Fantasy Basketball 2018: 1st-Round Mock Draft and Best Team Names
The 2018-19 NBA season will tip off Tuesday evening, which means it's crunch time for hoops fans as they gear up to make another run at fantasy basketball championships.
And if you are an owner who hasn't entered a live draft room just yet, there's still time to tweak your first-round strategy and ensure you wind up with the stud who can lead your squad to the virtual promised land.
Below we'll take a look at an updated first-round mock draft for a 12-team league and break down the players who project as league winners.
Updated 1st-Round Mock
1. Anthony Davis, PF/C, New Orleans Pelicans
2. Karl-Anthony Towns, C, Minnesota Timberwolves
3. Giannis Antetokounmpo, G/F, Milwaukee Bucks
4. James Harden, G, Houston Rockets
5. LeBron James, SF/PF, Los Angeles Lakers
6. Stephen Curry, PG, Golden State Warriors
7. Nikola Jokic, C, Denver Nuggets
8. Kevin Durant, SF, Golden State Warriors
9. Kawhi Leonard, SF, Toronto Raptors
10. Russell Westbrook, PG, Oklahoma City Thunder
11. Damian Lillard, PG, Portland Trail Blazers
12. Victor Oladipo, SG, Indiana Pacers
Karl-Anthony Towns, C, Minnesota Timberwolves
Last season, Karl-Anthony Towns was one of two qualified players who averaged at least 20 points, 12 rebounds and a block. As if that weren't impressive enough, he rattled off career-high shooting clips of 54.5 percent from the field and 42.1 percent from three (on 3.5 attempts per night).
And here's the thing: There's room for improvement.
While those numbers were undoubtedly gaudy and historically efficient for a player of his size, Towns watched his usage rate dip to a career-low 22.9 percent following Jimmy Butler's arrival.
However, times are changing for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Butler has requested a trade, and he gets his wish, Towns' usage figures to go back toward the 27.5 percent mark it hovered at during the 2016-17 campaign.
A certified stat-sheet stuffer and evolving shooting machine, Towns should be a no-brainer top-three pick.
Nikola Jokic, C, Denver Nuggets
If you want a box score All-Star to anchor your fantasy team, Nikola Jokic is the guy to target.
Although he isn't a staple of highlight reels in the way Towns and Anthony Davis are, the Denver Nuggets center posted one of the most unique stat lines in the sport last season, averaging 18.5 points, 10.7 rebounds and 6.1 assists per game.
To put those numbers in perspective, the only other players in league history to average at least 18 points, 10 boards and six dimes are Oscar Robertson, Wilt Chamberlain, Larry Bird, Kevin Garnett and Russell Westbrook.
What's more, Jokic was encouraged to show off his polished three-point stroke and drilled 39.6 percent of his 280 attempts from beyond the arc. Factor in his 90 steals, which ranked third among all centers, and Jokic is the kind of do-it-all artist who can safely be penciled in as a mid- to late-first-round selection.
Victor Oladipo, G, Indiana Pacers
All it took was one season with the Indiana Pacers for Victor Oladipo to develop into one of the NBA's most feared two-way threats.
Following three up-and-down years with the Orlando Magic and a 2016-17 campaign with the Oklahoma City Thunder that saw him take a backseat to Westbrook, Oladipo showed why he was coveted at the top of the 2013 draft and erupted for 23.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.3 assists and a league-leading 2.6 steals per night.
The story didn't stop there.
Oladipo also swished a career-high 47.7 percent of his field-goal attempts, including 37.1 percent from three, as he recorded a 30.1 percent usage rate that was by far the highest of his career. In fact, that mark was good enough for 14th among all players last season and ahead of perennial All-Stars like Davis and DeMar DeRozan.
And with the Pacers trending toward 50-win territory following a 48-34 finish last season, Oladipo should be tasked with shouldering a similar, if not a bigger, workload during his second campaign in Indiana.
Team Names to Consider
- Meme Team
- Better Call Gasol
- Mo Bamba No. 5
- I'm Trying, Jennifer
- The Gobert Report
- Everybody Loves Draymond
- Kawhi Me a River
Stats courtesy of Basketball Reference unless noted otherwise.
