New to SimBasketball? Here are some tips for building your first competitive roster.
Understand the Salary Cap
Every league has a salary cap (default $150M). Player salaries are formula-derived from their real statistical impact - elite seasons like 1996 Jordan or 2016 Curry cost ~$45M+, while solid role players run $5-15M. You cannot just stack superstars.
Draft Strategy Basics
- Stars and scrubs vs. balanced: You can go all-in on 2-3 elite players and fill with minimum-salary guys, or spread your cap across 8-10 solid players. Both approaches can work.
- Playmakers matter: The sim has an assist floor system. Teams without good passers (high AST%) take a shooting penalty. Do not skip point guards.
- Defense is real: The sim models individual defensive matchups. An elite scorer defended by a great perimeter defender will be less effective. Look at defensive ratings when building.
Gameplan Tips
- Set your depth chart to match your best players to their natural positions.
- Minutes allocation matters - do not run your stars 48 minutes. Fatigue accumulates over the season.
- Defensive assignments let you control who guards who. Use this to neutralize opponents best scorers.
Cross-Era Rosters
One of the best parts of SimBasketball is mixing eras. A 1987 Magic Johnson running the offense with 2021 shooters around him? That is a real build you can try.
All stats are era-normalized, so a 1962 Wilt Chamberlain competes fairly against modern players. Shooting percentages, pace, and shot distribution are all adjusted.
Share your roster builds below - we would love to see what you come up with!