The new NBA season tips off in just eight days, giving you a week to sign up for Underdog Fantasy and use our Underdog Fantasy promo code to match 100% of your deposit up to $500. This year, Underdog is running a $10 “Double Dribble” Best Ball tournament and at 70% capacity from time of this article, there is another overlay opportunity with a pool size of 56,400 entrants.
This series will cover 2023 NBA Best Ball draft strategies for Underdog and break things down positionally by bigs, wings and guards. Each week, two guards, two wings, one big and one flex, with the top scores counting towards a weekly team total. At the end of the “regular season,” a majority of the prize pool will be paid out to the 11,000 top-scoring teams. These teams will advance to a three-week playoff that will pay out the remaining prize pool money. The top prize for the regular season is $75,000, with an additional $10,000 being paid to the playoff winner.
Today we will cover wings, a position that might be the deepest of the three. Here are the top 2023 NBA Best Ball picks.
2023 NBA Best Ball Draft Strategy & Picks
There are a bevy of elite options at wing outside throughout the first five rounds. Giannis Antetokounmpo (2.2), Jayson Tatum (4.8), and Kevin Durant (12.7) are all being selected respectively in the first round. Pascal Siakam (14.4), Mikal Bridges (16.3), Julius Randle (16.6), LeBron James (19.9), Jaylen Brown (24.3), and Paolo Banchero (25.2) are all seeing some love in the second. The third round has its own collection of stars, with Lauri Markkanen (27), Zion Williamson (27.2), DeMar DeRozan (30.4), Jimmy Butler (32.2), Paul George (33.5) and Scottie Barnes (33.5) all being selected.
Antetokounmpo has legitimate consideration as the No. 1 pick overall, as the addition of Damian Lillard only improves a sometimes-stagnant Milwaukee Bucks offense. Durant has a lot of competition of shots in Phoenix but shouldn’t fall outside the first round given his upside and name value. Siakam, Bridges and Randle are some of the best picks at a deep position, while James feels like a notable name being taken slightly above where he belongs at this point of his career given playing time and games played.
Scottie Barnes (33.5)
The 2022 Rookie of the Year has been as dependable of a fantasy player as one could ask for through his first two seasons. Playing in 151 of 164 possible games and averaging 35.1 minutes, 15.3 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game leaves a tremendous floor. From Year 1 to 2, Barnes increased his field goal attempts, 3-point attempts, free-throw attempts, assists and blocks. He’s due for a massive bump in usage with the departure of Fred VanVleet, which is why Barnes is the best wing pick at ADP in the first three rounds. Gone with VanVleet is a 23.7 usage rate by way of 16.1 attempts and 7.2 assists that will likely be captured by Siakam and Barnes. Paul George (33.5) also looks good, as he appears motivated to have a huge season, but with four straight years of 56 games or less, it is better to go with the safer Barnes at the same ADP.
Late Fourth- and Fifth-Round Studs
The end of the fourth round through the fifth provides a six-pack of value picks at the wing position. Kyle Kuzma (46), Franz Wagner (49.8), Jabari Smith Jr. (58.7), Jerami Grant (61.8), Keldon Johnson (64.8) and O.G. Anunoby (67) all combine a rock-solid floor with enticing upside. Kuzma is now left to run the Wizards show with Jordan Poole, which should be as entertaining as any NBA basketball fan can imagine. The Wizards’ pace and poor defense should provide for a darling of a fantasy production, and Kuzma and Poole are expected to joust for 20-plus shot attempts.
Wagner and Smith are two polarizing young talents that can fill up a stat sheet in their own respective way. They play on teams that have typically been involved in some of the higher-scoring games across the league over the past few seasons, which is advantageous for fantasy. Grant is a dark horse on a young Portland Trail Blazers team that may seek consistent offense through Grant as a complement to the Anfernee Simons show. Johnson will play wingman to Victor Wembanyama, and last year he was the 24th-highest scorer in the NBA at 22.0 points per game. That Spurs offense has been a dandy to target in terms of fantasy due to a ground of young defenders, but it will be interesting to see how Wembanyama’s length improves a previously bottom-half unit.
Anunoby will see similar benefits to Barnes as a Raptor playing 35-plus minutes a night and due to soak up some usage. Anunoby has averaged 16-plus points per game, 1.5-plus steals and 5.0 or more rebounds over the last three seasons, offering a great floor at the ADP. Factor in the additional usage, and he might be in for his biggest season yet. R.J. Barrett (72.4) and Aaron Gordon (81.9) are other targets where projected points drastically outperform those of their peers at similar ADP, with Gordon being one of the best value picks in the first seven rounds.
Mid-Round Sleepers
Rounds 8 to 13 offer a handful of capable wings, from John Collins (98) to Patrick Williams (154.8). This range of wings has some of the top value picks in the mid-rounds, and the eighth round is a great place to start. Collins, Bruce Brown (99.8), P.J. Washington (100.2), Draymond Green (101.2) and Deni Avdija (108.6) all project for 2,000-plus fantasy points this season, which is tremendous value in the middle of the draft. Of that group, Brown and Avdija are the most appealing.
Brown was a pivotal role player on last year’s NBA champion Denver Nuggets, and he is capable of impacting the game in a variety of ways. He averaged 11.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.1 steals over 80 games while coming off the bench in 49 of them. An expected minutes and usage increase could be anticipated as Brown joins the Indianapolis Pacers on a two-year, $45 million deal.
Avdija has quietly established himself as a versatile young talent, playing in 158 of 164 games for the Washington Wizards. An increase in points, rebounds, assists and steals from Year 2 to 3 bodes well for a team that has been covered extensively over this series. The Wizards vacate usage of Bradley Beal (29.2%) and Kristaps Porzingis (27.3%) this season, which leaves plenty of room for Avdija to assert himself as the third option in a fantasy dream.
Outside of the eighth round, there are three names that stand out the most: Jarace Walker (132.5), Herbert Jones (146.7), and Patrick Williams (154.8). Walker is going to be a tremendous fit next to Myles Tucker in Indianapolis and should be a solid pivot off Brown. He was the eighth pick in this year’s draft and will play both the 4 and the 5 for the Pacers, and he is going under the radar for his Rookie of the Year potential.
Jones is a 3-and-D specialist for the New Orleans Pelicans that can cover 1 through 4 and has shot 33.6% from deep over his two-year career. Averaging 9.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.3 steals + blocks is great value in the 12th round. Williams played in all 82 games last season coming off a wrist injury that cost him his second season. Last year Williams averaged 10.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 1.8 steals + blocks and shot 41.5% from deep on 3.4 attempts.
