Another year of fantasy basketball. Fantasy has been perhaps one of the greatest things introduced to help fans get a better scope of players, their performance, and interest in sports. Some of us, including myself, perhaps think that we can ultimately form a championship caliber team given how well we do in our fantasy leagues. As an NBA geek, for years I have to reviewed box scores and highlights on a daily basis. This has served as my foundation for making my own player and team analysis. The contributors at ESPN, over that last few years, have posted fun commentary pieces showcasing their fantasy draft results of the league they've formed among themselves, adding reason for their slotted picks . I thought it would be fun to do the same and share my draft results. I have spared you readers of thorough breakdowns, that I had in my original edit.
ROUND 1:
ROUND 1:
I took part in a 10 team H2H league this year, so expect to see a seemingly stacked roster. Regardless, any fantasy team is a good as you construct it. I was slotted the 4th pick of the draft. With these drafts I rely more on my own intuition as oppose to the fantasy ranks. I look at box scores and watch games often enough to trust my judgement and anticipations going into a new season. Besides, after all this is fantasy. With my 4th pick, I didn't choose the ever popular CP3, Steph Curry or Kevin Love. I took Paul George. Why? The 2013 playoff run. We saw how George took it to the Heat in the conference finals. No doubt in my mind that he will continue to get better this season. Paul George is as complete a player as you will find in this league and I believe he will be a top 5 player in the league this year and possible MVP candidate along with LeBron and Kevin Durant.
ROUND 2:
ROUND 2:
With my 2nd round pick, I was fortunate to pick up Anthony Davis. This summer they held the USA team tryout camp. I've found that a good number of players improve their game just by participating in these camps or playing on the team whether it be in the Olympics or FIBA tournament. Dwyane Wade went to become the 2008-2009 scoring champ, and Derrick Rose went to become the 2010-2011 MVP from this experience. Anthony Davis looked pretty good in this year's camp. We got to see his entire repertoire on display, from his ball-handling to 3 point shooting. If healthy, he will have a good chance of becoming the most improved player this coming season.
ROUND 3:
ROUND 3:
At this point in the 3rd round I needed a quality point guard. I selected Damian Lillard. Lillard had a great rookie campaign. He became the unanimous Rookie of the year and broke the rookie record for 3 pointers made! This means that he had more 3 pointers made as a rookie than Curry, Ray Allen and Reggie Miller, just to name a few of the great shooters in history before him. I am sure he will continue to improve this year, in particular in his assist total with the Blazers revamped roster. Lillard at this pace will be an All-star in the near future.
ROUND 4:
ROUND 4:
With my 4th pick I thought to select another PG, as they are important to have in fantasy leagues. I choose good 'ole Tony Parker. A safe pick here. He possesses on a yearly basis a high FG% for a PG and a fair amount of assists per game. Nothing says consistency than the Spurs at that too. I have a SG/SF, PF/C, and 2 PG at this point, in an NBA that is PG dominant. I'm not doing too bad at this point.
ROUND 5:
ROUND 5:
With my 5th round pick, I scooped made certain to scoop up Andre Drummond, early. Drummond is the NBA's version of "beast mode". His metrics given that he was seldom used was incredible. We saw a similar thing with Kevin Love when he was kept on the bench by former Wolves Head Coach, Kurt Rambis. Now with Lawrence Frank relieved of his duties, Drummond will now get the well deserved playing time. Time that Frank should have given Drummond last season on a struggling Pistons team. I don't expect the same production with Drummond as seen with Love, but Drummond will have quite a few monster games if healthy. As with Davis, I predict Drummond to be in contention for the Most Improved Player award. This also leads me to a pick I planned on making towards the later rounds. Stay tuned!!
ROUND 6:
ROUND 6:
In the 6th Round I was looking for a player that can contribute in all areas of my 8 CAT league. This should be an objective for anyone in a fantasy league. Luol Deng is one of those players and was my 6th round pick. Deng is in the last year of his contract which usually means, and I "hate" to say it, will have more to play for this year. Deng's effort has never been questioned and he overall a very good player. This here, much like Tony Parker, was another safe pick I made.
ROUND 7:
ROUND 7:
In the 7th round, and my team rounding out well, Russell Westbrook was still on the board. I can't say enough about this guy. Thunder GM Sam Presti is a genius for drafting him 4th overall in the inaugural season of Oklahoma city. And to believe that Jerryd Bayless was whom the NBA draft experts had ranked to be picked in this spot. Westbrook is an athletic freak! He will be healthy real soon, just as freak athletes are known to do (i.e.: Adrian Peterson). Westbrook's drive and energy can be matched by few. When healthy, Westbrook can contribute in all categories (except block shots), on a regular basis.
ROUND 8:
ROUND 8:
At this point in my draft, in the 8th round, I was a little apprehensive of making my next pic. I wasn't too sure which direction I wanted to take. When in doubt, take the best available talent you see. I chose to select another freak athletic in Eric Bledsoe. We saw how Bledsoe can come into a game and make an impact as a backup to John Wall in Kentucky, and most recently with CP3 on the Clippers. Bledsoe has had the opportunity to start as a PG and fared alright, at best . I didn't really see how effective he can be as a starting PG, but he will be involved in a different dynamic in Phoenix this year. Possibly playing alongside Goran Dragic will make things more interesting. For certain Bledsoe will be a defensive stopper, but I am not sure about how he may hold up offensively on a nightly basis. NBA experts seem high on his potential this year, whereas I'm not too caught up with the seemingly popular decision.
ROUND 9:
ROUND 9:
As my 9th pick, I went with KG, Kevin Garnett. It has been a few rounds since I have selected a big man. KG, although not the same fantasy stud as he was while playing for the Minnesota Timberwolves, has been consistent. There's that word again, consistent. His conditioning, much like Tim Duncan, has helped him sustain a long career. I don't expect much from KG, especially with him now playing in Brooklyn. If he can provide 14ppg, 7 reb, and 1.5 BLKS a game, I made a good selection here where solid big men are not easily available.
ROUND 10:
ROUND 10:
At this point I started to remember that I need scoring and a 3 point shooter. As my 10th pick I went with another under the radar choice, Jamal Crawford. It can be easy to forget the 6th man, unless he won the award the previous season or makes the news over something foolish (i.e.: J.R Smith). Crawford continues to do it year after year since he's accepted the 6th man role off the bench. This is not a knock on any player given that role, unless you are not getting minutes. Crawford gets his minutes. The Clippers have stocked their roster with more shooters, but Crawford is still their guy. I foresee a timely CP3 injury again this season where Crawford will be the beneficiary. We'll see. Either way, another pick with focus on consistency.
ROUND 11:
ROUND 11:
With my 11th pick I went with Gordon Hayward. Much like Luol Deng, Hayward is able to contribute in all 8 categories in my league. On a depleted Jazz roster, Hayward will likely be their No.1 option. Hayward, much like Anthony Davis, had a good USA team camp over the summer. Like I mentioned before, players seem to benefit from that experience. I believe that Hayward, with the weakened roster, will be able to show how much of well rounded of a player he really is. Now for my sleeper pick of the draft.
ROUND 12:
ROUND 12:
ROUND 13:
This concludes my "brief" rundown of my draft selections. I think I have a well balanced team that will surely be tops in my league. If you readers get anything from this, it's to make picks based on your own intuition, player consistency, and health history. Fantasy ranking are helpful, but what fun can you have if you don't make your own judgement calls based on your gut and can be the difference maker in your league that you may end up kicking yourself. Good luck in yours.