NBA basketball is rapidly rising in popularity behind NFL football, with over a billion viewers based in locations all over the world. One of the side effects of that increase in interest is that fantasy basketball is also trending upwards as we enter 2022.
Fantasy basketball works in basically the same way as other forms of ‘fantasy’ sports leagues – like football ones. That means you have to put together your own team made up of current NBA players and you get points based on how well they perform in the real-world matches.
If this has grabbed your attention, we will now look at why you should be giving fantasy basketball a go this year.
It is more absorbing than fantasy football
The regular season in the NBA consists of 82 matches, compared with just 16 for a normal NFL season. Because of that there are a lot of games each week, rather than just one, which means that fantasy basketball owners have to commit much more to it.
You will need to keep track of how each of the players on your team is playing during all of these games, and make adjustments to your roster to give you the best shot at winning. That makes it the game of choice for people who want to really immerse themselves in a fantasy sport league.
It tests your NBA knowledge and skills
Typically a fantasy basketball roster will be 13 players, 10 of which are game starters and 3 of which are reserves. By contrast, in fantasy football, you have a 16-player roster with nine reserves.
What that means in reality is that once you have chosen what fantasy basketball league you are going to compete in, the success of your team will be much more dependent on your starter picks. That makes it a game that tests your knowledge of the sport more than fantasy football, where you have a greater number of options on the bench to choose from if you need them.
The players affect things more
There is more genuine interaction between the real world of the NBA and a fantasy basketball league than there is with other fantasy sports. That is because basketball players have to possess greater versatility than football or baseball players.
A regular NBA game will see a player needing to switch from defensive to offensive play in a heartbeat, whereas NFL players either perform one of these roles or the other.
For that reason, any NBA player can score points for your fantasy team either through defense or offense, whereas NFL ones can only contribute in one of these ways. That makes it less predictable and higher scoring.
So now that you know why you should be playing fantasy basketball, it is time to find out how to play.
- Choose a name for your team
Remember that this is supposed to be fun, so try to come up with a team name that is clever and funny. Something that combines basketball knowledge with movie trivia and a bad pun is always popular.
- Pick a league to play in
There are lots of different fantasy basketball leagues and they often have varying rules so it is a good idea to have a look at a few different options before you pick one to sign up for.
- Understand the draft system
Most fantasy basketball leagues use the ‘snake’ system for drafting players. This means that the team owner who lands the Round 1 first pick of players then has to pick last in Round 2. That is a pretty straightforward system to grasp for new players.
However some leagues opt for something called an ‘auction’ system instead. That means you have a set sum of cash to spend on assembling your roster. If your league uses an auction format you will have decide whether to try for a mix of stars and role players or build a more balanced team.
- Understand the scoring
There are four different types of fantasy basketball scoring: ‘points’, ‘head-to-head points’, ‘head-to-head roto’ and ‘roto’. Make sure you are clear about how the scores are totaled up in the league you have chosen.
- Prepare to trade
As in real-world basketball, the fantasy version lets you trade players in your roster during the season. Learning to play it well means being aware of what players from opposing teams their owners will happily trade; otherwise you will just be wasting your time.
Fantasy basketball is both more demanding and more exciting than fantasy football. There are many more matches, so playing it to win means you must keep on top of all of them, but there are also more ways in which players can win you points.