Keep Your Fantasy Basketball Draft Simple: Target Players From These Teams

Draft strategically with players from fantasy-friendly teams like the Pacers, Celtics, Grizzlies, and Suns, focusing on pace and rotation depth.

September 29, 2025

Keep Your Fantasy Basketball Draft Simple: Target Players From These Teams

By:

Joel Bartilotta

September 29, 2025

It's funny how players from teams like the Lakers, Knicks and Warriors always tend to have higher draft prices than they should. That's simply the nature of people gravitating towards familiar names, but that's not the strategy you should use going into a fantasy draft. The most impactful variables are rotation depth, pace and offensive efficiency metrics. Understanding which teams benefit from those variables can help to find some gems in drafts, so let's break down which teams are the most fantasy-friendly squads.

Indiana Pacers

It's ironic that the Pacers are aptly named because this team has been running circles around its opponents for years. This team ranked second in pace and offensive efficiency two years ago and followed that up by ranking seventh in pace and ninth in offensive efficiency last year. Rick Carlisle has helped to build that running culture, but this roster is built to play that way, too. They have a bunch of freak athletes who can perform on both ends of the floor. What makes them even more fantasy-friendly is that this team is shorthanded going into this 2025-26 season. Losing Tyrese Haliburton to an injury will improve everyone's fantasy stock, but they also parted ways with Myles Turner. That's going to leave one of the fastest-paced teams in the NBA with a thin rotation, which is a godsend for fantasy purposes.

Pacers worth targeting: Andrew Nembhard, Pascal Siakam, Aaron Nesmith, Bennedict Mathurin and Jay Huff.

Boston Celtics

We usually

Indiana Pacers

Pacers worth targeting: Andrew Nembhard, Pascal Siakam, Aaron Nesmith, Bennedict Mathurin and Jay Huff.

Boston Celtics

We usually avoid a big-name team like the Celtics, but this roster is full of value. The most impactful variable is the Jayson Tatum injury because that should open up a ton of usage, shots and minutes for everyone else. They also got rid of Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis in the offseason, but they really didn't do much to fill those voids. This team is still projected to be a playoff team in the Eastern Conference, and you know Joe Mazzulla will force-feed fantasy production. This team led the league in three-point attempts while ranking second in offensive efficiency last season. That's a massive bump when looking at how thin this roster is, especially the frontcourt. We're not even sure who will start at center, but there's inevitably going to be some value because somebody needs to fill those minutes while taking on the guaranteed big-man stats.

Celtics worth targeting: Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, Payton Pritchard and Neemias Queta.

Chicago Bulls

It feels weird to recommend a struggling team like the Bulls, but they were one of the most fantasy–friendly teams in the NBA last season. Having guys like Josh Giddey and Coby White run the show was massive from a fantasy perspective, leading to Chicago sitting second in pace last season. That pairs beautifully with the lack of depth on this roster because we should see all the starters play over 30-35 minutes a night. One major concern with a poor team is that they could tank in the second half, but that's never an issue with the Bulls. They played most of their starters 40 minutes a night in the closing month last year during their playoff push, and we could see similar things with how weak the Eastern Conference is right now.

Bulls worth targeting: Josh Giddey, Coby White, Nikola Vucevic and Matas Buzelis.

Memphis Grizzlies

I don't know about you, but it's strange to see the Grizzlies play at such a rapid pace. I'm used to the Grindhouse Grizzlies with Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol, but they actually led the league with a 103.7 pace last year. Ja Morant and Scotty Pippen are the ones who guide that pace, and there should be more opportunities for everyone else with Desmond Bane getting traded to Orlando. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is filling that Bane void, but he's strictly a 3-and-D player. They also have Zach Edey filling the stereotypical center spot, and we love those sorts of set roles from a fantasy perspective. That means things are more predictive, which is why Memphis is one of the best targets in drafts.

Grizzlies worth targeting: Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr, Santi Aldama and Zach Edey.

Philadelphia 76ers

This is a contrarian selection, but all of these Sixers appear to be good values. It's easy to understand why because most of these guys have been oft-injured over the last few years. The top-heavy nature of this roster is why they're intriguing from a fantasy perspective, though. Guys like Joel Embiid and Paul George are falling in drafts, and we've never seen these superstars come with so little risk. That risk assessment is baked into the average draft position pricing now, but the upside isn't. Embiid was a Top 3 player in fantasy just three years ago, while George has been a Top 20 player for the majority of his career. We also saw Maxey perform at a Top 25 level last season. They always say to buy a stock at its lowest, and the price for these guys has never been lower. If the worst-case scenario happens and these studs get injured again, there's plenty of value to fill those voids. Youngsters like Jared McCain, VJ Edgecombe and Adem Bona could be the steals of the draft if Embiid and George get injured once again.

Sixers worth targeting: Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, Paul George, Jared McCain and VJ Edgecombe

Phoenix Suns

The Suns have been a competitive team for 20 years, but this looks like a rebuilding season in Phoenix. That's not the worst thing from a fantasy perspective, though, because they need somebody to fill the usage left behind. Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal and Deandre Ayton have all left over the last two years, and the Suns haven't really added anyone to make up for that usage. That's why they'll be one of the worst teams, but the lack of depth on this roster should lead to some big fantasy seasons. Devin Booker is the main prize because he could average 30 points per game after setting a career high in assists last year. Booker and Jalen Green will do everything in the backcourt, while Royce O'Neale, Dillon Brooks and Ryan Dunn should fill the wing minutes. Mark Williams might be the best value because this talented 23-year-old should be one of the focal points of the offense while posting double-double averages at the center position.

Suns worth targeting: Devin Booker, Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks and Mark Williams.