You cannot be 100% prepared, as you must account variable changes that occur during the draft. In other fantasy sports, when a run on a position occurs during a draft, you must change up your plan and make sure you are not boxed out of getting certain skilled players and filling scarce positions. When in your draft, there are a few things you should remember that will keep you balanced throughout;

1. PLAYING TIME IS KEY: Playing time equals points in both seasonal and DFS Hoops. If a player is not on the court (no matter how big the name is), it will ultimately hurt your teams. Andre Drummond is a fantastic center who pulls down many rebounds per game, but if he is not hitting his free-throws in close games, there is a good chance he will lose playing time down the stretch in the closing minutes of games. That playing time he would be missing out on is very valuable and if you see a center further down your rankings who is playing consistent minutes, it might be smart to wait and fill another position; even if you lose out on a couple of rebounds per game.

2. AN NBA STARTER IS NOT THE SAME AS A FANTASY STARTER: Remember, you are not looking to fill out or mirror and NBA roster when constructing your team. You are trying to build an All-Star team. Just because a player is a STARTER, it does not necessarily mean that they should be starting for your fantasy teams. A player like Timofey Mozgov has proved that he is more effective when playing less. He could be starting, but his minutes have been monitored. Don’t get fooled and look at playing time trends from the previous year.

3. MULTI-POSITION ELIGIBILITY IS KEY; DON’T DRAFT JUST TO FILL POSITIONS: I have noticed that a lot of people when in a fantasy basketball draft become fixated on filling out empty starting roster positions thinking that it keeps them organized. A lot of players in the NBA play multiple positions. If you want to grab 3 forwards to start your draft and one of them has Center eligibility and another has Guard eligibility, you will be in good shape. Just because the website you are drafting on puts a player at a certain position on your roster, it does not mean they are obligated to start in that spot. Don’t feel pressured to fill specific positions just because you want to fill starting spots. You will address them later on. 

4. GUARDS WHO REBOUND ARE MONEY: Who doesn’t want to draft a player with flashy statistics? At some point in your draft, those players disappear and it is up to you to figure out which players are key for your team’s depth. You can’t only look at the big picture in fantasy basketball. Look at single statistics that separate certain players at their position. Guards are generally not known for compiling the same statistics as Centers because they play at different parts of the court, but some guards actually do step inside the paint and bang around with the big boys. Look for guards who rebound consistently, even if they only average three to four rebounds per game. It will be two or three rebounds more per game than the majority of Guards and it will add to the rebounding total. 

5. IT’S THE NBA; EVERYONE IS LOOKING TO SCORE: The title says it all. Especially in the NBA in this day and age, teams focus less on defense and games often become a shootout. I used to think players like Danny Granger were awesome to have on your team until they are shooting 25% from the field on a given night. Scoring 26 points per game is great, but if that is all that the player is giving you, it could ultimately hurt your team. If that player is cold from the field, he could lose playing time, shot opportunities and the ability to beef up your categories in your match up. Look for players who do more than just score.