Partook in a mock draft last night. Well, honestly, I didn’t. I’m in the area that’s affected by that tropical storm in the Carolinas and the internet wasn’t working. When the email finally came through saying “Thanks for participating” I laughed and laughed. This team is completely the opposite of what I would have done! There’s literally, in every round, a guy drafted that I of course wouldn’t have… Impressive, really. So here it is, my fake mock draft and some crack analysis.
Round 1, Pick 3: Luka Doncic
Okay, that’s fine. If I were live I’m taking Shai Gilgeous-Alexander because the turnovers from Doncic kill me, and I also just don’t really enjoy watching ball dominant guys like Luka who yell at referees all of the time. That’s a personal thing. Luka is a fine choice especially in a points league. I just wouldn’t do it.
Round 2: LaMelo Ball
No. No. No. I will not be drafting LaMelo until he shows he’s serious. The guy lost almost an entire season due to ankle sprains. He then proceeded the next season to not tape his ankles or wear a brace because it’s uncomfortable. You know what else is uncomfortable? Spraining ankles! And he did it again, of course, and has had two seasons ruined. I see the talent. His numbers on their own would be worthy of borderline first round numbers. I value safety in these rounds.
Round 2 seems to be non-exciting this season, actually. Here it is:
Damion Lillard
These guys all seem like great third round choices. I’m happy taking Holmgren in this round, and in a league already I’ve got Chet paired with Victor Wembanyana. That’s ideal. Normally, I try to find the second round pick that will break into next year’s first round. This year, unless Holmgren is the choice, I’m going with some extreme safety and taking Bam Adebayo if I can here, which I would have done if I had been able to pick live. You really want Paul George in the second as the Sixers third option? De’Aaron Fox in the second with a high volume addition to the mix? Cade Cunningham on the Pistons? I’m just going safety here as I don’t see the upside for anyone here to break into the first round, and a ton of downside here.
Round 3: LeBron James
I’m not doing this either. I usually don’t target guys over 30, let alone 40 year olds. The guy is playing on the same team as his kid for pity’s sake! He’s fine, actually would not be a bad pick now that I look into it. I’m just not expecting more than 60 games here, and until last year had had multiple injury plagued seasons which isn’t a criticism at all. I’m around that age and I have a random injury daily! I’m just looking for the upside guys in this round, next year’s second round players.
Paolo Banchero is my huckleberry here and I’m thinking I’m going to have a ton of this guy in my lineups. It’s always a good sign when your PPG is higher than your age (22 to 21). Banchero is going to be a top ten player in the league for years. This is the last season to take him in the third as I see him surpassing everyone in the second round by the end of the season. After using my brain for a second and processing this, Banchero would have been a great second round pick and then go Bam in the third.
Shai-Bam-Paolo is a sweet top three, dontcha think?
Rounds 4-7: Jimmy Butler, Jalen Duren, Clint Capela, Coby White: Butler is old and they’re shifting away from him in the regular season. Duren is a beast. I’d rather Gobert for the blocks though. Clint Capela is probably not starting all season, hard pass. And with Coby White, let’s see how much efficiency is lost as a main character compared to his last season as supporting actor.
I would have taken a few guys here: Josh Giddey is not a great real life player, but for some reason the Bulls are entrusting him to be their point guard. This is not good for the Bulls, but his skill-set is fantasy friendly. He’ll get a healthy portion of rebounds and assists. He’s a bad three point shooter, but that just means he’ll be wide open for them. He’ll have some really low scoring games but the rebounds and assists will be helpful at the guard position. For sure more valuable in fantasy than Jimmy Butler. Is that a hot take?
Mark Williams: I go back and forth with Big Mark and Duren. As a Duke fan, I’m obligated to pick Williams here. Blocks make the big difference. At this point in the draft I’ll gamble on the possibility of 2-3 per game instead of below 1 that Duren offers. Boom. Firm stand, Williams over Duren, even if Williams only played 19 games with a scary back issue. At least it didn’t require surgery?
Tyus Jones: Hmm, the starting point guard with two of the top 10 scorers in the league who has elite AST-TO ratios and can hit 3s? Yes, yes, I would take him in these rounds. This is the opportunity that Tyus has been waiting for. You aren’t going to find many point guards with only 1 TO per game and averaging 7 assists with 1.6 3 pointers. He might lost a couple assists but gain on those sweet juicy open 3s and balance out. Grab Tyus as your second PG, or as your first if you wait, he’s in for the BIG ONE.
I’m at 930 words here, and you probably are done reading. I’ll do some more mock drafts and let you know the drafting trends. Screw you rankings, everyone does those. I’m going straight trends and narrative upgrades and downgrades in this space. Thanks for reading, until next time!
