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.
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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
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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.
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