Fantasy basketball: Five position battles to watch during NBA preseason

As the NBA gears up for an breathtaking grooming campy and preseason, phantasy hoops managers should support a adjacent oculus connected cardinal presumption battles crossed the league.

Who wins and loses these competitions for starting spots and much minutes volition spell a agelong mode toward shaping players' phantasy value. Unlike the NFL, wherever presumption battles often revolve astir executing circumstantial plays oregon packages, basketball's combat for playing clip is acold much nuanced. Success connected the hardwood depends not conscionable connected idiosyncratic accomplishment but besides connected chemistry and acceptable with teammates.

After a engaged offseason of roster changes and subordinate movement, these looming presumption battles adhd an other furniture of intrigue arsenic phantasy hoops draught play begins.

Boston Celtics guards: Payton Pritchard, Derrick White, Anfernee Simons

The Celtics' backcourt is shaping up arsenic 1 of the astir intriguing phantasy puzzles this preseason. Pritchard enters the twelvemonth arsenic the reigning Sixth Man of the Year and should person an expanded relation with Jayson Tatum sidelined. His elite catch-and-shoot quality and coagulated ball-handling marque him a reliable contributor successful points, 3-pointers and assists, adjacent disconnected the bench. If helium earns starter-level minutes, his phantasy ceiling rises significantly.

White is the floor-general and accordant scorer, susceptible of filling aggregate stat categories. Without Tatum, White could spot a bump successful usage, making him a steady, versatile enactment for phantasy managers. His quality to make for himself and others keeps him successful play crossed points, assists and 3-pointers.

Simons is the chaotic card. A proven scorer and elite 3-point shooter, helium tin erupt for immense phantasy performances, peculiarly successful catch-and-shoot situations. The challenge: adjusting to a strategy wherever helium isn't the superior option. Simons besides has commercialized rumors swirling, adding intrigue. How Celtics manager Joe Mazzulla deploys him alongside White and Pritchard during the preseason volition beryllium important for evaluating upside. Watching rotations, minutes and combinations successful aboriginal games volition springiness phantasy managers a preview of which defender oregon operation offers the champion worth this season.

Indiana Pacers center: Isaiah Jackson, Jay Huff

This preseason conflict comes down to who volition regenerate longtime large antheral Myles Turner arsenic Indiana's starting center. Jackson, a erstwhile first-round pick, has been processing steadily since arriving successful Indiana and has the wrong way aft moving with the archetypal portion successful pickup games. He's a high-energy rim-runner and shot-blocker, but his violative scope remains limited. He's besides coming disconnected an Achilles injury, leaving questions astir his durability and readiness for a full-time role.

Huff, meanwhile, offers a accomplishment acceptable much akin to Turner's. The 28-year-old large antheral tin agelong the floor, support the rim and tally successful transition, which is precisely the premix Indiana mislaid erstwhile Turner departed. While he's little proven than Jackson astatine the NBA level, his perimeter shooting gives him a wide borderline successful spacing the floor.

Jackson enters campy arsenic the presumed favorite, but Huff's versatility makes him a morganatic menace to bargain the starting job. This could go 1 of the Pacers' astir important presumption battles arsenic they s...