In most leagues, when you end up with the No. 1 pick, you've got a tough decision to make. But not this one.
In our first mock draft of the season, featuring friends from around the Fantasy industry, we decided to eschew turnovers, settling for an eight-category Rotisserie league. As a result, Andrew Joe Potter of theScore.com had an easy call to make at the top of the draft – Russell Westbrook, and his historic production.
In a nine-category league, Westbrook is a risky call at the top of the draft. But when you aren't penalized for turnovers, your options get a lot more obvious, as you get the 2017 MVP's historic triple-double abilities, without being penalized for all those pesky turnovers.
Of course, Westbrook isn't the obvious option at No. 1. By my count, there are five candidates for the No. 1 spot this season, and Mike Gallagher of Rotoworld.com might be the luckiest guy in the room, as one of them fell to him at No. 6. James Harden might lose some of his assist production with Chris Paul next to him, but his combination of efficiency, shooting, and playmaking still makes him an option at the top, and worthwhile option anywhere in the first half of the first round.
As for me, I didn't have the chance to pick at the top, so I had to settle for Nikola Jokic at No. 10. In retrospect, I might have preferred a safer option in Kawhi Leonard, but Jokic has showed unprecedented skills for a big man, coming off a season in which he averaged 17.9 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 5.3 assists, with 97 combined blocks and steals and 42 3-pointers in 59 games after joining the starting lineup. If the 22-year-old sustains that, let alone builds on it, I've got an incredible centerpiece to build around.
Check out the rest of the draft below. This was an eight-category Roto draft, with points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks, 3-pointers, field-goal percentage, and free-throw percentage. We play with PG, SG, SF, PF, C, G, F, three utility spots, and three bench spots.
The draft order is as follows:
1. Andrew Joe Potter, theScore.com
2. Alex Rikleen, RotoWire.com
3. Nick Whalen, RotoWire.com
4. Kyle McKeown, BasketballMonster.com
5. Alex Barutha, RotoWire.com
6. Mike Gallagher, Rotoworld.com
7. Aaron Bruski, Hoop-Ball.com
8. Joe Polito, CBSSports.com
9. Joel Bartilotta, RotoWire.com
10. Chris Towers, CBSSports.com, Senior Fantasy Editor
11. James Anderson, RotoWire.com
12. D.J. Trainor, RotoWire.com
