About the Author

I am a former collegiate basketball player, avid basketball fan, and fierce Fantasy Basketball competitor. I will be writing fantasy advice throughout this season with the assistance of my brother, who has professional playing experience, and who has won most of the highly competitive leagues he’s entered throughout the years. We know what it takes to win in the best leagues. We’ll give tips to drafting a great team, evaluating your team’s statistical categories (Stat Cats) and other teams’ trade proposals, and most of all, we’ll tell you when and how to capitalize on opportunities that arise through real-life trades and injuries throughout the season. Our aim is to provide you with all the best Fantasy information that you’d expect from professional websites, only without the hefty Insider fees. I will also do my best to answer any questions you may have throughout the season.

October is here, which means the 2009-2010 NBA Season is near. That also means that the time to draft this year’s fantasy roster is rapidly approaching. The following are some keys to ensuring your team is at the top of your league come April.

Note: When reading this article, keep in mind that the size of your league will be a major factor in which round guys get selected. My estimates are based around a 14-team league with 12-player teams. Also please be aware that the 5 players listed are not necessarily a top 5 – just the 5 I decided to highlight. I made an honorable mention list to include the players I ommitted for the sake of brevity.

Draft These Young Up-and-Comers:

1. Kevin Durant – It may be a stretch to call a man who averaged 25 points and 6.5 boards per game while shooting 48 percent from the field “up-and-coming” but he did it very quietly last season playing for the Thunder, oddly enough. His all around game is impressive and his numbers should be even better entering his third season at the age of only 21. If he can also add to his defensive stats this year (previous averages of 1 apiece in steals and blocks), he will be a top 5 overall Fantasy player with the likes of LeBron and Wade, and then it won’t be long before his name is recognized amongst their mighty ranks.

Verdict: Draft between picks 5-10.

2. Derrick Rose – Like Durant, with stats as good as his it is hard to give him this label. But Rose was only a rookie last year even if he didn’t play like it. His numbers of 16.8 points, 6.3 assists and 3.9 rebounds per game should see a sizeable increase this year. Some of the improvement should be expected just from having a year under his belt. But with the loss of Ben Gordon, Rose will be providing a lot more offense as the go-to guy. Gordon did not complement Rose, and though some disagree, I believe the Bulls still have enough threats, especially with the return of Deng, to alleviate some of the pressure that Rose will see from defenses this season.

Verdict: Rose will put up similar stats to Tony Parker with a few less points and a few more assists. He is a top 5 prospect at point guard.

3. Trevor Ariza – On Wall Street, they call this pick a speculative stock option. Sadly, he will be one of the main options on the hapless Houston Rockets. He is sort of an unknown coming to a new team that will look to utilize him more than he’s ever been in his career. With his increased minutes, he should be able to put up nice defensive statistics (1.7 SPG in limited time last year), to go along with more points and threes, but expect poorer percentages and more turnovers without the superstars he had to feed off of in LA. He has never scored more than 8.9 points per game (last year) or played more than 24.4 minutes per game (last year) in his 5 seasons in the NBA, and he has Luis Scola, Shane Battier, and Carl Landry to contend with at the forward position. However, he played much better as a starter at the end of last season and I expect him to get close to 30 minutes per game this year in that role while operating as more of a focal point in the offense.

Verdict: He has the potential to surprise some people and could be a steal in the middle rounds, or even higher.

4. Anthony Randolph – Sometimes it doesn’t take an expert to tell that a player is going to be something special. Randolph is such a player. Many people around the NBA have already predicted that he will have a breakout year this year, so I cannot take credit for being an original voice here. However, watching him as a rookie last year, I could already see the signs that he was someone waiting to bust out. He averaged 7.9 points, 5.8 boards, 0.8 assists, 0.7 steals, and 1.2 blocks while shooting respectable percentages in just 18 minutes per game last season. Not impressed? He was third in the LEAGUE in rebounds from March through the end of the season, including 11.0RPG to go with 15.3PPG in April. He is 6’10” and can handle and pass the ball like a point guard and has a decent mid-range shot. He has excellent footwork in the paint. He tied a Summer League record by scoring 42 points in a game in which he technically fouled out two players while slamming home several impressive dunks. Randolph is a classic “up-and-comer” and he will be the early favorite for the Most Improved Player award this year in the run-and-gun offensive style tailor suited for him at Golden State.

Verdict: Don’t wait too long to get Randolph. Many people will be aware of his substantially increased value and he will likely get picked between late Round 3 and early Round 6!

5. Joakim Noah – Though he plays the same position as Brad Miller, he has a good shot to retain his status as the starter in Chicago and is nimble enough to play the forward spot alongside Miller if needed. So, regardless of who starts he will see plenty of court time, especially since the Bulls want to keep Miller fresh for the playoffs and they have already lost backup center Aaron Gray for the first couple months of the season. Noah has been beefing up and had a very strong finish last season. If he can reproduce the effort he showed during the final stretch and into the playoffs, he will have considerable fantasy value as a near double-double guy with blocks and pleasing percentages from the field and the stripe.

Verdict: A viable center option if you missed out on the top candidates. He has added value by being capable of playing at either Forward or Center.

Honorable Mention (Danny Granger, Rudy Gay, Jeff Green, Brook Lopez, Aaron Brooks, Louis Williams)

This is page 2 of 5 of this article. Check out all the rest in the links below to ensure you are prepared for this year's fantasy draft. Then, be sure to come back before the start of the season for more keys to drafting a winning team, including how to form a draft strategy by understanding which popular players will single-handedly win or lose you a category. We’ll also highlight several overlooked and underrated fantasy players (commonly known as Sleepers), and unveil a top ten depth chart at each position.

Check out my article on the top 10 players in every category. This is a must-read for everyone who has enrolled in a fantasy league but hasn't had time to do their research yet. We've looked through all of the statistics and compiled a list of the best players in each category for you. Enjoy.

Check out my final pre-draft article right here.  I highlight the top 6 players at every position and give you the list of the top 14 picks in this year's draft.

Here is one last article as a bonus. It includes a long list of sleepers, the results of my first fantasy basketball draft, and more news and advice. I strongly recommend taking a look if you are serious about doing well in your fantasy draft. For much more, you should also check out Rick Buser's columns.