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Fantasy sports are primarily dominated by NFL football, but NBA fantasy basketball has its own notable following as well. With various scoring modes to play, we will focus on a standard league that is a single-season rather than a dynasty.
So, when considering what NBA rookies to add to your fantasy roster, it's not as simple as who was drafted highest. Fantasy basketball focuses on year one production, while the NBA front office often drafts for potential impact throughout the entirety of a player's career.
Expected playing time, current maturity, their team's goals this season, and their coaches' prior willingness to play rookies need to be strongly considered here. Some honorable mentions who barely missed the cut include Jalen Suggs, Scottie Barnes, Davion Mitchell, Corey Kispert and Chris Duarte.
Top rookies from the 2021 NBA Draft to select in a fantasy basketball league
#5 Alperen Sengun
Alperen Sengun fell further than most seemed to expect headed into NBA Draft night. The 19-year-old Turkish League MVP was selected at pick 16 and subsequently traded to the Houston Rockets. The Rockets are going to be future focused with a core of Jalen Green, Kevin Porter Jr., Christian Wood and Alperen Sengun.
The physical big man may be slightly undersized, but he is accustomed to playing against grown men throughout his time in the Turkish league. He averaged 19.2 points, 9.4 rebounds and 2.5 assists while shooting and an absurd 64.6 percent of his attempts from the field.
Also considering that the Houston Rockets are almost certainly placing an emphasis on player development rather than immediate wins, Sengun should be gifted significant playing time in his rookie campaign.
#4 Evan Mobley
I was hesitant to place Evan Mobley on this list because the most slender big men will have significant growing pains in their rookie season. NBA physicality and talent can be a surprise to college players who are used to being the longest, strongest, or most skilled player on the floor.
Ultimately, Mobley was drafted third overall despite his fit questions alongside Jarrett Allen and often started alongside him in the NBA preseason. Darius Garland and Collin Sexton will almost surely be the Cleveland Cavaliers' highest usage paring, but Mobley will benefit from their perimeter abilities.
Blocked shots count for various amounts in each league, but I would expect Mobley to tally a significant amount of them in his rookie campaign along with a solid scoring and rebounding output.
After this pick is where I feel most confident that the rookies will be different makers on NBA fantasy rosters.
#3 Josh Giddey
The Oklahoma City Thunder are not expected to focus on winning basketball games in the 2021-22 NBA season. Their roster is one of the youngest in the league, and Josh Giddey was recently added via the NBA Draft as the sixth overall selection.
The 6'8" Australian point guard spent last season playing for in the NBL, where he averaged 10.9 points, 7.5 assists and 7.4 rebounds throughout 32.1 minutes per game. The well-rounded nature of Giddey's game could make him a fantasy basketball darling, picking up additional points in a variety of ways.
Hopefully the turnovers don't cause too much of a negative impact on his night value, but the Thunder will undoubtedly gift the 19-year-old a significant amount of playing time in year one.
#2 Jalen Green
The final two selections are a cake walk, starting with Jalen Green. One of the first players to participate in the G-League Ignite program rather than college, Green has already been given a taste of the NBA's style of play and physicality.
Throughout 15 games in the G-League bubble, the electric guard tallied 17.9 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.8 assists per showing. His average of 32 minutes is absolutely translatable to the Houston Rockets roster, who are focused on future development.
Green could average 20 points per game in his rookie season, and I don't think it would come as an absolute shock to many. He is liable for some monster scoring performances, as shown when he secured 30 points in the Ignite's lone playoff appearance.
Kevin Porter Jr. and Christian Wood may be sharing responsibility with Green this season, but it's hard to argue against the Rockets being Green's team moving forward. I would expect them to hand the keys to the rookies fairly early on.
#1 Cade Cunningham
Despite occasional whispers leading up to the NBA Draft that were likely smokescreens, Cade Cunningham seemed to be the consensus number one selection. He will walk into the Detroit Pistons as the focal point and initiator of their offense from day one, and his scoring and assists numbers will be representative of that.
During his time at Oklahoma State, Cunningham averaged 20.1 points, 3.5 assists and 6.2 rebounds per showing. The somewhat underwhelming assist number for a NBA prospect labeled as borderline elite in that aspect is a product of his subpar surrounding talent in college.
Cade did show a tendency to favor getting his teammates involved rather than takeover games at times during his tenure at Oklahoma State, which nearly led be to place Green in the lead spot.
It came down to the Rockets rostering other young players who could sap away his usage, while I expect Cunningham to initiate the offense with nearly every possession he is available for.
