The Draft Guru

The Fantasy Heaven Draft Guru will share his opinions on past drafts, future stars, fantasy draft sleepers and who you should be paying attention to for the coming season.

2010 Mock Drafts

What we think

What the experts think.





This seasons Top Ten Rookies?
17/08/09


This is an early look at the first year players who are most likely to make an impact on the fantasy scene.

 Note: players are ranked based on the Guru’s projections for both year 1 and beyond, so current team situations are not taken as the be all and end all.


Number 1 - Blake Griffin

Clearly the best player in the NCAA last year, Griffin has all the tools to put up big numbers in the NBA in years to come. Standing at 6’9, with an excellent frame and good athleticism, Griffin projects to be an All-Star caliber player when his burgeoning offensive skill-set reaches its full potential. Whilst unlikely to ever be considered a “superstar”, Griffin should comfortably be the best fantasy performer from the ’09 draft class.

Fantasy comparison (peak): Elton Brand


Number 2 - James Harden

After Griffin the waters become somewhat murkier. There are a number of players who have the potential to be big fantasy performers, but none who really look like certainties. That being said, the player who seems to have the best chance is Oklahoma City shooting guard James Harden. With all the required physical tools, Harden also has a very advanced set of skills and a balanced personality. He might only be the third option on offense in OKC, but over the course of his career he looks set to be a good fantasy contributor. To be a hit in the Fantasy Heaven format, a guard will usually have to show that he can pass and rebound as well as score, and Harden has the best mix of these skills of any guard in this class.

Fantasy comparison: Andre Iguodala


Number 3 - Stephen Curry

Despite not even being able to pronounce his own name correctly, Stephen Curry has the potential to be a very decent fantasy player. Obviously he can shoot (he averaged almost 30 points a game in college), but just being a shooter rarely translates to fantasy success. However, in his junior season at Davidson Curry also began to display the passing skills which are oh so important for success in the Fantasy Heaven league. He put up a respectable 5.6 assists per game whilst also demonstrating the smarts to suggest he can be a playmaker at the next level. Golden State is in some ways the perfect place for Curry to start putting up numbers as he will be allowed to fire away from day one. If Curry can cement his place as the starting point guard, expect him to be near All-Star level in the not too distant future.

Fantasy comparison: Mike Bibby (prime)


Number 4 - Jordan Hill

Big, athletic, hustling forwards tend to do very well in the hoops.ws format, and Jordan Hill should prove no exception. Whilst still very much a work in progress, Hill was a productive college player who has the physical tools to do well in the NBA. At 6’10 and with similar athleticism to Blake Griffin, Hill should be able to pull rebounds down for fun in Mike D’Antoni’s uptempo system. Whether his offensive game will ever develop enough to allow him to become an All-Star is debatable, but there should be no doubt that Hill will provide at least solid fantasy production.

Fantasy comparison: Emeka Okafor


Number 5 - Jonny Flynn

There was a time when being 6 feet tall was generally considered an enormous hindrance for succeeding at the NBA level. However, with today’s glut of diminutive but productive point guards, that is no longer really the case. Jonny Flynn is not an especially tall man, but he is exceptionally, quick, athletic and skilled. In the absence of Ricky Rubio, Flynn will likely be given the reigns at Minnesota right from the off and that means he will also likely have good fantasy value right from the off. With good shooting and passing skills, Flynn should put up nice points and assists numbers, to make up for his probable lack of rebounds. If he were to maximise his potential, Flynn would have a shot at being an elite Fantasy Heaven guard.

Fantasy comparison: TJ Ford


Number 6 - Earl Clark

Phoenix’s new forward Earl Clark has potentially the biggest upside of any player in this class outside of Griffin. Questions over his application are the main worries when considering Clark’s fantasy future, but he should have all the tools to be at least a decent option. Standing close to 6’10, with good athleticism and a good all round skill package, Clark would be a fantasy beast if he worked hard. As it is, he can’t yet be projected as a fantasy stud, but should still put up reasonable numbers playing alongside Steve Nash in a high paced offense.

Fantasy comparison: Al Harrington


Number 7 - Tyreke Evans

Many people rate Tyreke Evans as the best guard in the ’09 draft class, however, the Guru has his doubts. Although possessing good size and strength, Evans is not especially quick or athletic and is very much a “me first” player. Whilst he can undoubtedly fill it up, Evans projects as a volume shooter at the NBA level which is not usually a great indicator for fantasy efficiency. Evans must work on his playmaking abilities if he is to become a big time fantasy player, but the Guru thinks it more likely that he will be a low efficiency 2 guard for most of his career.

Fantasy comparison: Larry Hughes


Number 8 - DeMar DeRozan

DeRozan didn’t have the greatest success in his one year at college, but he is very young and looks very much to be an NBA style player. With fantastic size and athleticism for a wing, DeRozan fills a big need for the Raptors. Whilst he must seriously work on his ball handling and jumpshot, the Compton native has the right attitude and work effort to succeed in the future. DeRozan projects as a player who will do well in the points and rebounds categories and as such should provide value in the hoops.ws format.

Fantasy comparison: Thaddeus Young


Number 9 - Dejuan Blair

That’s right, the Guru is projecting someone who (inexplicably) fell to the second round of the NBA draft to be the 9th best fantasy player in this class. All the signs point to Dejuan Blair being an excellent fantasy player: he’s young, was very good in college, was drafted by a great franchise and gets to learn from one of the greatest power forwards of all time. Although undersized, Blair has tremendous strength and will rebound at a high rate at any level. As such, expect the forward to put up great per minute numbers right from the off and develop into a solid double-double guy down the road.

Fantasy comparison: Paul Millsap/Carl Landry


Number 10 - Hasheem Thabeet

The only reason that Thabeet makes this list is the fact that he is center eligible in a league starved of centers. With few discernible basketball skills, Thabeet projects as a career NBA backup, but someone who will be useful in the Fantasy Heaven league. Because he was taken 2nd overall by Memphis, Thabeet will surely be given the chance to prove his worth right from the get go, so should provide some immediate value. If he ever manages to learn how to play then he might end up being one of the top players from this class. However, as he is currently significantly worse than Memphis’s incumbent center Marc Gasol, he will need to improve a lot to ever be more than a fantasy role player.

Fantasy comparison: Brendan Haywood