Got the Yahoo! Friends and Family draft Wednesday night, lessssgo. Kostas and Jay from here are in that league as well, along with analysts from Yahoo, Rotowire, Rotoworld, The Athletic (Razz alum Son), Locked On, Hashtag, and more. Will definitely write a lot about it!
But now, to get my Negative Nancies out of the way. If you missed rounds 1-4, find them here. After finishing trashing your team and deciding not to draft any of these guys at their cost, come back and dive in to rounds 5-8.
ROUND 5: DYSON DANIELS
The vibes are not immaculate for Daniels. Steals went from 3 to 2 per game. He only shot 18% on 3s, down from 34%. Points dropped from 14 to 11. He went from first-team All-Defense to second-team All-Defense. Sure, the rebounds and assists ticked up, but he was a massive disappointment overall for those who drafted him in the second round. To further complicate matters, the Hawks got Lu Dort and Aaron Wiggins, both solid defenders with potential for more offensive juice. Daniels is no sure thing to repeat his 33 minutes per game; the competition is much tougher for minutes, and his skill set isn’t helping him out. I wouldn’t draft Daniels until after pick 100.
Draft Instead: Stephon Castle, Brandon Miller, or literally anyone else in round 5
ROUND 6: MATAS BUZELIS
The hype around the third-year Bull has gone too far, but don’t draft him expecting a massive season. The slender forward likes to shoot threes (6 per game) but at 35% it’s affecting his overall numbers too much. The rebounds are low for a PF as well; Josh Giddey steals some, and they added depth in the frontcourt. He’s not likely to improve his 6 boards per game from last year. The issue with Matas is the roster fit. He’s not going to rebound or have good enough percentages to be your PF, and his 1-1 AST/TO ratio (2 assists per game) doesn’t seem to fit as a SF or SG. Also, don’t forget that he’s now a top name on the scouting report, making his shaky ball-handling even more nerve-wracking. He’s being hyped as a massive breakout, but it’s not inevitable.
Draft Instead: Naz Reid, Julius Randle, Cam Boozer
ROUND 7: VJ EDGECOMBE
There’s nothing wrong with Edgecombe as a player; he’s an exciting second-year guy. But he’s an exciting second-year guy on the 76ers. You know, the team that added LeBron James AND Jaylen Brown to go with Tyrese Maxey. All of these guys want the ball. Edgecombe could see his minutes in the second unit if Anfernee Simons (more of a shooter) is a better fit in the starting lineup. He’ll be hard-pressed to repeat his stat line from last year just due to lack of usage. He does have immense upside, though, and will carve out a role. In the draft season, I place a higher value on guys with set roles. VJ is the antithesis of this.
Draft Instead: Paul George, Ryan Rollins, Dylan Harper.
ROUND 8: NIC CLAXTON
You want guys who are on an upward trajectory or at their peak physically. Nic Claxton is neither of these. In 2024, he noted that his back condition would need to be managed. Read that again. He has a back condition, not a specific injury. It needs to be managed; it’s not going away. The stats show the impact; his rebounds and blocks have plummeted over the last two years. Even his shooting, while a solid 58%, is down significantly from his peak of 70% before the back issues. He’s not the same player he once was; stop chasing ghosts. Drafting Claxton in the 8th will haunt your team.
Draft Instead: Josh Hart, Jabari Smith, Day’Ron Sharpe, Isaiah Hartenstein
Look, I don’t HATE these guys, just at their costs in fantasy drafts. Feel free to disagree; that’s what makes this fun! Anyone else you guys are avoiding in drafts, hit the comments or me on X @theeducator23!
