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Perfect NBA Fantasy draft: The best player to pick in each round

Josh Lloyd
·4-min read
Ja Morant dunks the ball (left), and anonymous player dribbles and James Harden scans the court.

So, what would a perfect NBA Fantasy draft look like?

I looked at the Yahoo ADP data and decided I would pick sixth, in the middle of the first round, and see what the best team I could come up with would be in a standard 12-team Yahoo points league.

Round 1 - James Harden

At this stage, we don’t know if Kyrie Irving is going to be able to play home games in Brooklyn. That would push Harden right up to the top of the fantasy rankings.

His ADP is 6, so this could be a fantastic start to my draft.

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Round 2 - Zion Williamson

Next pick is 19 and Zion currently has an ADP of 19.

I think he can be a top 10 fantasy points player this season and getting him here, which is much higher than his pre rank as well, is a bargain.

Round 3 - Ja Morant

Ja’s ADP sits at 40, which is way too high for a category league, but it’s also too low for a points league.

He should be able to crack the top 30 this season, so I like getting him at pick 30 here.

There is a player I have ranked higher than Ja still available, going by ADP, but I can use my Round 4 pick on him.

Round 4 - De’Aaron Fox

Fox is ridiculously ranked outside the top 50 and has an ADP of 43. I will take Fox, at pick 43, a player who is likely a top 15 player at worst this season.

Harden, Zion, Ja, and Fox is a ridiculous start to a fantasy draft.

Round 5 - Anthony Edwards

Sitting at pick 54 is last season’s number one pick. Edwards should be a top 40 guy this season and his ADP sits at 58 for now.

I like him a lot this season.

Round 6 - Jusuf Nurkić

Nurkić enters this season fully healthy and I think he is going to surprise a lot of people. His ADP is down at 67, but the top 40 is not out of the realms of possibility.

Round 7 - D’Angelo Russell

At pick 78, I will take Russell.

Russell has some injury concerns, but given he should be a top 50 player, getting him at 78 (his ADP as well) gives me a large degree of cushion.

D'Angelo Russell passes the ball for the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Round 8 - Kevin Porter Jr

This one shapes as a huge steal.

John Wall is gone in Houston and Porter is the starting point guard. His ADP is just 96, so he could be available at 91 and he should be another player who is a top 50 guy.

Round 9 - Jalen Suggs

It’s time to take a flier on a rookie. At pick 102, Suggs should be there and I think he is a top 100 guy this season especially in the second half of the season.

Round 10 - Montrezl Harrell

The Wizards could have a weird centre rotation this season, but Thomas Bryant will miss the first few months of the season and Harrell has a history of putting up good fantasy points in limited minutes.

He should be a top 100 player this season, which is great at 115.

Round 11 - Mason Plumlee

I expect Plumlee to start and at pick 126, he should be able to give us 20-30 spots of value, even if he plays just 25 minutes.

Round 12 - Will Barton

Barton is getting ridiculously undervalued. His ADP is 144, so he is there at 139, and he will shoulder a large load for the Nuggets without Jamal Murray.

Round 13 - Josh Giddey

I think it is fair to think Giddey could get close to the top 100. He should start for the Thunder, so taking him in the last round is something I am looking to do.

So, if everything works as ADP suggests it may, I would end up with the following team:

  • PG Ja Morant

  • SG James Harden

  • SF Kevin Porter Jr.

  • PF Zion Williamson

  • C Jusuf Nurkić

  • C Montrezl Harrell

  • G De’Aaron Fox

  • F Anthony Edwards

  • Util D’Angelo Russell

  • Util Jalen Sugg

  • Bench Mason Plumlee

  • Bench Will Barton

  • Bench Josh Giddey

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