How To Get Started With Fantasy NBA In 2022 

If you love basketball then you need to make sure you get involved in a fantasy basketball league this year. 

If you passionately follow the NBA, then you already have all the knowledge you need to be a great fantasy basketball manager. 

Here is a guide on how to get involved. 

Step 1 – Find A Host 

There are hundreds of fantasy sports hosting sites on the internet. 

You will want to find one that is secure, well-reviewed, and has a lot of users. We love this DFS NBA option from Fanduel. 

Step 2 – Join A League 

Once you have signed up to the hosting site, it is time to find a league to join. 

Each site has different rules about how many people can be in each league, but they will make it clear who has spaces. 

If you have a group of friends that all want to take part, you can create your own league together. 

Most host sites charge a small fee. They will ask everyone to “buy in” to the league. Most of this money will go towards the winner’s jackpot at the end of the season. 

Step 3 – Draft Your Team 

Once your league is set up and full, it is time for the draft. 

Like the real NBA Draft, you will take it in turns picking players for your team. However, you will be asked to pick players who are currently in the league. 

Much like the real Draft, this makes the league fairer and prevents one person from getting all the good players.

This is where your basketball knowledge comes in handy. You want to fill your squad with as much quality and depth as you can. Look for hidden gems, and nab any good players the others pass over. 

Step 3.5 – Don’t Forget To Shop This Year’s Draft 

One of the trickiest parts of drafting your squad is shopping the actual Draft. 

These players will not have played in the NBA before, so you will have no idea how well they will perform on the big stage. 

We recommend taking some time to research the prospects before shopping, you may even want to watch March Madness to find some up-and-coming talent.

If you’re smart and pick the right rookie then you could tip the balance of the league in your favor. And you will definitely get bragging rights for many years to come. 

Now, it is time to wait for the regular season to start. 

Step 4- Build Your Weekly Team

After the pre-season is finished, it will be time to start putting together your teams. 

Your squad will be made up of players from different teams (unless something freaky happened in the Draft and you ended up with all the Timberwolves…). So, your players will be scored by the host website on their individual performances and how well they perform in their roles.  

Each week you will put together a team, it may be the same every week or change if an unexpected player finds form. It’s all up to you. 

Step 4.5 – Keep An Eye On The Injury Reports 

It is super important that you keep track of the injury reports from week to week. You need to make sure you have every space filled with an active player that can score you points. 

If you put an injured player on your weekly team without noticing then they will be taking up space without adding to your point tally. 

So, do yourself a favor and keep an eye on the official injury reports. Or go one step further, and set up email notifications for news reports on your players’ names. 

It pays to stay up to date.  

Step 5 – Don’t Antagonize The Other People In Your League 

This is common sense and we are sure that none of you reading this will need reminding of this but just in case: 

Fantasy basketball leagues are just for fun. 

There is no need to wind up or be mean to any of the other people in your league. 

If someone from your league is acting that way towards you, then they are probably doing it to other people in the league too. Do everyone a favor and report them. They will go on acting like that for as long as they can get away with it. 

Step 6 – Sit Back And Enjoy The Season 

The final step in this process is to enjoy the competition. 

Once you start playing fantasy basketball you will notice that you find the NBA even more exciting (we didn’t think that was possible when we first started). You will want to watch more games and you will find yourself cheering on the most unexpected teams. 

After each game, your host sign will assign points to each player’s performance. All of their points will be added together for your score for the week. The player with the biggest score at the end of the season will win the jackpot. 

Good luck and enjoy!