Draft Dawg
Rate itEight daily NBA puzzles: draft lineups to a stat goal, pick ranked players and name the missing star.
on draftdawg.app
Draft Dawg is an independent fan site of daily NBA games built around drafting and stat lists. Each day brings eight puzzles, from drafting a starting five whose stats land near a goal to picking players ranked just under a target on a franchise list. Every daily plays once, with no account needed, and the past week stays open from the homepage.
About Draft Dawg
Draft Dawg calls itself an independent fan site for NBA daily games, trivia and fantasy draft simulators. Its centre is a set of eight daily puzzles that reset together at midnight Pacific Time. Everyone gets the same ones, and each can be played once.
Pinpoint, added in October 2026, ranks a list of players by one stat, such as the Memphis Grizzlies' all-time career rebounds, and gives a target rank. You pick five players. Each scores its rank in points as long as it sits at or under the target, so the best picks are the ones just below it. The first miss is free.
The Starting Five games are drafting puzzles. In Classic you draft a lineup whose total of the day's stat should land as close to a goal as you can get it. Historic hides that goal behind a real lineup from NBA history. Stacks gives three boards and asks for the five players who push a stat as high or as low as it will go, scored against the best possible lineup.
The rest is trivia. Name Drop shows five historic leaderboards with one name missing on each, in a standard and a hard set. The Gauntlet asks for a player who matches every clue before the clock runs out. Perfect Player has you rebuild one player's season averages a stat at a time. Outside the dailies there are an endless Gauntlet with three lives, pass-and-play party games for up to four people and fantasy draft simulators modelled on NBA 2K.
Guests can play every daily, and signing in keeps streaks, achievements and analytics across devices, with global leaderboards and private groups. It suits NBA fans who think in lineups and stat lines and want several short basketball puzzles in one place.
How to play Draft Dawg
- Open Draft Dawg and pick one of the day's eight games from the Daily Games board.
- In Pinpoint, read the stat list and the target rank. Search for a player and lock him in to see his rank, five picks in all.
- In the Starting Five games, read the stat goal and draft one player per round to land as close to it as you can.
- In Name Drop, fill in the missing name on each of five historic leaderboards.
- In The Gauntlet, name a player who fits every clue before the clock runs out.
- Check your score, then use the week picker to catch up on days you missed.
Screenshots
Tips
- In Starting Five, overshooting costs as much as undershooting, so leave room for the last pick.
- For Stacks, sort each board in your head by the day's stat before you lock in the first player.
- Name Drop leaderboards reward knowing the second tier of stars, not just the leaders.
- In The Gauntlet, think of journeymen who fit many teams and eras.
- In Pinpoint, spend your free miss on a player you think sits near the target. His rank tells you how the list runs around it.
- Sign in if you want streaks and analytics across devices. Guest results stay only in the browser you play in.
Questions
When do Draft Dawg's daily games reset?
At midnight Pacific Time, according to the site's FAQ.
Which games are daily?
Pinpoint, Starting Five Classic, Starting Five Historic, Starting Five Stacks, The Gauntlet, Name Drop (standard and hard) and Perfect Player. That makes eight puzzles a day.
Can I replay a daily game?
Each daily can be played once. The homepage week picker opens the last week's games, and older days are in the archive under My Games.
Do I need an account?
No. Guests can play every daily. An account keeps streaks, achievements and analytics across devices and lets you join private groups.
Does Draft Dawg have ads?
No ads showed on the homepage or in the games when we played, at desktop or phone size. The site has a link asking players to support it.
Is it affiliated with the NBA or NBA 2K?
No. The site says it is an independent fan site.
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