Staff Fantasy Basketball Draft Recap: Analysis of Our 12-Team Head-to-Head League
Round 2
| Pick | Overall | Player | Position | Writer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 13 | Chris Bosh | PF/C | Sam Hauss |
| 2 | 14 | Damian Lillard | PG | Brandon Gdula |
| 3 | 15 | Blake Griffin | PF/C | Galin Dragiev |
| 4 | 16 | LaMarcus Aldridge | PF/C | Brett Oswalt |
| 5 | 17 | Kyle Lowry | PG | Daniel Lindsey |
| 6 | 18 | John Wall | PG | Mike Comerford |
| 7 | 19 | Al Jefferson | PF/C | Russell Peddle |
| 8 | 20 | Andre Drummond | PF/C | Kyle Stanzel |
| 9 | 21 | Kawhi Leonard | SG/SF | Bryan Mears |
| 10 | 22 | Al Horford | PF/C | Brett Weisband |
| 11 | 23 | Nicolas Batum | SG/SF | Shae Cronin |
| 12 | 24 | Kyrie Irving | PG/SG | Mike Hurley |
Sam Hauss taking Dirk Nowitzki and Chris Bosh at the turn between the first and second rounds might turn some heads. Most places aren't quite so high on those two, but we have them ranked 11th and 9th respectively for this year and expect them to outperform their average draft position (ADP) pretty easily. Nowitzki is still doing amazing things at his age (9th-ranked player overall in nine-category leagues last year) and Bosh is now the man in Miami, so those types of finishes perhaps aren't so far-fetched.
This round is filled with the names you'd generally expect in the second, although some guys slid and presented some intriguing value. LaMarcus Aldridge has spent the last four seasons ranked 13th or higher in nine-category leagues and was a value pick for Brett Oswalt at 16. His pairing of LaMarcus and Kevin Love from Round 1 represents one of the best PF/C combos you'll find in the league. Bryan Mears getting Kawhi Leonard at 21 and Mike Hurley grabbing Kyrie Irving at 24 will both likely prove to be steals by the end of the season.
Andre Drummond was a fantasy monster last season, breaking out to the tune of 13.5 points, 13.2 rebounds, 1.3 steals, and 1.6 blocks per game, while shooting 62.3% from the floor. If you can take the hit in free throw percentage, perhaps by punting it, Drummond becomes a first-round value and fantastic second-round pick. Kyle Stanzel did well here taking the plunge and picking him at 20.
My pick: Al Jefferson, PF/C - I felt like Big Al was an absolute steal with the 19th pick, considering I had him as the 8th-ranked player in my pre-draft rankings. Anyone who can give you over 20 points, 10 rebounds, a steal, and a block per game, while shooting over 50% from the field is a great get anywhere in the second round, let alone near the tail end of it. He finished as the 16th-ranked player in 9-category leagues last year, but that was with his lowest free throw percentage in four seasons (69.0%). If he can get that back up to the level from one year before (76.6%), he'll likely flirt with the top five in value.
