Fantasy basketball mock draft for 12-team league in 2023-24 season

Fantasy basketball season has arrived, with the 2023-24 NBA season officially tipping off Tuesday, October 24. There will be plenty of drafts taking place across the country over the next week as leagues begin to gear up for another exciting year. While the format of each draft may be different, the overall strategy for each one is largely the same. Here are the results of one mock draft for a 12-team league.

Settings

This draft was for a league with head-to-head scoring matchups based on total points. There are leagues that will do head-to-head categories, where each statistical category is its own matchup. For this league, it’ll just be the total amount of points accumulated over the matchup for whatever statistical contributions the players make. The roster for this draft was a full starting lineup, a guard, a forward, three utility players and then three bench spots.

First-round pick

I had the third overall pick in the first round, so I was going to get one of the top players. Giannis Antetokounmpo went first and Nikola Jokic went second. Even though Joel Embiid is ranked higher in the DK Network Top 100, I went with Mavericks guard Luka Doncic. There’s a lot of drama surrounding the 76ers, and Embiid might take on too much responsibility to be as efficient as expected.

Sleeper picks

Grabbing Bradley Beal in the eighth round was surprising. If he can stay healthy, he’s going to put up massive numbers in that Suns offense. Klay Thompson in the ninth round was another pleasant surprise. Thompson is looking for an extension and his scoring has returned to pre-injury levels.

Final thoughts

With a 12-team league, you do have to make some adjustments for your roster positions. I didn’t want to take Rudy Gobert in the seventh round, but I had put myself in a spot where there weren’t too many productive centers left and couldn’t afford to wait. You also have to be strategic with taking players you feel are undervalued by the projection system. Thompson may have been around a round later but I couldn’t take the chance.

Versatility becomes more important as well. I tried to avoid taking too many players who couldn’t play in multiple spots to give me the most flexibility possible. Giddey playing three positions really helps. Of my 13 players, 10 can play in at least two different spots.

Full mock draft results

PG: Luka Doncic

SG: Jalen Brunson (can also play PG)

SF: Desmond Bane (can also play SG)

PF: Pascal Siakam (can also play C)

C: Rudy Gobert

G: Josh Giddey (can also play SG and SF)

F: Klay Thompson (can also play SG)

Utility: Jalen Green

Utility: Bradley Beal (SG, SF)

Utility: Collin Sexton (PG, SG)

Bench: Derrick White (PG, SG), Jalen Duren (C), Harrison Barnes (SF, PF)