NBA Mock Draft: Head-to-Head, 9-Category

NBA Mock Draft: Head-to-Head, 9-Category

This article is part of our NBA Mock Draft series.

RotoWire recently hosted a 12-team [9-category (FG%, FT%, Pts, 3PM, Reb, Ast, Stl, Blk, TO), head-to-head] NBA fantasy basketball mock draft with 12 experts. Below are the results of that draft and commentary on each round from some of the experts that participated in the draft.

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Draft Experts Roster
1Shannon McKeown@RotoShannon
2Frankie Lloyd@BallerMindFrame
3Alex Rikleen@Rikleen
4Fred Katz@FredKatz
5Clay Link@ClayWLink
6Scott Malewig@Sports_25toLife
7Kyle McKeown@RotoWireKyleNBA
8Michael Chua@MichaelChua7
9James Anderson@RealJRAnderson
10Justin Hore@Justin_Hore
11Peter Schoenke@PeterSchoenke
12Chris Morgan@ChrisXMorgan

ROUND ONE

ExpertO-PickRoundPickPlayer
Shannon McKeown111Kevin Durant
Frankie Lloyd212LeBron James
Alex Rikleen313James Harden
Fred Katz414Chris Paul
Clay Link515Stephen Curry
Scott Malewig616Carmelo Anthony
Kyle McKeown717Anthony Davis
Michael Chua818Kevin Love
James Anderson919Kyrie Irving
Justin Hore10110Paul George
Peter Schoenke11111Marc Gasol
Chris Morgan12112LaMarcus Aldridge

Comments:
K. McKeown: This round went pretty much as expected. I was happy to see that Michael picked Kevin Love in the first round because I feel like Love has been overlooked in some ways this preseason. If healthy, he has top-5 potential.

A. Rikleen: Harden is the clear No. 3.

S. McKeown: The surprise pick of the first round was Davis. But based on his across-the-board production and expected growth during his sophomore season, I don't consider Davis a reach. He has legit top-5 upside this season.

ROUND TWO

ExpertO-PickRoundPickPlayer
Chris Morgan1321Derrick Rose
Peter Schoenke1422John Wall
Justin Hore1523Russell Westbrook
James Anderson1624Al Horford
Michael Chua1725Al Jefferson
Kyle McKeown1826Deron Williams
Scott Malewig1927Serge Ibaka
Clay Link2028Damian Lillard
Fred Katz2129Brook Lopez
Alex Rikleen22210Joakim Noah
Frankie Lloyd23211Larry Sanders
Shannon McKeown24212Kemba Walker

Comments:
K. McKeown: I love the confidence Chris Morgan showed in taking Derrick Rose at the start of the second round. Rose took the time to get healthy and all the reports say that he's in better shape now than he ever was before the injury. John Wall getting picked 14th overall is appropriate. The one skill that players consistently get better at over the course of their career is three-pointers, and that's that only area where Wall can fairly be criticized. All of Wall's other numbers are defendable or laudable. The fact that he provides blocks as a point guard is a great boon in nearly any format.

Schoenke: I probably reached for Wall, but love his upside if he can have a full healthy season. Probably should have gone with Lillard instead as I wanted to start the draft with a center and point guard.

F. Katz: I took Brook Lopez in the second round. Now, I have to hate myself for the next 24 to 48 hours.

A. Rikleen: I punt points almost as a rule, since my own research has indicated that fantasy managers typically overvalue that category. For a team ignoring points and looking to stay strong in FT% (easily Harden's best), very few players approach Noah's quality.

M. Chua: I panicked on this pick, because I was fully expecting Wall to still be available. In hindsight, I should not have taken another big man for my second pick -- this really handicapped me at the guard spots early on.

C. Morgan: If Derrick Rose is Derrick Rose, then I think I shall be quite happy with this pick, and Rose did as much as he could to make sure that, when he does return this season, he shall be the Rose we all remember fondly.

S. McKeown: Given his injury, the selection of Russell Westbrook here seems about one round too early. I was hoping to land one of the many point guards selected (Rose, Wall, Deron or Lillard) prior to my pick. Walker is risky here, but he has the most upside after the group of point guards I missed out on.

ROUND THREE

ExpertO-PickRoundPickPlayer
Shannon McKeown2531Brandon Jennings
Frankie Lloyd2632Nicolas Batum
Alex Rikleen2733Tony Parker
Fred Katz2834Blake Griffin
Clay Link2935Mike Conley
Scott Malewig3036Kawhi Leonard
Kyle McKeown3137Kevin Martin
Michael Chua3238Kobe Bryant
James Anderson3339Nikola Vucevic
Justin Hore34310Tim Duncan
Peter Schoenke35311Dirk Nowitzki
Chris Morgan36312Paul Millsap

Comments:
K. McKeown: A lot of people might deride the picking of Kemba Walker and Brandon Jennings back to back, but I love the strategy. Walker showed us last season that he can be a factor in the defensive stats, and with Jennings playing in Detroit with a whole host of defense behind him, he should be able to take a lot of risk going after steals this season and average over two per game.

F. Katz: I promise it's not a coincidence that the one Clippers writer took both Chris Paul and Blake Griffin. Isn't Griffin poised for a 20-10-4 season? He was 20 and 10 his first two seasons in the league. Once his minutes go back up this year, he'll be there again.

A. Rikleen: Parker is only 31 and spent most of last season inside the top 10 for fantasy production.

M. Chua: I may have gotten hammered for taking the Mamba this early, and it is understandable given his age and the severity of his injury. However, if anyone is going to come back strong from an Achilles rupture, it's Kobe. Mambas don't need legs to devour their prey.

C. Morgan: I was hoping that Dirk Nowitzki would fall to me, so clearly I feel it was a good pick one spot before I had to settle for Millsap.

S. McKeown: The plan heading into the draft was to target point guards early - there's a lot of good frontcourt value to be had in the middle rounds. Jennings might not have been as safe as some of the remaining point guards on the market, but he has more upside. Just 24, Jennings still hasn't reached his peak, and I expect improved efficiency and playmaking in his first season with the Pistons. Love the Batum, Leonard and Vucevic picks, but they didn't mesh with my draft strategy. Mr. Katz reached a bit for Griffin here. While Griffin can be a monster source of double-double production, his lack of blocks and struggles from the charity stripe has kept him from ever cracking the top-50 in fantasy.

ROUND FOUR

ExpertO-PickRoundPickPlayer
Chris Morgan3741Ryan Anderson
Peter Schoenke3842Amir Johnson
Justin Hore3943Thaddeus Young
James Anderson4044Derrick Favors
Michael Chua4145Jeff Teague
Kyle McKeown4246Jeff Green
Scott Malewig4347Chandler Parsons
Clay Link4448DeMarcus Cousins
Fred Katz4549Dwight Howard
Alex Rikleen46410Ricky Rubio
Frankie Lloyd47411Dwyane Wade
Shannon McKeown48412Josh Smith

Comments:
K. McKeown: Round four had a lot of guys who are considered boring go off the board (Ryan Anderson, Amir Johnson, Thaddeus Young, Jeff Teague, Dwyane Wade), but the consistent production they give fantasy teams on a nightly basis can't be overlooked. I would have been happy taking any of those guys.

F. Katz: Dwight Howard just texted me and said he wants to be traded to Shannon's team.

J. Anderson: With Favors and Vucevic, I may have secured two of the top-5 rebounders in the league. I think it's easier to lock up elite big men and point guards early and go for wing players in the later rounds.

A. Rikleen: ESPN has Rubio in the top 20 this year. While that is obviously too high, getting him at 46 still feels like a bargain, especially for a team that will punt points and will target free-throw percentage.

M. Chua: As much as I needed a point guard at this point, I regret not taking Josh Smith. I didn't realize he slipped this far down, and I believe he was well worth it for Shannon in the late fourth.

C. Morgan: I hope Josh Smith is a value at this point, but I'm just saying that as a Pistons fan. If you are going to punt free-throw percentage, getting Howard at 45 would leave me feeling enthused.

S. McKeown: J-Smoove's fantasy value dipped last season due to his horrible percentages. I expect his percentages to be a drain once again, but this is a H2H league and I needed the defensive production. That said, I was sniped by Fred Katz, as I had Howard targeted for this spot. Howard will kill your free-throw percentage, but I already had Durant on my roster to offset some of that damage.

ROUND FIVE

ExpertO-PickRoundPickPlayer
Shannon McKeown4951Eric Bledsoe
Frankie Lloyd5052Klay Thompson
Alex Rikleen5153Tobias Harris
Fred Katz5254David Lee
Clay Link5355Monta Ellis
Scott Malewig5456Rudy Gay
Kyle McKeown5557Goran Dragic
Michael Chua5658Andre Drummond
James Anderson5759Gordon Hayward
Justin Hore58510JaVale McGee
Peter Schoenke59511Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
Chris Morgan60512O.J. Mayo

Comments:
J. Anderson: A lot of breakout candidates went in this round. I would have preferred to have Bledsoe or Harris, but I wasn't complaining about ending up with Hayward, who is still just 23 years old.

A. Rikleen: Maybe I've been reading too many Orlando Sentinel articles, but I see Tobias Harris as possibly being the next Paul George. The strengths/skill set and the general athleticism make sense for that comparison.

M. Chua: It may have seemed like I reached for Drummond a bit here, but I have no regrets. His double-double potential, high field-goal percentage and good defensive stats are well worth the reach, even for a guy who struggles at the free-throw line.

C. Morgan: I love Andre Drummond. Everybody loves Andre Drummond. But even if you are punting free-throw percentage, this seems like a big swing to take at this point.

S. McKeown: The Bledsoe hype has been a bit overblown at RotoWire HQ, but I was still convinced enough to grab him at this spot. His lack of a quality jumper could lead to struggles, but Bledsoe could be a defensive monster at the guard position. I think KCP was a panic pick. He'll likely start the season as a reserve, which will limit his production early on. Expect him to breakout later in the year. With that being the case, there were a handful of rookies who should have went before Caldwell-Pope.

ROUND SIX

ExpertO-PickRoundPickPlayer
Chris Morgan6161Jose Calderon
Peter Schoenke6262Enes Kanter
Justin Hore6363Kyle Lowry
James Anderson6464Jrue Holiday
Michael Chua6565Ty Lawson
Kyle McKeown6666Jonas Valanciunas
Scott Malewig6767Danny Green
Clay Link6868Greg Monroe
Fred Katz6969Luol Deng
Alex Rikleen70610Roy Hibbert
Frankie Lloyd71611Chris Bosh
Shannon McKeown72612Trey Burke

Comments:
A. Rikleen: I like Roy Hibbert for a bounce-back year, and between him and Noah, I should do well in blocks. Lost in last year's terrible season for Hibbert was that his free-throw shooting improved noticeably during the season.

M. Chua: James took my pick (Holiday). I feel at a loss taking up the consolation prize (Lawson).

S. McKeown: This is where I wanted to start my run of big men. Unfortunately, all of my targets (Kanter, Valanciunas, Monroe) were scooped up before my turn. Burke is a nice consolation prize, though. He's a legit ROY candidate and could be this year's Damian Lillard. Holiday and Lawson are steals in the sixth round.

ROUND SEVEN

ExpertO-PickRoundPickPlayer
Shannon McKeown7371Pau Gasol
Frankie Lloyd7472Andre Iguodala
Alex Rikleen7573David West
Fred Katz7674Bradley Beal
Clay Link7775Evan Turner
Scott Malewig7876Andrew Bynum
Kyle McKeown7977Ersan Ilyasova
Michael Chua8078DeMar DeRozan
James Anderson8179George Hill
Justin Hore82710Kenneth Faried
Peter Schoenke83711Victor Oladipo
Chris Morgan84712Nikola Pekovic

Comments:
F. Katz: Bradley Beal was a different player after John Wall came back last year. He's going to get me loads of threes. The Wizards were one of the best corner-three shooting teams in the league last season (that's why Martel Webster is a good sleeper, by the by), and I figure Beal will help them get there again this year.

J. Anderson: I got sniped on Beal and Gasol here, great picks by Fred and Shannon.

A Rikleen: Shannon stole Pau from me, so I went with a roughly similar (though I think much worse) big (West). I like the out of position assists from Pau, especially.

C. Morgan: I like the risk of taking Bynum at this point. If he's healthy, this is a major coup.

M. Chua: Beal and Turner, both who were on my fantasy team last year, were on my radar here. Both will improve from last season, and because I got sniped, I'm stuck with DeRozan at the two. While I don't expect DeRozan to be an utter disappointment, his touches may go down with Rudy Gay chucking away and Valanciunas expected to have a bigger role.

S. McKeown: Gasol is criminally underrated this season. With Kobe Bryant out for an extended period to open the season, Gasol will have to carry the load for the Lakers. He should have went 2-3 rounds earlier. Look for breakouts from Beal and Turner.

ROUND EIGHT

ExpertO- PickRoundPickPlayer
Chris Morgan8581Danny Granger
Peter Schoenke8682Rajon Rondo
Justin Hore8783Wilson Chandler
James Anderson8884Kyle Korver
Michael Chua8985Paul Pierce
Kyle McKeown9086Marcin Gortat
Scott Malewig9187Jimmy Butler
Clay Link9288Danilo Gallinari
Fred Katz9389Tyreke Evans
Alex Rikleen94810Arron Afflalo
Frankie Lloyd95811Carlos Boozer
Shannon McKeown96812Andrew Bogut

Comments:
A Rikleen: Afflalo is talented, and while his minutes will be on the decline, his field-goal percentage will go up as the Magic (and Tobias Harris) get better. I feel like getting a very serviceable shooting guard this late in the draft counts as a bargain.

C. Morgan: This was a weird round. A lot of interesting, odd picks. A lot of high variance choices.

S. McKeown: Here's where things got ugly. The eighth round was full of players with injury concerns (Granger, Rondo, Gallinari, Bogut) or diminishing roles/skills (Pierce, Gortat, Evans, Afflalo, Boozer). Malewig stole the breakout performer of the round with his selection of Jimmy Butler.

ROUND NINE

ExpertO-PickRoundPickPlayer
Shannon McKeown9791Tyson Chandler
Frankie Lloyd9892Gerald Henderson
Alex Rikleen9993Zach Randolph
Fred Katz10094Eric Gordon
Clay Link10195Samuel Dalembert
Scott Malewig10296Tiago Splitter
Kyle McKeown10397Greivis Vasquez
Michael Chua10498Spencer Hawes
James Anderson10599Harrison Barnes
Justin Hore106910Vince Carter
Peter Schoenke107911Caron Butler
Chris Morgan108912J.J. Redick

Comments:
A Rikleen: I view H2H almost as a checklist, where the goal is to reach five "checks". So far, I think I'm one of the best teams in the league in free-throw percentage (Harden, Rubio, and none below 75 percent) and steals (Harden, Rubio, Noah) and doing really well in blocks (Noah and Hibbert). I thought adding Z-Bo to Noah (and less-so Harris, West, and Hibbert) should put me near the top in rebounds as well, without really hurting any of my other strengths.

M. Chua: Kyle got an absolute steal here taking Vasquez this late. Despite being on the Kings with a possible timeshare with Isaiah Thomas, Vasquez averaged 9.0 assists last season, and at the very least should be helping teams in that category heavily compared to other options in round nine.

S. McKeown: Per MockDraftCentral's setup, I needed two centers, hence the back-to-back picks of Bogut and Chandler. Not in love with either player, but I viewed them as the best available options at the position, and my other center targets were pulled out from under my feet earlier in the draft.

ROUND TEN

ExpertO-PickRoundPickPlayer
Chris Morgan109101Robin Lopez
Peter Schoenke110102Steve Nash
Justin Hore111103Shawn Marion
James Anderson112104Raymond Felton
Michael Chua113105Jeremy Lin
Kyle McKeown114106Brandon Knight
Scott Malewig115107Anderson Varejao
Clay Link116108Andray Blatche
Fred Katz117109Cody Zeller
Alex Rikleen1181010Michael Carter-Williams
Frankie Lloyd1191011Jarrett Jack
Shannon McKeown1201012Ben McLemore

Comments:
F. Katz: Zeller is going to get minutes; why the heck not? He was great in summer league, and if he can garner enough burn to put up 13 points and about eight rebounds a night, he's worth a risk in the 10th round.

A Rikleen: The pool of desirables was shrinking, so I went with someone likely to get a lot of minutes at point guard. Entering the round, I had Nash, Lin, Robin Lopez, and Cody Zeller ahead of the the Philly rookie, but apparently I was not the only one valuing those guys.

C. Morgan: Steve Nash can still shoot. Maybe I should have taken him instead of Lopez. Still like Lopez though.

S. McKeown: If Varejao can stay healthy (a HUGE if), he's a steal here. McLemore should be one of the top targeted rookies of the 2013 draft class. He's a steal in this spot.

ROUND ELEVEN

ExpertO-PickRoundPickPlayer
Shannon McKeown121111Nene Hilario
Frankie Lloyd122112Joe Johnson
Alex Rikleen123113Kris Humphries
Fred Katz124114Kevin Garnett
Clay Link125115Jamal Crawford
Scott Malewig126116J.R. Smith
Kyle McKeown127117Wesley Matthews
Michael Chua128118Chris Kaman
James Anderson129119Reggie Jackson
Justin Hore1301110Jameer Nelson
Peter Schoenke1311111Patrick Beverley
Chris Morgan1321112Tristan Thompson

Comments:
F. Katz: Garnett will probably be a backup for me but that's fine. He doesn't have the minutes to make a real fantasy impact, but if the Nets struggle with their front line or suffer a couple injuries, Garnett could end up getting 25-plus minutes. That's a fine backup for my already-stacked forwards and centers.

J. Anderson: Did people forget about Jackson? I know I did, otherwise I would've grabbed him a couple rounds sooner.

A Rikleen: I believe in the contract year phenomenon when applied to Kris Humphries. The chance of nightly double-doubles this late is worth picking, and I feel confident in Hump's ability to rack up meaningless stats this year.

S. McKeown: Offseason antics and surgery have dropped Smith's stock. If he only misses 10-15 games, he's a great value here. Jackson will be a beast for the first 4-6 weeks of the season, but his value takes a huge hit when Westbrook returns.

ROUND TWELVE

ExpertO-PickRoundPickPlayer
Chris Morgan133121Kelly Olynyk
Peter Schoenke134122Manu Ginobili
Justin Hore135123Anthony Bennett
James Anderson136124Maurice Harkless
Michael Chua137125DeAndre Jordan
Kyle McKeown138126Jeremy Lamb
Scott Malewig139127Jared Dudley
Clay Link140128Al-Farouq Aminu
Fred Katz141129Louis Williams
Alex Rikleen1421210Nick Collison
Frankie Lloyd1431211Andrea Bargnani
Shannon McKeown1441212Michael Kidd-Gilchrist

Comments:
A Rikleen: I like OKC as a fan. As such, I have to remain optimistic that eventually Scott Brooks will realize that Collison is his best center, and that Perkins is not worthy of NBA minutes, let alone for a playoff contender. Should such a realization ever occur, big Nick could be a quality pick.

S. McKeown: Lots of darts thrown here. I expect mine to be a near bullseye, as MKG takes a leap in his second season. Everyone involved in this draft needs to be slapped for allowing Harkless to drop this far.

ROUND THIRTEEN

ExpertO-PickRoundPickPlayer
Shannon McKeown145131Isaiah Thomas
Frankie Lloyd146132Alec Burks
Alex Rikleen147133Otto Porter
Fred Katz148134Andrei Kirilenko
Clay Link149135Nate Robinson
Scott Malewig150136Chauncey Billups
Kyle McKeown151137Gerald Wallace
Michael Chua152138Nick Young
James Anderson153139Donatas Motiejunas
Justin Hore1541310Giannis Antetokounmpo
Peter Schoenke1551311Corey Brewer
Chris Morgan1561312Sergey Karasev

Comments:
A Rikleen: Since the last-round pick is almost guaranteed waiver fodder, I try to use it on either a rookie or a veteran everyone expects to be too old to contribute anymore. I'm weakest at small forward, and I'm not impressed by Martell Webster (and baffled by his contract).

C. Morgan: I was hoping to get Isaiah Thomas here, but it was not to be. So I went with Karasev, hoping his shooting ability will get him into the Cavs' lineup.

S. McKeown: Thomas has a chance to start at PG for the Kings. If he doesn't land the gig, he would be my first drop. Burks, Porter, Motiejunas and Antetokounmpo are great last-round fliers. The veterans selected in this round will all have too limited of roles to make much of an impact in a league this size.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kyle McKeown
Kyle McKeown is the Managing Editor of NBA Content for RotoWire.com. He hosts the Fantasy Basketball Podcast and writes about fantasy basketball. Kyle used to run an after school program and approaches his work as an editor with teaching in mind. He genuinely cares about helping others win their fantasy basketball leagues, which seems really dorky when it's written in the third person. kyle@rotowire.com
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