Fantasy Basketball 2019: Top NBA Player Rankings and 1st-Round Mock Draft
Right as the NFL got our juices flowing for fantasy sports, it is time to start revving up for the NBA season and fantasy basketball. The 2019-20 season of NBA action kicks off on October 22, and we've got the top player rankings and a first-round mock draft to satisfy your preparatory needs.
Starting out, we'll go through some rankings at each position before laying out a preliminary look at how the first round of a standard, 12-team fantasy basketball league should look.
Not that it's incredibly consequential, but our contextual baseline will be a head-to-head category format that considers points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks, three-pointers, field-goal percentage, free-throw percentage and three-point percentage.
Point Guard
1. Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
2. Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers
3. Russell Westbrook, Houston Rockets
4. Kyrie Irving, Brooklyn Nets
5. Jrue Holiday, New Orleans Pelicans
6. Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks
7. Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks
8. De'Aaron Fox, Sacramento Kings
9. Kemba Walker, Boston Celtics
10. Chris Paul, Oklahoma City Thunder
Stephen Curry is an obvious choice for the top spot, given the likelihood that he will be a huge volume play with Kevin Durant gone and Klay Thompson still injured. Meanwhile, it will be interesting to see if Russell Westbrook makes good on his promise to become a better shooter—as that would propel him into contention for the top point-guard spot since his percentages so frequently detracted from his fantasy performances.
Shooting Guard
1. James Harden, Houston Rockets
2. Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns
3. Bradley Beal, Washington Wizards
4. Donovan Mitchell, Utah Jazz
5. Buddy Hield, Sacramento Kings
6. CJ McCollum, Portland Trail Blazers
7. Khris Middleton, Milwaukee Bucks
8. DeMar DeRozan, San Antonio Spurs
9. D'Angelo Russell, Golden State Warriors
10. Josh Richardson, Philadelphia 76ers
If Booker can take a step this season, he could become a legitimate fantasy star. Alternatively, if Mitchell fails to take a step, this preliminary ranking might look too high by season's end. Talented guards in new environments, like Russell and Richardson, are each real candidates to outproduce Mitchell if things click.
Small Forward
1. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
2. Kawhi Leonard, Los Angeles Clippers
3. LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers
4. Paul George, Los Angeles Clippers
5. Jimmy Butler, Miami Heat
6. Tobias Harris, Philadelphia 76ers
7. Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics
8. Caris LeVert, Brooklyn Nets
9. Brandon Ingram, New Orleans Pelicans
10. Otto Porter Jr., Chicago Bulls
In the most stacked position in fantasy basketball, the top four small forwards are all elite.The rest of the top 10 should be volatile, but LeVert's continued recovery from injury and Butler's comfort level in Miami will be intriguing to monitor.
Power Forward
1. Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers
2. Pascal Siakam, Toronto Raptors
3. Aaron Gordon, Orlando Magic
4. Blake Griffin, Detroit Pistons
5. Lauri Markkanen, Chicago Bulls
6. Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors
7. Marvin Bagley III, Sacramento Kings
8. Kevin Love, Cleveland Cavaliers
9. John Collins, Atlanta Hawks
10. Julius Randle, New York Knicks
Until Anthony Davis officially suits up as a center for the Lakers, we'll leave him at power forward. A bunch of young players round out the top 10 here, and they all have the potential to solidify their place among the league's best if the game slows down for them.
Center
1. Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves
2. Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets
3. Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers
4. Jaren Jackson Jr., Memphis Grizzlies
5. Myles Turner, Indiana Pacers
6. Kristaps Porzingis, Dallas Mavericks
7. Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz
8. LaMarcus Aldridge, San Antonio Spurs
9. Nikola Vucevic, Orlando Magic
10. Andre Drummond, Detroit Pistons
This may feel a little high for Jackson, but he's shown the perfect tools to be a star while also having the mojo to go out and put games on his back. Conversely, the sixth spot might feel low for Porzingis, but injury concerns needed to be baked in.
First-Round Mock Draft
1. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
2. James Harden, Houston Rockets
3. Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
4. Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers
5. Kawhi Leonard, Los Angeles Clippers
6. LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers
7. Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves
8. Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets
9. Paul George, Los Angeles Clippers
10. Russell Westbrook, Houston Rockets
11. Bradley Beal, Washington Wizards
11. Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers
12. Pascal Siakam, Toronto Raptors
In the first round, you don't worry about categories—you just draft the best player available. Every single player in the top 10 absolutely fills up the stat sheet, but the late first round starts to become murky as fantasy owners will need to start gambling on their favorite upside. Pascal Siakam is an intriguing choice if you think that he'll benefit from the opportunities left behind by Kawhi Leonard.
