With the NBA season quickly approaching, fantasy players across the country are gearing up for in-person or online drafts. To better prepare you for what to expect come draft day, we gathered some of our top fantasy basketball experts to participate in a mock selection process. Is Anthony Davis the clear-cut top pick over Stephen Curry, James Harden, LeBron James and Co.? How high should talented rookies like Minnesota's Karl-Anthony Towns be taken? Which late-round picks could be steals?
The following group helped answer those questions and more in our initial mock draft for fantasy hoops: ESPN NBA editors Greg Rosenstein, Martenzie Johnson, Michael Huang and Ross Marrinson; ESPN fantasy writers Joe Kaiser, Tom Carpenter, Jim McCormick and John Cregan; and ESPN NBA Stats & Information analysts Matthew Wittyngham and Malik Smith.
Note: The scoring system for this particular mock draft is rotisserie, where teams are ranked from first to last in each statistical category.
• Johnson on Harden: "Despite a convincing argument from Joe Kaiser for Steph Curry, I went with Harden because he helps your team in no fewer than five of the roto categories: points, steals, assists, 3PM and FT percentage. As Joe pointed out, you're concerned about his touches with Ty Lawson coming in to play point guard, but with Dwight Howard's health concerns, I am convinced Harden could keep his 8th-ranked usage rate from last season."
• McCormick on Curry: "Joe Kaiser's assertion Curry is the top fantasy player this season, given his combination of statistical diversity and massive usage rate, makes has me happy to land him at fourth overall. Outside of Anthony Davis, Curry offers the most interesting spectrum of floor and ceiling each week out."
• Rosenstein on Wall: "The Wizards point guard is one of the most well-rounded players in the NBA and an absolute stat stuffer each night. John Wall posted career highs in assists (10.0) and shooting (44.5 FG percentage) last season and there's no reason to think those numbers will dip in 2015-16. He should finish as an elite fantasy player, particularly if he improves from the perimeter (just 30 percent from 3-point range last year)."
• Wittyngham on Gobert: "Rudy Gobert was one of nine big men to play in all 82 games. Gobert did not begin to start until the end of the season, but when he did, the Frenchman averaged 10.6 points, 12.4 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game in the games he started. The only player to average more blocks was the No. 1 pick of the draft, Anthony Davis."
• Kaiser on Millsap: "It was nice to get LeBron James all the way down at No. 6, and in the second round I wanted to come back with another versatile player who could fill a lot of categories the way that LeBron does. That's why I went with Paul Millsap over more highly rated players like Serge Ibaka and Blake Griffin."
• Johnson on Chris Bosh: "I was hoping to grab Whiteside at this spot, but Malik grabbed him before I could. Based solely on his usage rate and playing on the New York Knicks, I also seriously considered Carmelo Anthony, but in the end I went with Bosh. With health concerns in the rear-view mirror, I think Bosh can maintain his pace from last season before the blood clots and put up 21 PPG and 7 RPG again for the improving Heat. Throw in his growing ability to hit 3s as a big man and he's the sleeper pick of the top 25."
• McCormick on Carmelo Anthony: "With eligibility at power forward and a top usage rate to help fuel his rare mid-range efficiency, 'Melo should rise into the middle of the second round by the end of the month if his hot preseason shooting continues. With Griffin, Curry and now Anthony in tow, my team should have a strong floor across the counting stats each week."
• Wittyngham on Pau Gasol: "In his first year with his new team, moving from a Western Conference team to the East, Gasol scored around average (18.5) for his career (18.3). But what really improved was his rebounding, as he grabbed a career-high 11.8 rebounds per game for the Bulls. With Derrick Rose set to miss the beginning of the season, Gasol's usage and influence is also set to go up."
• Kaiser on Wiggins: "My goal the whole time was to snag Gordon Hayward if he was there in Round 3, and luckily I was able to do that and fill the thinnest position in fantasy hoops -- shooting guard. But when I went for upside in Round 4 and took Andrew Wiggins, a player I see building on his stellar rookie campaign, I suddenly had whiffed at the point guard position."
• Carpenter on Lopez: "While I love targeting monster shot-blockers like Rudy Gobert and Hassan Whiteside, if I whiff on them, then Brook Lopez is a terrific consolation prize. He isn't a beast in blocks, but he contributes and is a beast in percentages. Based on my projections, my top five players -- Kevin Durant, Jimmy Butler, LaMarcus Aldridge, Lopez and Jeff Teague (Round 5) - are going to put me in the mix atop the FG percentage and FT percentage categories in this roto league."
• McCormick on Towns: "We don't often find rookies worthy of mid-round attention in redraft leagues, but Karl Anthony-Towns should be considered an exception, given the rare upside his defensive potential offers. I'm thinking a unique blend of steals and blocks to go with a versatile offensive skill set can offset any risks of middling point and rebound totals early on. Much like Andrew Wiggins in 2014, "KAT" could be a fantasy force at some point during his rookie campaign."
• Wittyngham on Jordan: "Personally, I think he's got something to prove with all the offseason drama. He ranked first in field goal percentage (71 percent), first in total/per game rebounding (1,226) and thrd in blocks (183). During the regular season, according to NBA's SportVU Player Tracking, no player had more rebound chances per game than DeAndre Jordan (20.3)."
• Carpenter on Jackson: "Will Reggie Jackson average 17.6 PPG and 9.2 APG in a full season with the Pistons? Well, his contract says he will be given the chance to do just that, and I'm not concerned in the least about Brandon Jennings (Achilles) affecting Jackson's production, even if he returns to full speed in the next few months. I was light on dimes at this point of the draft, and with my starting five set, this was the perfect spot to target a potential star fantasy point guard."
• Kaiser on Antetokounmpo: "Keeping with the theme of versatile players who won't torpedo any of your categories, I went with Tyreke Evans (who qualifies at point guard) and emerging star Giannis Antetokounmpo with my next two picks. Both are capable of big seasons, particularly if injuries plague other members of their teams, as was the case last season."
• Rosenstein on DeRozan: "I'm a tad worried about his lack of shooting prowess (only 27 percent from 3-point range for his career) but it's hard to pass up on his consistent scoring ability. You know you'll get around 20 points per game regardless and he provides steals and a strong free throw percentage (81 percent for career). DeMar DeRozan will be a steal at this point if he can improve from the perimeter."
• Kaiser on Anderson and Hibbert (in Round 10): "In the final rounds, I looked at categories I was thin at and tried my best to find specialists who could help, so I added Ryan Anderson for 3s and Roy Hibbert for blocks. Neither player is great for field goal percentage, but both are capable of really helping my team rising in the categories they specialize in."
• Johnson on Parker: "This selection is all based on hope that Jabari Parker is able to play at least 70 games and his minutes restrictions, if any, go out the window after the first month or so. While the former Duke player could bring down the team with his poor FT shooting and non-existent 3-point shooting, I believe he can contribute in steals (4th in steals per game among rookies), FG percentage (nearly 50 percent last season, and was excellent at the rim) and his ability to score points (he drew fouls at a 'better-than-average,' according to Kevin Pelton), ranking second in points per game last season among rookies, behind only Rookie of the Year award winner Andrew Wiggins."
• Carpenter on McCollum: "C.J. McCollum at 105? I can guarantee this is the lowest I will see him in any draft the rest of October. The only thing that stands between McCollum and a starting gig is Gerald Henderson, who is a mediocre player and still has no timetable for a return from hip surgery. McCollum is going to break out this season, so don't be late the party."
• Rosenstein on Burks: "With long-distance scoring likely my biggest concern, I was thrilled to find Alec Burks at the final pick of the draft. He shot 38 percent from deep last season and was strong at the charity stripe (82 percent). The two biggest questions I have are how he bounces back from a shoulder injury and whether he receives enough time on the court with Rodney Hood competing for minutes in Utah."
