25/26 Pick #7 Nine-Category H2H 3RR Draft Results

On October 19th, I had a 12-team, nine-category, H2H, 3RR draft where I got stuck with the seventh pick.

I opted to punt assists using Elite Fantasy Basketball’s punt assists guide. I swear I’m not a punt assists merchant. I’ve just ended up in the spots where I like punt assists this year. Last year, in my main leagues, I went with punt points in both leagues. Then, after my points ended up being better than expected in both spots, I switched to punt threes in one league and punt FT% in the other. I do like punt assists a fair amount this year, however. It’s always a good option, but this year especially so, since it makes it easier to take down the Jokic, Luka, Giannis, and late-first guard teams.

As I mentioned in my other draft breakdown, my strategy when punting assists is to go after the percentages aggressively. In punt dimes, it is very possible to end the draft in a top position in both percentages. If you can manage that, your team will be almost impossible to top in nine-category leagues. Since you’ll be winning turnovers every week when you punt assists, any team that can’t take a percentage off you is going to be in trouble. They’d have to beat you 5-1 in the remaining counting categories to get the win. That’s going to be very tough to do, especially during weeks when you have a scheduling advantage.

1) Anthony Davis – I opted for Davis at seven for his per-game upside. There were a lot of managers with top-five picks who know what they are doing, so I felt like I needed to give my team a high per-game ceiling. It’s very tough to beat a properly built Jokic/Wemby/SGA team by playing it safe. I likely would have gone Ant (and chased Kawhi/Embiid in 5 for the per-game upside) if AD was gone.

2) Donovan Mitchell – Davis/Mitchell is a perfect match from a per-game basis. In punt assists, you go into 3 with no weaknesses. Easy pick. If Mitchell was gone, I was leaning towards Giddey and punt threes.

3) Austin Reaves – I’m all-in on Reaves this year. He fits every build except punt FT% well, and even there, he’s not bad since he gives you big numbers in points, threes, and to a lesser extent, dimes. He will fall to the fourth in some leagues, but if you really like him, you should make your move in three.

4) Trey Murphy – Murphy is great in 4 in punt assists from a per-game standpoint. However, I’m not crazy over him this year because of the team he is on. I have been fading players on non-playoff teams in the West this year. I’m more willing to take a player on a potential EC non-playoff team since it will be much easier for teams to stay in the play-in race in the East. If the Pels start poorly, I’ll put him on the block.

5) Brandon Miller – This was a somewhat risky pick because it tanked my FG%. It sends me into the sixth in a very bad position in both FG% and assists, so it would be tough to switch to punt FG% if I get stuck at the end of a big man run. However, I wasn’t too worried about that happening since I was picking in the middle of the round. If there are 16-20 picks between your picks, runs are a bigger concern.

6) Jakob Poeltl – Poeltl was my top pick in this range because I needed a bump in all of the big man categories and could use some help in steals as well. I was shooting 83%+ from the line coming into the round, so I felt comfortable taking on the FT% hit.

7) Deandre Ayton – This was a nice break for me. I was deciding between Yak and Ayton in 6, so I was very happy to see Ayton there. He goes in this range on ESPN all the time, but on Yahoo, he usually goes in six. Poeltl and Ayton fixed my FG% issue, so I’m back to being in good shape just about everywhere. As is the case with most punt assist teams coming out of round 7, I’m on pace to be strong in all of the big man categories and turnovers. I’m also in a great spot in FT%, which is something I’ll be trying very hard to maintain over the second half of the draft. Points and threes will likely be the categories I’ll run into problems with.

8) Onyeka Okongwu – You all know I love Okongwu in punt assists for his percentages, upside, and ability to chip in from deep and in FT%. I could have used more points here, but the better points options were off the board.

9) Tari Eason – I was hoping for Camara here, but I knew that probably wasn’t happening in a competitive league where a decent chunk of the league subs to my site. I’m fine with Eason, though. Big upside, and I needed the steals. Hopefully, the leg holds up. 26 MPG looks like it’s in play after the Fred injury, which is all he needs.

10) Bradley Beal – When I was writing about Beal for my rankings, I thought to myself, “I bet I never draft Beal again.” Oops. I’m not a Beal guy because his ceiling isn’t high enough to justify the injury risk at his ADP. He wasn’t on my radar where he usually goes, but at 115, in a build that loves his percentages, it’s not bad. I’ll probably end up hating the pick. Maybe the Clippers’ depth allows him to stay healthy. That feels like a cope.

11) Cason Wallace – I really wanted at least one Cason share this year. The jump he has to make to go from borderline hold/great steals streamer to no-doubter 12-team guy is very small. He also fit my team well because while it was fairly strong in steals after the Eason pick, it wasn’t dominant. Wallace puts me near the top of the table in swipes.

12) Neemias Queta – Queta being here was big because the other big man options in this range came with material FT% hits. I was top-two in the category for most of the draft and really didn’t want to take a hit there. Queta looks like the favorite to start at the five in Boston, is a good per-minute guy, and can hit his FTs. He’s someone I’ve added to all the guides, as his role has become clearer.

13) De’Andre Hunter – A boring last-round pick, but a pretty good one in punt assists. He brings strong percentages for his draft position and keeps me within shouting distance of average in points and threes. He looked great in preseason, too, and will probably start well due to the Cavaliers’ injuries.

You can’t get too, too excited about a Davis-led team since you are likely to have an extended stretch or two where you are without your top pick, but I was pretty happy with this team. There are no 10/10 options if you are picking after five this year. This group is projected to be a top-two team in rebounds, steals, FG%, FT%, and turnovers, and a top-three team in blocks. I’m very happy about the team ending up in a great spot in both percentages. A punt assists team that wins both percentages consistently has a very easy path to 5. Points and threes are a player away from being where I want them. I should find that player eventually. Don’t worry about finishing the draft in a slightly weaker position than you’d like to be in a category or two. That’s almost always going to be the case in a competitive league these days. You can fix those weaknesses with a solid pickup or two.