Video summary

NEW! Who to Pair with Your First Pick | Punting and Pairing Guide 2! | 2026-27 Fantasy Basketball

Main summary

Key takeaways

Gaming

Storyline / Purpose

  • The video is a Fantasy Basketball (2026–27) head-to-head “punting and pairing” guide from Old Man Squad Fantasy Basketball.
  • Host Dan Basperis explains how to choose 2nd-round pairings using:
    • the new Yahoo draft board (Yahoo board v3, dated Sept. 17)
    • and player ADP movement.
  • Core idea (head-to-head vs. roto):
    • In head-to-head leagues, it’s often better to dominate 5–7 categories and accept being weaker in 1–4 categories.
    • This differs from roto’s approach of trying to balance everything.
  • Practical constraint:
    • Pairings should mostly be players you can realistically get at your turn (roughly within a few picks of their Yahoo rank).

Gameplay / Draft Strategy Highlights (What to do)

General head-to-head strategy

  • Build “team advantages” early, but don’t ruin key categories created by your first pick.
  • If you decide to punt (accept losses in) a category, you still must preserve the core strengths that make your first pick work.
  • The approach is repeatedly framed as:
    1. Choose the first-round anchor
    2. Pick a second-round player that complements it
    3. Use later rounds to fill gaps based on what you still need
  • Overall goal: protect the signature edge your first pick brings.

Pairing logic by first-round “anchor” (first pick)

Only the anchors discussed in the subtitles are listed here.

1) If you draft Victor Wembanyama (WBY) (Yahoo #1)

  • You can still run a “guard-build,” but you no longer have to make the build purely defensive / FG%-punting.
  • Rationale: Wemby’s overall game improves, including points, threes, rebounds, blocks, and FT%.
  • Best likely 2nd-round pairings:
    • LaMelo Ball (punt-friendly: turnover/FG concerns acceptable; expected ~7–8.5 assists)
    • James Harden (similar role; slightly better FG% than LaMelo, comparable elsewhere)
  • Riskier/backup mentions:
    • Steph Curry: risk due to potential Warriors “gap season” concerns
    • Devin Booker: playable for scoring, but not optimal if you want the ideal assist profile next to Wemby
  • Key cautions:
    • Don’t ruin Wemby’s free-throw advantage by pairing with another problematic FT% big.
    • Avoid bigs with low FT shooting (examples referenced include concerns about certain bigs sliding down; the theme is to avoid very low-FT targets).

Main rationale: Wemby creates a major edge in blocks and other big-man categories, so the 2nd pick should supply guard categories—especially assists—while keeping FT%/efficiency intact.

2) If you draft Nikola Jokic (Yahoo #2)

  • Jokic is called the easiest anchor to build around.
  • Dominant strength profile:
    • elite/near-elite points, rebounds, assists
    • good steals
    • solid threes for a big
    • strong FT% (around 83% referenced)
  • What to avoid as your 2nd pick:
    • Players that significantly attack/fix Jokic’s weakest-ish area (especially blocks), because head-to-head you mainly want Jokic’s other categories to remain strong.
  • Specifically named “avoid” targets as the 2nd pick:
    • Chet Holmgren
    • Evan Mobley
  • Generally avoided higher-risk / lower-reliability targets:
    • Kawhi Leonard (risk)
    • Stephen Curry (risk mentioned via season/health context)
    • LaMelo Ball (risk tier mentioned)
  • Repeated rule:
    • If you want a “bad blocks / turnover punt” approach, Jokic still works because he already covers so much elsewhere.
    • Otherwise: “pick someone who beats or matches ADP in a fantasy sense.”

3) If you draft Luka Doncic (Yahoo #3)

  • Luka is rated as a top head-to-head option.
  • Comparison to Jokic:
    • similar defensive profile in some ways
    • but Luka’s free throws tend to be a negative
    • his edge comes more from scoring + threes and competitive rebounding
  • Pairing flexibility:
    • “You can pair almost anyone” because you can punt the one category the 2nd-round player is weak in.
  • Specific cautions:
    • Don’t pair with certain unbalanced bigs:
      • Chad Holmgren (discouraged)
      • Domantas Sabonis (also discouraged)
  • Build guidance:
    • Choose a 2nd-round pick that complements Luka while enabling a punt plan if needed.
    • You “mostly lock in your build” after the 2nd-round pick with Luka.

4) If you draft Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Shay) (Yahoo #4)

  • Favorite pairing discussed: Austin Reeves (pre-rank ~20).
  • Pairing goal with Shai:
    • double down on elite percentages and defensive contributions.
  • Punt directions mentioned:
    • With a Shai build, the easiest punts are often:
      • punt threes
      • or punt assists
  • Reeves logic:
    • High percentages are the “point,” even if turnovers rise a bit.
  • What to avoid with Shai:
    • Don’t plug holes in percentages unless you get a hyper-elite counterbalance.
    • Specifically called out as bad fits:
      • LaMelo Ball (bad FG%, doesn’t add an offsetting elite advantage)
      • Alperen Şengün (concerns around free throw number; no single “hyper-elite” compensator)

5) If you draft Cade Cunningham (Yahoo #5)

  • Recommended path: guard-build.
  • Best pairing target (if available): Trey Young.
  • Backup targets:
    • Karl-Anthony Towns (Cat) (guard-build big roles; scoring/threes/FT% mentioned)
    • Austin Reeves, LaMelo Ball, James Harden (mentioned with some uncertainty)
    • Josh Giddey (last-tier option)
  • Critical caution:
    • Don’t pair Cade with a “punt points” big early if it costs you scoring.
    • Ensure the 2nd-rounder provides enough points.

6) If you draft Tyrese Maxey (Yahoo #6)

  • Described as “Spider-Man meme” tier (many similar builds/anchors).
  • Main pairing idea:
    • Prefer an extra well-rounded 2nd pick rather than forcing an assist-heavy build that could reduce what Maxey does best.
  • Top pairing preference in this section:
    • Jamal Murray (favorite)
  • Other options mentioned:
    • Austin Reeves
    • Alperen Şengün (can affect defensive stat balance)
    • Amen Thompson (more defense/percent leaning)
    • Kevin Durant (possible fit pathway in this ecosystem)
  • Head-to-head warning:
    • If you “lean too hard” into Maxey’s strengths, you can over-punt and accidentally allow opponents to win more categories than you planned.

7) If you draft Anthony Edwards (Yahoo #8)

  • Similar logic to the Maxey/Tatum cluster:
    • fast start in points + threes
    • plus decent defensive stats
  • Recommended pairing style:
    • still wants Jamal Murray as a key complement.
  • Cautions:
    • Edwards is weaker at assists relative to peers here, so don’t “hard chase assists” with the wrong 2nd pick.
    • Pair to maximize what Edwards does well (efficiency/scoring/threes/defense), not to force a category mismatch.

8) If you draft Giannis Antetokounmpo (Yahoo #6, mentioned later in the flow)

  • Giannis is positioned as a switch-up from the crowded “Maxey/Tatum/Edwards cluster.”
  • Recommended 2nd-round complements:
    • Alperen Şengün
    • possible backups depending on availability:
      • Trey Young
      • Jamal Murray
      • Amen Thompson
      • Scotty Barnes
  • Key rule:
    • Don’t take random non-fit bigs; you need guard/guard-like production early, because later you’ll run out of guard category volume.
  • Another caution:
    • Avoid “traditional big” choices that don’t fit the build logic (example theme given: don’t choose a Jaylen Duren-style profile).

9) If you draft Jaylen Johnson (Yahoo late-10 range)

  • Treated as a “crappier Jokic” profile:
    • similar strengths, but less dominant in blocks/defensive ceiling.
  • Because Jokic teams dominate across categories, Jaylen Johnson teams need a specific edge strategy, especially:
    • beat Jokic in blocks
    • then win additional categories via a punt/attack plan
  • Pairing recommendation:
    • Donovan Mitchell (best pairing to rescue scoring/3s and add defensive steal value)
  • Other creative “sneak attack” options:
    • Cooper Flagg
    • Scotty Barnes
    • Amen Thompson
    • (to win multiple categories such as rebounds/steals/blocks/turnovers)

10) If you draft Donovan Mitchell (Yahoo #11)

  • Strategy mirrors Maxey, but simplified:
    • he’s not a shot-blocking-focused player.
  • He emphasizes:
    • Don’t pair with a 2nd-round player who’s shot-block focused.
  • Recommended complements:
    • Jamal Murray
    • Austin Reeves
    • Kevin Durant (as plausible efficiency/scoring complements)
  • Another anchor discussed under this cluster:
    • Tyrese Haliburton (Yahoo #12) with a punt-points approach:
      • Elite: threes/assists/FT%
      • Punt points; later gain volume/efficiency elsewhere.

Gameplay Highlights / Key Tips (Most repeated advice)

  • Head-to-head ≠ roto:
    • aim to win 5–7 categories strongly, not all categories.
  • Pairings should protect the signature advantage from your first pick:
    • Wemby: don’t mess up free throws, supply guard assists
    • Jokic: avoid creating a blocks-focused category mismatch
    • Luka: more flexibility—punt the percentage category that best fits
    • Shai: protect elite FG%/FT% and defensive statistical advantages
  • Avoid risk and underperformance with Jokic:
    • injury risk (e.g., Kawhi) and players likely to underperform ADP
  • Avoid “double punting”:
    • don’t collapse too many categories at once—especially if the punt overlaps.
  • Second-round pick often locks your build direction:
    • emphasized strongly for Luka, and also broadly across anchors.

Featured gamers / sources (mentioned at the end)

  • Dan Basperis (host; Old Man Squad Fantasy Basketball)
  • FanDuel (presenter/sponsor)
  • FanDuel Sportsbook (presenter/sponsor)
  • Yahoo (draft board / ADP / rank reference)
  • Fantrax (mentioned as an option: fantrax.com/oldman squad)
  • Twitter handle mentioned: DanBasperis

Original video