Everyone's brain works a little differently, whether we're talking about taking a college test, playing a game of poker, memorizing a speech or taking part in a fantasy draft. Some people are visual learners. Others rely on stats. And then there are those who are able to process information naturally, without visual or statistical aid.
When it comes to preparing for fantasy basketball drafts, one tool that has always helped me is writing down draft tiers for each of the five positions. I can't emphasize this enough -- taking a little time to do this simple exercise not only helps reveal the depth at each position, it also enables you to cut through the noise and create your own draft board based on your individual thoughts and hunches.
If those hunches pay off -- particularly in terms of deep sleepers -- it can be what separates you from the pack and propels you to the league title. Remember that.
It also can serve as a road map throughout the draft. So, for instance, when pick No. 35 comes up and you need a center with Pau Gasol, Andre Drummond, DeAndre Jordan and Marc Gasol all still available, you'll know which one you want most and which you want to avoid.
I encourage you to take 20-30 minutes and create your own draft tiers. It will set you apart from the vast majority of other fantasy owners out there.
You can even use mine as a starting point to work off of. Heading into the 2016-17 NBA season, here are my draft tiers at each of the five positions for standard category leagues:
Breakdown: Westbrook and Harden are the clear top tier. Westbrook's usage will soar without Kevin Durant, giving him a chance at a run for MVP, while Harden is now the de facto point guard in Houston under new head coach Mike D'Antoni. That means more assists and an even higher usage rate than last season (32.2). ... The next tier isn't far behind, and each is worthy of a first-round pick. Curry would be the top overall player in fantasy if not for the arrival of Durant, who will certainly cut into Curry's 30.1 PPG from a season ago. Paul and Lillard both do it all, with Paul being more efficient and a bigger assist/steal option, and Lillard holding the edge as a scorer and 3-point shooter. ... Lowry and Wall are second-round options who rank slightly ahead of the next tier of Irving, Walker, Thomas, Bledsoe and McCollum, who all come with some questions. Irving, Bledsoe and McCollum have each suffered serious season-ending injuries in the past. Walker and Thomas are both coming off career years but haven't proved themselves as long as those above them. ... From Tier 5 on, we're talking about players who are taken after pick 45. Dragic's usage should soar in Miami without Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, and Schroder and Russell also have the keys to the car for their respective teams, making them among the most intriguing Tier 5 options.
Breakdown: Harden is right there with Westbrook for the top point guard, and he has an even bigger advantage at shooting guard. That's why he's in a tier all to himself. Durant's move to Golden State also reduces the value of Thompson, who in previous years had been a solid alternative to Harden and someone who went a good 15 picks later in most drafts. That's not the case this year, which makes Harden even more valuable if you can land him. ... Antetokounmpo has improved statistically in each of his first three NBA seasons, and impacts the game in every area other than shooting the 3. With Khris Middleton out for most of the year, the Greek Freak is worthy of late first-round consideration in 12-team leagues. ... That leads to Butler, who took over in previous years when Derrick Rose was out of the lineup, but comes with more questions than Antetokounmpo thanks to the curious additions of Rajon Rondo and Wade. Butler is a late second-rounder in my book. ... Things get interesting from there, as we enter Tier 4, with McCollum coming off a career year, Oladipo stepping into a bigger role as the No. 2 option in Oklahoma City, Thompson dropping down as mentioned above and Hayward still the No. 1 man in Utah. All are mid-to-late third-round fits in 12-team leagues. ... The trio in Tier 5 features two versatile players who impact many categories (Batum and Fournier) and a big-time scorer in DeRozan. Each is a good option in the 40-45 range.
Breakdown: The top tier of small forwards isn't what it used to be just a couple of years ago, as neither Durant or James are in consideration for the top overall pick, given Durant's presence on the stacked Warriors roster and James' wear and tear and need for occasional days off. But both remain worthy of first-round picks, along with Leonard, who would be ranked even higher if he played on a team that gave him more minutes (33.1 MPG last season) and a higher usage rate (24.2 USG last season). . ... Tier 2 sets up strongly with familiar faces who qualify at other positions. Antetokounmpo, Green, George and Butler all are second-round picks, with Antetokounmpo the one who might sneak into the end of the Round 1 of some drafts. ... Anthony and Hayward also qualify at other positions and are good options in the high-30s of most leagues, while the Tier 4 trio of Batum, Fournier and Ariza all fit in the 40-50 range. Ariza, who we haven't mentioned yet, is always underrated in fantasy and should benefit from the up-tempo style and let-it-fly mentality of D'Antoni in Houston. ... Bazemore, now in his third year with the Hawks, is one to watch in Tier 5 due to his ability to stuff the stat sheet in so many ways.
Breakdown: James qualifies at power forward and stands in with Davis in Tier 1, with each typically going anywhere from 5th to 9th overall in most drafts, but there's a wealth of talent to be had right behind him in Tier 2. Antetokounmpo, Millsap and Green might be the three most versatile players in the league this season, while Whiteside -- a natural center -- is the league's top shot-blocker from a season ago (3.7 BPG) and also averaged 14.2 points and 11.8 rebounds while shooting 60.6 percent from the field and a surprising 65 percent from the free throw line. I'd recommend snagging one of these guys along with a point guard with your first two picks. There's a good chance that you can land any of these four in Round 2, which would make drafting a point guard in Round 1 a high priority if you follow that approach. ... If you're willing to wait a little longer, Tier 3 offers a number of solid options (Griffin, Porzingis, Aldridge, Anthony and Love) who can be had anywhere from the end of Round 2 to the end of Round 3 in 12-team leagues. So another approach would be to snag a point guard along with a best-available player in the first two rounds, then selecting whichever of these Tier 3 power forwards are left in Round 3. ... Favors and Ibaka come with some questions, as Favors has a history of injuries and Ibaka is already dealing with knee pain on his new team in Orlando, but both offer upside worthy of being fourth-round picks in 12-team leagues. ... Turner has the highest upside among the remaining crop, coming off a terrific rookie season, but the Pacers added Thaddeus Young and Al Jefferson to the frontcourt so his opportunities may be more limited.
Breakdown: Yes, I rate Towns higher than most, putting him ahead of Curry and Durant on the overall list. But how many rookie centers have ever averaged 18.3 points, 10.5 rebounds, 2 assists and 1.7 blocks while playing all 82 games and shooting 54.2 percent from the field, 81.1 percent from the free throw line and 34.1 percent from 3-point range? All he has to do is repeat that -- not even improve upon it -- and he's worth such a lofty spot. ... Behind him in the second tier are Cousins and Whiteside, who each offer a different skill set. What Cousins lacks in terms of efficiency (46 percent career shooter), he makes up for with tremendous scoring, rebounding, assists, steals and blocks. He also shoots above 70 percent from the line. Whiteside, as mentioned above, is a double-double machine, who is among the league's best in terms of field goal percentage and shot-blocking, and has shown marked improvement at the free throw line. ... Tier 3 is stocked with players who make for solid third- and fourth-rounders, and the variety of the options is readily apparent with Horford and the Gasols offering versatility, Lopez offering scoring and Drummond and Jordan offering rebounds, blocks, a very high field goal percentage and a very low free throw percentage. Be sure you have a plan at center at this stage in the draft. ... If you hold off, other promising options are still out there, though Gobert, Vucevic and Jokic are all big injury risks in Tier 4. ... Dieng is also one to watch, and always floats under the radar. He finished last season ranked No. 30 in the ESPN Player Rater, thanks to a well-rounded game and strong percentages from the field (53.2 percent) and the charity stripe (82.7 percent).