12-team, 9-cat Mock Draft: Take Giannis Antetokounmpo and don’t look back

Another day, another mock! I joined 11 other analysts in a nine-cat, head-to-head mock draft that was hosted by Adam King on Fantrax, selecting from the fifth spot. The other unique aspect of this draft is that it had a third-round reversal, which flips the draft order after the second round.

The top four picks in every draft should be pretty much locked in, which makes the fifth pick an interesting place to start, leaving you with plenty of options.

Advertisement

Round 1

1. Nikola Jokic (C – DEN)

2. Victor Wembanyama (C – SA)

3. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (G – OKC)

4. Luka Doncic (G – LAL)

5. Giannis Antetokounmpo (F – MIL)

6. Anthony Davis (F – DAL)

7. Anthony Edwards (G – MIN)

8. Cade Cunningham (G – DET)

9. James Harden (G – LAC)

10. Trae Young (G – ATL)

11. Devin Booker (G – PHO)

12. Karl-Anthony Towns (C – NY)

To me, Giannis is the way to go, and he’s a fun player to build around, with a clear punt path. He’s dominant in a handful of categories, and his weaknesses are clear, meaning you can either try and make up for it, or lean into them. I opted to lean into his strengths by emphasizing points, rebounds, assists, steals and field goal percentage while largely disregarding the other four categories. The end of the first round feels weak this year, so the third-round reversal helped even out the league.

Advertisement

Round 2

13. Stephen Curry (G – GS)

14. Tyrese Maxey (G – PHI)

15. Evan Mobley (F – CLE)

16. Domantas Sabonis (C – SAC)

17. Kevin Durant (F – HOU)

18. Donovan Mitchell (G – CLE)

19. Amen Thompson (F – HOU)

20. Jalen Johnson (F – ATL)

21. Jalen Williams (G – OKC)

22. Josh Giddey (G – CHI)

23. Jaren Jackson (C – MEM)

24. LaMelo Ball (G – CHA)

I felt comfortable taking Johnson here. I’m expecting him to be an All-Star this year, and he fits in well with Giannis. I would’ve loved to get Thompson, but he went one pick before me, which made my decision regarding Johnson much easier. I also thought about Williams, who I have ranked higher than Johnson, but I opted for the better fit. There are quite a few options I really like in round two.

Advertisement

Round 3

25. Myles Turner (C – MIL)

26. Jamal Murray (G – DEN)

27. Scottie Barnes (F – TOR)

28. LeBron James (F – LAL)

29. Tyler Herro (G – MIA)

30. Chet Holmgren (C – OKC)

31. Dyson Daniels (G – ATL)

32. Alperen Sengun (C – HOU)

33. De’Aaron Fox (G – SA)

34. Jalen Brunson (G – NY)

35. Ja Morant (G – MEM)

36. Deni Avdija (F – POR)

While I love the second round, things start to drop off in round three. However, I really lucked out here in a way that made up for a previous mishap. I have Sengun ranked much higher than this and even higher than Johnson. It was an oversight on my part, but it ended up working out flawlessly. I also would’ve been thrilled with Holmgren or Daniels, but they went right before. Also, I suspect Herro will be drafted later after undergoing a procedure on his foot and ankle on Friday.

Advertisement

Round 4

37. Austin Reaves (G – LAL)

38. Darius Garland (G – CLE)

39. Derrick White (G – BOS)

40. Paolo Banchero (F – ORL)

41. Pascal Siakam (F – IND)

42. Kawhi Leonard (F – LAC)

43. Bam Adebayo (C – MIA)

44. Jimmy Butler (F – GS)

45. Cooper Flagg (F – DAL)

46. Franz Wagner (F – ORL)

47. Trey Murphy (F – NO)

48. Kristaps Porzingis (C – ATL)

I had three players on my mind entering this round, and I opted to go with the veteran player in Siakam, partially because Banchero was taken one pick before me. The other player was Zion Williamson, who went one pick before me in the next round, sadly. However, Siakam fits well and should be in for a monster season with Tyrese Haliburton (Achilles) sidelined and Myles Turner now in Milwaukee.

Advertisement

Round 5

49. Payton Pritchard (G – BOS)

50. Desmond Bane (G – ORL)

51. Jaylen Brown (F – BOS)

52. Walker Kessler (C – UTA)

53. Brandon Miller (F – CHA)

54. Coby White (G – CHI)

55. Zion Williamson (F – NO)

56. OG Anunoby (F – NY)

57. Zach LaVine (G – SAC)

58. Ivica Zubac (C – LAC)

59. Immanuel Quickley (G – TOR)

60. Mark Williams (C – PHO)

As I mentioned previously, I was hoping to get Zion, but that just didn’t happen. Anunoby isn’t my favorite fit with the rest of my team, but he is certainly a productive, helpful piece that isn’t going to hurt me anywhere. Plus, he’s a strong source of steals, which I hadn’t really addressed yet. Wasn’t part of my plan, but I’m not upset about it at all. Also, Pritchard in the top-50!

Advertisement

Round 6

61. Jordan Poole (G – NO)

62. Jalen Green (G – PHO)

63. Jakob Poeltl (C – TOR)

64. Fred VanVleet (G – HOU)

65. Ausar Thompson (F – DET)

66. Nikola Vucevic (C – CHI)

67. Rudy Gobert (C – MIN)

68. Lauri Markkanen (F – UTA)

69. Deandre Ayton (C – LAL)

70. Julius Randle (F – MIN)

71. Jalen Duren (C – DET)

72. Joel Embiid (C – PHI)

Yes, this was really early for me to select Thompson, but he fit my team too well for me to risk waiting another round. This Thompson twin is the one I’m hoping to leave every draft with, and I think he’s in for a breakout season like his brother had last year. He may not reach those heights, but he should play more than he ever has, and when he’s been on the floor, he’s been elite. I’m all in on Ausar.

Advertisement

Round 7

73. Miles Bridges (F – CHA)

74. Donovan Clingan (C – POR)

75. Brandon Ingram (F – TOR)

76. Andrew Nembhard (G – IND)

77. Paul George (F – PHI)

78. DeMar DeRozan (F – SAC)

79. Jarrett Allen (C – CLE)

80. Onyeka Okongwu (C – ATL)

81. Josh Hart (G – NY)

82. Matas Buzelis (F – CHI)

83. Alex Sarr (C – WAS)

84. Shaedon Sharpe (G – POR)

I didn’t expect Okongwu to be here, but I certainly wasn’t upset about it. I still think he could start for the Hawks this season at center, and he was producing at an elite level to close out last year. I would’ve loved to get Clingan here, and I was between Allen and Okongwu, though that decision was made for me.

Advertisement

Round 8

85. Isaiah Hartenstein (C – OKC)

86. Mikal Bridges (F – NY)

87. Kel’el Ware (C – MIA)

88. Cameron Johnson (F – DEN)

89. Jalen Suggs (G – ORL)

90. Toumani Camara (F – POR)

91. Keegan Murray (F – SAC)

92. Zach Edey (C – MEM)

93. Michael Porter (F – BKN)

94. Herbert Jones (F – NO)

95. Christian Braun (G – DEN)

96. Bradley Beal (G – LAC)

At this point, I didn’t have a guard, so I really needed to start adding some. I went with Suggs, who will add some defensive stats. He may not provide as many assists as he has in the past with Desmond Bane now in Orlando, but he’ll still be able to produce strong value. I also wanted Edey and Braun, but they didn’t fall to me in the next round.

Advertisement

Round 9

97. Tobias Harris (F – DET)

98. John Collins (F – LAC)

99. Jay Huff (C – IND)

100. Norman Powell (G – MIA)

101. Naz Reid (C – MIN)

102. Draymond Green (F – GS)

103. Kyrie Irving (G – DAL)

104. Brandin Podziemski (G – GS)

105. Devin Vassell (G – SA)

106. Scoot Henderson (G – POR)

107. Anfernee Simons (G – BOS)

108. Kevin Porter (G – MIL)

Podz fits my team perfectly, and I was happy he fell to me here. He’s an excellent rebounder from the guard spot, and he stepped up his play after the Warriors traded for Jimmy Butler. Golden State has a lot of questions left to answer this offseason, but Podz is locked in as a starter. He’ll end up being a bargain outside the top-100.

Advertisement

Round 10

109. Donte DiVincenzo (G – MIN)

110. Jaden McDaniels (F – MIN)

111. Jaden Ivey (G – DET)

112. Kyle Filipowski (C – UTA)

113. Tari Eason (F – HOU)

114. Kyshawn George (G – WAS)

115. Cameron Thomas (G – BKN)

116. Jrue Holiday (G – POR)

117. D’Angelo Russell (G – DAL)

118. RJ Barrett (F – TOR)

119. CJ McCollum (G – WAS)

120. Dennis Schroder (G – SAC)

At this point, I was looking for upside, and nobody fits that better than Eason. The addition of Kevin Durant isn’t going to limit Eason, and there aren’t many players that can contribute defensive stats like Eason. I also considered Schroder to get me some assists, and George is a player I’m hoping to get in the last few rounds of every draft. He just went a tad earlier in this mock.

Advertisement

Round 11

121. Bobby Portis (F – MIL)

122. Dereck Lively (C – DAL)

123. Cam Whitmore (F – WAS)

124. Dejounte Murray (G – NO)

125. Andrew Wiggins (F – MIA)

126. Malik Monk (G – SAC)

127. Nicolas Claxton (C – BKN)

128. Isaiah Collier (G – UTA)

129. Carlton Carrington (G – WAS)

130. Zaccharie Risacher (F – ATL)

131. Jabari Smith (F – HOU)

132. Aaron Nesmith (F – IND)

After missing out on Schroder, I really needed to get some assists in the later rounds, and Collier can certainly provide those. He doesn’t do much scoring, but the rest of my team can help make up for that. I just really needed the dimes.

Round 12

133. De’Andre Hunter (F – CLE)

Advertisement

134. Keyonte George (G – UTA)

135. Scotty Pippen (G – MEM)

136. T.J. McConnell (G – IND)

137. Bennedict Mathurin (F – IND)

138. Jonathan Kuminga (F – GS)

139. Aaron Gordon (F – DEN)

140. Cason Wallace (G – OKC)

141. Mitchell Robinson (C – NY)

142. Kyle Kuzma (F – MIL)

143. Isaiah Jackson (C – IND)

144. Stephon Castle (G – SA)

Mathurin doesn’t fit my team well, but at this point, I don’t really care. This was 20 spots after his Fantrax ADP and 40 spots after his Yahoo! ADP. He’s going to score a ton of points. That’s more than what can be said for most of the other players going in this range.

145. Collin Sexton (G – CHA)

Advertisement

146. Neemias Queta (C – BOS)

147. Lonzo Ball (G – CLE)

148. Ace Bailey (F – UTA)

149. Chris Paul (G – LAC)

150. Moussa Diabate (C – CHA)

151. Bruce Brown (G – DEN)

152. Taylor Hendricks (F – UTA)

153. P.J. Washington (F – DAL)

154. Chris Boucher (F – BOS)

155. Daniel Gafford (C – DAL)

156. Ty Jerome (G – MEM)

The last round is for upside swings, and Hendricks has a ton of upside. He’s the best perimeter defender on the Jazz, and any progression offensively will allow him to be a top-100 producer in nine-cat leagues. He’s not a guarantee, but that’s not what the final round of your draft is for.

Here’s what my full team ended up looking like:

Advertisement

1. Giannis Antetokounmpo (F – MIL)

9. Brandin Podziemski (G – GS)

12. Bennedict Mathurin (F – IND)

13. Taylor Hendricks (F – UTA)

Overall, I was really happy with how this team turned out. The first three rounds were spectacular, and I was able to get a few of my favorite mid-late round targets. As far as the other teams, there was a nice mix of risky swings and value picks, making this an excellent replica of a competitive draft.