Latest news with #NoahRubin
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Extremely Early 2025-26 Fantasy Basketball Mock Draft
While the 2025 NBA Playoffs will get underway this weekend, the 2024-25 season concluded on Sunday from a fantasy standpoint. For some, this is a time to celebrate their victories or lament what went wrong. For others, however, this is a great time to look ahead to next season and get some early mock drafting in. Count Rotoworld fantasy basketball analysts Raphielle Johnson and Noah Rubin among the latter group, participating in a 14-team, nine-cat mock draft with other fantasy analysts. This exercise won't give a complete "picture" of what's to come next season. The 2025 draft class is not available to be selected, since those players don't even have teams, and there remain questions regarding the availability of established pros whose seasons were derailed by injury. This article will be updated after every two rounds, with Johnson and Rubin providing their thoughts on how their teams are looking. Thank you to FBI Basketball's Adam King for organizing this mock draft. Advertisement Round 1 Results 1. Adam King: F/C Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs 2. Alex Barutha: C Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets 3. Dan Palyo: G Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder 4. Robbin Marx: G James Harden, LA Clippers 5. Dan Titus: G Luka Doncic, Los Angeles Lakers 6. Scott Keller: G Tyrese Haliburton, Indiana Pacers 7. Dan Besbris: F/C Karl-Anthony Towns, New York Knicks 8. Kayla Fonte: F Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics 9. Steve St-Pierre: F/C Anthony Davis, Dallas Mavericks 10. Noah Rubin: F/C Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks 11. Dan McKie: G Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons 12. Matty G: G Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors 13. Raphielle Johnson: G Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks 14. Yuri Ono: F/C Domantas Sabonis, Sacramento Kings Round 2 Results 15. Ono: G/F Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves 16. Johnson: G Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers 17. Matty G: G Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia 76ers 18. McKie: G Damian Lillard, Milwaukee Bucks 19. Rubin: G/F Amen Thompson, Houston Rockets 20. St-Pierre: F Kevin Durant, Phoenix Suns 21. Fonte: F LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers 22. Besbris: G/F/C Jalen Williams, Oklahoma City Thunder 23. Keller: G/F Dyson Daniels, Atlanta Hawks 24. Titus: G Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks 25. Marx: G LaMelo Ball, Charlotte Hornets 26. Palyo: F/C Evan Mobley, Cleveland Cavaliers 27. Barutha: G/F Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns 28. King: G De'Aaron Fox, San Antonio Spurs Advertisement Raphielle's thoughts: I try not to go into drafts, mock or real, with the idea of punting a particular category. I prefer to let things play out in the early rounds and then assess where my team's strengths and weaknesses lie halfway through the proceedings. I'm pleased with how the first two rounds went. In a nine-cat league, turnovers will likely be an issue for those who roster Young. That said, the "bet" is that his overall production will minimize the impact of that category. I hoped to get Edwards with his second-round pick, but he was off the board, so Mitchell was the choice. While Mitchell was ranked 36th in Basketball Monster's nine-cat rankings to end the regular season, he's capable of making a run at first-round value, even as Evan Mobley's role continues to expand in Cleveland. Noah's thoughts: I enjoy being bold in mock drafts, but when a player like Giannis is available with the 10th pick, I couldn't pass up the opportunity. Antetokounmpo is one of the best players in fantasy basketball, but he comes with obvious limitations that you have to account for. You can either lean hard into his strengths and punt the other categories or try to make up for them in future rounds. Regardless of which path you opt for, Antetokounmpo is a player I will happily take with the No. 10 pick, and I'd certainly consider him even earlier. I did lean in to my bolder side with my second pick. As of now, this probably feels like a reach, but Thompson had quite the breakout season in Houston, and I'm expecting that to continue in his first playoff appearance. The 22-year-old fits like a glove next to Giannis in a nine-cat build that leans into punting free throw percentage and three-pointers. Since it's a mock, I may not fully commit to that the entire draft, but if this were a real league, I'd be ecstatic about my start.
NBC Sports
17-04-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Extremely Early 2025-26 Fantasy Basketball Mock Draft
While the 2025 NBA Playoffs will get underway this weekend, the 2024-25 season concluded on Sunday from a fantasy standpoint. For some, this is a time to celebrate their victories or lament what went wrong. For others, however, this is a great time to look ahead to next season and get some early mock drafting in. Count Rotoworld fantasy basketball analysts Raphielle Johnson and Noah Rubin among the latter group, participating in a 14-team, nine-cat mock draft with other fantasy analysts. This exercise won't give a complete 'picture' of what's to come next season. The 2025 draft class is not available to be selected, since those players don't even have teams, and there remain questions regarding the availability of established pros whose seasons were derailed by injury. This article will be updated after every two rounds, with Johnson and Rubin providing their thoughts on how their teams are looking. Thank you to FBI Basketball's Adam King for organizing this mock draft. Round 1 Results 1. Adam King: F/C Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs 2. Alex Barutha: C Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets 3. Dan Palyo: G Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder 4. Robbin Marx: G James Harden, LA Clippers 5. Dan Titus: G Luka Doncic, Los Angeles Lakers 6. Scott Keller: G Tyrese Haliburton, Indiana Pacers 7. Dan Besbris: F/C Karl-Anthony Towns, New York Knicks 8. Kayla Fonte: F Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics 9. Steve St-Pierre: F/C Anthony Davis, Dallas Mavericks 10. Noah Rubin: F/C Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks 11. Dan McKie: G Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons 12. Matty G: G Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors 13. Raphielle Johnson: G Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks 14. Yuri Ono: F/C Domantas Sabonis, Sacramento Kings Round 2 Results 15. Ono: G/F Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves 16. Johnson: G Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers 17. Matty G: G Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia 76ers 18. McKie: G Damian Lillard, Milwaukee Bucks 19. Rubin: G/F Amen Thompson, Houston Rockets 20. St-Pierre: F Kevin Durant, Phoenix Suns 21. Fonte: F LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers 22. Besbris: G/F/C Jalen Williams, Oklahoma City Thunder 23. Keller: G/F Dyson Daniels, Atlanta Hawks 24. Titus: G Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks 25. Marx: G LaMelo Ball, Charlotte Hornets 26. Palyo: F/C Evan Mobley, Cleveland Cavaliers 27. Barutha: G/F Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns 28. King: G De'Aaron Fox, San Antonio Spurs Raphielle's thoughts: I try not to go into drafts, mock or real, with the idea of punting a particular category. I prefer to let things play out in the early rounds and then assess where my team's strengths and weaknesses lie halfway through the proceedings. I'm pleased with how the first two rounds went. In a nine-cat league, turnovers will likely be an issue for those who roster Young. That said, the 'bet' is that his overall production will minimize the impact of that category. I hoped to get Edwards with his second-round pick, but he was off the board, so Mitchell was the choice. While Mitchell was ranked 36th in Basketball Monster's nine-cat rankings to end the regular season, he's capable of making a run at first-round value, even as Evan Mobley's role continues to expand in Cleveland. Noah's thoughts: I enjoy being bold in mock drafts, but when a player like Giannis is available with the 10th pick, I couldn't pass up the opportunity. Antetokounmpo is one of the best players in fantasy basketball, but he comes with obvious limitations that you have to account for. You can either lean hard into his strengths and punt the other categories or try to make up for them in future rounds. Regardless of which path you opt for, Antetokounmpo is a player I will happily take with the No. 10 pick, and I'd certainly consider him even earlier. I did lean in to my bolder side with my second pick. As of now, this probably feels like a reach, but Thompson had quite the breakout season in Houston, and I'm expecting that to continue in his first playoff appearance. The 22-year-old fits like a glove next to Giannis in a nine-cat build that leans into punting free throw percentage and three-pointers. Since it's a mock, I may not fully commit to that the entire draft, but if this were a real league, I'd be ecstatic about my start.
NBC Sports
07-04-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Fantasy Basketball End of Season Roundtable: Biggest fantasy surprise
While some fantasy managers are competing in leagues that run through the end of the NBA's regular season, most were done by the end of Sunday's games. Congratulations to those who won their leagues and the money (and bragging rights) that comes with it. Those who did not will reflect on what went wrong and how they can avoid a similar fate next season. With the fantasy season effectively over, now is a good time for the Rotoworld fantasy basketball staff to have a few roundtable discussions. Monday's question is simple: Who was your biggest surprise in fantasy basketball? Nick Schlain, Noah Rubin, Raphielle Johnson and Zak Hanshew answered this question, and each writer had a different choice. Who was the biggest surprise in fantasy basketball this season? Nick Schlain: Dyson Daniels had a preseason ADP of 136 on Yahoo! but is the fifth-ranked player in total game value on Basketball Monster this season. In his first season as a full-time starter, Daniels has seen his numbers increase across the board. No stat has been as crucial to Daniels' fantasy success than steals, the category where he leads the league with three steals per game. Daniels has vastly outperformed expectations in his first season with the Hawks after coming to Atlanta last offseason in the Dejounte Murray trade. Noah Rubin: I have long been a pessimist regarding Austin Reaves's productivity in fantasy basketball. I have had the opinion that he is a really, really good player, but that doesn't always translate to fantasy production, especially in category leagues. On a team with LeBron James and Anthony Davis, why would Reaves have the ball in his hands enough to return top-tier value? Trading for Luka Doncic certainly didn't make me more optimistic, and yet, Reaves has been better while playing alongside a ball-dominant superstar. Over the past two months, he has returned third-round value this season and ranks in the top ten in nine-cat formats. He is averaging career highs in points, rebounds, assists, steals and three-pointers and has solidified himself as an All-Star talent. He shattered his Yahoo! ADP of 87.8 and has been a league-winning producer recently. Raphielle Johnson: Many people laughed when Norman Powell discussed the loss to Paul George as 'addition by subtraction' for the Clippers. PG's exit meant more opportunities for Powell and Ivica Zubac, and both got off to hot starts. However, while Powell's production tailed off due to injury, 'Big Zu' has been consistently excellent for the Clippers. Ranked just outside the top-50 in eight-cat formats, Zubac heads into the season's final week safely within that threshold in nine-cat. He's averaging career highs in points, rebounds and assists while shooting 62.4 percent from the field. While expecting Zubac to be a top-100 player was well within reason, he's been even better than that. Zak Hanshew: Maybe I should have seen a resurgence coming, but hindsight is 20/20, right? After years of finishing as a perennial top-10 fantasy option, Karl-Anthony Towns's value took a big hit over the last two seasons. The fit alongside Rudy Gobert wasn't ideal for Towns from a fantasy standpoint, but his move back to playing a pure center role in New York has done wonders for him. He's averaging a career-high 12.8 rebounds with 24.4 points, 3.1 dimes, two triples and a steal. Towns is shooting a career-best 42.6% mark from beyond the arc, and he's cut his turnovers to his lowest mark in seven seasons. Towns's revival is surprising based on the raw numbers alone, but the fact that he's leading his team in rebounds and sits second in scoring while playing on such a loaded roster is the most shocking aspect of his meteoric 2024-25 rise.
NBC Sports
19-03-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Dynasty watch: Players to monitor in NCAA Tourney
Raphielle Johnson and Noah Rubin discuss players they are monitoring in the NCAA Tournament for dynasty, including Oklahoma's Jeremiah Fears, Liam McNeely from UConn, and Baylors V.J. Edgecombe.
NBC Sports
29-01-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Spurs have plenty of assets for Fox trade
Raphielle Johnson and Noah Rubin discuss what the San Antonio Spurs can offer to the Sacramento Kings for De'Aaron Fox and the potential impact a deal would make in the Western Conference.
