There are approximately seven sure-fire, undeniable first-round picks in fantasy basketball this season. If you can find anyone that can give you a legitimate reason not to take Basketball Monster has a value system based on the standard score statistic. Put simply, 0.0 represents average standard league value, a positive score represents how much more valuable than league average a player is in any given category, and a negative one, how much less valuable.
If you take points, for example, Durant averaged 32.0 per game last year and had the highest points value at 3.65. fantasypros.com):
| Player | 2013-14 | 2012-13 | 2011-12 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kevin Durant | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 2 | LeBron James | 5 | 2 | 1 |
| 3 | Anthony Davis | 2 | 25 | n/a |
| 4 | Stephen Curry | 4 | 4 | 14 |
| 5 | Chris Paul | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| 6 | Kevin Love | 6 | 171 | 4 |
| 7 | James Harden | 8 | 5 | 20 |
| 8 | DeMarcus Cousins | 21 | 73 | 54 |
| 9 | John Wall | 27 | 56 | 87 |
| 10 | Serge Ibaka | 10 | 11 | 11 |
| 11 | Carmelo Anthony | 7 | 8 | 44 |
| 12 | LaMarcus Aldrudge | 13 | 12 | 9 |
Players that have finished with first-round value in each of the last three seasons: Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Chris Paul, Serge Ibaka.
That's all I need to say about that.
Verdict
If anyone laughs at you for grabbing Ibaka in the first round after all seven of the elite guys I mentioned earlier are off the board, ignore them. There's nothing wrong with locking up blocks early with a guy that won't kill you anywhere else and focusing on the other categories later while others are reaching for blocks.
People are typically scared to take non-superstars early in fantasy drafts, especially ones that are third bananas on their own NBA team. It's why people have shied away from Chris Bosh for years, why Kyrie Irving is bound do drop this season, and why people have a hard time picking Ibaka in the first round when Durant and Russell Westbrook are right there alongside him.
But this is fantasy basketball, not real life. Here, Serge Ibaka is a superstar. Draft him like one with confidence.