If you've ever played fantasy basketball, you know how risky it can be to base decisions simply on pre-season performances and stories.

This isn't to say that we can't learn valuable lessons from the NBA's exhibition season; rather, it just means we'll need to look at the small sample of pre-season games through more critical eyes.

Pre-season NBA performance can affect and inform NBA daily fantasy worth; all it takes is sorting through some of the noise.

Let's talk about some important fantasy-related lessons learned from the 2021 pre-season, with an eye toward pre-season results that might carry over to the regular season.

3 Pointers

At least 30 attempts from beyond the arc are made by all 30 NBA teams in each game. Cleveland ranks last in the pre-season in 3-point attempts per game (30.3), but the 2014–15 Houston club set a new NBA mark with 32.7. From a fantasy football standpoint, rostering high-volume shooters will become increasingly necessary.

Injuries are pilling

The Lakers may have been forgiven for believing they would receive some favorable karma after several injuries ravaged the club the previous season. But instead, the pre-season has played out like a scene from a movie. The Lakers overcame Ariza's injury in a vacuum, but the subsequent ailments have made the road ahead challenging.

Balling bull

While LaMelo Ball, the current Rookie of the Year, is legitimately a rising star in the game, Lonzo Ball, the older brother, may offer the greatest fantasy value in the family this season. In  NBA DFS DraftKings drafts, the younger Ball is selected 21st overall, while Lonzo is selected 46th and is thriving on this new-look Chicago club.

These factors from last season can give you a deeper insight and also help you choose a team for NBA daily fantasy and the upcoming NBA pre-season. So, if you need more stats and help, sign up with DFS Army.