Fantasy Basketball 2016: Top NBA Player Rankings and 1st-Round Mock Draft
The NBA preseason is not only a time for the league's players to get back into their desired shape, but also for fantasy basketball players to prepare for their seasons.
Let's take a look at a 10-team, first-round mock draft for a nine-category, standard-scoring league with the start of the regular season just a couple of weeks away. After that, we'll dive deeper into the top 10 guards, forwards and centers, respectively.
ESPN.com's positional distinctions will be used, but the website sometimes lists players at multiple positions. Any player who fits that bill is eligible for inclusion on any list that corresponds with one of his listed positions.
First-Round Mock Draft
| 1 | Russell Westbrook | PG | Oklahoma City Thunder |
| 2 | Stephen Curry | PG | Golden State Warriors |
| 3 | James Harden | PG/SG | Houston Rockets |
| 4 | Kawhi Leonard | SF | San Antonio Spurs |
| 5 | LeBron James | SF/PF | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 6 | Kevin Durant | SF | Golden State Warriors |
| 7 | Chris Paul | PG | Los Angeles Clippers |
| 8 | Karl-Anthony Towns | C | Minnesota Timberwolves |
| 9 | Anthony Davis | PF | New Orleans Pelicans |
| 10 | Giannis Antetokounmpo | SG/SF/PF | Milwaukee Bucks |
Guard
| 1 | Russell Westbrook | PG | Oklahoma City Thunder |
| 2 | Stephen Curry | PG | Golden State Warriors |
| 3 | James Harden | PG/SG | Houston Rockets |
| 4 | Chris Paul | PG | Los Angeles Clippers |
| 5 | Giannis Antetokounmpo | SG/SF/PF | Milwaukee Bucks |
| 6 | John Wall | PG | Washington Wizards |
| 7 | Damian Lillard | PG | Portland Trail Blazers |
| 8 | Kyle Lowry | PG | Toronto Raptors |
| 9 | Eric Bledsoe | PG | Phoenix Suns |
| 10 | Isaiah Thomas | PG | Boston Celtics |
SG/SF/PF Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks)
Disregard the three positions ESPN.com has given Giannis Antetokounmpo this season. The 6’11” Greek Freak will primarily play point guard for Jason Kidd’s Milwaukee Bucks this season, and he’s going to do a heck of a job there.
The absence of Khris Middleton for most of the 2016-17 campaign will hurt Milwaukee’s playoff chances, but it should push Antetokounmpo’s fantasy value up into the first-round range.
Remember that, after the All-Star break last season, he put up 18.8 points, 7.6 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.9 blocks per game. His efficiency may take a slight dip from 2015-16 without Middleton there to space the floor, but he’s also still young (21 years old) and has improved by leaps and bounds in each of his first three years.
Also, expect a slightly more respectable outside shot from the league’s most outrageous physical specimen.
Per-game statistical projections: 18.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, 7.3 assists, 1.4 steals, 1.4 blocks, 2.8 turnovers, 0.6 three-pointers, 48.1 field-goal percentage (13.9 attempts), 75.6 free-throw percentage (6.0 attempts)
Forward
| 1 | Kawhi Leonard | SF | San Antonio Spurs |
| 2 | LeBron James | SF/PF | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 3 | Kevin Durant | SF | Golden State Warriors |
| 4 | Anthony Davis | PF | New Orleans Pelicans |
| 5 | Giannis Antetokounmpo | SG/SF/PF | Milwaukee Bucks |
| 6 | Hassan Whiteside | PF/C | Miami Heat |
| 7 | Paul George | SF | Indiana Pacers |
| 8 | Blake Griffin | PF | Los Angeles Clippers |
| 9 | Paul Millsap | PF | Atlanta Hawks |
| 10 | Draymond Green | SF/PF | Golden State Warriors |
SF Kawhi Leonard (San Antonio Spurs)
Kawhi Leonard is a unique fantasy superstar. Aside from steals, he isn’t a threat to lead the league in any of the nine main categories. However, he isn’t a liability in any category, either. He gives an amazing balance of production across the board.
Like Antetokounmpo, Leonard’s career is also on a major upswing. Following several seasons of steady improvement, he exploded in 2015-16 to place second in MVP voting. His numbers in nearly every fantasy category were career highs.
Next on the agenda for The Klaw is becoming more of a playmaker. Assists were his weakest fantasy category last year, but he’s shown so much improvement offensively over the past few seasons that more significant strides there wouldn’t be a huge surprise.
San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich has typically been conservative with Leonard’s minutes. However, with a likely worse defense, the Spurs will need their best player on both ends to spend more time on the floor this season, giving him gaudier per-game stats.
Per-game statistical projections: 23.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.9 steals, 1.1 blocks, 1.8 turnovers, 2.0 three-pointers, 50.0 field-goal percentage (17.1 attempts), 85.8 free-throw percentage (5.3 attempts)
Center
| 1 | Karl-Anthony Towns | C | Minnesota Timberwolves |
| 2 | DeMarcus Cousins | C | Sacramento Kings |
| 3 | Hassan Whiteside | PF/C | Miami Heat |
| 4 | Marc Gasol | C | Memphis Grizzlies |
| 5 | Brook Lopez | C | Brooklyn Nets |
| 6 | Andre Drummond | C | Detroit Pistons |
| 7 | Pau Gasol | PF/C | San Antonio Spurs |
| 8 | DeAndre Jordan | C | Los Angeles Clippers |
| 9 | Nikola Vucevic | C | Orlando Magic |
| 10 | Dwight Howard | C | Atlanta Hawks |
C Marc Gasol (Memphis Grizzlies)
Marc Gasol is flying under the radar in fantasy basketball circles. He’s another guy who’s well-rounded across the board. He only struggles with three-point shooting, but that's not a category you expect your center to dominate anyway.
A big reason why Gasol should be considered one of the elite fantasy centers, though, is a recent lineup change that new Memphis Grizzlies head coach David Fizdale has made. Fizdale has elected to start JaMychal Green ahead of Zach Randolph. Green is a low-usage offensive player who won’t demand as many touches as Randolph did, which means Memphis will likely revolve its offense around Gasol more heavily in 2016-17.
The injury risks for the 31-year-old Spanish center are admittedly worrisome. His offseason consisted of recovery from foot surgery, which can be a difficult process for a hulking 7’1” big man.
If you’re willing to roll the dice on Gasol’s health, he could provide a significant payoff. Some offseason reinforcements should also enhance the team’s offensive spacing, which will only benefit Gasol’s numbers.
Per-game statistical projections: 17.5 points, 8.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.0 steals, 1.4 blocks, 2.4 turnovers, 0.1 three-pointers, 47.8 field-goal percentage (13.8 attempts), 81.1 free-throw percentage (5.3 attempts)
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