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Underdog NBA Best Ball: 3 players going too high and 3 going too low in drafts
By Adam Spencer
Published:
Underdog NBA Best Ball season is right around the corner, as the NBA regular season tips off on Tuesday, October 24, with matchups between the Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets as well as the Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors.
Now is the time to get in on the best ball action over at Underdog, where there are plenty of opportunities to get started today.
There’s the huge Double Dribble tournament, with $500K in prizes. It has a $10 entry fee and allows users to enter as many as 150 times.
There are also many smaller tournaments, with between 3-12 people. Those entry fees range from $3 to $200.
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Now let’s get into the reason why we’re here. Let’s talk about Underdog’s average draft position (ADP) for some top players. There are a few players who I believe are going too low in best ball drafts and a few others I think are being drafted too high.
Let’s start with the negative and build toward the positive, shall we?
Players Going Too High
1. LeBron James, LAL — 16.4 ADP
I hate going against LeBron, but taking him 16th or 17th in a best ball draft is, quite frankly, ridiculous. He’s missed 25+ games in 4 of his 5 seasons in Los Angeles. He’s going to turn 39 years old in December. Yes, he’s still one of the greatest players ever to step foot on a basketball court, but he’s not a top-20 value anymore. If he falls to pick 30 or so in your draft? Absolutely take a chance on him. But in the top 20, you’re only going to be disappointed with what you get from King James.
2. Karl-Anthony Towns, MIN — 27.4 ADP
KAT is much younger than LeBron, but he’s had similar issues staying on the court in recent years. He played in only 29 games last season. He was on the floor for 74 games in 2021-22, but prior to that year, he played in 50 games and in 2019-20, only 35. He also doesn’t seem very happy playing alongside Rudy Gobert in Minnesota. He’s a potential trade candidate as this season unfolds, but unless he gets moved, I wouldn’t draft him in the top 30.
3. Zion Williamson, NOP — 28.4 ADP
Draft the Pelicans star at your own risk. Here are a few numbers — 29, 61, 24. No, those aren’t points scored in games last season. Those are the number of games he’s played in each of his 3 pro seasons. He’s missed well over half of the potential regular-season games he could have appeared in. When he’s on the court, he’s dynamic. But should you use a top-30 pick on him? I wouldn’t.
Players Going Too Low
1. Mikal Bridges, BKN — 16.4 ADP
Bridges is an incredible player. That’s reflected in the fact that he’s the 16th player off the board in most Underdog NBA Best Ball drafts. But I think that’s still too low. Look at who he’s behind:
- Anthony Davis, LAL — 11.1 ADP
- Steph Curry, GSW — 11.3 ADP
- Damian Lillard, MIL — 15.7 ADP
Are we confident all of those guys will play 65-70 games? I’m certainly not. I feel confident that Bridges will provide both quality and quantity stats this coming season. He’s the alpha on the Nets and is poised for a huge 2023-24 campaign.
2. Josh Giddey, OKC — 50.9 ADP
I think Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has a real chance to be the NBA MVP this year. He should take a step forward, especially with Chet Holmgren back on the court after missing his rookie season with injury. The Thunder also have Jalen Williams looking to take another step toward becoming a star. With all of that, you might think Giddey would be lost in the shuffle. But I think he’s undervalued here at 50.9 ADP. I’d take him ahead of guys like Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic of the Bulls and Desmond Bane of the Grizzlies.
3. Kristaps Porzingis, BOS — 56.9 ADP
Porzingis joins a Boston team that is considered a frontrunner for the title this year. Yes, his usage rate will likely go down after he spent last season on a bad Washington team, but his efficiency numbers (which were already high) should go up even more. If I were drafting in the 48-50 range and Porzingis was still on the board, I wouldn’t hesitate to add him to my squad. This Celtics team has a chance to be elite offensively.
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Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.
