This article is part of our In-Season Strategy series.
Prior to the start of the season, the NBA unveiled an official fantasy scoring system. It functions similarly to most fantasy football leagues, in which specific statistics are assigned a predetermined point value. While you may still be playing in a categorical league, the NBA's points format will likely only gain popularity as time goes on, especially since it's the same system that several popular DFS sites, like Fanduel, employ.
We knew players like Eric Gordon and J.J. Redick would take a hit, as made threes don't account for anything other than their inherent value as, well, three points. On the other hand, we figured poor free-throw shooters, like Andre Drummond, DeAndre Jordan and Dwight Howard, would get a boost, as percentages are not taken into account. At the same time, that trio of players are excellent from the field overall, so would the cancellation of free throw and field goal shooting offset in a points format?
Another important question: Who are the top 10 players in a points league compared to a categorical one? Can the first round be drafted the same?
Prior to Friday's games, these are the top 10 players in terms of average fantasy points, according to the NBA's scoring system:
1. Giannis Antetokounmpo (56.5)
2. LeBron James (55.)
3. James Harden (54.5)
4. DeMarcus Cousins (52.1)
5. Russell Westbrook (51.4)
6. Anthony Davis (48.9)
7. Kevin Durant (48.0)
8. Joel Embiid (46.3)
9. Steph Curry (45.1)
10. Ben Simmons (44.4)
And these are the top 10 players in terms of averages in a standard, 8-category league that does not account for turnovers:
1. James Harden
2. LeBron James
3. Kevin Durant
4. Giannis Antetokounmpo
5. Steph Curry
6. Chris Paul
7. DeMarcus Cousins
8. Anthony Davis
9. Victor Oladipo
10. Joel Embiid
A points format can be nice for the simple fact that you can see the difference between, say, the second-best player and the fifth-ranked player, rather than simply looking at a ranking based on the players' averages. We know that LeBron is 3.0 fantasy points per game better than Cousins. But how much better is it really to have LeBron in a categorical league over Cousins? It's much less tangible.
There are also three players worth noting: Chris Paul, Ben Simmons and Russell Westbrook. Paul ranks sixth in a categorical format, while ranking 11th in a points format. That can mostly be attributed to his 2.6 made threes per game, as well as his 89.8 percent mark from the charity stripe.
Simmons, on the other hand, ranks 10th in points and 26th in categorical formats. Simmons has not hit a three this year and shoots just 54.6 percent from the line.
Westbrook, who comes in as the fifth-best player in the points format, is sitting at 18th in the categorical format (39.6 percent from the field, 70.0 percent from the charity stripe and 1.7 threes) -- behind even Nikola Vucevic, though that's just as much a testament to how good Vuc has been as it is to how underwhelming Westbrook has been.
As expected, much of the discrepancy between the formats comes down to percentages and made threes. And, while Paul dropping five spots isn't much, someone like Simmons dropping 16 spots across formats is significant. If you're used to a categorical league, you could be looking at Simmons almost two rounds too late when drafting.
What about guys like the aforementioned Redick, Gordon, Drummond, Howard and Jordan? Here are their ranks in the two formats:
Redick: Points (96); Category (74)
Gordon: Points (100); Category (84)
Drummond: Points (13); Category (23)
Howard: Points (37); Category (151)
Jordan: Points (42); Category (56)
Howard sticks out like a sore thumb. His free-throw shooting is so crippling that, unless you're punting that category, you should almost avoid him entirely in a categorical league. But in a points system, he could easily be one of your best players. Drummond's and Jordan's free throw/field goal percentages essentially offset in a points format -- through it appears the free throw relief is more significant. Either way, there's roughly a 10-spot discrepancy between formats.
Moving down to the guards, Redick and Gordon have become fringe fantasy players in a points system, hovering around the top-100 and probably sitting on many fantasy owners' benches for the majority of the season.
Becoming familiar with the league's official points system can help you succeed on many daily fantasy sites, as well, as the scoring often works the same way. While Howard may be burning you in a year-long, categorical format, he's one of the better center options on Fanduel on any given night.
The opposite goes for Eric Gordon. His 3.1 made threes per game and 83.3 percent free-throw shooting may be keeping you afloat in your categorical league, but that doesn't account for anything in DFS, rendering him a subpar option. Everything is relative in daily, considering there's a salary system implemented, but being comfortable with the scoring can help you quickly build successful lineups.
