Of the 30 NBA teams, how many starting lineups can you correctly list off?

In past seasons, I might’ve gotten 30-for-30 but this year I’m less confident.

With so much action this off-season combined with limited preseason games, fantasy managers will be forced to watch Week 1 action closer than ever. Several players are coming off injury or starting with new teams and, as a result, there’s heightened ambiguity heading into 2020-21.

Sharp fantasy managers will take advantage of this uncertainty and get a jumpstart on the trade market.

Here are some players (and stat categories) to watch closely as their trade value could swing heavily one way or the other: 

Luka Doncic (DAL – PG, SG) – FG, FT

This season’s early MVP betting favourite, Doncic needs to lift up his shooting percentages to be the MVP of fantasy basketball. Turnovers will always be an issue for ball dominant players like Doncic, but even in 8-cat leagues, he only finished 10th overall in 2019-20. It’s possible that he ends the season averaging a triple-double, but that’s not necessarily enough. In Russell Westbrook’s triple-double MVP season, he only finished ninth in fantasy basketball. For Doncic to end the year at No. 1, he’ll have to improve his shooting efficiency at the same rate as he did in his sophomore season finishing 2021 above 48 per cent from the field and 80 per cent from the line.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC – SG, SF) – PTS, AST, TO

With OKC in full rebuild mode, Gilgeous-Alexander is the last star remaining with the potential for a top-15 breakout season. He improved his scoring by 8.2 points per game in his first season with the Thunder and could take a similar leap this season. The problem? We’ve never seen SGA operate as the No. 1 option. It’s reasonable to assume his efficiency takes a hit this season, but optimists are hoping he learned from Chris Paul and becomes an assist-to-turnover wizard. He needs to be a 25-5-5 guy to justify his 27.3 ADP.

Christian Wood (HOU - PF, C) – FG, ST, BLK

Wood was the 16th-best fantasy player during 13 starts to close out the 2019-20 NBA season. His usage will be tough to replicate with James Harden in Houston, but the key to his 46.3 ADP will be in shooting percentages and defensive stats. If he can sustain a 55 field goal percentage and put up a steal and block per game, all the other counting stats will likely find their way as he develops chemistry with his new teammates. 

Andrew Wiggins (GSW - SG, SF) – ST, BLK

After averaging 1.3 steals and 1.4 blocks in 12 games with Golden State last season, the key to Wiggins’ fantasy ranking lies on the defensive end. With an ADP of 74.2, managers are banking on those numbers extrapolating into 2020-21. In the last four seasons, Wiggins has never produced more than two combined steals and blocks per game. With his usage coming down on the Warriors, defensive production will be the key to him breaking the top-100 barrier for the first time in his career.

Victor Oladipo (IND - SG, SF) – FG, AST

Recovering from a ruptured quadriceps tendon, Oladipo never looked right in 2019-20 and became a fantasy liability. His defensive production might never return to his 2017-18 form, but he can still be fantasy relevant if he improves his shooting and handles more play-making duties. Should he shoot closer to his career-average of 44 per cent and get back to four assists per game, it's worth chasing him down in an early season trade offer.

OG Anunoby (TOR – SF, PF) – PTS, 3PT

In his third NBA season, Anunoby improved in every fantasy category becoming a top-75 player. Fully healthy in 2019-20, he averaged a combined two steals and blocks per game displaying his all-defensive team potential. For Anunoby to crack the top-50 this season, he’ll need to elevate his game on the offensive end. He shot 39 per cent from three last year which was top-40 amongst qualified players in the NBA. If Raptors head coach Nick Nurse can scheme him five attempts per game, Anunoby can reasonably finish the year averaging 15.0 points per game with 2.0 three-pointers made.

RJ Barrett (NYK – SG, SF) – FG, FT

The third overall pick in 2019, Barrett became a fantasy liability as a rookie due to his poor shooting. As it stands, the Canadian is still the future of the New York Knicks and doesn’t have much competition in his way. Preseason performance is traditionally irrelevant for most NBA stars, but with Barrett in his sophomore year these reps matter. After shooting 40 per cent from the field and 61 from the line last season, he’s averaged 51 and 87 per cent over four preseason games. If he comes anywhere close to those numbers in the regular season, he will end up being a sleeper of the year candidate.