2022 Draft Guide: 12-Team, 8-Cat H2H Mock Draft Review
Recently we ran a 12-team, 8-cat mock with SportsEthos readers. The community response was awesome and I personally had a good time hanging in the draft chat with the crew that showed up. It’s a good way for us to interact and shoot the breeze while also getting to work on the craft a little bit, so keep an eye out for future mocks and hop into a SportsEthos reader league if you’re feeling antsy!
We had terrific turnout for a late-night draft on a Sunday night (October 9), with 11 of 12 people checking in for the dance. Consider that one auto-drafter good practice for the person who inevitably misses your real drafts — that team always seems to snipe at least one of your picks, too. This was a standard Yahoo league with none of the settings adjusted, aside from removing turnovers as a category.
We’ll go through each round and talk about some general thoughts, either specific players or draft positions or strategies that struck me as particularly interesting. I’ll highlight some of my own thought process as we go too, since (hopefully) I had a better grip on my plans than anyone else as we were drafting away.
Round 1
1 – Carl M’s Choice Team: Nikola Jokic
2 – White Rabbit: Giannis Antetokounmpo
3 – Mike’s Marvelous Team (yours truly): Kevin Durant
4 – WrongWayRicky: Joel Embiid
5 – Bones Brigade (the auto-drafter): Luka Doncic
6 – Scrubs: Jayson Tatum
7 – Bill’s Brilliant Team: James Harden
8 – RedNation’s Mystique: LaMelo Ball
9 – Fantasy Basketball PH: Karl-Anthony Towns
10 – Matt M’s Claw Move: Damian Lillard
11 – Tom’s Terrific Team: Steph Curry
12 – Mr Enygma: Trae Young
This was a pretty interesting first round, even if it featured just about all of the expected names. We were talking in the draft chat about how wide-open things become after Nikola Jokic — you can convince me of almost anyone between Nos. 5 and 14 this year. As someone who likes having teams that are pretty good in seven categories instead of trying to punt my way to a 5-4 win every week, I went with Kevin Durant at No. 3. There’s no weak spots to his game and a guy like KD allows you to shift your statistical focus as the draft goes on and value opens up.
The other player I was considering, and the most surprising name on the board here, was Steph Curry. He took quite a tumble down to No. 10, which is by far the lowest I’ve seen him go throughout draft season. Don’t expect to see him fall that far in most drafts, but it’s clearly a possibility. The one name that might surprise people in the first round is Karl-Anthony Towns, who went to Fantasy Basketball PG at No. 9. Usually that’s Tyrese Haliburton’s (well earned) spot, though KAT has a long enough track record of being an elite producer, and a skill set that should fit well enough next to Rudy Gobert, to easily envision him meeting this draft price.
Round 2
1 (13) – Mr Enygma: Tyrese Haliburton
2 (14) – Tom’s Terrific Team: Anthony Davis
3 (15) – Matt M’s Claw Move: Kyrie Irving
4 (16) – Fantasy Basketball PH: Dejounte Murray
5 (17) – RedNation’s Mystique: Devin Booker
6 (18) – Bill’s Brilliant Team: Paul George
7 (19) – Scrubs: Darius Garland
8 (20) – Bones Brigade: Anthony Edwards
9 (21) – WrongWayRicky: Fred VanVleet
10 (22) – Mike’s Marvelous Team: LeBron James
11 (23) – White Rabbit: Ja Morant
12 (24) – Carl M’s Choice Team: Kawhi Leonard
There goes Haliburton, who is basically a first-rounder without the official distinction of being a first-rounder. That figures to be a pretty good value for a guard with top-15 production under his belt who now has a starring role lined up — not to mention his own continued development pointing to even better play in the coming years.
Anthony Davis went a little bit higher than I’ve been seeing, but he’s got immense upside and a better-constructed Lakers roster could help him out, as should all the missed games last year. A long layoff hopefully means he’s starting the year with a clean slate. It’s early, but AD could become a top-5 monster again at the drop of a hat and as long as he avoids devastating injuries, Tom will likely end up content.
Garland at No. 19 overall may seem aggressive, but remember that this is 8-cat and his turnovers are not a negative here. That’ll also ease the concerns with Ja Morant, who might’ve checked in a little bit high, though that’s just the price you’ll have to pay if you want in on the action. His fantasy seasons have had a decent amount of variability to them with efficiency as the swing factor, but there’s nothing wrong with betting on talent.
I decided to go with LeBron James here, with his style of play helping to make up for a few assists while still delivering solid-to-huge returns in every other category besides free throws. A KD-LeBron start had me wishing this was a real team and not just a fantasy one.
Round 3
1 (25) – Carl M’s Choice Team: Domantas Sabonis
2 (26) – White Rabbit: Bam Adebayo
3 (27) – Mike’s Marvelous Team: Pascal Siakam
4 (28) – WrongWayRicky: Cade Cunningham
5 (29) – Bones Brigade: Donovan Mitchell
6 (30) – Scrubs: Chris Paul
7 (31) – Bill’s Brilliant Team: Rudy Gobert
8 (32) – RedNation’s Mystique: Myles Turner
9 (33) – Fantasy Basketball PH: Bradley Beal
10 (34) – Matt M’s Claw Move: Jimmy Butler
11 (35) – Tom’s Terrific Team: Nikola Vucevic
12 (36) – Mr Enygma: Jarrett Allen
Full disclosure, I was really hoping to get Kawhi Leonard here. I thought all the load management might scare people off but he went at the end of the second round, dashing my dreams (that’s going to happen a lot soon). In the end, I was deciding between Pascal Siakam, Cade Cunningham and Chris Paul. I nearly went Paul to try and get back towards the top of the board in assists, but ultimately went with Siakam’s upside and all-around game. Cunningham was a close second, but I valued Siakam’s consistency as a borderline early-round guy and felt that he fit best with my team as it was being constructed. I don’t have doubts that Cunningham will get to this point eventually, but philosophically I prefer a little more security in the early rounds — I’ll take my upside swings later, when the extra draft research starts to give you a real edge. At this point, assists, blocks and triples stood out to me as categories I might want to pay a little more attention to moving ahead.
I though that the Adebayo pick was a little high — I don’t believe the assists that made him a second-rounder are coming back again this year, and while talk of him being a more involved offensive player is generally positive, it could have a negative impact on his field goal percentage, lead to more free throw attempts (which could go either way) and possibly lead to him conserving energy on defense. For this all to work, Adebayo is going to have to prove that he can handle being a big-time offensive threat — something I’m just not sold on entirely.
The Vucevic pick intrigues me. He’s still a good player and as sturdy as it gets for fantasy purposes, but I did think that there were some other bigs with similar floors and higher upsides (namely Deandre Ayton) that might’ve come off the board before him. Vooch will give you more threes, which probably better suits a team that has Curry and AD, so it makes sense in context.
Jimmy Butler looks like a nice value here though you’ll always have to worry about absences. Between Kyrie Irving and Butler, Matt might have a few total dud weeks to navigate, but he also has a shot at three players who will end up in the top-10 in terms of per-game value.
In a similar fashion, while Fantasy Basketball PH raised eyebrows with KAT in round one, snagging Beal in round three gives him as good a shot as anybody at having three first-round values by season’s end with Towns, Dejounte Murray and Beal.
We got the mini run on blocks here, with the game’s elite swatters all out of the picture by the end of round three, which feels about right. Mr Enygma has now paired two elite guards with Jarrett Allen, which is sort of what the Cavs are trying to do as well.
Round 4
1 (37) – Mr Enygma: Kristaps Porzingis
2 (38) – Tom’s Terrific Team: DeMar DeRozan
3 (39) – Matt M’s Claw Move: Zach LaVine
4 (40) – Fantasy Basketball PH: Zion Williamson
5 (41) – RedNation’s Mystique: Jaylen Brown
6 (42) – Bill’s Brilliant Team: Deandre Ayton
7 (43) – Scrubs: Evan Mobley
8 (44) – Bones Brigade: Jrue Holiday
9 (45) – WrongWayRicky: De’Aaron Fox
10 (46) – Mike’s Marvelous Team: Terry Rozier
11 (47) – White Rabbit: Scottie Barnes
12 (48) – Carl M’s Choice Team: Khris Middleton
I sort of love the Porzingis pick. It’s a mock so there’s a little less pressure, but he’s a top-25 per-game guy and if you can somehow guess the year where he stays healthy, you’ve got an incredible value on your hands. Would I personally feel comfortable with it? No chance — slow and steady early, for me — but I think it can work. It also gives Mr Enygma a real chance at being a top team in blocks with KP and Allen together — nobody double-dipped with two elite blockers yet, so it’s still pretty open.
After that things went about as expected — I don’t expect DeRozan to meet last year’s numbers again but it’s hard to argue with his consistency, and you know he’ll be within shouting distance of this draft slot. LaVine’s knee injuries haven’t been a talking point and this feels pretty reasonable for him, too. The Zion situation has a chance to crash and burn, but there’s no doubting that he has the makings of a top-50 option (or better) one day. Plus, adding Williamson to a team with KAT, Murray and Beal should help offset his free throw problems, even if it’ll take FBPH down from elite FT% range.
Jrue Holiday is shaping up as one of my favorite picks in drafts, simply because he’s a set-and-forget guy that’s going to outdo his ADP. You know what you’re getting into with him and it’s all good, even with some annoying Milwaukee rest days baked in.
Going with De’Aaron Fox and Cunningham is fairly risky, as WrongWayRicky now has a pair of guys who haven’t proven they can meet these draft slots in their careers. It’s another big bet on upside, though it’s easier to see things working out with Cunningham. Fox has had the reins in Sacramento before and he’s topped out a little below this and the hope has to be that the team’s improved floor spacing can help him take another leap. It’s always been one thing or another with Fox — last year his free throws rebounded but his steals dipped, but with Haliburton gone, you can bank on the assists increasing. If the steals come back up, Fox does have a shot at meeting this 8-cat rank.
I decided to go with Rozier as the top-level guards were starting to vanish, and he fit into my team’s build as a good scorer with non-harmful percentages, while also giving me the added boost of chipping in some more triples and dimes. At this point it was clear I wouldn’t be winning assists every week, but between him, LeBron and the guys I could continue to pick up, I was aiming to avoid a total zero in that department.
Round 5
1 (49) – Carl M’s Choice Team: Brandon Ingram
2 (50) – White Rabbit: Christian Wood
3 (51) – Mike’s Marvelous Team: CJ McCollum
4 (52) – WrongWayRicky: Draymond Green
5 (53) – Bones Brigade: Desmond Bane
6 (54) – Scrubs: John Collins
7 (55) – Bill’s Brilliant Team: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
8 (56) – RedNation’s Mystique: Josh Giddey
9 (57) – Fantasy Basketball PH: Jalen Brunson
10 (58) – Matt M’s Claw Move: OG Anunoby
11 (59) – Tom’s Terrific Team: Mikal Bridges
12 (60) – Mr Enygma: Alperen Sengun
You’ll never guess who was counting on having either Barnes or Middleton available at the start of round five…
Suffice it to say that I love the idea of Middleton anywhere after pick No. 40. I ended up going with McCollum, again picking up a high-scorer who can do his damage without killing your FG%. I’m excited to see what he looks like as a lead playmaker for really the first time, and I’m also willing to completely wave away last season’s free throws as an aberration. To this point, outside of the scoring column my team doesn’t have any real standouts, but it’s grabbing enough out-of-position stats thanks to the versatility of its forward core that I was feeling alright about my odds every week, with plenty of room to continue tweaking things. Basically, all of my picks should elicit “yeah sure, I get it” at their draft slots. I knew I could win points every week with this group, and beat the guard-based teams in FG% and rebounds while beating the big-based teams in assists, steals and threes. As for other teams built to be well-rounded? A LeBron-KD foundation gives me plenty of hope.
The Christian Wood pick is way too soon. The only way he comes close to this is if he starts hitting free throws or you ignore them entirely — which White Rabbit isn’t necessarily built to do. Is it possible that playing for a good team empowers Wood to play better real-life basketball, ensuring him enough usage to remain a middle-round guy? Sure. Is it likely? Up in the air. Add in the bench role, decreased usage as a secondary scorer and those free throws, and he’s a fade for me barring a crazy drop.
The Draymond Green pick lit up the chat, with Isaac himself (WrongWayRicky’s fearless leader) admitting that he wasn’t in love with the selection. The Jordan Poole situation throws a massive wrench into things, but before that you could at least squint and see Green balling out when he’s extension eligible, especially as younger teammates start passing him on the cap sheet. That’s two picks in a row from WWR that I’m not sold on, and as of now it seems like he’s deciding to forgo the rebounding edge that he started with after drafting Embiid.
The back-to-back Thunder guys are frightening. Everyone in the draft chat agreed on that one, with plenty of love for the players but no faith in the organization to make them available. Gilgeous-Alexander was a name I considered in round four, but didn’t have the stomach to follow through. It’s just going to be too hard to try and replace him if he disappears for 25 games. He’s a top-25 per-game guy that you just can’t fathom picking inside the top-50. Giddey is a fun upside bet for RedNation, if a shade early, but between him and LaMelo Ball this team is atop the Fantasy League Pass rankings. Right now RedNation’s Mystique is a backcourt based team that has Myles Turner doing all the lifting up front.
Love Anunoby and Bridges here. Great spot and both guys should be able to return good value. Perfect complementary players for most roster builds.
Brunson has the weight of the world on his shoulders this year and there are valid questions about how he’ll manage as the guy who has to keep everything running smoothly rather than the guy who can do so while playing off Luka Doncic. He’s got a shot at this draft slot but it’s too early to be called a safe bet.
With Sengun on the heels of an aggressive Porzingis pick, Mr Enygma has introduced a ton of variability into things. A big leap is expected but we’re still talking about a second-year player who wasn’t even that much of a per-minute dynamo as a rookie. In his favor are the facts that his defense was better than anticipated and that an improving Rockets roster should better capitalize on his playmaking punch. This feels a round or two too early but we’re in the weird part of the draft where you’re chasing your specific guys while still trying to add to the core of your roster — if you miss in the 10th round, it’s an easy drop, here not so much — and I don’t have any problems with managers drafting with real conviction. Plant your flag and all that.
Round 6
1 (61) – Mr Enygma: Devin Vassell
2 (62) – Tom’s Terrific Team: Jalen Green
3 (63) – Matt M’s Claw Move: Jonas Valanciunas
4 (64) – Fantasy Basketball PH: Al Horford
5 (65) – RedNation’s Mystique: Michael Porter Jr.
6 (66) – Bill’s Brilliant Team: Keldon Johnson
7 (67) – Scrubs: Tyrese Maxey
8 (68) – Bones Brigade: Tobias Harris
9 (69) – WrongWayRicky: Kevin Porter Jr.
10 (70) – Mike’s Marvelous Team: Jakob Poeltl
11 (71) – White Rabbit: Ben Simmons
12 (72) – Carl M’s Choice Team: Jordan Poole
Really like Vassell here, really not into Green at this price. Volume guards have made big efficiency gains from year one to year two plenty of times in the past — it happened twice in Cleveland lately, and those cats ended up being pretty good — but I have doubts about the profit margin at this spot. It feels like he’ll need to make a big leap just to get here. Still, Tom’s Terrific Team is made up of pretty dependable players until now, so a little risk is acceptable.
I’m skeptical that Horford can repeat last season’s feat. The talk of his minutes being monitored came down before all the injuries but I still think that the Celtics will do what they can in that department, and they have enough guard depth to really lean into small-ball if they want to. It’s not an unreasonable pick, but I’d go a round later if you can.
Michael Porter Jr. is one of the more fascinating names on the board this year. The major back issues are top-of-mind, but this is a guy who was a top-30 selection in many drafts a year ago. It’s not as if the back issue is totally new, either. Missing most of a season isn’t great but it’s not as if that came out of nowhere. In essence, I’m not sure last season brought enough new information to the fore to really move off his outlook. Either you believe in him or you don’t, and if you do then MPJ is coming off the board at a spot that could turn in great value.
Not a big fan of Keldon Johnson this early. There’s reasons to believe that he can meet these heights but his general lack of defensive stats means it’s going to be difficult for him to get here unless he either addresses that overnight or becomes a plus-efficiency guy overnight. Bill’s team has enough stable producers to roll the dice here, especially if SGA somehow dodges a shutdown, but it’s unclear exactly why Johnson was the best choice. Better scorers, rebounders, 3-point shooters and defensive stat guys all came off the board after him.
Maxey came in lower than expected — I’d much rather have him than Green, to be blunt — though there’s room to question how he fits next to a healthy James Harden and not one that’s automatically in playmaking mode.
Kevin Porter Jr. is another surprise at this point in the draft. WWR is clearly punting FG% and rebounds at this point in time, which is weird to say about a team that began with Joel Embiid. KPJ can meet this if you’re punting, but again, you could’ve gotten him a couple rounds later.
I decided to go with Poeltl here (Simmons was actually my second target as a quasi-KD handcuff and a guy that could get me up the leaderboard in assists) to get one of the last certified blocks assets on the board. I was also willing to risk the FT% hit with my current roster build, though that is taking a leap of faith on McCollum, James and Siakam being better than they were a year ago.
I understand the trepidation about Poole being locked in as a middle-round guy, but he’s good enough to brush off those concerns. He’ll beat this spot.
Round 7
1 (73) – Carl M’s Choice Team: D’Angelo Russell
2 (74) – White Rabbit: Wendell Carter Jr.
3 (75) – Mike’s Marvelous Team: Klay Thompson
4 (76) – WrongWayRicky: Paolo Banchero
5 (77) – Bones Brigade: Jusuf Nurkic
6 (78) – Scrubs: Franz Wagner
7 (79) – Bill’s Brilliant Team: Jamal Murray
8 (80) – RedNation’s Mystique: Buddy Hield
9 (81) – Fantasy Basketball PH: PJ Washington
10 (82) – Matt M’s Claw Move: Clint Capela
11 (83) – Tom’s Terrific Team: Jerami Grant
12 (84) – Mr Enygma: Lauri Markkanen
Love this for Tom — I’d probably go with Grant in round six and Jalen Green here but it all worked out in the end.
Big fan of the PJ Washington pick here, too, though the team’s sudden glut of center options will lower his ceiling a little bit. He’s still a triple-one threat for steals, blocks and threes and has no challenger for his starting gig, though, so he’s tracking to meet this and then some.
Franz Wagner this late is a dream outcome. He’s a player after my own do-it-all heart. A little bit of everything with no glaring weaknesses? Sign me up.
I’m all the way out on Capela. He’s not a great fit for the style of play that Atlanta is drifting towards and he’s got durability issues bubbling just below the surface — the kind that will make him less effective even if he’s able to suit up. It also might be too late for Matt to drag his team into the block race considering his first six picks unless we get vintage Capela, which doesn’t seem likely.
I’m thrilled to get Klay Thompson here, as someone who can provide a huge lift in threes with early-round upside. Thompson was a strong per-game player last year and is now eyeing up a full season. If any of the old dudes on that team will get to call their own shot about playing as much as possible during the regular season, it’s him. Suddenly, between Durant, Rozier and McCollum, I’m feeling a lot better about winning 3-pointers a couple times a month.
Round 8
1 (85) – Mr Enygma: Jabari Smith
2 (86) – Tom’s Terrific Team: Brandon Clarke
3 (87) – Matt M’s Claw Move: Herb Jones
4 (88) – Fantasy Basketball PH: Tyler Herro
5 (89) – RedNation’s Mystique: Mitchell Robinson
6 (90) – Bill’s Brilliant Team: Marcus Smart
7 (91) – Scrubs: Keegan Murray
8 (92) – Bones Brigade: Robert Williams (autodraft, remember)
9 (93) – WrongWayRicky: Julius Randle
10 (94) – Mike’s Marvelous Team: Gary Trent Jr.
11 (95) – White Rabbit: Collin Sexton
12 (96) – Carl M’s Choice Team: Monte Morris
Another round with very few quibbles. I was thrilled to get GTJ this deep into the draft, and he’ll provide a big boost to threes and steals as the roster continues to round out.
Mitchell Robinson might be a shade early but he’s the last real impact blocks guy available, so your mileage will vary. Monte Morris is boring and might struggle to meet this on a per-game basis, but he’s one of the last real bankable assist guys out there and will get here on totals.
The one surprise is that Sexton ended up lasting this long; he seems to be climbing up boards given his new opportunity in Utah. Either way, this is a reasonable spot for him value-wise, as I personally find it hard to believe he’ll jump right into top-70 value even with all that runway in front of him.
Round 9
1 (97) – Carl M’s Choice Team: Anfernee Simons
2 (98) – White Rabbit: Jalen Smith
3 (99) – Mike’s Marvelous Team: Onyeka Okongwu
4 (100) – WrongWayRicky: Jaren Jackson Jr.
5 (101) – Bones Brigade: Saddiq Bey
6 (102) – Scrubs: Andrew Wiggins
7 (103) – Bill’s Brilliant Team: Gordon Hayward
8 (104) – RedNation’s Mystique: Bobby Portis
9 (105) – Fantasy Basketball PH: Nicolas Claxton
10 (106) – Matt M’s Claw Move: Tre Jones
11 (107) – Tom’s Terrific Team: Jarred Vanderbilt
12 (108) – Mr Enygma: Kyle Kuzma
The first three picks in this round are great upside shots. The concern with Simons is that his numbers last year were a product of stepping into Damian Lillard-shaped shoes, but that doesn’t do him justice as a player. The Blazers are going to let him cook and will need his scoring punch, so Simons shouldn’t have trouble outdoing this draft slot comfortably.
Smith is another guy in a similar mold; he’s going to breeze past this as long as his 3-point shooting stays near league average, and that’s not even counting for the bump he’ll get from the inevitable Myles Turner trade.
If I’m all the way out on Capela, it’s only logical that I’m all the way in on Okongwu. OO is primed for a big season and I’m banking on him to build on last year’s numbers in a larger role — namely the 5.6 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 20.9 mpg. I nearly went with Claxton here, since his only real competition in the Brooklyn frontcourt is himself, but ended up going with OO. I think he’s more indispensable to Atlanta than the ClaxMan is to the Nets, and I also feel that he’ll have a longer leash to make mistakes given the urgency in Brooklyn.
Wiggins and Hayward floated down here as steadier, older guys with some flaws in their games who got passed by upside and youth. Both should be able to return good value at their respective spots, with Hayward a pretty solid bet for top-80 per-game numbers. The absences are the big concern there, and while you can pencil him in for at least 15 missed games, you can never predict them perfectly.
I’ve seen Tre Jones go higher in other spots but this feels like a good place for him. His stat set speaks to a decent floor in his new role, but he’s not exactly teeming with upside either. There’s enough profit margin here to like the pick.
Round 10
1 (109) – Mr Enygma: Kyle Lowry
2 (110) – Tom’s Terrific Team: Malcolm Brogdon
3 (111) – Matt M’s Claw Move: Isaiah Hartenstein
4 (112) – Fantasy Basketball PH: RJ Barrett
5 (113) – RedNation’s Mystique: Russell Westbrook
6 (114) – Bill’s Brilliant Team: Brook Lopez
7 (115) – Scrubs: Isaiah Jackson
8 (116) – Bones Brigade: Ivica Zubac
9 (117) – WrongWayRicky: Cameron Johnson
10 (118) – Mike’s Marvelous Team: Kelly Olynyk
11 (119) – White Rabbit: Josh Hart
12 (120) – Carl M’s Choice Team: Bojan Bogdanovic
The one pick I didn’t care for at first blush is RJ Barrett, though you can talk yourself into it by looking at the rest of FBPH’s squad. Any team with Zion Williamson and Nic Claxton is going to have a hard time competing in FT% anyway, and it’s possible that the efficient group of KAT, Zion, Dejounte Murray and Al Horford can mitigate some of Barrett’s damage to FG%. He’s basically the last guy on a 12-team draft board that has a shot at 25 points per game, so you can see the logic behind it even if Barrett’s inefficiency may do more harm than good overall.
Perhaps a recent thumb sprain scared people off, otherwise there’s no reason Cam Johnson should be going this late. We’re in the part of the draft where you can generally just pick who you like, ranks aside, but Johnson’s going to outperform this easily. Nice steal this late.
Isiaah Jackson is another nice pickup, and if Scrubs can afford to be patient he could end up with a top-80 guy on the year. Jackson can be a big time presence in the paint and how quickly he reaches his ceiling rides on how fast the Pacers find a taker for Myles Turner. He’ll be a late-round player as a backup either way.
Zubac is a plodder but he’s consistent and has as little competition for playing time as he’s ever had. Look for him to finish closer to the top-100 than the top-130.
Hart is another player who does a lot of things well. He’s going to be squeezed on a deeper Blazers roster but his history of standing out regardless of teammates is a big point in his favor. One or two injuries and he’ll be on a rocket to the moon.
Russell Westbrook is a real gamble, even in 8-cat, and even this deep into the proceedings, but if things somehow get fixed in LA he’ll be a great add this late. The trick with Westbrook is not being afraid to drop him if things go south.
Round 11
1 (121) – Carl M’s Choice Team: Mike Conley
2 (122) – White Rabbit: De’Anthony Melton
3 (123) – Mike’s Marvelous Team: Dorian Finney-Smith
4 (124) – WrongWayRicky: Jalen Suggs
5 (125) – Bones Brigade: Harrison Barnes
6 (126) – Scrubs: Bennedict Mathurin
7 (127) – Bill’s Brilliant Team: Cole Anthony
8 (128) – RedNation’s Mystique: Jaden McDaniels
9 (129) – Fantasy Basketball PH: Mo Bamba
10 (130) – Matt M’s Claw Move: Dillon Brooks
11 (131) – Tom’s Terrific Team: Isaiah Stewart
12 (132) – Mr Enygma: Bones Hyland
It’s clear now that people are just shooting their shots with late-round guys that they like for one reason or another. As a Mike Conley apologist I have no problems with him here, and think there’s legitimate top-100 numbers to be had — at least for part of the season.
De’Anthony Melton is as tantalizing as ever, but he went from a crowded Memphis team to backing up James Harden and Tyrese Maxey. Perhaps Doc Rivers will understand what he has better than Taylor Jenkins did.
Finney-Smith has been a favorite for a long time (check the old Draft Guide profiles, I have receipts) so it was nice to land him here. Another player who does a bit of everything with no real weak spots besides scoring, which I’ve got in spades. It’d be nice to get some more assists here but ultimately I felt that getting DFS’ assistance in a few categories would be more beneficial than someone who will only help in one — realistically, the guards left at this point are either one-trick ponies or backups who’ll need a little help (hi, TJ McConnell).
And in the tradition of tending to go for security, I chose Finney-Smith over Jaden McDaniels, who looks like he can provide a lot of the same package, just with more question marks and a higher ceiling.
People are down on Bamba but this is a good spot for him. The rotation concerns might be a little bit overblown here and his shooting ability will get him on the floor more often than you might expect. He’s still capable of a top-100 season, even after all Orlando added.
Round 12
1 (133) – Mr Enygma: Tari Eason
2 (134) – Tom’s Terrific Team: Chris Duarte
3 (135) – Matt M’s Claw Move: JaVale McGee
4 (136) – Fantasy Basketball PH: Jaden Ivey
5 (137) – RedNation’s Mystique: Steven Adams
6 (138) – Bill’s Brilliant Team: Norman Powell
7 (139) – Scrubs: Mark Williams
8 (140) – Bones Brigade: Alex Caruso
9 (141) – WrongWayRicky: Bogdan Bogdanovic
10 (142) – Mike’s Marvelous Team: Robert Covington
11 (143) – White Rabbit: Spencer Dinwiddie
12 (144) – Carl M’s Choice Team: Markelle Fultz
Eason is a good pick here and if his offense is even close to NBA-ready he’ll be a candidate for steal of the draft. His record of defensive output is the stuff of fantasy hoops dreams, and the Rockets could really use a defensive live wire like that. Eason should have every opportunity to put his stamp on nightly minutes.
I’m not expecting vintage Robert Covington or anything but he’s a great fit for what the Clippers are trying to do, plus the backup center spot is up for grabs and you know the team’s star forwards will miss some games. He’s not going to tilt the scales in a major way but his blend of steals, blocks and triples, which I’ve been hunting for in the back half of the draft, will help a lot. I didn’t expect to see him this late.
Most of this round is a mix of older guys with late-round ceilings and young guys who are swings for the fences. In that regard it’s hard to be critical, and you can tailor your own strategy to whatever unfolds earlier in the draft. I, for example, would’ve strongly considered Eason over Covington had I been given the chance.
Round 13
1 (145) – Carl M’s Choice Team: Kelly Oubre
2 (146) – White Rabbit: Aleksej Pokusevski
3 (147) – Mike’s Marvelous Team: Patrick Beverley
4 (148) – WrongWayRicky: Chuma Okeke
5 (149) – Bones Brigade: Tyus Jones
6 (150) – Scrubs: Jordan Clarkson
7 (151) – Bill’s Brilliant Team: Lu Dort
8 (152) – RedNation’s Mystique: Kevin Huerter
9 (153) – Fantasy Basketball PH: Grant Williams
10 (154) – Matt M’s Claw Move: De’Andre Hunter
11 (155) – Tom’s Terrific Team: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
12 (156) – Mr Enygma: Santi Aldama
This is the batch of players that you can drop immediately and not think too hard about; your last roster spot or two should be rotating spaces where you can cycle through specialists that you need any given week or try to catch lightning in a bottle with a waiver claim.
Some of my favorite picks here are Aldama, Huerter (love the role even if he doesn’t have the highest ceiling), Oubre and Clarkson.
I decided to go with Beverley, mainly because I felt a little thin at guard and know that he’ll give me helpful rebounds, assists, steals, threes and good blocks for a guard. I almost went with Ayo Dosunmu, who is likely drafted in all leagues now that it’s looking like he’ll be the starter, but decided that Beverley’s areas of strength suited my squad a bit better than Ayo’s scoring upside. The other guy under consideration was Chris Boucher, though it came down to positional flexibility.
And there you have it!
Final Thoughts
While I obviously like the team I came away with for its balance and dependability, there were a few others that I thought did well.
One of my favorite fantasy rosters ended up belonging to Mr Enygma, with a core of Young, Haliburton and Allen, and plenty of upside thanks to the group of Porzingis, Smith, Sengun, Markkanen, Eason and Aldama. If four of those guys hit this will be a good team, and five makes them very dangerous, though it will obviously live and die by the backcourt.
Carl M’s Choice Team is also one that should be a threat to anyone; a foundation of Jokic and Sabonis basically means two nightly double-doubles with decent assists from non-guard spots. Add in Kawhi Leonard as a third-rounder and there’s crazy potential here. His stack of later-round guards should keep him above water with dimes and steals thanks to Jokic and Sabonis’ assists, with a strong secondary core of Middleton, Poole and D’Lo bringing threes and points.
I’m also digging the looks of Scrubs after the draft, although center could be a weak spot until Isaiah Jackson can shake loose. Yahoo defaulted to Jackson and Mark Williams as the two starting centers, and although he could move John Collins and Evan Mobley into those spots and elevate Andrew Wiggins from the bench, it’ll also mean that Bennedict Mathurin or Jordan Clarkson will slide into that other vacated spot. It’s a deep team.
Hope you enjoyed getting a peek behind the curtain here. It was fun hanging out in draft chat with this group for sure, and ideally everyone was able to get a sense of how their own drafts might go, whether that’s figuring out when to reach for players against shrewd competition or how different strategies might play out. Happy drafting!
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