The best NBA rookies to draft for your fantasy team for the 2023-24 season

We are just days away from tipping off the NBA season, and that means that basketball geeks all over the country are gearing up for their fantasy draft. There are the usual cast of characters that will be prime targets for the first round, but as you go deeper down the draft board, this years newest class of NBAers are going to start to appear. Here are the rookies you can expect to have a big, and immediate impact for their teams and yours.

Victory Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs

The most obvious pick in the draft will obviously be the top rookie selected for fantasy experts. His superhuman size and shiftiness makes him nearly impossible to guard. He has already shown that he can handle the speed and the physicality of the NBA, and he will be a starter from the get go in San Antonio. As an added bonus to his scoring ability, his long arms make him dangerous on defense. We have already seen flashes of what he is capable of in preseason, and he is only going to get better as the season goes on.

Scoot Henderson, Portland Trail Blazers

Scoot was taken third in the draft after Brandon Miller, but I think he has a better chance to make an immediate impact for the Trail Blazers who are in desperate need of a new hero. Damian Lillard has moved his talents to Milwaukee, and that means that there is going a big vacancy on the scoresheet this season. It’s a big burden to place that responsibility on a rookie, but Henderson has the tools to put up numbers in a hurry. He is fresh out of the G-League, so he knows what it’s like to play with grown men and him being the main ball handler will give him plenty of chances to make noise for your fantasy team.

Ausar Thompson, Detroit Pistons

Ausar was the second of the two Thompson twins to get drafted in the Top 5, and will probably step right into a starting role in Detroit, while Amen might take a little longer to get starting minutes. He is a quick, athletic swing man who likes to get out on the break and run, and if the Pistons can keep up that might get him transition points and assists. He’s not a great shooter from outside, but he knows how to get to the iron and create his own shots off the dribble.

Anthony Black, Orlando Magic

The former Arizona Razorback is maybe the most impressive physical specimen outside of Victory Wembanyama. He is a lock down defender who can get steals and run the break, and more than anything he likes to provide his teammates with open looks. His size is imposing, but the way he reads the court is what makes him special. The Magic have a load of young talent, so if he could get starting minutes as soon as the season tips off.

Emoni Bates

Bates has already been called the steal of the draft and we haven’ even started the regular season. He has been incredible in preseason, and despite being the 49th pick in the draft, the Cavaliers might be thinking about using him in the rotation from the start of the season. He has scored double digits in all of the Cavs preseason games, and is shooting over 50% from the floor. This kid is a prime scorer who isn’t going to be intimidated by making the jump from the G-League to the NBA.