Welcome to my first column for Sportstopia! To say I’m excited is an understatement. We will bring you the best fantasy hoops coverage in the industry with a star-studded ensemble of contributors. If you’re not already familiar with my work, this season marks (roughly) my 24th year of covering fantasy hoops. I spent most of my career at Rotoworld and am currently writing for ESPN and RotoWire. Follow me on Twitter at @Docktora.
This early September NBA mock draft is a Yahoo! eight-category league that was hosted by Rotowire and packed full of industry guys and a bunch of Rotowire analysts. And here’s how it all went down with some of my thoughts after each round. I had the second pick, obviously.
Round 1
- 1. Nikola Jokic DEN C
- 2. Luka Doncic DAL PG
- 3. Joel Embiid PHI C
- 4. Tyrese Haliburton IND G
- 5. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander OKC G
- 6. Jayson Tatum BOS F
- 7. Kevin Durant PHX F
- 8. Stephen Curry GSW PG
- 9. Anthony Edwards MIN SG/SF
- 10. LaMelo Ball CHA G
- 11. Anthony Davis LAL PF/C
- 12. Jaren Jackson Jr. MEM PF/C
There are no turnovers to worry about in this one and I still think Luka will eventually become a better free throw shooter, but I also might be crazy. Honestly, I would have been thrilled to come away from this one with Jokic, Luka, Haliburton or SGA. It’s also interesting to see defensive stud Jaren Jackson Jr. climb into the first round, along with stalwart Edwards.
Round 2
- 13. Giannis Antetokounmpo MIL PF/C
- 14. Kyrie Irving DAL G
- 15. Damian Lillard POR PG
- 16. Mikal Bridges BKN SG/SF
- 17. Devin Booker PHX SG/SF
- 18. Donovan Mitchell CLE G
- 19. Trae Young ATL PG
- 20. Domantas Sabonis SAC PF/C
- 21. Karl-Anthony Towns MIN PF/C
- 22. Fred VanVleet HOU PG
- 23. Victor Wembanyama SAS PF/C
- 24. James Harden PHI G
I was hoping to come out of Rounds 2 and 3 with some more of ‘my guys’ and I did just that, grabbing Wembanyama near the end of Round 2. I know there’s some risk involved, and I am a little concerned about how much the Spurs may rest him, but I believe the hype and wanted to get him.
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Round 2 is a bit of a reach but I also wasn’t sure he’d be there three picks later. However, given that I wouldn’t pick again until the 47th pick after Round 3, he was coming off the board for me in Round 3 if I decided to grab someone else first.
I’m also a big Mikal Bridges supporter and you’re going to have to pay for him if you want him. Giannis will nearly assure his manager a ‘1’ in free throw percentage, which is why he fell to Round 2 in this Roto format.
Round 3
- 25. Desmond Bane MEM SG/SF
- 26. Chet Holmgren OKC PF/C
- 27. Kawhi Leonard LAC SG/SF
- 28. Walker Kessler UTA C
- 29. Jimmy Butler MIA F
- 30. Pascal Siakam TOR PF/C
- 31. Cade Cunningham DET G
- 32. LeBron James LAL F
- 33. Bam Adebayo MIA C
- 34. Lauri Markkanen UTA F
- 35. Jrue Holiday MIL G
- 36. Paul George LAC SG/F
Yes, Holmgren is another one of my guys and I clearly reached for him, especially when you consider his current ADP is closer to 40 than 25. Big men coming off of serious foot problems are traditionally a problem in the NBA, but my guess is Holmgren is going to be good to go and better than people are expecting. But targeting him in the fourth or fifth round makes more sense than where I took him.
It’s obviously will take an early pick to get Walker, but I believe the hype on him, too. I will not be drafting Kawhi Leonard, Jimmy Butler, LeBron James or Paul George due to age and injury histories. At least not in Round 3.
Round 4
- 37. Darius Garland CLE PG
- 38. Myles Turner IND C
- 39. Dejounte Murray ATL G
- 40. De’Aaron Fox SAC PG
- 41. Nikola Vucevic CHI C
- 42. Jalen Brunson NYK PG
- 43. OG Anunoby TOR SG/SF
- 44. Nic Claxton BKN C
- 45. Jamal Murray DEN G
- 46. Kristaps Porzingis BOS PF/C
- 47. Jalen Williams OKC SG/SF
- 48. Evan Mobley CLE PF/C
With Holmgren added to the OKC offense and SGA and Giddey both looking to take another step forward, my guy Jalen Williams is a bit risky. But he’s so talented, he can co-exist with his teammates. The Thunder will take the kid gloves off this season and the sky’s the limit. And Williams is sure to play a big role for OKC even if he is playing second fiddle to SGA, Giddey and Holmgren. Stud point guards aplenty in Round 4 with Garland, Murray, Fox and Murray all going off the board. I particularly like Murray here.
Round 5
- 49. Jaylen Brown BOS SG/SF
- 50. Alperen Sengun HOU C
- 51. DeMar DeRozan CHI SG
- 52. Josh Giddey OKC SG/F
- 53. Zach LaVine CHI SG/SF
- 54. Jarrett Allen CLE C
- 55. Scottie Barnes TOR SF/PF
- 56. Brandon Ingram NOP SG/F
- 57. Paolo Banchero ORL F
- 58. Jordan Poole WAS G
- 59. Bradley Beal PHX G
- 60. Franz Wagner ORL SG/F
After being a little early on Sengun over the last two seasons, Year 3 should be a charm. He’s very good and I fully expect him to break out. My center corral is full of young studs and if they all pan out, this team is going to rack up serious big-man stats. I would not mess with a guy like Ingram here, as he hasn’t played in more than 62 games in any of his last six seasons.
Round 6
- 61. Jerami Grant POR PF
- 62. Tyrese Maxey PHI G
- 63. Rudy Gobert MIN C
- 64. Devin Vassell SAS SG/SF
- 65. Julius Randle NYK PF
- 66. Deandre Ayton PHX C
- 67. Cameron Johnson BKN F
- 68. Khris Middleton MIL F
- 69. Derrick White BOS G
- 70. Zion Williamson NOP PF/C
- 71. Michael Porter Jr. DEN SF
- 72. Terry Rozier CHA PG/SG
I just can’t quit MPJ although it feels much better to get him at the end of Round 6 than it does taking him any earlier than that. He made it through a career-high 62 games last season and still has enough upside that he could be a pleasant surprise. I’m not messing with Zion Williamson and still think he’s going to be a bust. Believe it or not, he’s entering Year 5 and he’s played a grand total of 114 games out of a max 328 regular-season games.
Round 7
- 73. Brook Lopez MIL C
- 74. Tyus Jones WAS PG
- 75. Robert Williams BOS C
- 76. Anfernee Simons POR G
- 77. Miles Bridges CHA F
- 78. Tyler Herro MIA G
- 79. Buddy Hield IND SG/SF
- 80. Clint Capela ATL C
- 81. Marcus Smart MEM PG
- 82. Jakob Poeltl TOR C
- 83. Ja Morant MEM PG
- 84. Kyle Kuzma WAS F
Tyus Jones will be the point guard in Washington and could have a really good season. I’m not sure how he’ll mesh with Jordan Poole, who will be shooting the ball A LOT, but Jones should be a fun fantasy player to manage. Ja Morant fell to Round 7 due to his 25-game suspension and if you have the patience to wait on him, could be a huge difference maker in the second half of the season. His fantasy rankings haven’t been great throughout his career but he’s still a potential monster.
Round 8
- 85. C.J. McCollum NOP G
- 86. Draymond Green GSW PF/C
- 87. Jalen Green HOU G
- 88. Scoot Henderson POR PG
- 89. Markelle Fultz ORL G
- 90. Daniel Gafford WAS PF
- 91. Austin Reaves LAL SG/SF
- 92. Trey Murphy NOP F
- 93. Shaedon Sharpe POR SG/SF
- 94. Jabari Smith HOU PF/C
- 95. De’Anthony Melton PHI G
- 96. Mark Williams CHA C
I was pleased to get Melton this late as he’s got one of the more fantasy-friendly games. Add in the mystery surrounding James Harden’s future in Philly and Melton should be in store for a very good fantasy season. In fact, this is one of my favorite picks in this draft even though a lot of people don’t even know who he is. Steals, threes, rebounds, assists, some blocks and low turnovers should all be fun.
Markelle Fultz was intriguing here and it will be interesting to see if he can build on last season’s success. I’d be a lot more excited about him if he didn’t have to deal with teammates like Cole Anthony, Anthony Black and Jalen Suggs. They only play with one basketball, unfortunately.
Round 9
- 97. Chris Paul GSW PG
- 98. Tre Jones SAS PG
- 99. Mitchell Robinson NYK C
- 100. Tobias Harris PHI F
- 101. Keegan Murray SAC F
- 102. Andrew Wiggins GSW F
- 103. Onyeka Okongwu ATL C
- 104. Wendell Carter Jr. ORL C
- 105. John Collins UTA PF
- 106. Spencer Dinwiddie BKN PG
- 107. Jalen Duren DET C
- 108. Jusuf Nurkic POR C
Tre Jones, along with Tyus Jones, is one of my favorite cheap point guards. He should be running the offense and will be the guy feeding Wemby and Keldon Johnson early and often. Jones doubled his scoring and assists from the previous season last year, played in 68 games and should have a clear path to 30 minutes a game this year. He also doesn’t turn the ball over and is a good shooter from everywhere but does lack a quality 3-point shot. Maybe he’ll shoot more of them this season.
I like the John Collins pick here in Round 9. He’s getting a much-needed fresh start in Utah and while he’ll have to deal with guys like Kessler and Lauri Markkanen, I have a gut feeling that a bounce-back season is coming.
Round 10
- 109. P.J. Washington CHA PF
- 110. Klay Thompson GSW SG/SF
- 111. Bobby Portis MIL PF/C
- 112. Russell Westbrook LAC PG
- 113. Jaden McDaniels MIN F
- 114. Richaun Holmes DAL PF/C
- 115. D’Angelo Russell LAL G
- 116. Zach Collins SAS C
- 117. Gary Trent Jr. TOR G
- 118. Keldon Johnson SAS SG/SF
- 119. Bruce Brown IND G/SF
- 120. Jordan Clarkson UTA G
I was pleased to get Bruce Brown late in Round 10 after the Pacers paid him all that money this summer. He’s a savvy veteran who could be a glue guy on both ends of the court for Indy and I’m still not convinced he’s going to come off the bench. Brown’s another guy who does a little bit of everything, doesn’t turn the ball over and could take a step forward for his new team. He also played in 80 games last season. I really didn’t love anyone else taken in this round although it will be interesting to see if McDaniels can take a step forward for the Wolves this season.
Round 11
- 121. Ben Simmons BKN G/PF
- 122. Immanuel Quickley NYK G
- 123. Aaron Gordon DEN PF
- 124. Ausar Thompson DET SG/SF
- 125. Herbert Jones NOP F
- 126. Malcolm Brogdon BOS G
- 127. Ivica Zubac LAC C
- 128. RJ Barrett NYK SG/SF
- 129. Jonas Valanciunas NOP C
- 130. Kevin Huerter SAC SG/SF
- 131. Mike Conley MIN PG
- 132. Brandon Miller CHA SF
I was pleased to see Ben Simmons go just before my pick, because I might have been tempted to take him, against my better judgment. I have a mini goal of not drafting Simmons this season and so far, I’m 1-for-1 in that category. Quickley nearly won Sixth Man of the Year last season and should be even more confident this time around. Ausar Thompson went before his brother (Amen Thompson) in this early mock, but I doubt that happens very often once draft season is officially here. Is RJ Barrett a good player? I still haven’t decided.
Round 12
- 133. Kyle Anderson MIN F
- 134. Bojan Bogdanovic DET SG/SF
- 135. Collin Sexton UTA G
- 136. Jaden Ivey DET G
- 137. Jarace Walker IND PF
- 138. Dennis Schroder TOR PG
- 139. Bennedict Mathurin IND SG/SF
- 140. Amen Thompson HOU SF
- 141. Al Horford BOS PF/C
- 142. Kevin Porter Jr. HOU G
- 143. Obi Toppin IND PF
- 144. Josh Hart NYK SG/SF
I finished things off with Obi Toppin and his new role in Indiana. I have no idea if he will blow up or not, but he’ll at least be fun to watch running the court with Haliburton and the Pacers. Amen Thompson went in this round, but he’ll be going earlier this fall after his big Summer League. Keep an eye on Dennis Schroder, who may be running the offense all season in Toronto with Fred VanVleet in Houston. Lastly, Kevin Porter Jr. has run into some disturbing legal troubles and may not even play this season.