2025-26 NBA Best Ball Advice

Derek Mountain Sports Betting Expert

9 minute read

Featured Image Credit to Mark J. Rebilas via Imagn Images

With the 2025-26 NBA season less than a week away, now is a great time to jump into some last minute NBA Best Ball.

For those who may be dipping their toes into best ball drafts before the season starts, or who have fantasy basketball drafts around the corner, check out below what you should keep in mind, and take a look at our Underdog promo code before getting started.

Updated on 10/17/25

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Target High-Upside Players

Well, duh. Of course you want to always target high upside players. But in best ball, what does that look like?

It means short-term spikes and high ceilings should be prioritized over seemingly “high-floor” players who are consistent but have a defined ceiling.

Scorers who aren’t going too high in best ball drafts that perfectly encapsulate that are Jordan Poole of the New Orleans Pelicans or Cam Thomas of the Brooklyn Nets. These streaky scorers are capable of posting 30+ on any given night. They’ll have plenty of volume on their teams that are destined for the lottery; these are the perfect guys that can move the needle for you and create spike weeks.

Pinpoint Fast-Paced Offenses

Faster pace = more possessions = more opportunities, which is the name of the game. 

The fastest paced teams of the 2024-25 teams were the Memphis Grizzlies, Washington Wizards, Chicago Bulls, and Utah Jazz.

Now, there are some rough offenses in terms of efficiency in that group, but generally speaking, offenses that play at a faster pace can present more upside and higher ceilings.

If you are stuck between two players, it's not a bad idea to favor the player who plays on a team that likes to push the tempo.

Think of the Long-Term Picture

It’s always smart to try to target some rookies and young guys, but if you do, make sure you’re patient (you don’t really have a choice in best ball).

Plenty of rookies from last year’s class like Alexander Sarr, Matas Buzelis, Bub Carrington, and Kel’el Ware got off to slow starts and finished strong. 

There is going to be a learning curve for plenty of rookies who either need to earn their playing time or build their confidence as they establish their role on their team. 

Some intriguing 2025 NBA rookies that may start off slow but carry plenty of upside throughout the season are Ace Bailey, VJ Edgecombe, Yang Hansen, among others.

Don’t be Afraid of Uncertainty

With the integration of the second apron ramifications, the NBA has gone through seismic changes in the past few offseasons. Teams like the Celtics, Suns, and Bucks, have had to remake their rosters in an effort to shed salary. Furthermore, we saw a number of injuries to superstar players like Tyrese Haliburton and Jayson Tatum this past postseason, which will influence the landscape of the upcoming regular season.

This means there is plenty of uncertainty on these teams, among others. Don’t run away from this uncertainty, rather, try to target some of the uncertainty. Players like Payton Pritchard, Andrew Nembhard, and Kevin Porter Jr. should see a dramatic uptick in usage. 

Derek Mountain

Derek Mountain works in the Boston area as an SEO Performance Associate for Better Collective. Derek is a recent graduate of the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA where he played football for five years as well as walking on the basketball team his freshman year. Derek has experience writing and editing casino content for nearly four years. More from Derek Mountain