NBA Draft Strategy: Best Ball Draft Recap II

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Published on December 15, 2020

Best Ball leagues are quickly becoming one of my favorite ways to try to parlay my extensive early-season research into profit, without having to worry about any in-season waiver wire headaches or who to start.

The following draft is second draft (of any kind) for this season, and I ended up with the No. 1 pick. Below, I outline the players I considered, who I took, and why. Keep in mind that this is a points league. Hopefully, it will help you get a better feel of the market ahead of your draft(s). If you want the full results, you can click here.

Round 1 (pick 1)

Players I considered: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic, James Harden, Anthony Davis

My pick: Giannis Antetokounmpo

Harden was actually the player I considered least here, as the situation he's in makes me nervous. How hard will he play in Houston? If he gets traded, will his usage decline? Davis' injury history still scares me too much to draft him No. 1, and his upside next to LeBron James is capped.

That left Doncic and Giannis. This was very close, and I wouldn't blame anyone for selecting Doncic here, but I went with Giannis for three reasons. He was better than Doncic last year; the East is easier; I'm a Bucks fan.

Round 2 (pick 12) and Round 3 (pick 1)

Players I considered: Ben Simmons, Deandre Ayton, Jusuf Nurkic, De'Aaron Fox, Zion Williamson

My picks: Deandre Ayton, POR Jusuf Nurkic

I decided to lock up two reliable centers right out of the gates so I don't have to worry about the position as much later. Ayton and Nurkic should combine for at least 80 fantasy points per game, and I'm not worried about either of them resting in the condensed season. Both players have an extremely high floor, and I think people are undervaluing Nurkic's upside.

Fox and Simmons would have been my next two options, in that order. I like Fox to continue improving, while I'm worried Simmons has hit a wall, not to mention his injury history. I'm worried about Williamson's conditioning and health in the short season.

Round 4 (pick 12) and Round 5 (pick 1)

Players I considered: MIL Khris Middleton, MIN D'Angelo Russell

My picks: You guessed it...

This was largely influenced by ADP and the fact that I already have my two center slots filled. Otherwise, I would have also considered Jonas Valanciunas, Clint Capela and Gordon Hayward. Taking Hayward would have been a reach here, as his ADP is 73, and I might be able to get him with one of my next two picks -- a point in the draft where I stop worrying as much about injury potential.

Both Middleton and Russell are crucial scoring options for their respective teams. Middleton's role could take a slight hit with the addition of Jrue Holiday, but Middleton will still be a threat for 20-5-and-5 every night. The Wolves adding Ricky Rubio could hurt Russell's assist numbers, but they still desperately need him to score upwards of 25 points per game if they want to stand a chance in the West.

Round 6 (pick 12) and Round 7 (pick 1)

Players I considered: Aaron Gordon, Dejounte Murray, Ricky Rubio, Devonte' Graham, Mitchell Robinson, Marcus Smart

My picks: Devonte' Graham, MIN Ricky Rubio

Whenever I'm trying to decide between a group of players and I hit a snag, I usually just default to who will have the ball the most. And I think in this case, it's Rubio and Graham. I'm not as worried as some other people about Gordon Hayward and LaMelo Ball taking away usage from Graham. He's Charlotte's second-best player and is an excellent three-point shooter and passer. He'll be fine.

The Timberwolves brought Rubio in for a reason -- they don't trust D'Angelo Russell as a point guard. Minnesota is trying to win, and bringing in Rubio signals that he'll be a big part of the gameplan. He got his numbers last season next to Devin Booker in the backcourt, so I'm not worried about him next to Russell this season.

Round 8 (pick 12) and Round 9 (pick 1)

Players I considered: Bojan Bogdanovic, Marvin Bagley, OG Anunoby, Davis Bertans, Norman Powell, Rui Hachimura, Mikal Bridges

My picks: Bojan Bogdanovic, SAC Marvin Bagley

Apparently, aside from Antetokounmpo, I've drafted just guards and centers. So, I have to get three forwards before I start planning my bench. Bogdanovic is a 20 point-per-game scorer with a safe role, so I'm happy to get him at the back of the eighth round, even though I'm mildly worried about rest since he's 31.

Bagley is an upside play. He slipped too far for me not to entertain the possibility of a breakout. As a rookie, he averaged 34.3 fantasy points when seeing at least 24 minutes, and he averaged 31.3 FP last year in the same scenario. If he can stay healthy and secure a starting role, getting him in the ninth round will be a huge steal.

Round 10 (pick 12) and Round 11 (pick 1)

Players I considered: Rui Hachimura, Will Barton, Terry Rozier, Obi Toppin, Mason Plumlee, Donte DiVincenzo, Derrick Rose, Mikal Bridges

My picks: Rui Hachimura, DEN Will Barton

I needed one more forward to fill out my presumed starters, so I grabbed Hachimura over Toppin and Bridges. Being a rookie, Toppin is a risk, and Bridges will probably be relegated to mostly three-point shooting for the Suns -- he'll make for a much better categories league option. Hachimura had a decent rookie year and I think he can build on that. He has the potential to become the Wizard's No. 3 scoring option.

After Hachimura, I could start filling out my bench, so I went with Barton as an upside play. I'm worried about his health, but he's great when healthy and is an awesome get in the 11th round. Over the past five seasons with Denver, he's averaging 14.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.4 combined steals-plus-blocks. And with Jerami Grant and Mason Plumlee leaving the Nuggets, the roster is thinned out, which should give Barton more opportunities.

Round 12 (pick 12) and Round 13 (pick 1)

Players I considered: Spencer Dinwiddie, Josh Richardson, Nemanja Bjelica, Jae Crowder, Jordan Clarkson, Donte DiVincenzo

My picks: Spencer Dinwiddie, SAC Nemanja Bjelica

I know Dinwiddie's offensive role will take a step back with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant entering the season healthy, but I have no faith in the pair remaining healthy. At the very least, Dinwiddie will be in a sixth-man role and still has upside for 25-30 fantasy points every night.

My forward position is my weakest, so I wanted to grab another one with my next pick. Seeing that I have Bagley, I decided to pair him with Bjelica, who is expected to be his backup. If Bagley struggles or can't stay healthy again, then I'll still reap some benefits by having Bjelica on my roster.

Round 14 (pick 12) and Round 15 (pick 1)

Players I considered: Enes Kanter, Kyle Kuzma, Luke Kennard, Troy Brown, Josh Hart, Derrick Favors, Kelly Olynyk, Malik Beasley, Justise Winslow

My picks: Derrick Favors, Josh Hart

We've gotten to the point in the draft where there are some wild ADPs. Some players I considered taking here (or even relatively soon) and their respective ADPs:

I should be able to get two of those players with my final two picks if I want, which is fantastic. For now, I grabbed Favors and Hart, who I like and whose ADPs were around this range. Favors will see less time than he did in New Orleans, but I think the Jazz will still play him and Rudy Gobert together on occassion. Plus, if Gobert ever gets injured, that's 35 minutes for Favors. Hart is a versatile player on a New Orleans team that I'm convinced is not good, so he should have more opportunities than last season for minutes and shot attempts.

Round 16 (pick 12) and Round 17 (pick 1)

Players I considered: Malik Beasley, Justise Winslow, Meyers Leonard Tomas Satoransky, Monte Morris, Robin Lopez, Shake Milton

My picks: Meyers Leonard, PHI Shake Milton

Leonard won't play a ton, but I wanted some additional center depth, and he's someone that can post 20+ fantasy points if Bam Adebayo misses time. Milton is a guy I'm especially optimistic on given that the 76ers are a relatively thin team. Getting him in the 17th round feels like a steal. If Ben Simmons misses any time, Milton will see a huge bump in workload.

Round 18 (pick 12) and Round 19 (pick 1)

Players I considered: Justise Winslow, Zach Collins, Royce O'Neale, Josh Jackson, Kent Bazemore, Monte Morris, Pat Connaughton, Robin Lopez

My picks: Justise Winslow, WAS Robin Lopez

Winslow is hurt, but this is a complete upside play for a guy who we've seen show flashes before. He has potential for 30 fantasy points on any given night if he can get healthy and see minutes in the mid-to-high 20s, which I think is feasible. Lopez is, again, center depth. He'll start if Thomas Bryant misses any time, and he's competent enough to post low-grade double-doubles with a block or two thrown in during those situations.

Round 20 (pick 12)

Players I considered: Pat Connaughton, Kent Bazemore, Josh Jackson, Jeremy Lamb, Zach Collins

My picks: Zach Collins

Collins is hurt and I'm worried his role will get squeezed with the depth of the Trail Blazers roster, but he had the most pure talent of anyone left on the board.