Community 9-Cat Dynasty Rankings: Breakdown and Analysis

By
Noah Rubin,

By
Noah Rubin

Published January 8, 2023 01:17 AM

I’m a huge fan of dynasty leagues. When my friends from college asked me to join my first dynasty football league, it was over immediately. I became an addict. I started a dynasty basketball league with the same group of friends, and I haven’t looked back.

In September, I joined The Dynasty 30, which is a 30-team league with some of the best analysts in the industry. It was an honor to be included, and it inspired me to dive into ways to improve the dynasty community. After a bit of brainstorming, I remembered seeing a link on Twitter that was used a few years ago to determine the greatest player in NBA history. Allourideas.org is a great resource for both small and large projects to determine how a group of people ranks a set of data points. In this case, the link I posted on Twitter helped us make a community dynasty ranking.

If you voted in the poll, your contributions to the community are greatly appreciated. If you saw the results that I posted on Twitter on Thursday, you’ll notice that these rankings are slightly different. They’re more up to date, as this includes 46,146 votes as of Friday morning. I am overwhelmed by the participation, though I admit it’s way more fun that it should be to vote over and over and over again.

The poll will remain open, so the rankings will continue to change. If you want to participate or keep up with the updated rankings, the link is http://www.allourideas.org/dynasty9cat. After rookies are drafted and free agency moves are made, I’ll likely create a new ranking heading into next season. Until then, we’ll examine these. There are clearly some flaws in the process, so we’ll examine that as well. But first, let’s go round by round for a 9-category, 12-team dynasty league.

Round 1:

While there aren’t many surprises in the first round, the order is certainly… shocking. LaMelo is obviously a premier fantasy asset, but the idea that a dynasty draft wouldn’t begin with Jokic or Luka is unfathomable. Distance appears to make the heart grow fonder for Cade. He had a great rookie season, but he was outside the top-100 in his second season before having season-ending surgery on his shin. The same goes for Chet, who has yet to play an NBA game and went 22nd in the Dynasty 30 startup draft. Sure, he has all the makings of a fantasy stud, but it may be difficult to burn a first round pick on him. Haliburton and SGA have certainly played their way into being top picks.

LaMelo Ball 👀
Youngest Hornet & 4th youngest player in NBA history to 1K Assists!

pic.twitter.com/DnpImSO5II
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) January 5, 2023

Round 2:

There was a point during this where Sengun was third in the rankings, so I begged people on Twitter to vote more. While 13 is probably high, he has been a fantasy stud this season on a team that doesn’t really like him. Okay, maybe that’s reaching some, but they don’t run the offense through him the way they could. That’s okay, since they’re likely more focused on building around Jalen Green, but he likely won’t be worth that high of a pick unless he’s the face of a franchise. That applies to Wagner as well, who is a very talented player on a team with Paolo Banchero. That doesn’t include another two lottery picks that they’ll likely add this season with Chicago’s pick. The rest aren’t a surprise. Giannis probably goes higher. Trae has slid quite a bit with his play this season.

This is the series of plays early in the third leading up to Alperen Sengun coming out of the game -- earlier than usual (3 minutes into the third). It does appear that Jabari turns to Lucas as timeout is called. https://t.co/cUV4dorXJx pic.twitter.com/CqIKffoY0U
— ClutchFans (@clutchfans) January 5, 2023

Round 3:

Brunson, who has provided 6th round value this season, shouldn’t be selected in the top-50. KAT and Dejounte have certainly slid a bit, with their situations playing a huge factor. KAT was providing third round value before the injury this season, and the adjustment to playing next to Rudy Gobert hasn’t been smooth. Dejounte has been limited playing next to Trae, and that isn’t changing anytime soon. Ja was barely a top-50 player last season and is barely a top-75 player this year. He’s too good in real basketball for him to fall that far, but it’s hard to imagine him ever returning that kind of value, unless he takes another massive leap. He’s young enough for that to happen, but it doesn’t feel likely.

Masterful defense from Dejounte Murray to potentially close the game for Atlanta pic.twitter.com/OonjMaxz5k
— Wilko (@wilkomcv) January 5, 2023

Round 4:

Lauri has been a top-15 asset this season, so there’s no way he should be drafted this late. Sure, it’s the ideal situation for him to thrive, but he’s done more than just take advantage of a team that was supposed to be tanking. He’s playing like a franchise player. AD’s injury history is the obvious reason for him to have fallen this far. Same for Paul George. Both guys are top tier assets when they’re healthy, but it has been years since that happened. Herro has been awesome this season, and there’s certainly an argument to be made that he could be drafted higher. Maxey is a young stud, but that hasn’t translated to fantasy production this season. Until serious changes come in Philadelphia, he won’t return this type of value.

here are all 15 fgm by lauri markkanen during his 49-point kaboom vs houston in 60 seconds, just because pic.twitter.com/4ehH6X9dRH
— Dan Favale (@danfavale) January 6, 2023

Round 5:

Patience. That should be the lesson we all learn here. Barnes was the best fantasy rookie in his class and won Rookie of the Year. Mobley has been better this season, but Barnes has been better than Cade was before his injury. Yet, the other two were voted as first round assets. I get it, Barnes has been very disappointing this season. I took him in the third round of the LOFB Bowl (which I knew was a reach, but I’m just too big of a fan for my own good). Barnes will figure it out and be widely regarded as much better than No. 49 in dynasty rankings. Rob Williams is a surprise to be this low. He was a top-20 guy last season. Once he’s back to his normal role, the 25-year-old will be a dominant fantasy asset once more. Duren and Sochan are third and fourth among rookies, behind Paolo and Chet. Vassell is an ascending star, especially for fantasy. Hopefully he won’t be out long, with him set to undergo knee surgery on Jan. 11th. Oh, and that LeBron guy? Yeah, he’s still pretty good.

22yo Devin Vassell has broken out—47.3% on HUGE volume of catch & shoot 3s. Not wide-open corner 3s either, DV is producing significant gravity because he’s 7th percentile in openness. Sweet playmaking feel, transition bomber, middy killer, mean team defender

Big time ceiling… pic.twitter.com/FcezN53IlG
— NBA University (@NBA_University) January 4, 2023

Round 6:

Three more rookies in the fold with Mathurin, Smith and Ivey. Claxton, who has been a third round asset this season, would be a bargain at 70. He is one of the best young shot blockers in the NBA, and with how scarce blocks are these days, he’s increasingly valuable. He’s a liability at the free throw line, but he’s still much better than this low ranking. Wood has been excellent lately now that he’s starting alongside Luka. He’s a top ten fantasy asset over the past two weeks, which is much better than what he was doing before. VanVleet has been a top-25 asset the last three seasons, though he’s slipped just outside the top-25 this year. Still, for a guy that’s consistently productive and has a game that should translate well with age, he should probably be higher than this.

Wendell Carter Jr. pump fakes and attacks for the BIG SLAM 💥pic.twitter.com/pPlGPlOC7S
— Magic Nation (@MagicNationCP) January 5, 2023

Round 7:

Finally, Kawhi! Though there are plenty of managers out there that wouldn’t touch him even at this spot because of his injury history. Kessler has a chance to be a dominant fantasy asset and one of the best shot blockers in the league. He may end up as a bargain this late once he gets a consistent starting role. Gobert was once a premier fantasy asset, and he’s still inside the top-50 this year. However, he’s on the wrong side of 30 and doesn’t fit well with the Timberwolves yet. Keldon is becoming a star for the Spurs, but his game isn’t the most fantasy friendly. Okongwu has shown his fantasy potential by providing top-50 value over the last two weeks with Clint Capela injured.

Bam Adebayo, meet Walker Kessler

a couple times https://t.co/iuu3ONG5Ez pic.twitter.com/ZNUb04P56W
— Drew Oldham (@orangeanddrew) January 1, 2023

Round 8:

We’re starting to mix aging veterans that are productive with young guys that haven’t reached their potential. Randle, Kuzma and Middleton have all likely reached their potential, while Williams, Daniels and KPJ still have plenty of untapped potential, though KPJ is already a top-100 asset. Murphy has been a top-75 asset this year, but he has benefited from a TON of injuries on the Pelicans. He’s certainly good enough, but when will he get this much of an opportunity again?

Really enjoyed these 4 plays by Markelle Fultz against SGA, both on the offensive and defensive ends #MagicTogether pic.twitter.com/jiUsFsMKk9
— Mavs/Magic Draft (@MavsDraft) January 5, 2023

Round 9:

We have everyone’s favorite fantasy sleeper in Eason, who can end up as a defensive menace when he has a role consistently. Griffin has shown that he can provide both steals and 3-pointers as a rookie and could thrive in a larger role. Melton has thrived this season when Tyrese Maxey and James Harden missed time. Hopefully the 76ers recognize that and continue to play him enough, or they move him somewhere that he can start.

Round 10:

Lonzo’s knee has to be one of the great mysteries in the world today. He’d be much higher if there wasn’t so much unknown about his health. Jackson has the potential to be a great shot blocker, but he’s stuck behind Myles Turner. It’s already the time of year when Turner is in every trade rumor imaginable, but until he ends up with a different organization, Jackson won’t return this value. Barrett is a very good young player, but his game hasn’t ever translated to fantasy production. It’s hard to imagine that changing until he proves he can, but he has yet to finish in the top-150 over the course of a season.

Round 11:

Bridges being that high is… questionable. CP3, Lopez and Draymond are still effective now, but they’re all old, so it makes sense that they’re this low. Hart is only 27 years old, but he has provided top-100 value the last two seasons. Hayes has enjoyed a breakout season, but everyone knows that Ivey is going to get better, Cade will be back and they’ll add another lottery pick this season.

Round 12:

Lots of veterans here that are solid in fantasy right now but aren’t very fun picks. Most of these guys have already peaked or are in their prime right now. They can help win leagues, but the upside isn’t there. Then there’s Wiseman. Will he pan out for the Warriors? Will he pan out somewhere else? Will he go down as one of the biggest busts in NBA history? The Warriors get a lot of credit for their transition after the Stephen Curry era, and while they’ve shown flashes, here’s who they could’ve drafted. The pick after Wiseman? LaMelo. The pick after Kuminga? Franz Wagner. Some of the picks after Moody? Kispert, Sengun and Trey Murphy. That would be quite the team.

Round 13:

Johnuthin Izik? That’s an NBA player? Doesn’t seem familiar… It’s been two decades (checks notes… okay, maybe just two and a half) since Isaac played, and it was just two games in the bubble. The last time he played in front of fans was New Year’s Day of 2020. He has all of the fantasy potential in the world, but he has to actually play. We’ll see if that happens.

Round 14:

More veterans and young guys. Brown has been a vital piece for Denver this season, but he has benefited from the extra minutes with Jamal Murray and MPJ missing plenty of games. Dosunmu and Moody have potential, but it doesn’t seem like they should be higher than this.

Round 15:

Ain’t no stoppin’... Well, there’s a reason Toppin is this low. He’s stuck behind Julius Randle, and Tom Thibodeau isn’t exactly the coach to force feed young players minutes. Gafford, Bryant and Tyus are among the premier streaming options when the players in front of them are injured, which is more often than we’d like for Morant, AD and Porzingis.

Round 16 (and the rest of the top 200):

Finally, we round out the top 200. Lowry and Russ have taken quite the fall from grace. Russ was a top-50 guy just a few seasons ago, while Lowry is still a top-75 asset. However, with age, this isn’t surprising. Williams is going to get paid this summer. If Boston doesn’t want to pay him the contract that he demands, someone will. Whether it’s Al Horford aging or a change of scenery, Williams can provide defensive value and 3-pointers when he gets the chance.

Well, there you have it. The flaws in the system are clear, since voting sometimes pits a top player with a bottom feeder. Perhaps next time, I’ll only include the top-100 or top-50 to truly see how they compare. All in all, this was a fun exercise, and I hope to do more like this for points leagues and one year leagues. Let me know on Twitter (@noahrubin22) what you think about these rankings! Who’s too high, who’s too low and your predictions for players that could rise/fall dramatically over the rest of the season!

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Community 9-Cat Dynasty Rankings: Breakdown and Analysis