Industry Mock Draft
9-category, Head-to-Head Industry Mock Draft
Believe it or not, but this was the first mock draft I’ve done this season. I’ve started watching mocks on the sidelines instead of participating in them, as I don’t love the idea of giving away my picks to the public. When people get a sense of who you want, it makes it next to impossible to grab them at good prices. But with the season getting closer, it was finally time to get in the mix and this was a great opportunity with a lot of industry heavyweights. I’ll mark my picks after the first round with an asterisk.
Round 1:
Nikola Jokic: Dan Titus, Yahoo Sports
Tyrese Haliburton: Josh Lloyd, Basketball Monster
*Joel Embiid: Jonas Nader, Moreira’s Magic!
Luka Doncic: Matt Smith, Basketball Monster
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: Thunder Dan, RotoBaller
Steph Curry: Alex Rikleen, CBS Sports
Jayson Tatum: Dan Besbris, Sports Ethos
Kevin Durant: Joe Orrico, Sports Ethos
Giannis: Aaron Bruski, Sports Ethos
Damian Lillard: Jesse Severe, Dynasty Sports Life
LaMelo Ball: Keith Cork, Sports Ethos
Donovan Mitchell: Andre Lemos, Sports Ethos
I love Haliburton, but it’s hard to pass on Joel Embiid at No. 2 with Nick Nurse talking about getting his games played up. I have SGA slightly over Luka, as Luka’s FT% and durability are real concerns. Curry, Durant and Tatum are interchangeable for me. Nothing wrong with Giannis here, although he forces you into a punt from the jump. LaMelo is not a bad gamble at this price if you believe his ankle braces will keep him upright, but Donny Mitch in the first round was a head-scratcher for me. But hey, at least he’s durable.
Round 2:
Trae Young
Anthony Edwards
Domantas Sabonis
Anthony Davis
Kyrie Irving
Mikal Bridges
Devin Booker
Karl-Anthony Towns
Cade Cunningham
*Jaren Jackson Jr.
Jimmy Butler
Desmond Bane
Trae is going off the board a little earlier than I would’ve thought, but locking up assists early is always a luxury. Edwards is a legit MVP candidate and I’ll be targeting him aggressively in Round 2. Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving are first-round per-game players but loaded with various red flags.
Love Mikal this season. Just hope he remains “the man” next to a healthy Ben Simmons. Cade Cunningham has done nothing to warrant this price tag yet. JJJ is being drafted lower than he finished last season in 9-cat despite a far better outlook. Make it make sense.
Round 3:
James Harden
Bam Adebayo
*Dejounte Murray
Victor Wembanyama
Fred VanVleet
Darius Garland
Kawhi Leonard
LeBron James
De’Aaron Fox
Myles Turner
Evan Mobley
Paul George
James Harden did not show up to camp in a fat suit and has not caused a “circus” like ESPN wanted you to believe. Gambling on him in Round 3 is something I’m cool with. Bam is apparently having a strong camp, now we just need the Heat to let him playmake. Dejounte was the best 9-cat guard left on the board, and If I hadn’t grabbed two elite bigs earlier, Wemby would’ve been a no-brainer for me.
This would be a decent price for Kawhi in a roto league, but he makes me nervous here in head-to-head. LeBron does not age, so no issue with that pick. Mobley needs to show something offensively, as the advanced metrics were not kind to him. I’d gamble on Paul George here all day.
Round 4:
Kristaps Porzingis
Lauri Markkanen
Jamal Murray
Pascal Siakam
Jrue Holiday
Nikola Vucevic
OG Anunoby
Chet Holmgren
Jalen Brunson
*Zach LaVine
Jordan Poole
Jaylen Brown
Lauri’s market has seemingly cooled off. He was going at the end of Round 2 a month ago. I can get on board at this price. Jamal Murray made the “leap” in his NBA Championship run. Pascal at 40 is a big risk with the tension surrounding his extension talks. Chet at 44 is an absolute bargain. I’d be happy with him in Round 3.
I’m not in love with LaVine, but he was the best SG on the board at the time and Jrue or Jamal did not fall to me. Poole is going to shoot as much as his heart desires, but is that a good thing? I want absolutely nothing to do with Washington.
Round 5:
Scottie Barnes
Zion Williamson
*Bradley Beal
Walker Kessler
Brandon Ingram
Julius Randle
DeMar DeRozan
Nicolas Claxton
Alperen Sengun
Paolo Banchero
Jalen Williams
Deandre Ayton
Scottie still has a ton of holes in his game and was very underwhelming last season. Ton of opportunity with no FVV, though. This is usually the round I’ll look for Walker Kessler, Claxton or Sengun, but I was happy with my bigs at the time. Beal should get some playmaking reps in Phoenix and I think he’ll get some easy looks next to KD and Book.
Paolo’s ceiling is enormous, but is he ready to be efficient? Jalen Williams is a phenomenal grab here. His mobility and strength as a wing is rare. Can view him as an Anthony Edwards lite. Ayton does not enjoy basketball and Robert Williams is a legit threat.
Round 6:
Josh Giddey
Miles Bridges
Ja Morant
Jarrett Allen
Rudy Gobert
Tyrese Maxey
Kyle Kuzma
Jakob Poeltl
Franz Wagner
*Devin Vassell
Anfernee Simons
Cam Johnson
Giddey needs to turn one more category into a strength and he’ll crush. Miles at 62? Big yikes. I think you can get Ja much cheaper than this, and who knows if he stays off TMZ. I’ve noticed that Allen and Gobert are very affordable this season, so no need to reach for them. Wagner is an excellent bet on upside. I couldn’t believe I got Vassell here. I have him ranked roughly 20 spots higher. The Spurs backed up the Brinks Truck for a reason.
Round 7:
Jalen Duren
Tyler Herro
*Markelle Fultz
Mark Williams
John Collins
Wendell Carter
Brook Lopez
CJ McCollum
Jalen Green
Onyeka Okongwu
Chris Paul
Khris Middleton
Duren is an absolute behemoth. Just needs to block more shots. Detroit planning to remove one of Bagley and Wiseman from rotation is awesome for Duren. Fultz is starting to put it all together and dazzled with the ball in Orlando last season. Mark is an easy pick here.
I have little belief in John Collins, and a certain rookie backup in Utah is going to be far better at some point. Jalen Green will be used off the ball this season, and that will actually help him quite a bit. Okongwu is one of my favorite breakout picks this season, and if Capela gets moved, be ready for an explosion. I like Paul at this price, while Middleton’s knee is still giving him issues. Not good.
Round 8:
Terry Rozier
Draymond Green
Keegan Murray
Klay Thompson
Scoot Henderson
Jerami Grant
Daniel Gafford
Tyus Jones
Marcus Smart
*Buddy Hield
Austin Reaves
Jaden McDaniels
Keegan is far better than the Kings allowed him to show last season. Scoot is an amazing target in points formats, but I’d be careful in 9-cat. Lack of 3s and very inefficient right now. Smart and Hield are fine here, and Jaden McDaniels has the stat profile to get into the early rounds if everything breaks right for him.
Round 9:
Derrick White
Jusuf Nurkic
*Jabari Smith
Zach Collins
Tobias Harris
Jonas Valanciunas
Clint Capela
Robert Williams
Ben Simmons
Michael Porter Jr.
Mitchell Robinson
Andrew Wiggins
Nurkic has looked washed for the past couple seasons, but he has a lot of opportunity now. Jabari looked way too good for Summer League. Capela falling to 103 is a great price, despite trade rumors and Okongwu. I’d much rather have Robert Williams here than Ayton several rounds prior. We’ve only heard positive reports from Brooklyn about Ben Simmons. I want to believe, but man, he’s fooled me so many times.
Round 10:
Immanuel Quickley
Bruce Brown
D’Angelo Russell
Trey Murphy
De’Anthony Melton
Spencer Dinwiddie
Shaedon Sharpe
Deni Avdija
Tre Jones
*Al Horford
Bennedict Mathurin
Ivica Zubac
I was planning to grab Melton here, but I’m no longer alone on Melton Island it seems. He’s shattered his ADP in two straight seasons. Trey was in my top 75 before his injury. Dinwiddie is a big loser if Ben is truly healthy. Sharpe and Mathurin are two lottery tickets that I approve of here. Horford was a safe pick and the market has not adjusted for the loss of Robert Williams.
Round 11:
Jordan Clarkson
Ausar Thompson
*Herb Jones
Paul Reed
P.J. Washington
Mike Conley
Aaron Gordon
Josh Hart
Jaden Ivey
Dillon Brooks
Keldon Johnson
Amen Thompson
I wanted Ausar here, but Herb is fine and solidifies my steals. Amen and Reed are great picks here too, but I was not a fan of the rest of this round. Lot of “empty stat” players who love to chuck up shots at will.
Round 12:
Bogdan Bogdanovic
Gary Trent
RJ Barrett
Russell Westbrook
Dennis Schroder
Collin Sexton
Bojan Bogdanovic
Tari Eason
Jeremy Sochan
*Jonathan Isaac
Coby White
Bobby Portis
I’m falling in love with Isaac in the last two rounds. Way too much upside to pass on at this price. If he doesn’t work out, cut him. Tari and Sochan are too excellent dart throws here, and it sounds like Sochan will get the ball in his hands quite a bit. I want nothing to do with Barrett, Sexton, Schroder and Westbrook.