NBA Practice Squad Rankings
A quick reminder about NBA Practice Squad rules:
You can keep (up to) 4 Practice Squad Keepers.
ALL PLAYERS must be in the first 4 years in the NBA (on a rookie contract). They can be kept going into the 5th year.
NO PLAYER CAN have played more than 25 minutes per game in ANY season in their career, including this season.
The MINUTES PER GAME (mpg) of the Practice Squad Players that you keep CANNOT exceed 25 mpg
You can keep one player for under 25 mpg
You can keep two players who average under 12.5 mpg
You can keep three players who average 8 mpg
You can keep 4 players who average 6 mpg
These practice squad players MUST be on your roster at the start of the NBA Fantasy Playoffs. However, unlike football, the practice squads DO NOT FINALIZE until prior to next year’s draft. You can select who you want later, they just need to be on your roster.
If you ever drop a Practice Squad player during the postseason, they are unable to be kept by anyone
Practice squad players ARE eligible to be traded
The MINUTES PER GAME that each practice squad player will LOCK AFTER the NBA fantasy playoffs.
Players may go up or down in minutes after this date, but we’ll use this date as the PS minutes lock
Without further ado, here are the (current) practice squad rankings:
NBA Practice Squad Power Rankings
1- Cooper Troopers
2- Wait ’Til Next Year
3- Win’s Up Doc
4- $traight Cash Homie
5- DTC Porkchop Express
6- Minnesota Moose Knuckles
7- Sporty Strauss
8- Las Cabras
9- Ornery Otters
10- The Pullies
11- Shepherd Goods Choppers
12- The BamOs
Note: oftentimes you’ll see something like 1.9mpg OVER or UNDER. This means that this player is close to the minutes cut off (below 25 mpg), and is at risk of graduating from practice squad eligibility OR could sneak back down into keep-able range (especially if COVID dies down and teams are healthy).
1- Cooper Troopers
Projected Practice Squad (18.8 mpg TOTAL right now)
Alperen Sengun (C, Rockets) – 19.2 PPG (18.8 mpg)
Potential Practice Squad
Onyeka Okongwu (C, Hawks) – 20.7 PPG (21.5 mpg)
Jalen Smith (PF, Suns) – 13.9 PPG (14.2 mpg)
Javonte Green (SG, Bulls) – 17.2 PPG (24.2 mpg)
John Konchar (SG, Grizzlies) – 14 PPG (18.6 mpg)
Notes: Sengun is the best practice-squad eligible player in this subset. A rookie center on a bad team who should get plenty of minutes to grow. He’s averaging about 20 fantasy points per game, and should only get better. Now that Onyeka Okongwu is a locked-and-loaded #Hunk or Practice Squad player, the Cooper Troopers are set.
2- Wait ‘Til Next Year
Projected Practice Squad (21.4 mpg TOTAL right now)
James Wiseman (C, Warriors) – 19.1 PPG last year (21.4 mpg last year)
Potential Practice Squad
Isaiah Stewart (C/PF, Pistons) – 21.5 PPG (25.9 mpg)
Ayo Dosunmo (SG/PG, Bulls) – 16.7 PPG (25.9 mpg)
Shake Milton (PG/SG, 76ers) – 17.9 PPG (24.7 mpg)
Oshae Brisset (PF, Pacers) – 14.6 PPG (20.3 mpg)
Moses Moody (SG, Warriors) – 5.3 PPG (9.6 mpg)
Notes: Wiseman is a similar player to Sengun with much higher draft stock. Injured this year, we’re using Wiseman’s rookie season as a barometer. However, he could always come back this year and shatter the minutes restriction. Luckily, Wait ‘Til Next Year still has other options.
3- Win’s Up Doc
Projected Practice Squad (20.5 mpg TOTAL right now)
Daniel Gafford (PF/C, Wizards) – 21.4 PPG (20.5 mpg)
Potential Practice Squad
Boner Hyland (PG, Nuggets) – 14.3 PPG (18.1 mpg)
Mo Bamba (C, Magic) – 25.8 PPG (25.9 mpg)
Nickel Alexander-Walker (SG, Pelicans) – 19 PPG (25.5 mpg)
Brandon Clarke (PF/C, Grizzlies) – 22.4 PPG (19.4 mpg)
Jaylen Nowell (SG, Timberwolves) – 13.5 PPG (14.6 mpg)
Caleb Martin (SG, Heat) – 17.8 PPG (23 mpg)
Notes: Gafford is the highest-scoring practice-squad eligible player RIGHT NOW. Classic Doc. He’s safe now that he’s gone down to 20.5. A great scenario for Doc is still for a team to come in and offer some assets for Daniel Gafford either for this year or next year and then he could pivot to Boner Hyland or Brandon Clarke. But the best-case scenario is that Mo Bamba’s minutes continue coming down and he becomes a PS player.
4- $traight Cash Homie
Projected Practice Squad (14.8 mpg TOTAL right now)
Jonathan Kuminga (SF, Warriors) – 12 PPG (14.8 mpg)
Potential Practice Squad
Jaxson Hayes (C, Pelicans) – 15.4 PPG (16.8 mpg)
Corey Kispert (SF, Wizards) – 9.5 PPG (17.3 mpg)
Notes: Kuminga is the other type of perfect practice squad player. He’s never entering $traight Cash Homie’s lineup, and he only has about 15mpg right now. He’s rising up the ranks, and Jack just needs to find an 8 or 9 minute guy to pair with him to fit under the minutes restrictions.
5- DTC Porkchop Express
Projected Practice Squad (22.7 mpg TOTA right now)
De’Anthony Melton (PG, Grizzlies) – 22.2 PPG (22.7 mpg)
Potential Practice Squad
Jaden McDaniels (SF, Timberwolves) – 17.5 PPG (26.2 mpg)
Facundo Campazzo (PG, Nuggets) – 15.7 PPG (20.3 mpg)
Jalen Johnson (SF, Hawks) – 2.9 PPG (4.6 mpg)
Usman Garuba (PF, Rockets) – 6.8 PPG (7 mpg)
Notes: Melton is another outstanding rotation-ready player. He gets regular minutes for DTC Porkchop Express. Melton has the same thing going for him as he has going against: he’s older. This is his 4th year in the league. That cuts both ways. He isn’t eligible on the PS next year and there isn’t as much inherent upside especially considering his low draft pedigree, BUT there’s a chance he could end up on a new team next year that gives him more minutes. Craig has options either way, and is one of the few teams to stash low-minutes players on his team to give himself PS flexibility.
6- Minnesota Moose Knuckles
Projected Practice Squad (16.5 mpg TOTAL right now)
Aleksej Pokusevski (PF, Thunder) – 13.1 PPG (16.5 mpg)
Potential Practice Squad
Jeremiah Robinson-Earl (PF/C, Thunder) – 16.2 PPG (23.1 mpg)
Jarred Vanderbilt (PF, Timberwolves) – 24.1 PPG (26.1 mpg)
Devin Vassell (SG/SF, Spurs) – 21.3 PPG (25.7 mpg)
Cam Johnson (SF, Suns) – 20.2 PPG (26 mpg)
Hamidou Diallo (SG, Pistons) – 20.3 PPG (22.5 mpg)
Gabe Vincent (PG, Heat) – 24.2 PPG (17 mpg)
Obi Toppin (PF, Knicks) – 12.9 PPG (15.1 mpg)
Notes: Poke’s minutes have finally been increasing lately. He hasn’t been great, but it’s still encouraging to see a young player get 30+ minutes like this. The MN Moose Knuckles can still fit another player under, though they don’t have one on the roster right now.
7- Sporty Strauss
Projected Practice Squad (22.9 mpg TOTAL right now)
Isaiah Jackson (PF, Pacers) – 12.5 PPG (10.2 mpg)
Trey Murphy (SG, Pelicans) – 7.5 PPG (12.7 mpg)
Potential Practice Squad
Joshua Primo (SG, Spurs) – 9.5 PPG (15.8 mpg)
Notes: This is the best 2-pairing practice squad right now. Isaiah Jackson is a bonafide upside guy now, and Trey Murphy fits in perfectly next to him. This pairing should fit under the minutes restrictions barring a crazy minutes surge from one of them, which is possible.
8- Las Cabras
Projected Practice Squad (19.3 mpg TOTAL right now)
Cam Thomas (SG, Nets) – 14 PPG (19.3 mpg)
Potential Practice Squad
James Bouknight (SG, Hornets) – 7.9 PPG (11.1mpg)
Chimezie Metu (C, Kings) – 19.2 PPG (22.2 mpg)
Immanuel Quickley (PG, Knicks) – 15.3 PPG (21.3 mpg)
Saben Lee (PG, Pistons) – 12.8 PPG (14.6 mpg)
Aaron Wiggins (SG, Thunder) – 13.9 PPG (23.1 mpg)
Notes: It’s a tough choice between Cam Thomas and James Bouknight for Las Cabras who can’t keep both now that each player’s minutes have jumped up. Thomas has impressed lately, but Bouknight has the higher draft capital. They don’t have much space for another body with Thomas, but they do with Bouknight.
9- Ornery Otters
Projected Practice Squad (24.5 mpg TOTAL right now)
Precious Achiuwa (PF/C, Raptors) – 17.8 PPG (23.1)
Potential Practice Squad
Ziaire Williams (SG, Grizzlies) – 11.1 PPG (21.5 mpg)
Xavier Tillman (PF, Grizzlies) – 12 PPG (13.1 mpg)
Notes: Achiuwa is a decent practice squad player. Modestly productive right now. Upside. The type of game that can always contribute fantasy production. It’s just unsure if he has the ceiling to be a great fantasy player.
10- The Pullies
Projected Practice Squad (23.3 mpg TOTAL right now)
Deni Avdija (SF, Wizards) – 17.8 PPG (23.3 mpg)
Potential Practice Squad
Josh Christopher (SG, Rockets) – 12.1 PPG (16.3 mpg)
Jalen McDaniels (PF, Hornets) – 13.3 PPG (17.6 mpg)
Amir Coffey (SG, Clippers) – 15.5 PPG (23.1 mpg)
Notes: Avdija just isn’t that intriguing. He’s young enough, but there’s nothing inspiring about scoring 6 points less per game than minutes played per game. You’d likely want that to be 1:1, but he still has time. It’s still concerning that his games started percentage was 60% last year and is down to close to 10% this year, so The Pullies might want to think about considering some other options.
11- Shepherd Goods Choppers
Projected Practice Squad (17.1 mpg TOTAL right now)
Jock Landale (C, Spurs) – 9 PPG (10.5 mpg)
Moses Brown (C, Hornets) – 6 PPG (6.6 mpg)
Potential Practice Squad
Talen Horton-Tucker (SG/SF, Lakers) – 18.2 PPG (26 mpg)
Isaiah Roby (PF, Thunder) – 13.5 PPG (15 mpg)
RJ Hampton (PG, Magic) – 13.5 PPG (19.5 mpg)
Notes: How ironic is it that the #TooMuchResearch guy has ended up with absolutely horrible practice squad players. This is a classic case of overthinking things. All that being said, Landale’s 10 minutes are a nice baseline. He just needs to find someone better than Roby to have a legitimately promising practice squad. This is EASILY the worst practice squad in the league.
12- The BamO’s
Projected Practice Squad (NONE)
NONE
Notes: NO PS for BamO’s, which isn’t even a bad thing. He’ll just have to trade an asset for the best PS player available before the draft.