Staff Fantasy Basketball Draft Recap: Analysis of Our 12-Team Head-to-Head League
Round 2
| Pick | Overall | Player | Position | Writer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 13 | Paul George | SG/SF/PF | Bryan Mears |
| 2 | 14 | Jimmy Butler | SG/SF | Brett Oswalt |
| 3 | 15 | Klay Thompson | SG/SF | Dale Redman |
| 4 | 16 | Rudy Gobert | C | Russell Peddle |
| 5 | 17 | Andre Drummond | PF/C | Brandon Gdula |
| 6 | 18 | Al Horford | PF/C | Brett Weisband |
| 7 | 19 | Marc Gasol | C | Shae Cronin |
| 8 | 20 | Serge Ibaka | PF/C | Mike Comerford |
| 9 | 21 | Nikola Vucevic | PF/C | Jay Kim |
| 10 | 22 | Carmelo Anthony | SF/PF | Jacob Kent |
| 11 | 23 | LaMarcus Aldridge | PF/C | Derek Lynch |
| 12 | 24 | Paul Millsap | PF/C | Sam Hauss |
Paul George is an interesting pick in fantasy hoops this year. During his last full season in 2013-14, he finished as a first-round value as the 11th-ranked player in nine-category leagues. The horrific leg break a summer ago made last year a wash, but if you believe that PG has healed 100%, he might be a steal in the second round of your draft thanks to the injury discount.
Jimmy Butler and Klay Thompson both had breakout seasons in 2014-15, finishing eighth and ninth respectively in nine-category leagues after being drafted in the middle rounds. You'd be fine to take either of them anywhere from near the end of the first-round onward this year.
Andre Drummond might seem a little early to Brandon Gdula at pick 17, but if you're punting free throw percentage, Drummond is a first-round value with such powerful stacks in rebounding, blocks, and field goal percentage.
As you can see, this is generally the round when everyone tries to lock down at least one of their two center spots. Eight center-eligible players went off the board in the 12 picks of our second round, so be mindful of that rush for bigs in your draft.
My pick: Rudy Gobert, C - Speaking of quality bigs to grab in the second round, Rudy Gobert is becoming something of an industry favorite. His Yahoo and ESPN ranks have been climbing all summer, settling in at 13 and 15 respectively for draft season. He has all kinds of fantasy potential and might have a chance to creep into first-round value territory if he proves that last season's breakout wasn't a fluke. He's one of my favorite second-round targets this year, as he has a chance to finish in the top three among league leaders in rebounds, blocks, and field goal percentage this season, while potentially seeing an uptick in points and free throw percentage as well (two areas that got better for him last year as the season progressed and he adjusted to the increased responsibility).
