Top-200 Draft Overview

The NBA preseason is in full swing, which means the annual 30-team fantasy basketball extravaganza known as 30-Deep is also underway. Wrangling together dozens of owners for a multi-day draft is no small feat – even with a 25-minute clock that runs from 10am-midnight, this draft typically lasts 4-5 days. Everyone involved is an experienced, hardcore fantasy hoops owner, of course, which is a prerequisite in a league that requires 360 players to be drafted.

Before examining the results, it’s critical to understand the rules and settings that determine lineups.

Style: H2H

Scoring: 9-cat (Pts, 3pt, Reb, Ast, Stl, Blk, FG%, FT%, TOs)

Lineups: Weekly

IR: Two IR spots

Transactions: Unlimited; first-come, first-serve

Positions: PG, SG, G, SF, PF, F, C, UTIL, Bench (x4)

Draft: Snake

The league is hosted by CBS, which is very stingy with position designations. As the draft progresses, therefore, owners must give increasing weight to finding the best values at a given position, rather than simply the best overall value. Steve Alexander landed first pick this year, for instance, and used the honor to select Karl-Anthony Towns. He then had to wait 59 picks to make his second and third selections, at which point the elite PGs and swingmen were gone – knowing it’d be another 59 picks before he’d pick again, Doc took the opportunity to add D’Angelo Russell (PG) and Brandon Ingram (SF).

The rigid positions also give extra incentive to target guys with multiple-position eligibility. Giannis Antetokounmpo is the modern prototype of versatility, but even he is limited to SF and PF. Aaron Gordon has the good fortune of also being a SF/PF, Wesley Matthews gets SG/SF, and James Harden is one of the few players to qualify as PG/SG.

One final thought before looking at the picks: in terms of primary positions, CBS eligibility looks well-balanced, but this is largely due to the nature of our draft, where owners intentionally seek out PGs and Cs before they become scarce. Here’s the breakdown of primary positions (as assigned by CBS) so far, through 200 picks:

PG – 40

SG – 43

SF – 41

PF – 38

C – 38

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Below are the top-200 picks, with 160 yet to go. They are up-to-date (the draft is still underway) and owners have yet to fill out their active lineups, never mind their benches.

Round 1

Pick	Player	Main Position (CBS)	Owner
1	Karl-Anthony Towns	C	Steve Alexander
2	Giannis Antetokounmpo	PF	Frankie Lloyd
3	Stephen Curry	PG	Aaron Bruski
4	Kevin Durant	SF	Matt Stroup
5	James Harden	SG	David Klyce
6	Russell Westbrook	PG	Mike Gallagher
7	Anthony Davis	PF	Scott White
8	Nikola Jokic	C	Mike Passador
9	John Wall	PG	Ryan Knaus
10	LeBron James	SF	Daniel E. Dobish
11	DeMarcus Cousins	PF	Tom Lorenzo
12	Damian Lillard	PG	Brian Flood
13	Chris Paul	PG	Nick Raducanu
14	Kawhi Leonard	SF	Joe Polito
15	Rudy Gobert	C	Tommy Beer
16	Kyrie Irving	PG	Randall Dean
17	Myles Turner	C	Hector Castro
18	Kyle Lowry	PG	Dan Besbris
19	Draymond Green	PF	Tracy Fay
20	Kristaps Porzingis	PF	Matt Satten
21	Kemba Walker	PG	Rick Kamla
22	Jimmy Butler	SF	Josh Lloyd
23	Hassan Whiteside	C	Ethan Norof
24	Paul George	SF	Erik Ong
25	Blake Griffin	PF	Chris Towers
26	Gordon Hayward	SF	Dennis Velasco
27	Joel Embiid	C	Tom Carpenter
28	CJ McCollum	SG	Jamey Eisenberg
29	Mike Conley	PG	Brandon Klyce
30	Marc Gasol	C	Benny Aziz

KAT went to Doctor A at No. 1 which isn’t a surprise. Durability is a huge factor here, since 30-deep lineups are unforgiving – if your starting center goes down for an extended period, you could find yourself relying on someone like Jakob Poeltl overnight. The same logic holds for Steph Curry over Durant at No. 3. This isn’t something you’ll see in many standard drafts, but Steph has quietly been an iron-man ever since 2011-12 – in the past five seasons he’s missed a total of 16 games. Concerns about rest the past few years have also proven to be overblown, and the new rules discouraging DNP-Rest days should only help matters.

James Harden and Russell Westbrook go back-to-back at Nos. 5 and 6, which is tied specifically to the 9-cat format (and for Westbrook, perhaps background concerns about the PRP injection in his left knee). They one-upped each other for the NBA’s all-time turnover record last year, so this is basically a punt-turnover philosophy out of the gates. Nothing wrong with that. As you can see, Kawhi Leonard’s lingering right quad injury has taken a major toll on his value.

Tellingly, among the first 18 picks in this draft, all but four qualify at PG or C. The exceptions are Durant, Giannis, LeBron and Kawhi. Joel Embiid went at No. 27, ahead of fellow centers Marc Gasol, Al Horford and Andre Drummond. In a league like this, that’s the definition of a boom-or-bust selection.

ROUND 2

Pick	Player	Main Position (CBS)	Owner
31	Bradley Beal	SG	Benny Aziz
32	Klay Thompson	SG	Brandon Klyce
33	Paul Millsap	PF	Jamey Eisenberg
34	Devin Booker	SG	Tom Carpenter
35	DeMar DeRozan	SG	Dennis Velasco
36	Al Horford	C	Chris Towers
37	Kevin Love	PF	Erik Ong
38	Khris Middleton	SF	Ethan Norof
39	Nikola Vucevic	C	Josh Lloyd,
40	Andre Drummond	C	Rick Kamla
41	Eric Bledsoe	PG	Matt Satten
42	Ben Simmons	SF	Tracy Fay
43	Otto Porter	SF	Dan Besbris
44	Dennis	PG	Hector Castro
45	Dennis Schroder	PG	Randall Dean
46	Victor Oladipo	SG	Tommy Beer
47	Brook Lopez	C	Joe Polito
48	Lonzo Ball	PG	Nick Raducanu
49	DeAndre Jordan	C	Brian Flood
50	Andrew Wiggins	SF	Tom Lorenzo
51	Nicolas Batum	SG	Daniel E. Dobish
52	Jusuf Nurkic	C	Ryan Knaus
53	Gary Harris	SG	Mike Passador
54	Jeff Teague	PG	Scott White
55	Aaron Gordon	SF	Mike Gallagher
56	Goran Dragic	PG	David Klyce
57	Jrue Holiday	PG	Matt Stroup
58	Clint Capela	C	Aaron Bruski
59	Ricky Rubio	PG	Frankie Lloyd
60	D’Angelo Russell	PG	Steve Alexander

Kevin Love’s ADP has been climbing this preseason, and with good reason – he’ll be starting at center and coach Ty Lue has vowed to play through him more than the Cavs have in previous years. He went at No. 37 here and that looks like a serious value. Andre Drummond was the first true ‘punt’ player to come off the board – keep an eye on how Rick Kamla (who drafted Kemba Walker in Rnd. 1) builds around Drummond going forward.

In a bit of a twist, Ben Simmons was the first ‘rookie’ off the board at No. 42, followed soon by Dennis Smith Jr. (44) and Lonzo Ball (48). Here is the full list of rookies taken through 200 picks:

*Ben Simmons – 42

Dennis Smith Jr. – 44

Lonzo Ball – 48

Markelle Fultz – 72

Josh Jackson – 100

De’Aaron Fox – 102

John Collins – 109

Jayson Tatum – 119

Jonathan Isaac – 151

Caleb Swanigan – 154

Kyle Kuzma – 162

Frank Ntilikina – 166

Malik Monk – 169

Jarrett Allen – 186

Lauri Markkanen – 194

(It’s worth mentioning that Donovan Mitchell went at No. 203

ROUND 3

Pick	Player	Main Position (CBS)	Owner
61	Brandon Ingram	SF	Steve Alexander
62	Marcin Gortat	C	Frankie Lloyd
63	Taurean Waller-Prince	SF	Aaron Bruski
64	Serge Ibaka	PF	Matt Stroup
65	Nerlens Noel	C	David Klyce
66	Marquese Chriss	PF	Mike Gallagher
67	Carmelo Anthony	SF	Scott White
68	Tobias Harris	SF	Mike Passador
69	Harrison Barnes	PF	Ryan Knaus
70	Julius Randle	PF	Daniel E. Dobish
71	Elfrid Payton	PG	Tom Lorenzo
72	Markelle Fultz	PG	Brian Flood
73	Reggie Jackson	PG	Nick Raducanu
74	George Hill	PG	Joe Polito
75	Avery Bradley	SG	Tommy Beer
76	LaMarcus Aldridge	PF	Randall Dean
77	Derrick Favors	PF	Hector Castro
78	Thaddeus Young	PF	Dan Besbris
79	Tim Hardaway Jr.	SG	Tracy Fay
80	Danilo Gallinari	SF	Matt Satten
81	Rajon Rondo	PG	Rick Kamla
82	Jeremy Lin	PG	Josh Lloyd,
83	Trevor Ariza	SF	Ethan Norof
84	Patrick Beverley	PG	Erik Ong
85	Evan Fournier	SG	Chris Towers
86	Darren Collison	PG	Dennis Velasco
87	Robert Covington	SF	Tom Carpenter
88	Malcolm Brogdon	PG	Jamey Eisenberg
89	Rondae Hollis-Jefferson	PF	Brandon Klyce
90	Isaiah Thomas	PG	Benny Aziz

Marcin Gortat was a stunner at the top of Round 3, but this highlights the overwhelming importance of filling positions – Frankie came into the pick with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Ricky Rubio, and he wouldn’t be up again for 57 more picks. Nerlens Noel went three picks later and I’d take him 100% of the time over Gortat, who was dismal to finish the 2016-17 season. In the final two months, he averaged 8.6 points (54.4% FGs, 57.1% FTs), 8.0 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.4 blocks and 0.2 steals in 24.7 minutes.

Taurean Prince is a popular breakout candidate for a reason, and Aaron Bruski knew he needed to burn what would typically be a mid-round pick to get him. This round also featured a run on PFs, as the quality rapidly declines – Serge Ibaka kicked things off, followed by Marquese Chriss, Harrison Barnes, Julius Randle, LaMarcus Aldridge, Derrick Favors and Thaddeus Young, plus a few more with dual-eligibility (including Rondae Hollis-Jefferson).

This is also where the IR spot starts to come into play – Benny Aziz fearlessly grabbed Isaiah Thomas at No. 90, trusting that his squad could stay afloat long enough to be in the mix when IT returns around January. The IR spot is a critical weapon in 30-Deep, because as soon as the draft concludes you can shift injured players to the IR and immediately grab a few (extremely) deep sleepers. It’s like getting a free pick or two at the very end of the draft.

From this point on, I’ll just let the picks speak for themselves. If you find yourself in disbelief about a certain player going too high (or, less frequently, too low), try searching (CTRL+F) for the team owner’s name and you’ll probably see the reasoning – they needed a backup PG, they wanted to handcuff the backup for their star big man, etc.

ROUND 4

Pick	Player	Main Position (CBS)	Owner
91	T.J. Warren	SF	Benny Aziz
92	James Johnson	PF	Brandon Klyce
93	Jamal Murray	SG	Jamey Eisenberg
94	Marcus Smart	SG	Tom Carpenter
95	Robin Lopez	C	Dennis Velasco
96	Zach Randolph	PF	Chris Towers
97	Jae Crowder	SF	Erik Ong
98	Rodney Hood	SG	Ethan Norof
99	Willie Cauley-Stein	C	Josh Lloyd,
100	Josh Jackson	SF	Rick Kamla
101	Kris Dunn	PG	Matt Satten
102	De’Aaron Fox	PG	Tracy Fay
103	Jonas Valanciunas	C	Dan Besbris
104	Nikola Mirotic	PF	Hector Castro
105	Pau Gasol	C	Randall Dean
106	Marvin Williams	PF	Tommy Beer
107	Eric Gordon	SG	Joe Polito
108	Markieff Morris	PF	Nick Raducanu
109	John Collins	PF	Brian Flood
110	Dwight Howard	C	Tom Lorenzo
111	Kent Bazemore	SG	Daniel E. Dobish
112	Buddy Hield	SG	Ryan Knaus
113	Zach LaVine	SG	Mike Passador
114	Dwyane Wade	SG	Scott White
115	Josh Richardson	SG	Mike Gallagher
116	Michael Kidd-Gilchrist	SF	David Klyce
117	Steven Adams	C	Matt Stroup
118	Gorgui Dieng	PF	Aaron Bruski
119	Jayson Tatum	SF	Frankie Lloyd
120	Seth Curry	SG	Steve Alexander

ROUND 5

Pick	Player	Main Position (CBS)	Owner
121	JaMychal Green	PF	Steve Alexander
122	Austin Rivers	SF	Frankie Lloyd
123	Richaun Holmes	C	Aaron Bruski
124	Lou Williams	SG	Matt Stroup
125	Enes Kanter	C	David Klyce
126	Boban Marjanovic	C	Mike Gallagher
127	Milos Teodosic	PG	Scott White
128	Jordan Clarkson	SG	Mike Passador
129	Dirk Nowitzki	C	Ryan Knaus
130	Ersan Ilyasova	PF	Daniel E. Dobish
131	Jabari Parker	SF	Tom Lorenzo
132	Dario Saric	PF	Brian Flood
133	Will Barton	SG	Nick Raducanu
134	Ryan Anderson	PF	Joe Polito
135	Wilson Chandler	SF	Tommy Beer
136	Dion Waiters	SG	Randall Dean
137	Rudy Gay	SF	Hector Castro
138	Joe Ingles	SG	Dan Besbris
139	Skal Labissiere	PF	Tracy Fay
140	JJ Redick	SG	Matt Satten
141	Chandler Parsons	SF	Rick Kamla
142	Kentavious Caldwell-Pope	SG	Josh Lloyd,
143	Willy Hernangomez	C	Ethan Norof
144	Tyler Johnson	SG	Erik Ong
145	Wesley Matthews	SG	Chris Towers
146	Taj Gibson	PF	Dennis Velasco
147	Tyler Ulis	PG	Tom Carpenter
148	Greg Monroe	C	Jamey Eisenberg
149	Alex Len	C	Brandon Klyce
150	Patty Mills	PG	Benny Aziz

ROUND 6

Pick	Player	Main Position (CBS)	Owner
151	Jonathan Isaac	SF	Benny Aziz
152	Terrence Ross	SF	Brandon Klyce
153	Justise Winslow	SF	Jamey Eisenberg
154	Caleb Swanigan	PF	Tom Carpenter
155	Allen Crabbe	SG	Dennis Velasco
156	Mason Plumlee	C	Chris Towers
157	DeWayne Dedmon	C	Erik Ong
158	Jaylen Brown	SG	Ethan Norof
159	Tyreke Evans	SF	Josh Lloyd,
160	Marcus Morris	PF	Rick Kamla
161	Thon Maker	C	Matt Satten
162	Kyle Kuzma	PF	Tracy Fay
163	Andre Iguodala	SF	Dan Besbris
164	Tristan Thompson	C	Hector Castro
165	Ish Smith	PG	Randall Dean
166	Frank Ntilikina	PG	Tommy Beer
167	Cody Zeller	C	Joe Polito
168	Kenneth Faried	PF	Nick Raducanu
169	Malik Monk	SG	Brian Flood
170	Bojan Bogdanovic	SF	Tom Lorenzo
171	Dejounte Murray	PG	Daniel E. Dobish
172	Maurice Harkless	SF	Ryan Knaus
173	Kelly Olynyk	C	Mike Passador
174	Al-Farouq Aminu	PF	Scott White
175	Norman Powell	SF	Mike Gallagher
176	Jeremy Lamb	SG	David Klyce
177	Denzel Valentine	SG	Matt Stroup
178	Bogdan Bogdanovic	SG	Aaron Bruski
179	Derrick Rose	PG	Frankie Lloyd
180	Tony Snell	SG	Steve Alexander

ROUND 7 (Most of it, anyway…up until pick 200)

Pick	Player	Main Position (CBS)	Owner
181	DeMarre Carroll	SF	Steve Alexander
182	Frank Kaminsky	C	Frankie Lloyd
183	Justin Holiday	SG	Aaron Bruski
184	Danny Green	SG	Matt Stroup
185	Trevor Booker	PF	David Klyce
186	Jarrett Allen	C	Mike Gallagher
187	Jerian Grant	PG	Scott White
188	C.J. Miles	SG	Mike Passador
189	Courtney Lee	SG	Ryan Knaus
190	Evan Turner	SF	Daniel E. Dobish
191	Bobby Portis	PF	Tom Lorenzo
192	Doug McDermott	SF	Brian Flood
193	Kyle O’Quinn	PF	Nick Raducanu
194	Lauri Markkanen	PF	Joe Polito
195	Lance Stephenson	SF	Tommy Beer
196	Stanley Johnson	SF	Randall Dean
197	Ramon Sessions	PG	Hector Castro
198	Jonathon Simmons	SG	Dan Besbris
199	Jahlil Okafor	C	Tracy Fay
200	Emmanuel Mudiay	PG	Matt Satten

Hopefully seeing how these 30 owners navigated a tricky draft will help you build your own squads this season. If you want even greater depth, check back in a few days for more 30-Deep related content – Mike Gallagher (the reigning back-to-back champ!) is planning a post mortem podcast, and Matt Stroup provides an in-depth look at the top-100 picks. And of course, Rotoworld’s ultimate guide to crushing your draft is just a click away, complete with two sets of stat projections, rankings for multiple formats, schedule grid/breakdown, and dozens of exclusive columns on sleepers, strategies, and so much more. Good luck!