How did I get here?
Had two coffees at 5:06 am. Manage three points tournament teams.
I am … the former avid roto proponent. People who love efficiency.
Fool the benefits of abilities after the time limit of Russell Westbrookpeople have an average of 18.3 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 7.6 APG… 43.5 FG%, 66.5 FT%, 29.8 3PT%, 50.3 TS% and 4.1 views in this season.
The stats on the other side of that ellipsis? Roto abyss.
As the only Witcher fan left in my time zone, I spent the entirety of 2020-21 revisiting The Art of Russell Westbrook. The slowness caused by the injury begins. Inefficiency. The mystical commitment to domination is fading. Because after you sifted through all the constant Westbrook drama around, the 3-on-21 shooting nights and the constant pounding of press drums?
You look at the top 40 scoreboard, and there he is. In the scoring leagues, assuming total output (vs. per game) this season, Westbrook comes out on top in the top 20.
Westbrook, season after season, figured out how to get his point output. And because negative publicity tends to cloud perceptions of Westbrook in the midst of a life of crisis? He’s turned into one of the league’s great annual bargains in fantasy scores.
When it comes to scoring, I can appreciate Westbrook as a whole.
Meanwhile, my roto brain is in perpetual conflict with my point brain. Roto’s brain told me to turn away. That in roto, the annual Westbrook is worth three to four laps less. Roto’s brain told me to make my case for the underrated, productive, and underrated.
Use Kings-Outrage Generator which is popular nowadays Tyrese Haliburton. Haliburton personifies all of my favorite old fashioned roto qualities. A quietly effective next generation floor champion modeled after Chauncey Billups, Chris Paul and Mike Conley. He averaged 14.3 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 7.4 APG, 2.1 STL + BLK… 47.0 FG%, 86.3 FT%, 39.1 3PT%, 54, 6 TS% and only 1.6 spins this season.
Haliburton’s rising stardom and the chance to become a favorite analyst in the future make him an anti-Westbrook. The reverse of an imaginary coin. In roto, Halliburton was already a top 20 player. Instantly. 21 years old. And he’s still in the top 40 in points.
Westbrook vs. Haliburton is the essence of the point/roto guard split.
Other Guardians have a disproportionate value in Team Points: Devin Booker, Ja Morant, Luka Doncic, De’Aaron Fox, CJ McCollum
Team Roto Guard: Stephen the curry (More than 25% value in roto), Chris Paul, James Harden (Harden’s version of Brooklyn has switched sides), Smart Marcus, White Derrick
But now? I can appreciate both sides.
What triggered my heel spin? This particular trigger happened around 2019: when ESPN revised its scoring system, adding more weight to assists, saves, steals, and 3s. That’s when I decided to switch with the current and invest some bandwidth into the scoring tournament game.
2022 I’m Happy 2019 I did it. The extraordinary (yes, “unprecedented”) external circumstances of this season? They are highlighting the benefits of playing the scoring tournament.
I have two historical problems with scoring leagues: an overestimation of points per game (NBA points) and an overall flattery of value on the player pool.
There is less obvious separation between player levels; Fewer ways to make a difference. “Excellent” is a little less than elite, “mediocre” is just… average. Roto-friendly complex strategies like Positional Scarcity are alleviated. Taxonomic scarcity manifests as a full oxymoron (but still secretly carries value.)
This disparity in importance of Location Scarcity? It is displayed in Technicolor… when you check the relative center values provided in each format.
Remember how I just described the flatness of the point tournament value? Much of the variance in overall valuation comes from the central portfolio. As a positional team so far this season, the hubs in the roto generate nearly 50% more value. (Again, this relates to the total value in the pool of players.)
Nikola Jokic top the leaderboard in the center both in points and roto. So there is no difference? Um… big, big difference.
In terms of value relative to the rest of the player pool? Jokic is about 25% more valuable in roto. Giannis Antetokounmpo is breathing Jokic’s neck for the number 1 center spot overall in scoring tournaments. In the rotor? Jokic nearly hit a full lap (and a heavyweight first round) ahead of his most recent competition (The town of Karl-Anthony.)
There are many duplicate names in the top 10 of each format in the center: Jokic, Anthony-Towns, Giannis, Embiid, Jaren Jackson Jr., Domantas Sabonisand Jonas Valanciunas registered in both formats, with a few names flipped in order. But in the overall value provided, there is a decreasing group in dynamic points.
The division here is personified by who did not make both lists: Christian Wood (Team Points) vs. Robert Williams III (Root team). In theory, to the casual observer, Wood blew Williams away. 17.7 PPG and 10.3 RPG versus 9.8 PPG and 9.5 RPG. But Williams is just as valuable to roto managers as Wood is to point managers.
This is due to the decrease in the positional valuation of the point, but also to the silent effect of Williams. Williams averages 3.1 steals + blocks compared to Wood’s 1.7. And while Williams only averaged 5.9 FGA per game, he made the most of them, with a whopping 73.7 FG%. (And here’s a silent drop in value: Wood’s mediocre 61.7 FT% amplified by his relatively high 4.7 FTAs per game.)
But this season? The flatness and overvaluation of ownership favor the formats. Because the point format leaves more managers vying for championships. With all the external variables affecting the day-to-day operations of the NBA, above all, imagine right now should reward interaction. Stick with it. Display.
And because most scoring leagues compete in the knockout stages to win, the in-season goal is easier to achieve: just qualify for the post-season. It resembles the fresh hope ignited by the NBA’s new play-in tournament. Now? Teams of 10 games under .500 can keep their hopes up in the roster and play as the 7th or 8th seed.
In fantasy and reality, both post-season systems produce the same fundamental benefit. The benefits that love, sports fandom, fantasy sports, responsible pet ownership, and eCommerce rely on most: engagement.
I manage a few teams Roto should probably pack. (But that’s where the solid goalkeeping function pays dividends.) But all my points are practically still in there. I am a happy, engaged student.
But if I had my drunkard, I’d tinker with our points system just a little bit more. The ultimate goal of my fantasy hoops is to defeat the perceived dissonance of converting between formats… to make player value more transferable.
Neither scorer is more valuable in scoring tournaments; it’s the value of those who don’t score being devalued. They are brought to the center of the herd.
But right now? Fairness equals competition equals commitment.
And 50% of imaginary success in 2022 … is showing.
