Welcome to the 2023 Fantasy Basketball Draft Season! Today, I’ll be presenting a mock draft for one of my leagues. It’s a 10-team H2H category league on ESPN. I’ll be using the FantasyPros Mock Draft Simulator to see how my team rounds out from the 5th slot.
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Fantasy Basketball 10-Team Category Mock Draft: 5th Pick
Categories: FG% | FT% | 3PM | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PTS
Roster: PG | SG | G | SF | PF | F | C | UTIL (3) | BENCH (4)
Starters
Pick 1.05: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (PG, SG – OKC)
It’s honestly a toss-up for me to pick between SGA and Tyrese Haliburton. Their projections are so similar, but SGA has slightly better percentages, which I like to protect with my early picks so I can take bigger chances later in the draft. The 25-year-old played in 68 games and finished with a Usage % of 32.8 and 50.4 FPPG. He shot 90.5% from the free throw line and had a 62.6 true shooting percentage.
Pick 2.06: Mikal Bridges (SG, SF – BKN)
Mikal Bridges became the poster child for “Player needs a new home to succeed” in 2022 when he was sent to Brooklyn as part of the Kevin Durant trade. From the second he arrived, the Nets built their offense around him, and the 27-year-old responded with 25.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.5 steals/blocks in every contest. I’m buying that his “new home” will continue to benefit fantasy teams everywhere.
Pick 3.05: Karl-Anthony Towns (PF, C – MIN)
I swear I didn’t pick him because I’m a Timberwolves fan. (We are real!) If anything, I almost didn’t pick him because he plays for them. His injury last season wiped out any real conclusion to what he and Rudy Gobert will actually be like on the floor together. His rebounds will certainly go down – they were a career-low in the 29 games he played last season. But Towns’s fantasy potential comes from his ability to average a couple of three-pointers per game while maintaining a 50% FG rate and 87.4% from the free-throw line. Those are hard-to-find stats from any center not named Nikola Jokic. I’m absorbing the injury concerns and hoping for a bounceback season.
Pick 4.06: Paul George (SG, SF, PF – LAC)
Speaking of injury concerns… George is an injury risk, but he is an asset when he does play. His all-around numbers are made for category leagues. He averaged 23.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 2.8 three-pointers, and 1.5 steals per game last season while maintaining excellent FG% and FT%. He played 56 games in 2022-2023, and while that isn’t ideal, he finished in the Top 30 overall. So, the injury risk is built right into getting him in the fourth round, and I’ll just make sure I draft a complement to him later in the draft.
Pick 5.05: Darius Garland (PG – CLE)
Chances are good that Garland won’t slide to you in the fifth round, but if he does, grab him immediately. The Cavs have the makings of a team that could make some noise and be a nuisance to the upper echelon in the East. The addition of Donovan Mitchell did put a soft cap on what we should expect from Garland; however, Mitchell’s scoring ability should boost Garland’s assists to around eight per game. He should see around 36 minutes a game and offers an unknown upside depending on how everything gels together in Cleveland.
Pick 6.06: Brook Lopez (C – MIL)
Your fantasy basketball roster can’t be filled with only high-upside assets because there are only so many to go around. You’ll recognize the end of that group when Brook Lopez pops up as a recommended pick. However, the 35-year-old offers some defensive stats that aren’t easy to find (2.0 blocks/game), and he knows his role on a team with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard. He will work the glass and facilitate when he can. But here is the complement to KAT in this particular draft.
Pick 7.05: Tyrese Maxey (PG, SG – PHI)
Every 76er in fantasy drafts is held hostage by the resolution of the James Harden situation. (As of this writing, he is practicing with the team but not playing in preseason games.) Maxey, in particular, would benefit should Harden leave town. The 22-year-old could end up taking over starting point guard duty for a talented roster, including the reigning MVP, Joel Embiid. He has a limited ceiling, but he will be helpful in 3PM and FT% categories.
Pick 8.06: Cameron Johnson (SF, PF – BKN)
I’m expecting continued growth from Johnson, especially as he has a chance to settle into a rhythm with a fun Brooklyn team. He will contribute in a number of categories, including defensively and with percentages. He should average around 30 minutes a night and continue to increase his scoring opportunities.
Pick 9.05: Jerami Grant (PF – POR)
I’ll admit that I liked Grant even before the flurry of trades that left him a focal point of the Trail Blazers. With his new contract in hand, he will play 35 minutes a night and offer efficiency that will benefit fantasy managers. His category contributions should increase surrounded by newcomers Deandre Ayton, Robert Williams, and Malcolm Brogdon, as well as rookie Scoot Henderson. Grant has finished as a Top 80 player for the past three years, so I’m perfectly happy getting him at pick 85.
Bench Players
I’m looking for positional flexibility and categories I may have overlooked when it comes to my bench players. I also need depth to help cover in case my injury-prone players end up getting… injured.
- Pick 10.06: Tyus Jones (PG – WAS) I’m a little light on point guards and could use an assists boost. Now that he is free from being in Ja Morant‘s shadow, Jones has some upside.
- Pick 11.05: Tobias Harris (SF, PF – PHI) A solid contributor across the board who has played more than 70 games in all but one season in the last eight years.
- Pick 12.06: Michael Porter Jr. (SF – DEN) Oh, did I say I wanted players as backup to the injury-prone starters? Well, with an ECR of 73, I’ll take him at #116 and see if he can stay on the court.
- Pick 13.05: Ivica Zubac (C – LAC) Ivica Zubac is the center that will be dropped and added more times than anyone else in the league. He always seems like he could maybe contribute something big, but he is nothing more than a replacement player with a sparkly FG%.
- Pick 14.06: Jarace Walker (PF – IND) With the last pick in any draft, I like to aim for a young guy with upside versus a straightforward known entity who will probably be available on waivers even in January. Walker is a 20-year-old who plays solid defense and has a chance to play 30+ minutes for the Pacers. I’ll take him and hope for the best.
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Thanks for reading! Don’t forget to check out all of our tools here at FantasyPros, including our NBA DraftWizard, which helps you during the draft itself. Have fun mock drafting and good luck!
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