My First Fantasy Basketball Draft

I am an avid fantasy basketball fan and I decided to go through how one of my drafts went.  I typically join multiple ESPN fantasy basketball leagues and tonight I had my first draft.  I am not planning on discussing this with other drafts I do because my mindset typically remains around the same after the first few rounds.  This league is a 10-team head-to-head league (so it is looking at the sum of fantasy points and not dividing it by category).  The draft was a snake draft, and no teams did auto draft for most of the draft (something that rarely happens in the leagues I join).  I had the 8^th pick of the draft, meaning that I also had the 8^th pick of every odd round and the 3^rd pick of every even round. 

 

Pick 8:  Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers

When I wound up with the 8^th pick, I knew I would miss guys like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic, and Luka Doncic, but I was hopeful that Damian Lillard would slip.  Ultimately, Lillard was drafted 5^th and LeBron James (ranked 8^th) was drafted 7^th, so Davis slipped to 8^th.  I think he will be in consideration for MVP this season and I previously said I would consider picking him with the top pick.  Some other guys near the top are listed in the image below, but I didn’t hesitate to draft Davis when he was available

 

 

Pick 13:  Ben Simmons, Philadelphia 76ers

There are certain players I have historically loved drafting depending on the year; some of these players include Nicolas Batum, Lauri Markkanen, and Joe Ingles.  Simmons has been one of my favorites to draft ever since his rookie year.  My favorite part about him is that he puts up high volume numbers in rebounding and assists so a bad shooting night will likely return a positive value.  The only player I didn’t consider out of those in the screenshot is Russell Westbrook since he likely will miss several back-to-back games.  I ultimately passed on several of the other players due to so much value being placed on their scoring while that isn’t a fear I have with Simmons.  The main thing to consider is that he had some injury issues last season.

 

Pick 28:  Bam Adebayo, Miami Heat

This was the first pick that I had to seriously consider.  I previously recommended passing on Pascal Siakam in a blog post for a few reasons (including decreased efficiency), but he can do a lot, so I considered him.  I also considered Deandre Ayton and Ja Morant, but I was worried if Ayton’s defense could regress and worried about Morant’s numbers while playing without Jaren Jackson Jr., who is currently injured.  Adebayo is an efficient scorer, gets strong rebounding numbers, puts up the defensive numbers, and passes well for a big man.  I decided his filler numbers were the right decision.

Pick 33:  DeMar DeRozan, San Antonio Spurs

This was another one I was stumped on.  I wasn’t sold on Nikola Vucevic (potential to be traded), Tobias Harris (uncertainty about role this year), Rudy Gobert (uncertain about offensive numbers), D’Angelo Russell (uncertainty regarding fit of entire team), Chris Paul (injury history), and Kyle Lowry (some injury reasons and some age reasons).  I almost drafted Fred VanVleet (ranked 42^nd) here, but I decided to go with DeRozan due to his high scoring numbers and increased efficiency.

Pick 48:  Fred VanVleet, Toronto Raptors

After I ultimately decided not to go with VanVleet at 33, I lucked out and he fell to me at 48.  I picked him because he played well last year, and I expect him to continue to thrive in a potentially expanded role as he improves and Kyle Lowry continues to age.  I also felt like Kelly Oubre Jr., De’Aaron Fox, and CJ McCollum were worth serious consideration, but I figured I could end up with one of them in the next round.  There could be nights where VanVleet will have fewer than 10 fantasy points, but there will be many others he has at least 30.

 

Pick 53:  Kelly Oubre Jr., Golden State Warriors

I expect Oubre to play a major role for the Warriors this year, so I opted to select him here.  There were a few others I considered:  Kyle Lowry, CJ McCollum, Malcolm Brogdon, and Jaylen Brown (#86).  I ultimately decided I would likely be able to get Brown in a future round and that Oubre would be the most reliable guy out of the other players.  He will likely have nights where he struggles, but I expect he will overall put up strong numbers as a number 2 guy.

Pick 68:  Jerami Grant, Detroit Pistons

This selection is the first pick that I would consider a gamble, which is normally around the time I take some risks.  I wanted to draft Jaylen Brown (#86) with this pick or my next pick, but he was selected at the beginning of this round.  Ultimately, I went with Grant, a player I had been eyeing for a couple rounds since it sounds like he will have an expanded role in Detroit’s offense compared to his role in Denver last season.  I expect he will have his struggles in the new role, but I figured the upside is enticing, especially if Derrick Rose is traded and Blake Griffin remains frequently injured.

Pick 73:  Dennis Schroder, Los Angeles Lakers

I wasn’t totally in love with anyone at this selection that made sense, but I ultimately debated between two picks:  Schroder and Mike Conley.  I think Schroder will play a major role in L.A. whether he is starting or coming off the bench while Conley is coming off a rough season so it’s a little riskier.  While a player such as Al Horford might be enticing, I don’t know what is counting numbers will be in Oklahoma City given how bad I expect the team to be.

Pick 88:  Mike Conley, Utah Jazz

I felt like Conley made the most sense at this pick because he drastically slipped after a poor year last year.  I believe he has the potential to be one of the top three options of a strong Utah team and potentially put up 18 PPG and 6 APG.  Most other players I wanted were guys I figured I could get with my next pick and several other guys available I had doubts due to my uncertainty in their role of the offense.  I decided that at this point, Conley was worth the risk.

Pick 93:  Collin Sexton, Cleveland Cavaliers

I ultimately went with Sexton even though there were several guys ranked higher in ESPN’s rankings that were still available.  Ultimately, I passed on Josh Richardson, Tyrese Haliburton, Donte DiVincenzo, Mason Plumlee, and Caris LeVert because I don’t know what their role in the offense will be, Marcus Smart because he can be a bit of a streaky shooter and I was a little nervous about what looks he would get if Kemba Walker is out for a long time, Dejounte Murray because there are a lot of younger guards and wings fighting for playing time on the Spurs, and Markelle Fultz because I don’t know if Orlando would want him and Cole Anthony playing together.  I went with Sexton because he averaged over 20 PPG last season, is a decent shooter, and I figure the addition of Isaac Okoro would allow more fast break buckets for Sexton considering his speed.

Pick 108:  Kevin Love, Cleveland Cavaliers

This selection was simple for me:  in the 11^th round, if I can get a guy who can rebound and score, I will take him.  There are questions about his health, his willingness to remain in Cleveland, the plethora of talented forwards/centers on the team, and his role if he is traded this year.  Ultimately, I decided that Love’s potential ceiling was a no brainer and if he struggles, I won’t mind waiving him considering how late I drafted him.

Pick 113:  Joe Ingles, Utah Jazz

Like Ben Simmons, Slow-Mo Joe is another guy I always try to obtain every year.  He doesn’t put up mind-boggling numbers, but he will typically get you 10-5-4 for PPG/APG/RPG.  He’s a good shooter as well, so I typically am excited to pick him up as my final pick.  I figured he would probably be drafted before my next pick if I passed on him though, so I snatched him then.  I consider him to be good value late in the draft because he quietly fills the stat sheet.  I am not worried about the fact that he will likely come off the bench, especially now that he is reunited with a former pick-and-roll partner in Derrick Favors.

Pick 128:  Dillon Brooks, Memphis Grizzlies

Typically, a guy like Joe Ingles is my go-to final pick, so this felt like a bit of uncharted territory here.  I briefly considered drafting Kendrick Nunn, but I was nervous about his role after Dragic thrived in the Bubble while starting.  I was torn between P.J. Washington and Dillon Brooks; I don’t know which offensive option Washington will be after the addition of Gordon Hayward so his points make me nervous, but Brooks doesn’t typically provide much value outside of scoring.  I mainly went with Brooks because of the potential for an increased role if Jaren Jackson Jr. misses a substantial amount of time (this would likely make him the second option instead of the third option).  I didn’t draft any of the other guys in the image below because I am uncertain about their roles this season.

That is my first fantasy team of the season.  I’m not in love with it compared to teams I’ve had other years, but I think I made some smart draft picks, had some luck with players falling, and took some risks that feel safer than the ones I normally take.  It is always possible that Covid-19 or injuries ruin my team, but that is going to be tough to predict, especially which teams will have Covid outbreaks.  Ultimately, we’ll have to see how this turns out.

 

What players are you excited about for fantasy?  Are there some that you are excited or nervous about?  Are there any players that I discussed above that you disagree about?  Let me know in the comments!