While some fantasy managers compete in leagues that run through the end of the NBA's regular season, most were completed by the end of Sunday's games. Congratulations to those who won their leagues and the money (and bragging rights) that comes with it. Those who did not will reflect on what went wrong and how they can avoid a similar fate next season.
With the fantasy season effectively over, now is a good time for the Rotoworld fantasy basketball staff to have a few roundtable discussions.
The final installment focuses on the most valuable players in fantasy basketball. For some, it's the player who led the way in the rankings, while others prefer to pick a player who proved far more valuable than expected during the preseason. Nick Shlain, Noah Rubin, Raphielle Johnson and Zak Hanshew made their choices, which are (mostly) unlikely to align with the winner of this season's official Most Valuable Player award.
Who is your Most Valuable Player in fantasy basketball this season?
Nick Shlain: The top three players that separated themselves from the pack this season were Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokic and Victor Wembanyama. With Wembanyama going down with injury at the All-Star break, that left SGA and Jokic. While I’ve been partial to Jokic in the past and believe his skillset is more valuable in fantasy in a vacuum, injuries cost him some games in the second half. Entering play Friday, Jokic played 68 games to Gilgeous-Alexander’s 76. In my opinion, that’s significant enough to tip the scales for SGA, who had an incredible season that will likely result in his first MVP award.
Noah Rubin: You could look at this award a few different ways. Sure, Nikola Jokic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander were technically the "most valuable" players in fantasy basketball. However, relative to ADP, few players were as valuable as "The Great Barrier Thief." Dyson Daniels was also my pick for the most improved player in fantasy basketball, and I had to limit myself from giving him more awards. He's on pace to play in 77 games, which is a huge win in today's NBA. Of course, the massive lead in ...
