Fantasy Basketball 2020: 1st-Round NBA Mock Draft and Top Team Names

Maurice BobbDec 19, 2020

As the NBA preseason wanes, it's time for fantasy basketball managers to employ whatever method they use to prepare for drafts and get ready to build out their rosters before the start of the 2020-21 regular season, which begins on Tuesday, Dec. 22.

As players like Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant return to action after major injuries, they'll likely come off the draft boards quickly.

Then there are the returning stat-sheet stuffers like the reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic and Anthony Davis.

TOP NEWS

James Harden may be in the throes of controversy in Houston, but he's a solid bet to rack up points.

Other players to keep an eye on are Damian Lillard and rising stars like Devin Booker and Donovan Mitchell.

Here's a quick look at the first-round mock and three players who should be on any winning roster.

1st-Round NBA Mock Draft

1. Giannis Antetokounmpo, SF/PF, Milwaukee Bucks

2. Luka Doncic, PG, Dallas Mavericks

3. James Harden, PG/SG, Houston Rockets

4. Stephen Curry, PG/SG, Golden State Warriors

5. Anthony Davis, PF/C, Los Angeles Lakers

6. LeBron James, SF/PF, Los Angeles Lakers

7. Kevin Durant, SF/PF, Brooklyn Nets

8. Damian Lillard, PG, Portland Trailblazers

9. Kawhi Leonard SF, SG Los Angeles Clippers

10. Karl-Anthony Towns, C, Minnesota Timberwolves

11. Trae Young, PG, Atlanta Hawks

12. Nikola Jokic, PF/C, Denver Nuggets

2. Luka Doncic

Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press

In just two seasons, Luka Doncic has supplanted most of the players in the league as an MVP-caliber franchise player.

He can do it all.

He can score, he can rebound, he can pass, but most importantly, he's a leader and a winner.

The 2019 Rookie of the Year improved in almost every category last year and will continue to impress with his production.

His running mate, Kristaps Porzingis, has been injury-prone since his arrival in Dallas, so his numbers will have to be high when he's the only one of the duo on the floor.

General managers around the NBA believe Doncic has the best chance to overtake Antetokounmpo for the MVP award, so expect him to be aggressive and hungry for wins.

Last season, he averaged 28.8 points, 9.4 rebounds and 8.8 assists per game.

Can he actually average a triple-double this year? It's entirely possible.

4. Stephen Curry

Randall Benton/Associated Press

After riding high with five straight appearances in the NBA Finals, Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors hit a wicked patch of bad luck.

In the 2019 NBA Finals, Kevin Durant went down with an Achilles injury and Klay Thompson was sidelined by an ACL tear.

That left the door wide open for the Toronto Raptors to win their first-ever NBA championship and the door was seemingly shut on the Warriors' dynasty.

The injury to Thompson and Curry's own injury problems resulted in a lost 2019-2020 season, and the Warriors missed the postseason entirely after going a league-worst 15-50.

Now, after an extended rehab, Curry is back in action and ready to reclaim his spot as the most exciting point guard in the league.

"A lot of Steph [Curry] plays. When he comes off a screen and the shot be like 30 feet out, and he be making it all net. That's crazy to me," Warriors rookie James Wiseman told Tommy Call III of Yahoo Sports. "It's just like 2K, basically. It's kind of crazy."

And with his Splash brother Thompson out for the year with a torn Achilles, he'll have to pick up the slack and light it up even more from the perimeter.

Look for him to score at least 28 points per game and toss in five rebounds and assists for good measure.

Curry is going to be back, and it's going to be fun to watch for fantasy managers.

7. Kevin Durant

LeBron James reclaimed the title as the best player in the world last season, but Durant will be out to challenge for the throne this year.

While it is tough to bounce back from an Achilles tear, the two-time Finals MVP has had ample time to recover, and he looks like his old self in the preseason games he's played.

He appears fluid and explosive, his shot is there and he's not hesitating on moves to the rack.

"I was out for 18 months not playing an NBA game, not playing against that physicality, the speed of the game," Durant told Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News. "So it's gonna take me some time to get my feet up under me, get my legs right.

"Having a team like we have, those guys support me every time I step on the floor, try to put me in great positions to be successful, and we're just playing off of each other. So if we continue to do that, this will be a smooth ride for me as I get back into the swing of things."

Even if he's only 90 percent of what he was, that's still a player to be reckoned with on a nightly basis.

Durant will have Kyrie Irving riding shotgun this season, so he won't need to average 30 points per game, but he'll still put on an offensive clinic and toss in at least 27 per contest.

If he can stay healthy, fantasy managers that draft him high won't be disappointed with the results.

Top Team Names

Harden to Stop

Dame Time, Different Day

Luka Me Work

Beal Street Blues

The King James' Gambit

Keep It LaMelo

Mo Money Mo Bamba

Everyday I'm Russelling

Brow Down When I Come to Your Town

Jingle Ball Rock