Fantasy Basketball Mock Draft 2024 (9 categories)

Preparation is key to success in fantasy basketball. I’ve gathered industry experts for a 12-team, head-to-head, nine-category mock draft to take a look at current trends, player values, and the nuances of drafting in key statistical categories. Let’s dive in, and a special thank you to everyone who participated.

(Create or join a Yahoo Fantasy Hoops league for the 2024-2025 NBA season)

The results of the mock draft can be found here.

The Fantastic Four and everyone else

The top four picks in the league draft category have been consistent throughout the offseason. This was no different, as Victor Wembanyama and Nikola Jokić were the top two options, followed by Luka Dončić and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

The draft only gets interesting once the consensus top four is gone. It’s all a matter of preference and risk tolerance. On a per-game basis, Joel Embiid is a top three player, but knowing his name is synonymous with missing games, I can understand the slide to eighth.

Call of the guard(s)

The back end of the first round started a significant trend of guards flying off the board. Sixty-six percent of second-round picks were point guards — meaning that the players who generally have high usage rates and cross-categorical production in points, assists, 3s, free-throw percentage and steals are quite concentrated in the early rounds.

Of course you can give assists, but I advise against it. In round 4, go for a high-end guard, because the drop-off is really big.

Back to the big men: After Embiid went eighth overall, only four players (Chet Holmgren, Domantas Sabonis, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Karl-Anthony Towns) with center eligibility were selected from picks 9 through 36. Sabonis’ passing ability should not be underestimated, so dropping to a 2.10 in this draft was a steal considering he poses a threat for the league lead in double-doubles.

Large tree(s) fall hard

Rounds 4 and 5 were focused on big men, with 14 of the 24 picks in those two rounds going to PF or C-rated players. A common draft strategy is to take the guards early and save the mid-rounders to ensure rebounding, blocks, and FG%. That’s what was done here.

It hurt to see Immanuel Quickley go in the fourth round, because in most drafts I’ve been in, he’s gone at least one round later — no more discounts, y’all. And as an Isaiah Hartenstein truther, it was a big jump from his ADP, which currently sits at 82.1 over the past seven days in Yahoo Fantasy drafts.

Get your men + mispriced veterans

As we got to the middle of the draft in Round 6, you started to see a mix of fantasy managers getting their guys and the value dropped. Cam Thomas, Alex Caruso and Chris Paul went higher than expected in the sixth and seventh rounds respectively.

On the other hand, Julius Randle, D’Angelo Russell and Josh Giddey appear to be valuable choices, especially given their expected finishing positions this season.

If you’re giving up rebounds and blocks, Round 9 is the defining moment to draft a decent big man. Jonas Valančiūnas, Jusuf Nurkić, Clint Capela and Ivica Zubac all left the board before Round 10.

Late round breakouts

A lot of my breakouts have come in this area — Jonathan Kuminga, Onyeka Okongwu, and Amen Thompson. Underrated picks after Round 10 were Collin Sexton, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Dyson Daniels, and Keyonte George. There’s also significant veteran depth in the later rounds, like Al Horford, Marcus Smart, and Norman Powell — all guys who will be impactful players for their respective teams this season.

Final thoughts

Overall, it was a fun draft. As the guy who was unhappy with his team after being drafted 12th overall, should you try to stick with your plan or pivot if necessary? The run on high-assist guards and the wait to pounce on big men in the early to mid rounds will vary from draft to draft, so be agile and willing to adapt as you strive for balance or potentially discard based on how the draft reads to you.