Fantasy Basketball 2014: Complete 1st-Round Rankings and Mock Draft
It was a summer of shake-ups in the NBA, as big-name superstars switched teams, and potential stars of the future entered the league in a loaded draft class.
While that will undoubtedly have an impact on how the season plays out, it will also change the outlook of some fantasy teams. After all, how early should you draft Andrew Wiggins or Jabari Parker? What about Kevin Love after he moved to Cleveland?
With that in mind, here is a look at a ranking for 20 players worthy of first-round consideration and then a mock draft (assuming a 10-team league). After that, we will analyze some of the most intriguing players who didn’t make the top 20 but are capable of racking up the fantasy points.
| 1 | LeBron James | Cleveland Cavaliers | SF |
| 2 | Anthony Davis | New Orleans Pelicans | PF/C |
| 3 | Chris Paul | Los Angeles Clippers | PG |
| 4 | Stephen Curry | Golden State Warriors | PG |
| 5 | James Harden | Houston Rockets | SG |
| 6 | DeMarcus Cousins | Sacramento Kings | C |
| 7 | Kevin Durant | Oklahoma City Thunder | SF |
| 8 | Russell Westbrook | Oklahoma City Thunder | PG |
| 9 | Blake Griffin | Los Angeles Clippers | PF |
| 10 | Serge Ibaka | Oklahoma City Thunder | PF |
| 11 | Carmelo Anthony | New York Knicks | SF |
| 12 | LaMarcus Aldridge | Portland Trail Blazers | PF |
| 13 | Kevin Love | Cleveland Cavaliers | PF |
| 14 | John Wall | Washington Wizards | PG |
| 15 | Al Jefferson | Charlotte Hornets | C |
| 16 | Chris Bosh | Miami Heat | C |
| 17 | Kawhi Leonard | San Antonio Spurs | SF |
| 18 | Dirk Nowitzki | Dallas Mavericks | PF |
| 19 | Kyle Lowry | Toronto Raptors | PG |
| 20 | Damian Lillard | Portland Trail Blazers | PG |
| 1 | LeBron James |
| 2 | Anthony Davis |
| 3 | Kevin Durant |
| 4 | Chris Paul |
| 5 | James Harden |
| 6 | Carmelo Anthony |
| 7 | Stephen Curry |
| 8 | DeMarcus Cousins |
| 9 | Russell Westbrook |
| 10 | Blake Griffin |
Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
Let’s just get this out of the way now—Kobe Bryant is not going to be the same player in 2014-15 that he has been throughout his career.
Need proof? Look at this rather unfortunate play from the preseason, courtesy of Bleacher Report:
Still, Bryant is a legitimate fantasy basketball threat because of the scoring numbers he can put up. He averaged 27.3 points a game in 2012-13 and 27.9 a night in 2011-12 and never averaged fewer than 24 points a game from the 2000-01 season to the 2012-13 season. In fact, he averaged 30 points a night or more three times during that stretch.
Bryant will also constantly have the ball in his hands on a team that features Jeremy Lin, Carlos Boozer and Nick Young, so he should rack up some assists by default. He actually averaged 6.3 assists a night in the six games he played last season and six a game the year before.
However, the concern with Bryant is age and injury. He only played in six games last year and is 36 years old this season.
He discussed the upcoming season, via Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News: “It’s a mixture of excitement, it’s a mixture of a little nervousness, it’s a mixture of rage. It’s a mixture of a lot of things. I’m trying to see if I can prove to myself that I can be myself. All those words and the doubts adds fuel to that.”
Nobody is going to question Bryant’s drive, and he will be a very valuable fantasy player if he can stay healthy, regardless of who his teammates are in Los Angeles. The question now is whether you trust his health enough to draft him early because he is arguably the biggest boom-or-bust player in the league fantasy-wise.
Kyrie Irving, Cleveland Cavaliers
Kyrie Irving is an incredibly intriguing fantasy basketball case heading into the 2014-15 season.
It is difficult to see him matching his 20.8 points a night from a year ago with LeBron James and Kevin Love in town. After all, there is only one ball, and the best player in the league is certainly going to get it more often than not.
However, Irving will likely get some more open looks than he is accustomed to with so many defenders focused on James and Love. That means his shooting percentages will likely go up even if his total scoring numbers decrease.
What’s more, the assist numbers could shoot up this season.
It’s hard not to rack up the assists when passing to James and Love, although you can make the argument that Irving’s assist numbers may actually go down because James has the ball in his hands so often. James is good for six or seven assists a night, which may leave fewer to go around for Irving.
If this play, via SportsCenter, is any indication, Irving’s assist numbers should be just fine:
Injuries could be reason for concern for both the Cleveland Cavaliers and your fantasy team. Irving played in 51 games in 2011-12, 59 games in 2012-13 and 71 a season ago and was dinged up in the preseason, but Kurt Helin of Pro Basketball Talk pointed out that Irving is feeling better:
Ultimately, the Cavaliers are the NBA’s most intriguing team in reality and in fantasy.
Irving could end up being a fantasy basketball star as he drops dimes to James and Love and improves his shooting percentages with more open looks. Just don’t expect his points per game to go up from last year.
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