If you’re reading this, you’re probably missing basketball as much as me. There are a lot of things you can do with your time these days, and when we look back we’re going to wonder how we handled this. Personally, I think my peak boredom over the last month has been tightening all the screws in my doors and cabinets in my house. Without basketball for me, the best part of the last month for me was easily the DJ Premier vs. Rza IG battle. Heaven.
Thursday would have been the day after the regular season ended. We didn’t get our random Anfernee Simons 48-minute blowup or the Jordan McRae explosion from a few years ago, but most of the Rotoworld guys with some of my exceptional Twitter followers did an eight-cat mock draft.
Tommy Beer (@TommyBeer), Steve Alexander (@docktora), Ryan Knaus (@Knaus_RW), Jared Johnson (@Jae_Tha_Truth), Raphielle Johnson (@RaphielleJ) and I carried the RW flag in this draft while Landon (@LandonSilinsky), Tony (@mathskers), Sukh, Michael and Nate also went through this 13-round draft.
Here’s how our Thursday mock went with some recap and Ryan Knaus adding his thoughts a few times and Doctor A with a quick recap at the end.
Round 1
(1) Tommy - James Harden (Hou - PG,SG)
(2) Steve - Luka Doncic (Dal - PG,SG,SF)
(3) Knaus - Anthony Davis (LAL - PF,C)
(4) Landon - Giannis Antetokounmpo (Mil - SF,PF)
(5) Michael Gallagher - Karl-Anthony Towns (Min - C)
(6) Sukh - Damian Lillard (Por - PG)
(7) Alex - Nikola Jokic (Den - PF,C)
(8) Jared - Trae Young (Atl - PG)
(9) Raphielle - Stephen Curry (GS - PG,SG)
(10) Tony - Russell Westbrook (Hou - PG)
(11) Michael D - Kawhi Leonard (LAC - SG,SF)
(12) Nate - LeBron James (LAL - PG,SF,PF)
Round Recap: In an eight-cat draft, it’s really tough to make a case for anyone besides James Harden as the No. 1 pick. Sure, he’s over 30 next season, but he rarely misses games and has really shown he can do so much across the stat sheet. Even with some ownership off-court issues, it’s an easy call. After that, you can really make a case for any of the next eight guys to go from 2-9 in this eight-cat format. Just after the draft, Steve did say that going Luka Doncic at two was really for the #brand. “I don’t think I’d take Luka at two in a money league, but then again, I might,” he said. Personally, I’d have him at the end of this group. AD should really go No. 2 even in an eight-cat league, so Ryan gets off to a great start to land him at three. Giannis was actually shooting the ball well from the line after the break at 77% in his last nine games, and taking him at four could work out if you build a punt FT% team (which Landon does later). At five, I went with KAT in hopes of a bounce-back from his disaster 2019-20, but I was certainly considering Dame, Jokic and Trae. Steph at nine in an eight-cat league almost sounds crazy, but he easily has No. 1 upside on a team that should really need him to score. As hinted at above, right now it feels like picking in the top nine is where you wanna be. Westbrook has actually outscored Harden per game in 2020 and he’s making free throws lately, so he certainly makes sense here. Kawhi was No. 4 per game (Harden, AD, KAT) last year and he was fairly healthy, but you still can’t discount his injury history and degenerative knee issue as he gets older. LeBron was still a top-10 player per game last year and he’s going to be 36 next year. Truly one of a kind.
Round 2
(1) Nate - Jayson Tatum (Bos - SF,PF)
(2) Michael D - Devin Booker (Pho - PG,SG)
(3) Tony - Kevin Durant (Bkn - SF,PF)
(4) Raphielle - Bradley Beal (Was - SG)
(5) Jared - John Collins (Atl - PF,C)
(6) Alex - Joel Embiid (Phi - PF,C)
(7) Sukh - Paul George (LAC - SF,PF)
(8) Michael Gallagher - Jrue Holiday (NO - PG,SG)
(9) Landon - Ben Simmons (Phi - PG)
(10) Knaus - Jimmy Butler (Mia - SG,SF)
(11) Steve - Rudy Gobert (Uta - C)
(12) Tommy- Kristaps Porzingis (Dal - PF,C)
Round Recap: A whole lot to like in this round, and two players in particular strike me as guys I’d have taken in the first round: Jayson Tatum and Kevin Durant (I felt the same way in the last mock from last week). Tatum had been one of the hottest players in the league just as we went on this break. Over his last 14, he averaged 29.6 points, 8.0 boards, 3.2 dimes, 1.6 steals, 1.1 blocks and 4.1 treys on a 48/46/74 shooting line. He just turned 22 and I will badly want to take him if I’m not picking in the top nine when we draft next year. KD is just fantasy gold when he’s on, and he’s going to have around 16-plus months to get over his Achilles tear. Brad Beal’s splits with John Wall do bump him outside of the top 12 for me, but he’s right there given how he’s stayed so healthy while adding so much to his fantasy game. As great as Tatum in the above stretch, John Collins was actually better per game, averaging 24.5 points, 9.9 boards, 1.9 dimes, 0.9 steals, 1.4 blocks and 1.7 treys on a stupid 63/50/79 shooting line. His splits as a center suggest that his blocks will drop as he sees more time with Clint Capela, but still he has to go in the top 20 even in eight-cat formats -- great Hawk-Hawk start for Jared with him and Trae, by the way. In an eight cat, I really needed a point guard here with so many F/C still on the board, so I went with Jrue over Kemba here. Kemba had been struggling and his knee issues are starting to pile up. Meanwhile, Jrue has been a fantasy monster in his minutes with Zion Williamson, putting up per-36 stats of 19 points, 5.4 boards, 8.1 dimes, 1.9 steals, 1.0 blocks and 1.9 treys. Jimmy and PG are obvious easy picks here, and PG could have a real nice bounce back from his hammy-strained-filled season. Kristaps Porzingis has been on some kind of heater over his last 15, averaging 25.2 points, 10.9 boards, 2.5 dimes, 0.9 steals, 2.3 blocks and 3.2 treys. Four of those were without Luka and his last two were duds, but he had really turned it on since returning from the scary start to 2020. Gobert would’ve been a steal here in a nine-cat format, and it’s still a nice pairing with Luka and could be a punt-FT% build. Landon hits the jackpot with the Giannis-Ben FT% punt duo.
Round 3
(1) Tommy- Bam Adebayo (Mia - PF,C)
(2) Steve - Andre Drummond (Cle - PF,C)
(3) Knaus - Kemba Walker (Bos - PG)
(4) Landon - Deandre Ayton (Pho - C)
(5) Michael Gallagher - Pascal Siakam (Tor - PF)
(6) Sukh - Jaren Jackson Jr. (Mem - PF,C)
(7) Alex - Zion Williamson (NO - PF)
(8) Jared - Kyrie Irving (Bkn - PG,SG)
(9) Raphielle - Nikola Vucevic (Orl - PF,C)
(10) Tony - Ja Morant (Mem - PG)
(11) Michael D - Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC - PG,SG,SF)
(12) Nate - Donovan Mitchell (Uta - PG,SG)
Round Recap: Just like in 2019-20 drafts, round three is the PF/C round, and all of these guys make all the sense in the world. Bam deservedly goes first and he actually gets a mild boost in eight cat because he was really turning it over before we hit pause. In his last 11 games, Bam put up 3.6 turnovers, 18.0 points, 11.0 boards, 6.1 dimes, 1.0 steals, 1.9 blocks and no treys on a 52/0/73 shooting line. Considering he hasn’t missed a game since 2018, he’s an easy second rounder in 8-9 cat. The other big that gets a small boost to eight cat is Pascal, who I easily had at the top of my Q here with my man Bam gone. In his last 11, Siakam put up 24.5 points, 7.4 boards, 4.4 dimes, 1.1 steals, 1.0 blocks and 2.6 treys on a 48/38/79 shooting line. With the Raptors likely having some changes to their depth, it should help Siakam out even more. Zion also gets a little boost here with some clumsy turnovers, and if he somehow produces D stats like he did at Duke, it’s on. If we knew Kyrie was playing 72-75 games, he would’ve been long gone as a top-15 pick next to KD. He’s missed a whopping 27.6 games per season over the last five, but it’s certainly worth it here. I thought Ja and SGA were excellent picks here. Ja has found his shot and I’d expect SGA to be even better on offense. CP3 can’t stay this healthy again, right? Donny Mitch and Vooch work here as a money-in-the-bank pick as high-floor guys. Steve with the nice FT% build on Drummond here, and he could be a great value if he lands in the right place.
Round 4
(1) Nate - Klay Thompson (GS - SG,SF)
(2) Michael D - LaMarcus Aldridge (SA - PF,C)
(3) Tony - Jonathan Isaac (Orl - SF,PF)
(4) Raphielle - Robert Covington (Hou - SF,PF,C)
(5) Jared - Clint Capela (Atl - PF,C)
(6) Alex - De’Aaron Fox (Sac - PG)
(7) Sukh - CJ McCollum (Por - PG,SG)
(8) Michael Gallagher - Brandon Ingram (NO - SG,SF,PF)
(9) Landon - Mitchell Robinson (NY - C)
(10) Knaus - Myles Turner (Ind - PF,C)
(11) Steve - Lonzo Ball (NO - PG)
(12) Tommy - Draymond Green (GS - PF,C)
Round Recap: Klay is a bit of a tough sell here in an eight-cat league and I’m not too into Dray, but I can get on board with the rest of these. My favorite pick in this round is easily Jonathan Isaac. Prior to his injury, Isaac averaged 11.8 points, 6.9 boards, 1.3 dimes, 1.9 steals, 2.3 steals and 0.6 treys on a 48/35/74 shooting line in his last dozen games. He is peak Gerald Wallace. Jared meets his Hawks quota with Capela here. If Capela’s durability was a little better, he’d be a great pick in a system that should suit him well again. Still solid in R4 regardless. Much like Capela, the same goes for Lord RoCo, who had struggled to stay healthy prior to this year. Still, he’s an elite guy for defense and he’s a perfect fit in Houston. Fox saw a hit to his dimes last season while he took a step back on his jumpers, but he’s still a solid PG to take here. Personally, I would’ve taken D’Angelo over him. I was pretty happy to land Ingram after his breakout campaign, and he was still stellar next to Zion at 23/7/6 with 1.2 steals and 2.3 treys per 36 next to Zion (341 minutes). Excellent FT% punt build for Steve with Lonzo, who had been absurd in his last five with 20.8 points, 7.8 boards, 7.8 dimes, 2.2 steals, 0.8 blocks and 4.4 treys on a 54/51/55 shooting line. If he’s healthy, he could be a fantasy star. Myles and Mitch Rob had been rolling for a few weeks, so those guys make a lot of sense. We’ll see if the Knicks add some competition for Mitch, though.
Ryan’s Early-Round Recap: I got Anthony Davis with the No. 3 pick which was perfect. He’s a fantasy monster and playing alongside LeBron James didn’t faze him with No. 2 overall value for 8-cat, with only James Harden above him. I’m always nervous to land AD in drafts due to his ceaseless string of injuries, but he had a modest eight DNPs when the season ceased. And if it doesn’t resume, that’s two straight seasons that Davis has received extensive rest (the first being his holdout-style inaction with the Pelicans in 2018-19).
Jimmy Butler was a relatively safe pick late in the second round in eight-cat, though I’ll have concerns about his age (31 whenever the 2020-21 season begins) catching up with him. Ditto for Kemba Walker in the third round, though his strong campaign for Boston this year at least alleviates concerns about his role alongside Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and company. I polished off the early rounds with Myles Turner in the fourth, giving me another center-eligible player to join AD in the middle of my roster. I didn’t love his role this year, as he drifted toward the perimeter offensively and ceded the paint to Domantas Sabonis, but Myles still gives you elite blocks with some boards and good efficiency. In retrospect, I’m not psyched about the pick. I’d give it a C- grade.
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Round 5
(1) Tommy- Chris Paul (OKC - PG)
(2) steve - D’Angelo Russell (Min - PG,SG)
(3) Knaus - Khris Middleton (Mil - SG,SF)
(4) Landon - DeMar DeRozan (SA - SG,SF)
(5) Michael Gallagher - Zach LaVine (Chi - PG,SG,SF)
(6) Sukh - Brook Lopez (Mil - C)
(7) Alex - Eric Bledsoe (Mil - PG,SG)
(8) Jared - Victor Oladipo (Ind - PG,SG)
(9) Raphielle - Jamal Murray (Den - PG,SG)
(10) Tony - Fred VanVleet (Tor - PG,SG)
(11) Michael D - Domantas Sabonis (Ind - PF,C)
(12) Nate - Tobias Harris (Phi - SF,PF)
Round Recap: CP3 turned in one of the best seasons among guys who weren’t going in the first three rounds of most drafts in October, and all of us passed on him four times. He was flirting with 50/40/90 last season at 49/36/90 and it’s clear the move from Houston is good news for his value. Plus, OKC looks legit and should compete again next year. He’s arguably the best fantasy player of this century (and it’s kind of an easy argument to make). DLO in MIN was a good thing in 12 games, averaging 21.7 points, 4.6 boards, 6.6 dimes, 1.4 steals and 3.2 treys. I was hoping to land him here, and of course I had Middleton up next in my Q. Middleton has been ballin’ since Christmas. With those two gone, it was between LaVine, FVV, Jamal Murray and Dejounte Murray here, but I went with LaVine after he put up second-round value last year. With GarPax gone, we can draft Bulls again. Although, they are going to look at younger guys more often. Side note: Hopefully Boylen is gone, too. It’s possible FVV takes his game to another level next year. Loved that pick here. Oladipo was playing hurt for a lot of 2018-19 even before his season-ending injury, so maybe all the time off can get him right. He did look right in his 13 games for 2019-20. Everyone else was right on time, but I’ll add DeRozan was a bit puzzling on a team with a FT% punt to cap his value there. If he lands on a bad team (player option), maybe he is a monster.
Round 6
(1) Nate - Aaron Gordon (Orl - SF,PF)
(2) Michael D - Richaun Holmes (Sac - PF,C)
(3) Tony - Jonas Valanciunas (Mem - C)
(4) Raphielle - Buddy Hield (Sac - SG)
(5) Jared - Kelly Oubre Jr. (Pho - SF,PF)
(6) Alex - Malcolm Brogdon (Ind - PG,SG)
(7) Sukh - Kyle Lowry (Tor - PG)
(8) Michael Gallagher - Dejounte Murray (SA - PG)
(9) Landon - Hassan Whiteside (Por - C)
(10) Knaus - Devonte’ Graham (Cha - PG,SG)
(11) Steve - Bojan Bogdanovic (Uta - SG,SF,PF)
(12) Tommy - Christian Wood (Det - PF,C)
Round Recap: Aaron Gordon was turning into a ridiculous asset in fantasy in his last 11, averaging 16.4 points, 9.1 boards, 7.0 dimes (!), 1.3 steals, 1.3 blocks and 1.1 treys on a 48/31/72 shooting line. He wasn’t at the top of my Q at all, but he’s worth it here. Richaun Holmes and Malcolm Brogdon were two guys I was considering here (if Dejounte didn’t fall), and the Kings likely won’t be adding much C depth to cut into Holmes’ minutes next season. Hassan Whiteside was a first rounder last year and he’s certainly going to take a step back wherever he lands next year, but he makes a lot of sense here. Getting quality PG here is a leg up on your opponents, so KLOW, The President (Brogdon) and Graham were right on time. I’ll be after Dejounte in drafts (again) and he was rolling before we hit pause, averaging 14.3 points, 6.3 boards, 5.5 dimes, 2.1 steals, 0.3 blocks and 0.9 treys on a 47/46/91 shooting line in his last 11.
Round 7
(1) Tommy - John Wall (Was - PG)
(2) Steve - Bogdan Bogdanovic (Sac - SG,SF)
(3) Knaus - Thomas Bryant (Was - C)
(4) Landon - Ricky Rubio (Pho - PG)
(5) Michael Gallagher - Mikal Bridges (Pho - SG,SF)
(6) Sukh - Lauri Markkanen (Chi - PF)
(7) Alex - Otto Porter Jr. (Chi - SF,PF)
(8) Jared - Montrezl Harrell (LAC - PF,C)
(9) Raphielle - Danilo Gallinari (OKC - SF,PF)
(10) Tony - Gordon Hayward (Bos - SG,SF)
(11) Michael D - Collin Sexton (Cle - PG,SG)
(12) Nate - Kevin Love (Cle - PF,C)
Round Recap: John Wall is going to be a very interesting pick and he’s worth a whole column, but he’s worth it here despite the injuries and how he fell from an 80% FT guy to 73 and 70 guy in the last two seasons. I got sniped on Tricky Ricky Rubio badly, and I’m having a tough time coming to grips that young Rick will be 30 next season. Over his last 10, Rubio averaged 16.8 points, 5.8 boards, 10.4 dimes, 2.4 steals and 1.5 treys on a 47/41/91 shooting line. One thing that stuck out this round was the lack of bigs with just Bryant, Trez and Love going here. Bryant went from being a slam-dunk pick in rounds 4-7 before Thanksgiving to being one of the most annoying players to own in 2020, so I’d guess his ADP is going to be all over the place next year. I was really considering G-Time (Hayward) and Sexton here. Since the last day of 2019, Sexton is actually sixth in total points on a pristine 49/44/87 shooting line (Beal, Trae, Booker, Harden, Dame). I took Mikal here partly because coach Monty Williams played him 43 minutes in each of his last two games, but Bridges has just smashed for a couple months and was a top-30 guy since mid-January.
Round 8
(1) Nate - Wendell Carter Jr. (Chi - C)
(2) Michael D - Terry Rozier (Cha - PG,SG)
(3) Tony - Larry Nance Jr. (Cle - PF,C)
(4) Raphielle - Serge Ibaka (Tor - PF,C)
(5) Jared - Will Barton (Den - SG,SF)
(6) Alex - Davis Bertans (Was - PF,C)
(7) Sukh - Mike Conley (Uta - PG)
(8) Michael Gallagher - Brandon Clarke (Mem - PF,C)
(9) Landon - Julius Randle (NY - PF,C)
(10) Knaus - OG Anunoby (Tor - SF,PF)
(11) Steve - Josh Richardson (Phi - SG,SF)
(12) Tommy - Jusuf Nurkic (Por - C)
Round Recap: The HORSE champ Mike Conley and Scary Terry go as the only PGs in this round (side note to the fantasy football players: don’t call Washington WR Terry McLaurin “Scary Terry”… he’s F1). I almost took OG here and I really liked the Wendell Carter Jr. pick here with the Bulls set to give their younger guys a look. I’ll admit that Clarke was probably my least favorite pick of this draft, but it’s worth a mention he smashed as a C. Per 36 without Jonas Valanciunas, he put up a 22/9/2 line with 1.5 blocks and 0.9 treys. For a “raw” guy, he could take another big leap.
Round 9
(1) Tommy - Caris LeVert (Bkn - SG,SF)
(2) Steve - Joe Ingles (Uta - SG,SF)
(3) Knaus - RJ Barrett (NY - SG,SF)
(4) Landon - T.J. Warren (Ind - SF,PF)
(5) Michael Gallagher - Cam Reddish (Atl - PG,SG,SF)
(6) Sukh - Marvin Bagley III (Sac - PF,C)
(7) Alex - Jaylen Brown (Bos - SG,SF)
(8) Jared - Blake Griffin (Det - PF,C)
(9) Raphielle - Coby White (Chi - PG)
(10) Tony - Malik Beasley (Min - PG,SG)
(11) Michael D - Marcus Smart (Bos - PG,SG)
(12) Nate - Kevin Huerter (Atl - SG,SF)
Round Recap: For the first time in my life, I won’t be after Caris LeVert in drafts. He needs volume and Kevin Durant will really hurt him. Malik B., Red Velvet (Huerter) and Jaylen stuck out to me as good picks with some upside in this round. I’ve done five mocks on Twitter and I’ve landed Dejounte and Cam Reddish in all of them. In Cam’s last 10, he averaged 16.4 points, 3.7 boards, 1.3 dimes, 1.3 steals, 0.6 blocks and 2.1 treys on a 50/39/85 shooting line. I love his upside. Coby was fuego as the season hit pause, so he makes a whole lot of sense here with the Bulls set to look at young guys.
Ryan’s Mid-Round Recap: I continued my draft with alternating positions, going Khris Middleton (SG/SF) in the fifth round, then Devonte’ Graham (PG/SG), Thomas Bryant (C) and OG Anunoby (SF/PF). Graham gave me another coveted source of assists, and I’m curious to see where he can go after a breakout 2019-20 performance. Most people assumed he’d be a backup to Terry Rozier, maybe play some minutes alongside him, but instead he forced his way into the starting PG job...taking the ball out of Rozier’s hands in the process. Bryant’s season was ruined by foot injuries, but he’s still 22 years old and has massive potential. That’s the theme here, with Anunoby also coming off an emergent year. And at least I don’t have to go hunting steals in the late rounds with OG racking them up for me (he was at 2.7 per game over the Raptors’ previous nine games).
Round 10
(1) Nate - Miles Bridges (Cha - SF,PF)
(2) Michael D - Steven Adams (OKC - C)
(3) Tony - DeMarcus Cousins (LAL - PF,C)
(4) Raphielle - Al Horford (Phi - PF,C)
(5) Jared - Derrick White (SA - PG,SG)
(6) Alex - Lou Williams (LAC - PG,SG)
(7) Sukh - Jarrett Allen (Bkn - PF,C)
(8) Michael Gallagher - Darius Garland (Cle - PG)
(9) Landon - Derrick Favors (NO - PF,C)
(10) Knaus - De’Andre Hunter (Atl - SF)
(11) Steve - Paul Millsap (Den - PF,C)
(12) Tommy - Marquese Chriss (GS - PF,C)
Round Recap: We had some groans in the draft room on Miles Bridges, who was starting to get it going. In his last 18, he averaged 15.6 points, 6.2 boards, 1.8 dimes, 0.7 steals, 0.7 blocks and 1.8 treys. I wanted Derrick White badly here because DeMar bouncing could really set him up for a huge season. Per 36 without DeMar, White put up a 19/5/6 line with 1.2 steals,1.0 blocks and 1.2 treys on a 49/38/89 shooting line (584 minutes). You’d think the Warriors add a lot of competition for Marquese Chriss, but here he makes a lot of sense just in case they don’t. Boogie Cousins could be a smash pick here. I went with a higher-upside PG here in Garland, but he sure did struggle in his rookie season, as expected.
Round 11
(1) Tommy - PJ Washington (Cha - SF,PF)
(2) Steve - Markelle Fultz (Orl - PG,SG)
(3) Knaus - Harry Giles III (Sac - PF,C)
(4) Landon - Andrew Wiggins (GS - SG,SF)
(5) Michael Gallagher - Kevin Porter Jr. (Cle - SG)
(6) Sukh - Kyle Kuzma (LAL - SF,PF)
(7) Alex - Spencer Dinwiddie (Bkn - PG)
(8) Jared - Duncan Robinson (Mia - SG,SF,PF)
(9) Raphielle - Gary Harris (Den - SG,SF)
(10) Tony - Luke Kennard (Det - SG)
(11) Michael D - Dillon Brooks (Mem - SG,SF)
(12) Nate - Kendrick Nunn (Mia - PG,SG)
Round Recap: A whole lot of youth in this round. I really liked the Duncan Robinson, Kennard and Wiggins picks in this round. Wiggins turning into a multi-cat guy like he was during his brief time in the Bay Area would be a huge fantasy development. I was a little surprised to get KPJ here with him being a Rotoworld favorite and all. He was really showing what he can do before his concussion, averaging 16.2 points, 4.8 boards, 4.2 dimes, 1.4 steals, 0.8 blocks and 2.0 treys in his last five. It’s not a hot take to say KPJ is a better player than Garland.
Round 12
(1) Nate - Troy Brown Jr. (Was - SG,SF)
(2) Michael D - Terrence Ross (Orl - SG,SF)
(3) Tony - Dennis Schroder (OKC - PG)
(4) Raphielle - Evan Fournier (Orl - SG,SF)
(5) Jared - Rui Hachimura (Was - SF,PF)
(6) Alex - Marc Gasol (Tor - C)
(7) Sukh - Justise Winslow (Mem - PG,SF,PF)
(8) Michael Gallagher - Norman Powell (Tor - SG,SF)
(9) Landon - Elfrid Payton (NY - PG)
(10) Knaus - Cameron Johnson (Pho - SG,SF)
(11) Steve - Cedi Osman (Cle - SF,PF)
(12) Tommy - Marcus Morris Sr. (LAC - SF,PF)
Round Recap: I thought for sure Norm Powell was going to get drafted in front of me. In his last five healthy games, he averaged 28.0 points (!), 2.8 boards, 2.8 dimes, 1.4 steals and 3.4 treys on a 53/40/83 shooting line. I was considering him for about four rounds, so this was probably my favorite pick of the draft. It was a pretty boring round besides that, but I’d say Rui was my favorite non-Norm pick of the round.
Round 13
(1) Tommy - Tomas Satoransky (Chi - PG,SG)
(2) Steve - Nemanja Bjelica (Sac - PF)
(3) Knaus - Eric Paschall (GS - SF,PF)
(4) Landon - Carmelo Anthony (Por - SF,PF)
(5) Michael Gallagher - Donte DiVincenzo (Mil - PG,SG)
(6) sukh - Jerami Grant (Den - SF,PF)
(7) Alex - Jeff Teague (Atl - PG)
(8) Jared - Jarrett Culver (Min - PG,SG,SF)
(9) Raphielle - Harrison Barnes (Sac - SF,PF)
(10) Tony - Zach Collins (Por - PF,C)
(11) Michael D - Tyler Herro (Mia - SG,SF)
(12) Nate - Goga Bitadze (Ind - C)
Round Recap: A whole lot of unknowns here, but I can certainly get on board with Paschall, Zach Collins and Culver for some upside. The Bucks are really good and Donte has shown he can get some steals, so I was pleased to finish with him here.
Ryan’s Late-Round Recap: There was a trend to the risk-taking in my picks. My early rounds were dominated by proven veteran fantasy talents (AD, Kemba, Butler). The middle rounds were slight gambles on young guys with demonstrated upside (Graham, Bryant, OG), the late rounds were more ‘roll the dice and see what happens’. RJ Barrett was trending up when the season came to a screeching halt, benefiting from the departure of Marcus Morris, and the Knicks will feature him a ton. He might tank my percentages, which is the big concern, but that’s a calculated risk. De’Andre Hunter, Harry Giles, Cam Johnson and Eric Paschall all come with intriguing fantasy upside and a ton of question marks. I’d basically checked my position-and-stat boxes early, so I could afford to just cut loose here. Plus, with a 30-second clock and a non-existent draft board, the reality is that I was just happy to find high-potential guys I wanted at the end of the draft. All in all, I think my team is fine. Not great, but with the right waiver-wire moves and tons of player development, I might get lucky. Best of all, it was fun!
Steve’s Recap: When several owners jokingly said they knew who I was picking at No. 2 I responded that “even I can’t justify taking Luka at 2.“ And then when Harden went No. 1 and knowing this was not only 8-cat, but also a quarantine time killer, I threw my whole plan out the window and took my guy. It will be interesting to see what I’ll do when there’s actually money on the line. I had the pleasure of being able to draft both Trae and Luka in several leagues this year and I’m sad that those days are likely gone forever, except in auction leagues.
I backed Luka up with a pair of centers (Gobert & Drummond), which I like given that it’s a start-two-centers format, and have a pretty wicked point guard stable with Luka, Lonzo and Russell, but with a 30 second clock and almost no preparation, the whole thing is a bit of a blur. I do know my forwards are pretty weak, but that’s what happens to any position you ignore for six rounds. It was a super fun (and much needed) 25 minutes though!
Stay home and stay safe!
