Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is coming off back-to-back MVP seasons with an opportunity to continue a strong fantasy output.
Fantasy basketball draft season is here, and there’s no better way to prep than a mock draft. I joined 11 other managers for a 12-team, 13-round Yahoo points league mock draft, picking from the No. 11 spot. Below, you’ll find my full team and the draft strategy behind it, from navigating Yahoo’s position requirements to targeting box-score stuffers who thrive in points formats. I also break down the biggest ADP risers and fallers, including Lauri Markkanen, Stephon Castle, Joel Embiid and Ja Morant. Full pick-by-pick results follow to help you prepare for your 2026-27 fantasy basketball drafts.
My Team
Round 1 (Pick 11) – Jalen Johnson, Atlanta Hawks
Round 2 – Alperen Sengun, Houston Rockets
Round 3 – James Harden, Cleveland Cavaliers
Round 4 – Jalen Duren, Detroit Pistons
Round 5 – Pascal Siakam, Indiana Pacers
Round 6 – Ivica Zubac, Indiana Pacers
Round 7 – Payton Pritchard, Boston Celtics
Round 8 – Norman Powell, Chicago Bulls
Round 9 – Jaime Jaquez Jr., Milwaukee Bucks
Round 10 – Anthony Black, Orlando Magic
Round 11 – Kyshawn George, Washington Wizards
Round 12 – DeMar DeRozan, Denver Nuggets
Round 13 – Quentin Grimes, Los Angeles Lakers
An important aspect of drafting on Yahoo is the position requirements – PG, SG, G, SF, PF, F, C, C, 2 UTIL, 3 BN. Making sure you aren’t short on one position is critical and should be a major part of your draft plan. That also means players who are multi-position eligible (especially SG/SF and PF/C) are extra valuable. From experience, I know that forwards and centers typically dry up fast. So I sought to fill those positions early.
In addition to position requirements, knowing what makes a player better or worse in points leagues is crucial. Average draft position (ADP) can only get you so far, as it’s a blend of category and points formats. For points leagues, identify which of the players you’re choosing from has the most box-score upside. Efficiency doesn’t matter. The combination of points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks is what matters.
You can see that play out with my squad, as my first nine picks could easily all be considered top-three offensive options for their respective teams. Many of them are also well-rounded, with double-double or triple-double upside on a game-to-game basis. Getting forwards and centers early who fit that mold brings my whole draft philosophy together, as those players are challenging to find later. Guards are easier to find late.
Biggest Risers (weighted by percentage difference between ADP and pick)
Lauri Markkanen, Utah Jazz (Pick 27, ADP 39.2)
Markkanen is an interesting case this year. He’s burned fantasy managers in three straight seasons by playing 55 games in 2023-24, 47 in 2024-25 and 42 in 2025-26 – a result of injuries and tanking. Typically when that happens, managers cast a player aside, saying “never again.” His ADP does reflect that, but I can tell you from doing a dozen mock drafts already this season, he’s often picked in the late 20s. There usually seems to be one manager who wants to buy back in.
I caution against that in points leagues. First, Markkanen was not a pillar of health even before he arrived in Utah. His games-played career high is 68, achieved in his rookie season, and he’s reached 60 games played just three times in his nine years. Even if you’re willing to cast that aside, Utah’s revamped roster probably means less usage for Markkanen. That could mean better efficiency, but you do not get that benefit in points formats. You just get the downside of fewer buckets. I think he’s fine at his ADP in points formats, but I would not be reaching as high as 27.
Stephon Castle, San Antonio Spurs (pick 39, ADP 55.3)
Despite the guard logjam in San Antonio, Castle built off his Rookie of the Year campaign to deliver a big Year 2. While category league managers were left to deal with some high-turnover games and sketchy shooting percentages, points league managers laughed all the way to the bank. Castle provided 18 double-doubles and five triple-doubles, finishing tied for 51st in fantasy points per game.
San Antonio didn’t make major offseason acquisitions to take the ball out of Castle’s hands, but the looming question revolves around his backcourt mates. Dylan Harper’s development across last season into the playoffs was stellar, and a bigger role is inevitable. Where are those touches and minutes coming from? From De’Aaron Fox? From Castle? From Devin Vassell? From some combination of everyone? Pessimistic fantasy managers might want to let Castle fall to them, but I don’t mind the optimistic reach up to pick 39. He fits points formats perfectly and appears to have a relatively high floor as a true building block of a team that reached the NBA Finals.
Biggest Fallers (weighted by percentage difference between ADP and pick)
Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers (Pick 65, ADP 51)
Analyzing where to draft Embiid has been difficult for a decade. This year is no different, further complicated by entering his early 30s, playing just 96 games over the past three seasons and now being a part of a loaded Sixers roster that needs him less than ever. How I read 2026-27 for Embiid is: more dedicated rest, fewer minutes, less usage. In years past, that concept has been easier said than done, as Philly has truly needed him to be great on the court. But the development of Tyrese Maxey, the additions of Jaylen Brown and LeBron James, plus the strong rookie season of VJ Edgecombe mean this team can survive the regular season without pushing Embiid. His health for the playoffs in pursuit of a title is the goal.
I don’t view the risk/reward equation as meaningfully different for points leagues and category leagues (though if you play in Yahoo’s High Score format, he’s an easier click there). Importantly, Yahoo standard settings require users to start two centers. That creates a premium on the position and makes most bigs inherently more valuable than their ADP suggests, since the position is scarce. So it’s hard for managers to ignore Embiid for risk reasons when the alternatives run out quickly and clearly don’t have his game-to-game upside. Like what happened in this draft, I’d rather be too late on Embiid than too early, but I also don’t mind him at his ADP, provided you have other centers you’re fairly confident in. It’s easier to reach for Embiid if you drafted Nikola Jokić and Bam Adebayo already, for example. Then, everything you get with Embiid is essentially a bonus.
Ja Morant, Portland Trail Blazers (Pick 115, ADP 92.3)
Last year was mostly lost for Morant, who appeared in just 20 games due to injury. Tension with the Grizzlies also started to boil over, and the franchise moved him to the Trail Blazers. Portland is effectively a fresh start for Morant, who has played only 79 games over the past three seasons and hasn’t made an All-Star team since 2022-23. The 27-year-old doesn’t enter a clear-cut situation, though. Morant is expected to share the backcourt with Damian Lillard, while Jrue Holiday and Scoot Henderson remain in the mix.
Morant’s whirlwind career and murky role this season make him one of the biggest risk/reward swings in fantasy basketball. But it’s one I fully endorse at ADP, and I love the value this manager got by taking him at pick 115, especially in a points format. Morant is still useful in category leagues, but his negatives feel as weighty as his positives. With these settings, you’re getting the benefits of the points-and-assists combination without worrying about his lack of threes, defense or percentages. And taking him after pick 100 eliminates most of the risk, given the other available options, who are also risky without the same level of upside.
Full Draft Results
Round 1
– 1 – Victor Wembanyama
– 2 – Nikola Jokić
– 3 – Luka Dončić
– 4 – Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
– 5 – Jayson Tatum
– 6 – Giannis Antetokounmpo
– 7 – Cade Cunningham
– 8 – Anthony Edwards
– 9 – Tyrese Maxey
– 10 – Cooper Flagg
– 11 – Jalen Johnson
– 12 – Donovan Mitchell
Round 2
– 13 – Tyrese Haliburton
– 14 – Alperen Sengun
– 15 – Scottie Barnes
– 16 – Kevin Durant
– 17 – Josh Giddey
– 18 – Karl-Anthony Towns
– 19 – Domantas Sabonis
– 20 – Jamal Murray
– 21 – Trae Young
– 22 – LaMelo Ball
– 23 – Amen Thompson
– 24 – Austin Reaves
Round 3
– 25 – Jalen Brunson
– 26 – Paolo Banchero
– 27 – Lauri Markkanen
– 28 – Stephen Curry
– 29 – Kawhi Leonard
– 30 – Bam Adebayo
– 31 – Evan Mobley
– 32 – Anthony Davis
– 33 – Devin Booker
– 34 – Keaton Wagler (autodrafted from queue)
– 35 – James Harden
– 36 – Chet Holmgren
Round 4
– 37 – Jaylen Brown
– 38 – Jalen Duren
– 39 – Stephon Castle
– 40 – Trey Murphy III
– 41 – Derrick White
– 42 – Deni Avdija
– 43 – Brandon Miller
– 44 – Walker Kessler
– 45 – Jalen Williams
– 46 – Jaren Jackson Jr.
– 47 – Kon Knueppel
– 48 – Donovan Clingan
Round 5
– 49 – LeBron James
– 50 – Brandon Ingram
– 51 – Kyrie Irving
– 52 – Desmond Bane
– 53 – Michael Porter Jr.
– 54 – Darius Garland
– 55 – Matas Buzelis
– 56 – Julius Randle
– 57 – Franz Wagner
– 58 – Cameron Boozer
– 59 – Pascal Siakam
– 60 – Onyeka Okongwu
Round 6
– 61 – Keyonte George
– 62 – Ivica Zubac
– 63 – Alex Sarr
– 64 – Nickeil Alexander-Walker
– 65 – Joel Embiid
– 66 – Zion Williamson
– 67 – Dejounte Murray
– 68 – Damian Lillard
– 69 – Naz Reid
– 70 – OG Anunoby
– 71 – Tyler Herro
– 72 – VJ Edgecombe
Round 7
– 73 – Caleb Wilson
– 74 – Dyson Daniels
– 75 – Nic Claxton
– 76 – Jarrett Allen
– 77 – Paul George
– 78 – Ryan Rollins
– 79 – De’Aaron Fox
– 80 – Zach Edey
– 81 – Kel’el Ware
– 82 – Jaden McDaniels
– 83 – Payton Pritchard
– 84 – Rudy Gobert
Round 8
– 85 – Mikal Bridges
– 86 – Norman Powell
– 87 – Cedric Coward
– 88 – Coby White
– 89 – Ty Jerome
– 90 – Immanuel Quickley
– 91 – Zach LaVine
– 92 – Derik Queen
– 93 – Day’Ron Sharpe
– 94 – Ausar Thompson
– 95 – Dylan Harper
– 96 – AJ Dybantsa
Round 9
– 97 – Miles Bridges
– 98 – Josh Hart
– 99 – Jabari Smith Jr.
– 100 – Andrew Wiggins
– 101 – Jalen Green
– 102 – Ayo Dosunmu
– 103 – Myles Turner
– 104 – RJ Barrett
– 105 – Kristaps Porziņģis
– 106 – Khaman Maluach
– 107 – Jaime Jaquez Jr.
– 108 – Toumani Camara
Round 10
– 109 – Isaiah Hartenstein
– 110 – Anthony Black
– 111 – Darryn Peterson
– 112 – Peyton Watson
– 113 – Jusuf Nurkić
– 114 – Jalen Suggs
– 115 – Ja Morant
– 116 – Reed Sheppard
– 117 – Collin Murray-Boyles
– 118 – CJ McCollum
– 119 – Brandin Podziemski
– 120 – Darius Acuff Jr.
Round 11
– 121 – Jeremiah Fears
– 122 – Yaxel Lendeborg
– 123 – John Collins
– 124 – Andrew Nembhard
– 125 – Neemias Queta
– 126 – Jakob Poeltl
– 127 – Keegan Murray
– 128 – Aaron Gordon
– 129 – Davion Mitchell
– 130 – Ajay Mitchell
– 131 – Kyshawn George
– 132 – Kevin Porter Jr.
Round 12
– 133 – Devin Vassell
– 134 – DeMar DeRozan
– 135 – Egor Dëmin
– 136 – Sandro Mamukelashvili
– 137 – Jonathan Kuminga
– 138 – Mark Williams
– 139 – Jerami Grant
– 140 – Cason Wallace
– 141 – Tre Jones
– 142 – Fred VanVleet
– 143 – Maxime Raynaud
– 144 – Paul Reed
Round 13
– 145 – Kyle Filipowski
– 146 – Saddiq Bey
– 147 – P.J. Washington
– 148 – Jrue Holiday
– 149 – Tari Eason
– 150 – Gui Santos
– 151 – Scotty Pippen Jr.
– 152 – Jimmy Butler III
– 153 – Collin Gillespie
– 154 – Christian Braun
– 155 – Quentin Grimes
– 156 – Bobby Portis
A fashion statement in San Antonio
Mosley’s challenge to Zion
Returning to Rip City
A new foundation in Washington
The King sits down in Philly
Tap in with the Atlanta Hawks
The Joker is back at it
The new core in Miami
Hardy: ‘I think our players are ready to get to work’
Haliburton’s here
Kawhi: ‘Excited to be back’ with the Raptors
Randle in Brooklyn black
The schedule for today’s Media Days
