Staff Fantasy Basketball Draft Recap: Analysis of Our 12-Team Head-to-Head League
Round 3
| Pick | Overall | Player | Position | Writer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 25 | Kyle Lowry | PG | Sam Hauss |
| 2 | 26 | Nerlens Noel | PF/C | Derek Lynch |
| 3 | 27 | Pau Gasol | PF/C | Jacob Kent |
| 4 | 28 | Gordon Hayward | SG/SF | Jay Kim |
| 5 | 29 | Brook Lopez | C | Mike Comerford |
| 6 | 30 | Draymond Green | SF/PF | Shae Cronin |
| 7 | 31 | Kevin Love | PF/C | Brett Weisband |
| 8 | 32 | DeAndre Jordan | C | Brandon Gdula |
| 9 | 33 | Eric Bledsoe | PG/SG | Russell Peddle |
| 10 | 34 | Hassan Whiteside | C | Dale Redman |
| 11 | 35 | Chris Bosh | PF/C | Brett Oswalt |
| 12 | 36 | Derrick Favors | PF/C | Bryan Mears |
Sam grabbed Kyle Lowry with pick 25, which is a great spot for one of the preseason's most buzz-worthy players. Lowry's weight loss will be a big topic of discussion this year, as we see if his new body can handle the grind of an 82-game season, while he's putting up all kinds of points, threes, rebounds (for his position), assists, steals, low-ish turnovers, and a solid free throw percentage. We have him projected as the 14th-ranked player overall going into this fantasy season and as one of our top point guard targets.
Nerlens Noel has the potential to be a great pick for Derek Lynch at 26, especially since he was the 14th-ranked played in nine-category leagues after the All-Star Break last season, posting 10.0 rebounds, 2.1 steals, and 2.3 blocks per game over those 26 games. He's a special fantasy player and pretty much the only one with a chance of averaging two-plus steals and two-plus blocks this season.
Brandon confirmed our suspicions about his plan to punt free throw percentage, taking DeAndre Jordan in Round 3 after grabbing Andre Drummond in Round 2. Good for him, because DJ was the third-ranked player in nine-category leagues last season when punting freebies. With Chris Paul (fourth) and Drummond (10th), that makes three guys with top-10 upside for Gdula's build picked in the first three rounds. Well done!
My pick: Eric Bledsoe, PG/SG - Bledsoe has been unleashed as a fantasy stud in his two seasons as a lead guy in Phoenix, and we should be in for more of the same this year. His dual guard eligibility is great, and he is an eight-category threat with the points, threes, assists, steals, and free throw percentage you want from your guard, while adding solid rebounds, blocks, and field goal percentage for the position. His turnovers hamper his value in nine-category leagues, but you can balance that out later in your draft if you take him in the third.
