between DeRozan and Collins, because DeMar is really in a class of his own. He's a very unique fantasy player and a bit of a dying breed in the modern NBA since he does most of his damage from inside the arc, but outside the paint. He's a master of the midrange game and a pro at getting to the free-throw line.
He takes high-percentage shots and makes them at a high rate, giving him elite FG% (50%) on major volume (20 shots per game - the same type of volume we saw from Kevin Durant last season). He's also an excellent free throw shooter at 88% from the stripe, and again, it's the volume there that also makes a big impact as he averaged 7.8 trips to the line last season.
DeRozan has also taken on more playmaking later in his career than he did in his early Toronto days when he was just a scorer. He finished with 4.9 assists last season but only 2.4 turnovers per game. The only other players to average 25+ points and five assists last season with 2.5 turnovers or less were Kyrie Irving and Devin Booker.
DeMar was seventh in the NBA in scoring last year at 27.9 points per game. He went on a few tears where he was just posting massive numbers while Zach LaVine was out and I am sure a healthy LaVine will eat into his scoring a bit. But this Bulls team still doesn't know when Lonzo Ball might return and we've seen DDR already post some big preseason lines similar to what we had come to expect last season. You don't get many threes, steals, or blocks from DeRozan, but there simply aren't many players outside the first round who can give such elite returns in points, FG%, and FT% while not killing you in turnovers.
Here's a guy I was in love with for fantasy this season even before he started lighting it up in the preseason (go check his box scores, I'll wait). Maxey is a rare guard who was a positive value in both FG% and turnovers last season. He moved off the ball to play SG once James Harden arrived and it actually helped his overall value in the long run. He shot 48.5% from the floor and a sparkling 86.7% from the line while averaging only 1.2 turnovers per game. That's efficiency gold right there, man!
Maxey also did this while making nearly two threes per game last year. I think we see that number continue to increase and hopefully, he can shoot well from deep and maintain his overall high FG%. He won't give you much in boards or assists, but Maxey could easily give you 18 points per game and 2+ threes per game while maintaining these pristine percentages. He's a smash pick in the middle rounds as he's being overlooked by casual players who think that his role has been minimized (not enhanced) by having to play with Harden and Embiid.
The once-promising young player has not emerged as the superstar that many thought he might. But that doesn't mean he's still not a valuable asset for fantasy managers. Yes, a trade of Clint Capela would do wonders for his value and I think he'd be better suited as a small-ball center than at PF, but we don't know that is going to happen and Onyeka Okongwu is certainly going to be in the Hawks plans at center too, even if Capela is moved.
But this version of Collins is very helpful for our efficiency stats. Last year, John averaged 16-8-2 (nothing special, I know) but on 52.7% from the floor and 79% from the free throw line. He did that while also contributing a block per game and only one turnover per game. He simply doesn't hurt you anywhere other than steals, where he managed just .6 per game last season. And a big man who can hit one three per game while also blocking a shot per game and not tanking your FT% is a rare thing. Collins gets overlooked plenty in drafts, but he's a solid, safe selection in the middle rounds.
Tier 2 Efficiency Artists
These next two guys happen to play for the same team - the Phoenix Suns - and are supposed to slot in at small forward and power forward for Phoenix this season. Let's talk about Bridges, first, who had a really sneaky good year last year. His development over the last few seasons has been a boon to their team as he's able to defend multiple positions and has morphed into a pretty reliable shooter on offense too.
At first glance, his numbers don't impress all that much - 14.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 2.2 assists. Those counting stats look like someone that might even be on the waiver wire. But when you add the peripherals in, you have a legit fantasy player. He had 1.4 threes per game and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 53% from the floor and 83.4% from the line. The FT% doesn't help you all that much as it's on only two attempts per game, but the overall game here from Bridges is impressive as he turned it over less than once per game (.8), making him one of the most efficient wings in the NBA. It's not all about volume and efficiency matters too, and Bridges is one of the most well-rounded wings you can target towards the end of the middle rounds.
An injury cut Johnson's preseason short, but he should be good to go for the start of the games that matter next week. Cam played 26 minutes per game last year, mainly off the bench as a super-sub. But with Jae Crowder wanting out of this timeshare and demanding a trade, it looks as if Johnson is going to be a big winner for this season as he should move into the starting lineup and get another 5-6 minutes of playing time per game.
Johnson's game isn't all that different from Bridges' game in that he gives you a very similar production. He finished last year at 12.5-4.1-1.5 but was a better asset at 3PM as he also contributed 2.5 threes per contest. His FG% was only 46% compared to Bridges' unworldly 53% but you'll still take that number any day. He also averaged under one turnover per game (.7) as Phoenix plays some of the least sloppy basketball in the NBA. As his playing time rises this year, we should see his counting stats jump a bit too, and his overall efficiency might take a hit. But he's an incredible value late in drafts regardless as his game is so fantasy-friendly for 9-cat leagues.
Tier 3 Efficiency Artists
I have high hopes for Morris in Washington and I have him ranked well ahead of his ADP as he's finally getting a chance to be a starter and not just a "fill-in" for Jamal Murray as he was in Denver. Morris was the nominal point guard in Denver, but we know that Nikola Jokic was the one who was initiating the offense on nearly every possession. That allowed Morris to play off the ball a lot more often and his number resemble a shooting guard's or at the very least a "combo guard" as he finished the 2021-2022 season with averages of 12.6-3-4.4 in 30 minutes per game.
He posted some great percentages, however, as he shot 48% from the floor and 87% from the free-throw line. He also contributed 1.7 threes per game and limited his turnovers to 1.0 per contest. If he's asked to distribute the ball more in Washington, we should see those assists numbers jump a little bit, and probably the turnovers too.
But Morris is an excellent shooter and takes care of the basketball. He reminds me a lot of Mike Conley as a fantasy player (mid-career Conley to be specific) in that I think he can get us somewhere around 14-15 points per game with five assists while shooting solid percentages and keeping those turnovers low. He's a steal late in drafts, go get him!
I am a big believer in talent usually winning out and right now Thomas Bryant is battling Damion Jones and Wenyen Gabriel for minutes at the center spot for the Lakers. Nothing against Jones or Gabriel, both guys have made the most of their abilities and are solid big men who can rebound and score on the interior. But Bryant was one of my favorite additions by the Lakers in the offseason. He's battled some injuries early in his career, but he's a uber-talented big man who can do more than just rebound and score.
Bryant is still just 25-years-old and has career per-36 averages of 18-10-2 on 59% shooting and 76% from the line. He can step out and hit threes and also block shots too. Last season, he only played 16 minutes per game and appeared in 27 games for Washington, but he was a positive contributor in both percentages while only turning the ball over .7 times per game. His game is built for fantasy, he just needs minutes. I love taking him as a late-round flyer in drafts and banking on his talent winning out in the end. The Lakers badly need another solid big man and there's always the risk of Anthony Davis missing time.
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