Fantasy Basketball 2021: Top NBA Player Rankings and Underrated Sleepers

Fantasy basketball championships can be won—or lost—at any point of the draft.

Saying that, the talent grabs might be most enjoyable at the beginning and at the end.

The appeal of the early rounds is obvious. That's when the very best of the best are available, and it's where you'll attach your fate to a few of the best players on the planet.

The allure of the final round is to outsmart your opponents and ultimately outscore them. A lot of these picks won't work out, so finding one that does can create an extraordinary surplus value. Beyond that, it gets you a good amount of equity in the bragging rights department.

With the 2021-22 NBA season now upon us, we're providing some last-minute prep for those extra fun parts of the draft with a top-30 player rankings and a sleeper for both the backcourt and the frontcourt.

1. Nikola Jokic, C, DEN

2. Giannis Antetokounmpo, PF, MIL

3. Luka Doncic, PG, DAL

4. James Harden, PG/SG, BRK

5. Bradley Beal, SG, WAS

6. Damian Lillard, PG, POR

7. Karl-Anthony Towns, C, MIN

8. Stephen Curry, PG, GSW

9. Paul George, SG/SF, LAC

10. Zion Williamson, PF, NOP

11. Jayson Tatum, SF/PF, BOS

12. Kevin Durant, SF/PF, BRK

13. Joel Embiid, C, PHI

14. LeBron James, SF/PF, LAL

15. Nikola Vucevic, C, CHI

16. Trae Young, PG, ATL

17. Domantas Sabonis, PF, IND

18. Donovan Mitchell, PG/SG, UTA

19. De'Aaron Fox, PG, SAC

20. Julius Randle, PF, NYK

21. Anthony Davis, PF, LAL

22. LaMelo Ball, PG, CHA

23. Jimmy Butler, SG/SF, MIA

24. Rudy Gobert, C, UTA

25. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, PG/SG, OKC

26. Fred VanVleet, PG/SG, TOR

27. Bam Adebayo, PF/C, MIA

28. Michael Porter Jr., SF/PF, DEN

29. Russell Westbrook, PG, LAL

30. Dejounte Murray, PG/SG, SAS

No, this isn't all about chasing Jordan Poole's preseason production, though that is the most logical place to start the recommendation.

There were 521 different players who netted at least one point this exhibition season. Poole tallied the second-most of all of them, scattering 109 points across his five contests.

These weren't quantity-over-quality numbers, either. He converted 50.6 percent of his field goals and 86.7 percent of his free throws. He nearly doubled his eight turnovers with 15 assists. His plus-60 raw plus/minus tied for eighth-highest in the league.

He looked like someone who, if he gets the necessary minutes, should garner consideration for the Most Improved Player award. That might sound overly optimistic for someone who spent a big chunk of last season in the G League, but this isn't the first time he's turning heads. He sprinted into the offseason with a strong closing stretch that included making seven starts and averaging 21.4 points with 3.6 assists in those outings.

If there are sustainability questions with Poole, it might have less to do with his talent than it does his situation. He is likely only in the starting lineup to keep Klay Thompson's seat warm, and it's fair to wonder what kind of damage Thompson's return will do to Poole's production when it happens. That's a reasonable concern, but Poole has the ability to play his way into major minutes regardless who else is in the rotation.

Mo Bamba has been chasing consistency ever since the Magic made him the sixth overall pick of the 2018 draft.

While he has yet to find it, there are reasons to believe this could be the big fella's year.

For starters, he is under tremendous pressure to perform, as he didn't secure a long-term extension from Orlando but Wendell Carter Jr. did. If Bamba wants to get the bag (from the Magic or anyone else), he needs to show longer stretches of solid (or better) play.

Beyond that, all of his trend lines are pointing up. His best two months last season were the final two, as he stampeded through April and May with per-game averages of 11.1 points, 7.8 rebounds, 1.7 blocks and 1.3 three-pointers in just 21.3 minutes per night. This preseason, he has picked up right where he left off, pacing all players with 3.8 blocks while also supplying 11.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.3 triples in 20.7 minutes.

Fantasy managers haven't seen too many glimpses of the good Bamba, but those flashes have been intoxicating. When he has it rolling, there are few better sources of both rim protection and floor spacing.