Big on defense

Blocks, steals are undervalued NBA stats

FANTASY BASKETBALL. Player A averages 25 points per game but puts up zeros in every other statistical category. Player B gets three blocks a game with nothing else. Who is more valuable to your fantasy team?

If you answered Player B, you win a Metro cookie. Whereas position scarcity rules fantasy football and baseball, category scarcity is the best way to gain a quick edge in basketball. And the categories in the most demand are the defensive ones — blocks and steals.

Need proof? Most fantasy starters average about 0.9 blocks per game. So, at 3.9, league-leader Marcus Camby is more than four times better than average. The average for points is about 18.1 per game while the league leader, LeBron James, is at 29.0. The edge there is a mere 1.5 times. Therefore, it is much easier to move up in the standings with a focus on blocks and steals.

Giving even more value to the defensive categories is the simple fact that most owners aren’t placing an emphasis on them, so the advantage you gain is larger than if you focused on points, rebounds or assists. 

So, now that we got math class out of the way, let’s get practical. Who can help you right away in these difficult categories?

Obviously, Shawn Marion, Josh Smith and Kevin Garnett are the defensive kings, but getting them on your roster is unlikely. So try to pry away Ben Wallace, Andrei Kirilenko, Emeka Okafor, Kenyon Martin or Shane Battier from an owner who doesn’t understand defensive value, and watch your team fly up the standings.