25/26 Punt Blocks (Yahoo)

The Punt Blocks Strategy

The punt blocks build isn’t nearly as well-known or as popular as builds like punt FG% or punt FT%. It’s a championship-winning strategy when implemented properly, but it’s usually not the first choice of many fantasy managers. Expect that to change over the next decade. Victor Wembanyama is going to make this a strategy that all category league players will need to consider. He’s not lapping the field just yet, but that could change soon. The 21-year-old version of Wembanyama is already very scary to go up against. When he hits his prime in a few years, we will have a major problem on our hands. There is almost certainly going to be an extended stretch where the Frenchman’s dominance will define category leagues, especially those of the eight-category variety. To take down the Wembanyama squad in our leagues, we are going to have to get creative, and that is where punting blocks comes in. When we punt blocks, we won’t completely neutralize the future bane of fantasy leagues, but it can put teams that weren’t fortunate enough to land a top-three pick in their draft on equal footing with the Wembanyama-led squad. To give you an idea of how effective punting blocks is at taking the 2023 first-overall pick down a notch, let’s take a look at Wembanyama’s 2024-2025 final per-game rankings with and without blocks.

Nine-category: 3

Eight-category: 2

Nine-category without blocks: 11

Eight-category without blocks: 9

Wembanyama will still be a first-round-level asset when blocks are ignored, but he won’t be some unstoppable force. Without blocks, he is essentially Karl-Anthony Towns with more threes and less FG% impact. If you punt blocks, Wembanyama goes from being arguably the scariest player in fantasy to just another early-round player. The center having so much value tied up in one category is a weakness we can exploit with smart team building.

Punting blocks is not just about neutralizing Wembanyama. This is a classic build that has become even more effective as the NBA has transitioned to a more perimeter-oriented league. With very few teams running double-big lineups these days, finding quality sources of swats has become more difficult than ever. The numbers bear that out. In 2014-2015, 20 players averaged 1.5 blocks or more. Last season, only nine players hit that mark, and three of those nine players played fewer than 50 games. If you are working with a different build that is aiming to win blocks consistently, you will be competing with every other team in your league for a very small group of players that usually don’t produce a ton of value outside of swats. Not only will you often have to reach for these rare, strong sources of blocks, you will usually be weakening yourself in a handful of categories by doing so.

Punt blocks can be especially lethal in eight-category leagues. Turnovers not counting means that five of the eight remaining categories are categories that guards and wings tend to excel in. That unbalanced setup strengthens all small-ball builds. While punt FG% tends to be the go-to of most fantasy players looking to build a small-ball team in eight-category leagues, you shouldn’t commit to that strategy without first sitting down and figuring out whether a punt blocks setup would be a better approach. There are strong arguments on both sides of that debate. Punt FG% has a higher ceiling because it increases the value of guards more than the punt blocks strategy does. However, it is also a harder strategy to pull off and comes with a lower floor. That lower floor is due to the popularity of punt FG% and the lack of obvious big man targets for the build. In most competitive 12-team leagues, there will be three or four punt FG% teams competing for the same small group of bigs. Wembanyama is a dream fit for that build and all of the guards likely to go towards the end of the first are obvious starting points for the strategy. All it will take is one unfortunately-timed big man run to put you in a very tough spot. When you punt blocks, missing out on bigs is less of a worry. It’s rare for a draft to contain more than one or two punt blocks teams, so you should be able to get your top big man targets around their ADP.

Even if you don’t plan on utilizing this strategy, you should familiarize yourself with it. It is a strategy that works very nicely as a mid-draft pivot. The early rounds don’t always go your way, so it’s important to have a backup strategy (or six) going into your draft. Punt blocks tends to be one of the easier builds to switch to after the first few rounds because there are not a lot of early-round options that make a switch to the strategy inadvisable. It pairs nicely with most of the first-round guards and is only a no-go zone if you come away from the first two rounds with one or more of Wembanyama, Anthony Davis, Evan Mobley, Jaren Jackson Jr, or Chet Holmgren on your roster.

Correlation Analysis And The Build’s Natural Strengths And Weaknesses

The correlation coefficients show us why punt blocks can be such an effective strategy when properly implemented. Blocks has a negative relationship with FT%, points, threes, assists, and steals. That means that when we pass on swats, we will be strengthening ourselves in those five categories. That makes sense since outside of a small handful of elite bigs, most of the shot blockers we will be passing on struggle in some, if not all, of those categories. The opposite is true for FG% and rebounds. Blocks has a positive relationship with both (in this case, positive is bad). When we pass on the league’s dominant rim protectors, we will be making it more difficult to win FG% and rebounds consistently since those shot blockers usually do good work in all of the big man categories. Because of this, in order to find enough FG% impact and rebounds, we will need to draft some bigs who average 1.0+ BPG. And that’s fine. We have to do something similar when we punt FG% in order to find enough rebounds and blocks. As is the case when we punt FG%, we just need to make sure the bigs we are targeting are the right bigs.

While the relationship between blocks and turnovers is weak, we will need to keep an eye on our turnovers when punting blocks in a nine-category league, especially if we begin this build with a first-round pick with an ugly turnover rate. Since most guards gain a significant amount of value in this build, we will be targeting plenty of them, and that usually leads to issues with the category. Usually, but not always. As evidenced by the sample teams, it is possible to finish the draft in a strong position in the category if you make some picks with turnovers in mind. You’re not going to be as dominant in the category as a punt assists team will be, but an above-average finish in the category is doable when you punt blocks.

Where The Build’s Key Categories Are In The Draft

Any punt blocks team that wants to win a ring needs to make sure it finishes the draft in an excellent position in as many guard categories as possible, or at least in a position where it is only a strong pickup or two away from being where it needs to be. To end up in a great spot in points, FT%, and assists, you need to target all three categories early and often. The best sources of points are found inside the first two rounds, and almost all of the best sources of points will be off the board by the end of round four. By the end of round seven, difference-makers in the category will be very hard to find on Yahoo. In the later rounds, almost all of the decent sources of points come with some serious issues elsewhere. Assists dry up just as quickly. You’ll want to grab at least two strong contributors in the category during the first three rounds. Three strong dimes options by the end of round five is ideal. We have to be super aggressive with assists because by the end of round six, almost all of the quality starting point guards will be off the board. The late-round assist sources are mostly low-upside options and some of them come with extremely damaging turnover rates. FT% follows a similar pattern. You will want to grab at least two very strong sources of FT% during the first three rounds. FT% is not a category you can find late in the draft. Very few late-round players get to the line enough to make a difference in the category.

Usually, steals is not as much of a priority as points, assists, and FT%. However, this year, that’s not the case. Steals are heavily concentrated in the early rounds and become difficult to find after round four on Yahoo. There are not many strong steals sources available between rounds five and eight this year. There are some potential difference-makers in the category available late, but ideally, you won’t be dependent on those late-round steals sources because many of them are specialists who do very little outside of their best category. Try to come out of round four in an above-average position in the category and try to take at least one plus-contributor in the category between rounds five and eight.

Threes is the one guard category that can be found throughout the draft. If you fall behind in triples early, don’t worry. There are plenty of high-3PG options available late. It’s also the easiest category to find on the wire. In a standard league, there will always be players available on the wire who average close to 2.5 3PG.

Due to this build’s natural weakness in the two remaining big man categories, you will need to keep a close eye on both FG% and rebounds throughout the draft, with rebounds being the more difficult category to manage. Strong sources of boards are not easy to find during the final handful of rounds this year, especially when we are ignoring players that have a lot of value tied up in swats. Most of this build’s top big man targets are located inside the first nine rounds. You’ll notice that most of the sample teams target FG% and rebounds very aggressively between rounds five and nine. In addition to making sure you grab a couple of quality bigs early, you’ll want to prioritize guards and wings who provide above-average boards for their position. You’ll find many such players highlighted in the round-by-round pick recommendations portion of this guide. FG% can be managed not only by picking up bigs who excel in the category and guards and wings who are efficient for their position, but also by avoiding major hits. That second bit is going to be very important during the second half of the draft when most of the guard options are notable drags on the FG% category. By avoiding major drags late, you will make up ground in the category when your opponents take those major drags.

Last Season’s Final Punt Blocks Rankings

2024-2025 Punt Blocks Rankings (9-Cat)

2024-2025 Punt Blocks Rankings (8-Cat)

First-round Building Blocks

The punt blocks build works well with almost all of the first-round perimeter options, but Nikola Jokic remains—by far—the best starting point for the strategy. Punt blocks squads built around Big Honey are unlikely to struggle with either FG% or rebounds and should finish the draft in a strong position in all of the categories a punt swats team with championship hopes needs to win consistently. In 2024-2025, Jokic averaged a flawless 29.6 PPG, 2.0 3PG, 12.7 RPG, 10.2 APG, and 1.8 SPG while shooting 57.6 percent from the field on massive volume (19.5 FGA). The three-time MVP isn’t going to match those numbers this season because he’s not going to play 36.7 MPG now that the Nuggets finally have a competent backup center on the roster, but he should still be considered the heavy favorite to finish as the most valuable punt blocks asset in the league. While the Nugget is a dream centerpiece for this strategy, punt threes tends to be a slightly better spot for him. That build is usually a stronger option than punt blocks because the boost that low-3PG players receive in punt threes is larger than the boost that low-BPG players receive in punt blocks. When punting threes, it will be easier to find players who can outplay their draft position by multiple rounds. However, both builds can lead to championship-winning squads, and you won’t know which build is the right fit for your team without plenty of preparation. Elite Fantasy Basketball’s Team Building Tool is your best resource for figuring out which strategy to roll with. The tool makes mock drafts almost obsolete. Instead of spending half an hour on a mock draft that may or may not be representative of what you will see in a real draft, you can test out different strategies in seconds using the Team Building Tool.

While Shai Gilgeous-Alexander isn’t nearly as strong a starting point for this build as Jokic, he is still head and shoulders above the rest of the first-round options. The difference between the Finals MVP and the rest of the non-Jokic first-round assets could be immense. It was last season. During his MVP-winning campaign, SGA was the only player in the league who came even somewhat close to matching Jokic when blocks were ignored. Last year, in 34.2 MPG, the Canadian produced a ridiculous 32.7 PPG on 51.9 FG%, 5.0 RPG, 6.4 APG, 1.7 SPG, and 2.4 TOPG while having the largest positive impact in the league on the FT% category (89.8 FT% on 8.8 FTA). There is no reason to expect a major decline in Gilgeous-Alexander’s numbers this year. He’s an all-time talent in the middle of his prime on a team that didn’t make any notable additions this summer. SGA’s very average three-ball (2.1 3PG) is the lone iffy spot in his line. It’s also a weakness we don’t need to pay too much attention to. This build rarely struggles with the category since it will be targeting plenty of high-3PG guards who receive notable bumps in value when blocks are ignored. It’s also not the end of the world if you finish your draft in a less-than-stellar position in the category since threes is the easiest category to find on the wire. Even in deep leagues, there will always be above-average sources of triples available.

Most Luka Doncic-led fantasy squads will choose to punt either FT% or FG%. Both builds are completely reasonable starting points for teams built around the Lakers’ superstar. However, this build should be considered as well. It’s a very easy strategy to pull off this season due to the placement of many of the build’s top big man targets. It also works very well as a pivot for Doncic teams that miss out on their early-round punt FT% or punt FG% targets. That’s going to happen occasionally when you punt FT% with the Giannis Antetokounmpo team in your league a lock to deploy the strategy. You are even more likely to run into issues in punt FG% due to half of this year’s likely first-round picks being obvious starting points for the build. Luka is a great centerpiece for the punt blocks strategy because he will put up huge numbers in most of the categories this build needs to win consistently, while making the build’s natural weakness in boards much less of an issue. After the trade to Los Angeles, the Slovenian averaged a nasty 28.2 PPG, 3.6 3PG, 8.1 RPG, 7.5 APG, and 1.6 SPG in 35.1 MPG. Doncic will come with minor FG% and FT% hits, but neither number will be a major issue for your team. What will be a problem is his turnover rate. Doncic will average at least 3.5 TOPG this year. That is a tough number to offset in guard-heavy builds like punt blocks that will try to dominate all of the guard categories by picking up plenty of high-usage perimeter options. The point guard won’t lock you into the double-punt with turnovers, but he will force you to make multiple picks with turnovers in mind. Try to pair him with the handful of top-50 guards who average close to 2.0 TOPG.

The move back to the five was a major boon for Karl-Anthony Towns’ boards and FG%, but it didn’t lead to a resurgence in the blocks category. In his first season with the Knicks, the big man averaged just 0.7 BPG. His weak block rate can lead to issues in other builds, but here, it makes him an obvious starting point for the strategy. If you begin your draft with Towns, it’s unlikely you’ll run into any serious issues with rebounds. The Knick likely won’t be quite as productive on the boards this year if Mitchell Robinson can stay somewhat healthy, but he’s still a great bet to finish as a top-five source of rebounds. In 2024-2025, Towns’ 12.8 RPG was strong enough to make him a top-two contributor in the category. The center won’t help you as much in FG% (52.6 FG% on 16.9 FGA), but if you can pick up a couple of the top mid-round big man targets, you should be able to finish in a strong position in the category. Starting your draft with Towns will also make it easy to win most of the guard categories consistently. The only bigs who will give us more in points, threes, assists, steals, and FT% will be Jokic and Wembanyama. In 2024-2025, Towns averaged an extremely useful 24.4 PPG, 2.0 3PG, 3.1 APG, and 1.0 SPG while shooting 82.9 percent on his 5.7 FTA.

Punt blocks teams built around Anthony Edwards won’t be quite as strong on a per-game basis as teams built around most of the other first-round options, but that’s going to be the case regardless of which build you choose. If you take Ant in the first, you are taking him not for his per-game output—which will be solid but not spectacular—but for the increased odds of having your first-round pick available for 75+ games next season. Edwards should be a borderline top-15 player in this build who makes it easy to win points and threes consistently. In 2024-2025, he was a top-five source of points (27.5 PPG) and the second-best source of triples (4.1 3PG). The shooting guard was also an above-average source of boards for his position (5.7 RPG) and produced respectable numbers in steals (1.2 SPG) and FT% (83.7 FT% on 6.3 FTA). He won’t give us as much in assists (4.5 APG) as some of the other first-round guards, so if you do decide to build around Ant, make dimes a priority early. Quality contributors in the category will become scarce around round six.

Stephen Curry is no longer a threat to finish atop the punt blocks rankings like he often did during his prime, but he’s still a nice starting point for this build for managers who get stuck with a pick around the turn. Punt blocks teams will be hoping to win points, threes, assists, and FT% consistently, and Curry can still help them do that. In 2024-2025, the future Hall of Famer averaged 24.5 PPG, 4.4 3PG, and 6.0 APG while finishing as a top-six source of FT% impact (93.3 FT% on 4.3 FTA). Teams built around Curry will need to find a way to grab multiple difference-makers in the steals category during the first half of the draft. Don’t wait too long to target the category because most of the top sources of steals that are not steal specialists are found inside the first four rounds on Yahoo. Steph has hit the 1.0 SPG mark in just one of his last three seasons.

Categories the Punt Blocks build will be aiming to win consistently: FT%, Points, Threes, Assists, Steals

Categories the Punt Blocks build will need to pay extra attention to: FG%, Rebounds, Turnovers

First-round targets: Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luka Doncic, Karl-Anthony Towns, Anthony Edwards, Stephen Curry

Note: The list below is not meant to be a complete list of all of the players that fit into this build. The round I recommend taking each player in is based on Yahoo Fantasy Basketball’s rankings and where I think each player will, or could be, available in a standard 12-team, nine-category draft. If you don’t see a player you think fits the build well, it may be because I think that player is badly overpriced on Yahoo. All numbers and rankings are from the 2024-2025 season unless otherwise stated.

R2) Donovan Mitchell – Mitchell comes with both a high per-game ceiling and high per-game floor when his nonexistent block rate doesn’t matter (0.2 BPG). In 2023-2024, we got his ceiling. That season, Mitchell finished as a top-five punt blocks asset in both the eight- and nine-category versions of this build. In 2024-2025, we got his floor. In his first year under Kenny Atkinson, Mitchell was a top-25 player in punt blocks. His production is likely going to land in between those two ranks this year. Atkinson limiting the minutes of his top options will make it difficult for Mitchell to crack the top 10 in this build, but we shouldn’t rule out a finish in that range. Some improved shooting from both the floor and the line would get him within shouting distance of that rank. We should see both his FG% and FT% increase this year. Both of last year’s connection rates (44.3 FG%, 82.3 FT%) feel unsustainable. Both marks were significantly below what Mitchell managed during his first two seasons in Cleveland. The FT% hit feels especially fluky. Mitchell hadn’t shot that poorly from the line since his sophomore year. The FG% drop is less likely to reverse itself, but the odds of at least some improvement are high. The dip was not due to a major shift in his shot diet. It was due to some surprisingly poor finishing at the rim. After shooting north of 70 percent at the rim for three straight seasons—a connection rate that is elite for a player his size—Mitchell made just 60.7 percent of his attempts within three feet of the rim in 2024-2025. If the guard was in his mid-30s, that would be a worrisome development, but given that he was just 28 last season, it is very unlikely that last year’s connection rate is a sign that Mitchell is starting to decline. It’s much more likely that Mitchell just had an off-year with his finishing. That does happen. Some surprisingly poor finishing was also behind Luka Doncic’s and Trae Young’s 2024-2025 FG% drops. Even if his improvement in the percentages is minimal, Don Mitch will still be a smart pick anytime in the second since he will produce good-to-great numbers in all of the categories that come off the board early. Last year, Mitchell averaged 24.0 PPG, 3.3 3PG, 5.0 APG, 1.3 SPG, and just 2.1 TOPG in 31.4 MPG.

R2) Devin Booker – Booker would be by far the best second-round target for this build if he were on a team that was a good bet to be playing for something in March. Unfortunately, he’s on a Suns team that Vegas expects to win around 30 games this year, so while he’s still a strong target in the second, he won’t be for every team. He won’t be a great option in leagues that play into April and he’s also not going to be a smart pick for teams that went risky in round one. Phoenix doesn’t have their pick this year, so they’re not a lock to tank, but with a play-in push unlikely, any minor injury in March could lead to an extended absence for Booker. When active, the combo guard is going to give this build almost everything it could ask for. Booker is going to produce dominant numbers in the three categories that dry up the quickest. The Sun has the potential to be a top-five source of points (25.6 PPG), assists (7.1 APG), and FT% impact (89.4 FT% on 6.4 FTA) with Kevin Durant now in Houston. He should manage all that while also producing an above-average number in threes (2.4 3PG). Booker also won’t drag you down in FG% (46.1 FG%) and in turnovers (2.9 TOPG) as much as many of the other early-round guards will.

R2) Jalen Williams – If you are not picking at the beginning of the second round, you are often going to find yourself without an obvious target. With Jayson Tatum, Tyrese Haliburton, and Damian Lillard out for the season, and Joel Embiid no longer a viable first-round pick, the second round will be much more difficult to navigate this year than usual. It’s filled with players with short resumes and stars that are good bets to spend a decent chunk of the season on the sidelines. If you find yourself in that situation, just grab J Dub if he’s still available. You can’t go wrong with Williams in the second in any build. He’s not going to win you your league, but he’s much less likely to lose it for you than many of the other players in his range. He’s a pick you are unlikely to regret. The NBA champion is fairly durable and produces a well-rounded line. In 2024-2025, he was a borderline top-25 asset in punt blocks thanks to averages of 21.6 PPG on 48.4 FG%, 1.8 3PG, 5.3 RPG, 5.1 APG, 1.6 SPG, and 2.2 TOPG. The lone number in that line that may not stick is his steal rate. Steals has a ton of year-to-year volatility and Williams’ steal rate has been inconsistent. Over his first three years in the league, the All-Star has averaged 1.4 SPG, 1.1 SPG, and 1.6 SPG. If Williams is your second-round pick, make FT% impact a priority throughout the rest of the early rounds. The Thunder’s second option is a weak contributor in the category for his draft position (78.9 FT% on 4.3 FTA). FT% is not a category you can wait until the second half of the draft to address. Difference-makers in the FT% category will become extremely difficult to find after the sixth round in most leagues.

Other Round 2 Options: Jalen Johnson, Tyrese Maxey, Jalen Brunson, Domantas Sabonis

R3) LeBron James – This is one of the better spots to gamble on the old man making it through the season in one piece. This build needs to be on the lookout for out-of-position boards and FG% impact. Even at his very advanced age, LeBron should be an excellent source of both. James’ assist rate dipped after the Luka Doncic trade, but everything else held up well. After Doncic put on a Lakers jersey for the first time, LeBron averaged 24.4 PPG on 50.7 FG%, 2.0 3PG, 7.8 RPG, 6.6 APG, 1.3 SPG, and 3.6 TOPG. Those numbers were strong enough to make the all-timer a top-25 nine-category punt blocks asset and a top-15 player in the eight-category version of the build. From a per-game standpoint, there isn’t much risk here even though James is going to turn 41 just after Christmas. His impact metrics did slip quite a bit last year, but the size of his role (35.9 MPG, 29.1 USG% after the Doncic trade) makes a significant drop in his box score numbers unlikely. Most of the risk here is tied to his availability. LeBron has been fairly healthy in each of his past two seasons. However, at his age, that’s not a trend we should expect to continue. If you plan on grabbing James early, play it very safe with the rest of your early-round picks.

R3) Bam Adebayo – Bam finally adding a three-ball to his arsenal makes him slightly less useful in this build than he used to be because when we punt blocks, FG% impact will be much more difficult to find than threes. However, he remains a no-brainer early-round target for this setup due to his ability to put up a big number in rebounds while doing much more in the guard categories than all but a small handful of players at his position. Because Bam won’t lose any value when blocks are tossed, he is one of just a handful of bigs who has the potential to be a top-25 asset in this build. That’s what he was over the final two months of the season, starting beside Kel’el Ware. Over that stretch, Adebayo averaged a well-rounded 20.6 PPG, 1.4 3PG, 8.7 RPG, 4.0 APG, and 1.3 SPG while shooting 82.2 percent from the line. He is another player that teams built around injury-prone early-round options should target. Adebayo has averaged 74.7 games played over his last three seasons. That is a very high number these days. In 2024-2025, the nine-category top 50 averaged just 63 games played.

R3) Ivica Zubac – Zubac could end up as just a borderline top-50 player in punt blocks. And that’s fine. Rankings give us a decent idea of how valuable a player is when a category is punted, but they shouldn’t be what we base every pick on. If a player who will lose value when a category is ignored can put up big numbers in the build’s key categories, then we want that player on our squad. If you grab Zubac towards the end of the third or sometime in the fourth, you are likely going to finish the draft in a strong spot in both rebounds and blocks. Zubac is a lock to finish among the league leaders in both categories, even if the Brook Lopez acquisition does cost him a couple of minutes of playing time. During his 2024-2025 breakout season, the center was the fourth-best source of both boards (12.6 RPG) and FG% impact (62.8 FG%) in the league. Don’t be scared off by Zubac’s weak 2024-2025 FT% (66.1 FT% on 3.0 FTA). He should be more accurate at the line this year. Last season’s connection rate was comfortably below what Zubac usually shoots at the line. He had a brutal start to the season at the charity stripe, but shot in the mid-70s over the final three months of the season, which is more in line with his career numbers. Zubac should be a drag on the category next year, but not a major one. Move the big man up your draft board if you are building around some of the less durable early-round options. Zubac is coming off an 80-game campaign and has played in at least 72 games in five of his last six seasons.

Other Round 3 Options: Pascal Siakam, Franz Wagner, De’Aaron Fox

R4) Josh Giddey – Giddey is an outstanding target for this build in the third or fourth round. He’s not a risk-free pick in that range, given his short resume and Chicago’s hesitancy to fully commit to him as a long-term building block. However, his upside and fit for this build make him worth taking over some of the higher-floor options that will be picked early on, assuming you come out of the first two or three rounds in a strong position in points and FT%. The Australian doesn’t need to be the player he was down the stretch of the 2024-2025 season to justify a top-40 ADP. He can regress and still be solid value at this point in the draft. Giddey was the sixth-ranked player in both eight- and nine-category punt blocks after the All-Star break. He managed those impressive rankings by producing an elite 21.2 PPG on 50.0 FG%, 1.9 3PG, 10.7 RPG, 9.3 APG, 1.5 SPG, and 3.4 TOPG. He’s not going to shoot quite as well this year, as that FG% was tied to some unsustainable shooting from deep, and he’s not going to be quite as potent in steals, as last year’s late-season steal rate was well above his career norms, but an 18/9/8 line with average steals and an above-average FG% for his position is very doable.

R4) Jamal Murray – Murray is a player who feels less productive than he actually is. If you are a Nuggets fan, he’s certainly been a frustrating player over the past two seasons. However, from a fantasy standpoint, there hasn’t been much to complain about lately. The Canadian finished as a top-30 punt blocks asset in 2023-2024 and is coming off a top-15 nine-category punt blocks finish. In 2024-2025, Murray finished 14th on a per-game basis in nine-category punt blocks thanks to averages of 21.4 PPG on 47.4 FG% and 88.6 FT%, 2.3 3PG, 3.9 RPG, 6.0 APG, 1.4 SPG, and just 2.1 TOPG. He’s a long shot to match last year’s numbers because he’s not going to play 36.1 MPG again with the Nuggets greatly improving their bench this offseason and because his steal rate likely isn’t sustainable, but another top-30 finish is very possible. Murray needs to be paired with durable early-round players. The Nugget has not topped the 67-game mark since the 2018-2019 season.

R4) Desmond Bane – Bane’s value should hold up well in Orlando. He could lose a little usage playing beside Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero, but any dip should be offset by an increase in playing time. In 2024-2025, Bane played just 32.0 MPG. On an Orlando team desperate for the spacing he brings, he should end up in the 34 MPG range. That is where both Wagner and Banchero ended up last season. Bane is a strong pick from a category scarcity standpoint who will do more in FG% and boards than most of the other guards available in rounds three and four. In his final season with the Grizzlies, the shooting guard cracked the top 30 in both the eight- and nine-category versions of this build by averaging 19.2 PPG on 48.4 FG%, 2.4 3PG, 6.1 RPG, 5.3 APG, and 1.2 SPG and by knocking down 89.4 percent of his 2.9 FTA.

Other Round 4 Options: Kawhi Leonard, Tyler Herro, Ja Morant, Dyson Daniels

R5) Jarrett Allen – Allen is one of this build’s top targets, and is an especially smart pick for any team built around riskier options. He’s a great pick in the fifth round and a must-grab in the sixth if you need a big man. The center has finished as at least a top-60 nine-category punt blocks asset in all four of his full seasons in Cleveland and has missed just five games over the past two seasons. He’s not as exciting as many of the players in his range, but he’s also less likely to tank your championship aspirations. Allen’s value is driven by his elite impact on the FG% category (70.6 FG% on 7.8 FGA). The only two players who have topped Allen’s output in the category in each of the past two seasons are Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Unlike most top-end sources of FG% impact, Allen doesn’t take a major bite out of your FT%. He shot a respectable 71.8 percent from the line in 2024-2025 and hasn’t dipped below the 70 percent mark since joining the Cavaliers. He’s also one of the league’s strongest rebounders (9.7 RPG) and hurts you much less in steals (0.9 SPG) than many centers.

R5) Austin Reaves – Reaves is one of the top options in this range in every build because he will produce a line that comes with no notable holes. He’s not a significantly below-average contributor in any category and will put up good-to-great numbers in all of the categories that come off the board quickly. From a category scarcity standpoint, he’s an excellent pick. In what was a bit of a surprise, the Luka Doncic trade did not have a negative impact on Reaves’ value. His assist rate dropped slightly, but his scoring numbers and efficiency improved. After the trade, the Laker averaged 21.9 PPG on 47.8 FG%, 3.0 3PG, 4.8 RPG, 5.2 APG, and 1.0 SPG while posting elite numbers in FT% (89.7 FT% on 5.6 FTA). Those numbers were strong enough to get Reaves inside the top 20 in both the eight- and nine-category versions of this strategy.

R5) Deni Avdija – Avdija is close to a must-grab in the fifth or the sixth. He’s going to be an elite source of rebounds for his position and is going to do a ton of damage in the guard categories in his first full season as the Blazers’ first option. His play over the final months of the 2024-2025 campaign gives us an idea of what to expect this year. Over the final three months of the season, Avdija averaged a blistering 20.2 PPG on 49.2 FG% and 77.7 FT%, 2.0 3PG, 8.3 RPG, 4.6 APG, and 1.0 SPG in 32.3 MPG. He also finished the year by producing a ridiculous 26.1 PPG on 51.1 FG%, 3.0 3PG, 10.4 RPG, 5.5 APG, and 1.3 SPG over his final 11 appearances. Keep an eye on your turnovers if you pick up Avdija at the beginning of the middle rounds. He’s going to be a significant drag on the category for his draft position. Over the final three months of the regular season, Avdija averaged 3.1 TOPG.

Other Round 5 Options: Darius Garland, DeMar DeRozan

R6) Miles Bridges – Bridges is a high-floor pick in the middle rounds. He produces a very predictable line, is fairly durable, and has been allowed to play well into April in each of the past two seasons, even though the Hornets won a total of 40 games over those two seasons. The forward also produces a line that is a good fit for this build. Bridges does good work in most of the guard categories (20.3 PPG, 2.2 3PG, 3.9 APG, 87.0 FT%) and is one of the top rebounders at his position (7.5 RPG). His FG% (43.1 FG%) was an issue last season, but it likely won’t be nearly as much of a problem this year. Bridges usually shoots in the mid-to-high-40s from the field. Last season’s rough shooting was due to how little talent the Hornets had around him for much of the year. How much he improves from the field will come down to how much LaMelo Ball plays. Last season, when Ball was on the court, Bridges shot 49.3 percent from the floor. When Ball wasn’t on the court, Bridges shot just 39.2 percent from the field.

R6) Zach LaVine – LaVine’s excellent efficiency is what sets him apart from many of the guard options in this range. He’s not the only likely 20+ PPG scorer available in the fifth and sixth rounds, but he is the one with the best shot at hitting at least half of his attempts from the floor. In both Chicago and Sacramento, the two-time All-Star connected on 51.1 percent of his shots. That is an excellent number for any guard, but especially for one that also puts up a big number in threes. After the trade, LaVine averaged an elite 3.2 3PG. He also added 3.8 APG while shooting 87.4 percent on his 3.2 FTA. The lone downside to targeting LaVine in this range is that it puts you in a tough spot in steals. The shooting guard hasn’t hit the 1.0 SPG mark since all the way back in 2019-2020 and managed just 0.6 SPG after the trade. Only target LaVine if you go into the fifth or the sixth near the top of the standings in steals. If you are struggling in the category, opt for a different guard. If you add LaVine to a weak steals team, you will likely find yourself relying on late-round steals specialists who do very little outside of swipes to keep your squad competitive in the category.

R6) Deandre Ayton – If you come out of the early rounds without any major injury risks on your roster, Ayton should be placed near the top of your mid-round wishlist. The big man struggles to stay on the court, but when he is active, he will give the punt blocks strategy exactly what it needs in the build’s swing categories. In Los Angeles, Ayton is going to be an incredible source of FG% impact and should average close to 10.0 RPG. In his final season with the Blazers, he shot 56.6 percent from the floor. That already solid number should go way up now that he’s playing beside Luka Doncic and LeBron James. In Phoenix, when he was playing beside another elite creator in Chris Paul, he shot in the low 60s from the field multiple times. Ayton should also score in the mid-teens and will likely do a respectable job at the line. He struggled at the charity stripe last year (66.7 FT%), but given his history, the odds of an improved connection rate are high. FT% has a ton of volatility at the player level and significant dips at the line from usually solid free throw shooters like Ayton often prove to be one-offs. Before last season’s struggles, Ayton had never shot worse than 74.6 percent from the line. He also connected on 82.3 percent of his attempts in 2023-2024.

R6) Nikola Vucevic – Vucevic would be one of this build’s top targets if he were a lock to still be in Chicago after the trade deadline. He is one of the only mid-round bigs with zero value tied up in swats (0.7 BPG), and as we saw last season, he still has an early-round gear. In 2024-2025, the center was one of just six bigs to finish inside the top 25 in the nine-category version of this build. He managed that impressive feat by averaging a well-rounded 18.5 PPG on 53.0 FG% and 80.5 FT%, 1.8 3PG, 10.1 RPG, 3.5 APG, and 0.8 SPG. He could approach those numbers for the first half of the season. The problem is what happens in February and March. Vucevic’s contract made him difficult to move last season, but now that he’s expiring, the odds of the Bulls finding a taker are higher. We also have to worry about a buyout if he is still with the Bulls the day after the deadline. On a playoff team, Vucevic would likely lose a significant amount of value. He’d almost certainly lose touches and would be a backup on some teams. His upside makes him fine to target in the middle rounds, but he needs to be paired with safe bigs and should be shopped for steadier options after any early-season hot streaks.

Other Round 6 Options: Paul George, O.G. Anunoby, Coby White, Josh Hart

R7) Immanuel Quickley – Quickley is not a perfect fit for this build because he’s going to come with a material FG% hit (42.0 FG%) and because he won’t do much on the boards (3.5 RPG). However, at this point in the draft, we can’t be too picky with our point guard picks. After the first five rounds, there will not be too many players who can contribute big numbers in points, assists, and FT% like Quickley can. If the Raptor can stay healthy, he should be a very strong source of all three categories. He was in his first full year in Toronto despite playing just 27.8 MPG due to the team’s late-season push for extra ping pong balls. In 2024-2025, Quickley averaged 17.1 PPG and 5.8 APG while connecting on 86.7 percent of his 3.9 FTA. Those numbers are sustainable. He’ll lose usage now with Brandon Ingram in town, but the increase in minutes should offset the dip. A top-50 finish in this extremely friendly build (0.1 BPG) is possible.

R7) Jakob Poeltl – Poeltl is very likely to outpace most of the bigs in this range on a per-game basis. He’s coming off an excellent 2024-2025 performance and should see his minutes increase in 2025-2026 with the Raptors expected to make a playoff push. He’s a great target for just about every build, including this one. However, grabbing the big man requires some planning. The FT% hit that accompanies Poeltl needs to be factored into any draft day plans that include the Raptor. It’s likely to be significant. That’s an issue because FT% is a category that championship-level punt blocks teams need to be winning consistently. In 2024-2025, Poeltl shot a respectable 67.4 percent from the line. If he can match that mark again, he will come with just a moderate FT% hit. Unfortunately, it’s not a lock that he does. FT% has a ton of year-to-year volatility at the player level, and major jumps like the one Poeltl made last season at the charity stripe often don’t stick. Before last year’s surprisingly decent performance, Poeltl had never connected on more than 59 percent of attempts at the line. If you plan on targeting the big man, make sure you are at or near the top of the standings in the category after the first few rounds. The rest of Poelt’s line should be excellent. He’ll be a top-end contributor in both of the big man categories we care about here and will do more in the guard categories than many of the mid-round bigs. Last season, Poeltl averaged 14.5 PPG on 62.7 FG%, 9.6 RPG, 2.8 APG, and 1.2 SPG.

R7) Mark Williams – Williams is a high-risk/high-reward pick in the middle rounds. He comes with a higher ceiling than most of the bigs in his range but is less likely to be active and playing his usual minutes when fantasy championships are being decided. On a per-game basis, there is zero risk here. Williams is going to be a monster in Phoenix. He should play close to 30 MPG. In a role of that size, he’s going to score in the high teens while being one of the league’s top sources of FG% impact and boards. In his final season in Charlotte, he needed just 26.6 MPG to average 15.3 PPG on 60.4 FG%, 10.2 RPG, and 2.5 APG. He also shot a very respectable 80.4 percent from the line which makes him a smart target for any team that comes out of the first handful of rounds in a poor position in FT%. FT% is a difficult category to make up ground in during the second half of the draft. Targeting bigs who aren’t drags on the category is one of the better ways to move up in the standings after the first half dozen or so rounds are complete. Williams is extremely risky not only because his career high in games played currently sits at 44, but also because of the team he is on. The Suns are extremely unlikely to make a play-in push this year and won’t have much to play for in March. Their over-under win total opened up around 30. To make the play-in, they’ll need to win about 10 more games than that. The Suns don’t have their pick this year, but that doesn’t mean they will play hard until the buzzer, and at some point, they will give Khaman Maluach an extended look. We probably won’t see a ton of Williams after the middle of March, and the shenanigans could start earlier than that.

Other Round 7 Options: Fred VanVleet, Kel’el Ware, Brandon Ingram, Julius Randle

R8) Onyeka Okongwu – Okongwu is one of this build’s top targets. He’s a great fit for what this strategy will be trying to do, comes with early-round upside in just about every punting strategy, and is going to be available at a very reasonable price on draft day. After moving into the Hawks’ starting lineup in mid-January, Okongwu was a top-35 asset when his mediocre block rate (0.9 BPG) was thrown out. After the promotion, Okongwu produced an impressive 15.0 PPG on 58.1 FG%, 0.9 3PG, 10.1 RPG, 2.7 APG, and 1.2 SPG. We love all of those numbers, but his output in FG% and rebounds is especially valuable here given the build’s natural weakness in both categories. Okongwu starting the year as a reserve isn’t a major concern. He should still play minutes in the high 20s on nights when both Kristaps Porzingis and Jalen Johnson are healthy. With that much run, he’ll be a mid-round player. He’s also unlikely to be in that role for long. Porzingis’ injury history is well-documented and Johnson has missed a total of 72 games since becoming a full-time starter two seasons ago.

R8) Payton Pritchard – Pritchard has early-round potential in punt blocks now that he’ll be a featured player in the Celtics’ offense. He’s expected to begin the year ahead of Anfernee Simons in Boston’s rotation and should see his minutes, usage, and assist rate spike with the Celtics without two of their top three 2024-2025 offensive options. In a 32 MPG role, the combo guard would finish among the league leaders in 3PG while scoring in the high teens. With a little extra run and touches, Pritchard would also be a good bet for about 4.5 APG and 1.0 SPG. During his breakout 2024-2025 campaign, he needed just 28.2 MPG to average 14.3 PPG on 47.2 FG%, 3.2 3PG, 3.5 APG, and 0.9 SPG. The Celtics’ iffy 2025-2026 outlook is less of a concern for Pritchard than it is for Derrick White, Jaylen Brown, and Simons. If the Celtics decide to chase ping pong ball combinations, or have their hand forced by a White or Brown injury, that would make Pritchard a rest risk, but not to the same extent as the top three would be. Given the state of the Celtics’ frontcourt, the team would not have to shut down Pritchard to maximize their lottery night odds.

R8) Isaiah Hartenstein – We are probably going to see a lot more of Chet Holmgren this year. That’s obviously not great news for Hartenstein’s value, but it’s not a death blow either. Hartenstein’s value held up just fine after Holmgren made his surprise return in February last season. While Chet was recovering from his busted hip, Hartenstein averaged 11.4 PPG on 55.3 FG%, 12.2 RPG, 4.3 APG, and 0.8 SPG in 29.3 MPG. After Holmgren’s return, Hartenstein averaged 10.9 PPG on 61.3 FG%, 9.2 RPG, 3.4 APG, and 0.9 SPG in 26.5 MPG. The big man is a great option for any team struggling with assists. After the first six rounds, there won’t be many ways to boost your dimes since most of the obvious point guard targets will be off the board. That often leads to teams reaching for point guards that are unlikely to return decent value at a mid-round price. Instead of reaching for one of those point guards, go after Hartenstein. Getting 3.5+ APG from a player at a position that usually gives you fewer than 2.0 APG after the early rounds will have a similar impact to drafting a point guard over one of the many wings that are going to be available in the middle rounds.

Other Round 8 Options: Jalen Suggs, Mikal Bridges

R9) Toumani Camara – As long as he doesn’t regress a notable amount, Camara is going to be a steal at his ADP. He badly outpaced his current ranking down the stretch of the 2024-2025 campaign. Over the final three months of the season, the Blazer was a borderline top-60 punt blocks asset with averages of 13.0 PPG on 47.8 FG%, 2.0 3PG, 6.0 RPG, 2.5 APG, and 1.6 SPG in 33.9 MPG. All of those numbers are sustainable and it wouldn’t be surprising at all to see his offensive output jump. With Anfernee Simons in Boston, there are plenty of shots available in Portland. Camara is never going to be one of his team’s top options, but 15.0 PPG and 2.5 3PG is doable. He’s an excellent target for any team in need of steals. Swipes is not the easiest category to find during the second half of the draft and Camara is one of the few players who is capable of producing an elite number in the category while also providing useful numbers elsewhere. Most top-end steals options found after the first handful of rounds are specialists.

R9) Ausar Thompson – Thompson is going to be a very strong source of blocks for his position (1.1 BP36), but we still want to target him for his upside and ability to post an elite number in steals while doing much more in FG% and rebounds than most players at his position. If Ausar can lock down a close-to-30-MPG role in his third year in the league, he’s going to crush his ADP. His per-minute numbers are very similar to his brother’s. Like Amen, Thompson is an excellent rebounder (8.2 RP36) who will hit over half his shots (53.5 FG%) this year. He also comes with an even better per-minute steal rate (2.7 SP36) than his twin. If he does play 30 MPG this year, he should average around 13.0 PPG, 7.0 RPG, and 1.8 SPG. Thompson will come with significant threes (0.3 3P36) and FT% (64.1 FT%) hits. The former is not a major concern given that this build will be targeting plenty of high-3PG players earlier in the draft. The latter can be an issue, however. If you plan on targeting Ausar in the middle rounds, make sure you pick up plenty of FT% impact earlier in the draft. Try to be shooting at least 82 percent from the charity stripe when it comes time to grab Thompson.

R9) Christian Braun – Braun should be considered a long shot to repeat last season’s surprise top-30 nine-category punt blocks finish due to the Nuggets finally putting together a respectable bench. However, due to his significant upside and outstanding fit for the build, the shooting guard is someone those employing the punt blocks strategy need to target aggressively. Braun is one of the only guard options available during the second half of the draft who can help in both FG% and rebounds. In 2024-2025, the former Jayhawk shot an incredible 58.0 FG% on 10.4 FGA while scooping up 5.2 RPG. He was the 13th-strongest source of FG% impact last season and the only one of the top 13 contributors in the category who did not spend at least some of their time at center. The elite FG% impact is made possible by a low-3PAr (1.1 3PG) that we shouldn’t worry too much about. This build very rarely has issues with threes.

Other Round 9 Options: Norman Powell, Tobias Harris, Naz Reid, Bradley Beal

R10) Tari Eason – Eason will start the season in a similar spot to where he started the 2024-2025 season. He’ll be part of a very deep frontcourt that will keep his minutes frustratingly low when the Rockets are at full strength. However, as we saw last year, that doesn’t mean he can’t end up as an excellent pick towards the end of the draft. The forward is productive enough to be a standard league player even if he gets stuck in a low-20s MPG role and will spend the season one injury away from a return to his 2024-2025 role that allowed him to post top-70 numbers in the nine-category version of the punt blocks build. Eason may not look like a good pick in October, but the odds of him having extended mid-round stretches are high. Last season, in just 24.9 MPG, the Rocket averaged a very helpful 12.0 PPG on 48.7 FG%, 1.1 3PG, 6.4 RPG, and 1.7 SPG.

R10) Brandin Podziemski – Podzemski’s floor isn’t as high as we’d like it to be. His role fluctuated quite a bit during his second season in the league and Steve Kerr is notorious for switching up his rotation. However, that shouldn’t scare us away from the Warrior at his current price. At this point in the draft, we shouldn’t be worrying too much about a player’s floor. If one of your final picks doesn’t work out, it’s not a major issue, especially in shallower leagues. If one of your late-round picks busts, you should be able to replace him with one of the many interesting free agents that will pop up on the wire over the first month of the season. We should be aggressively chasing upside in the final rounds and Podziemski has plenty. After moving into the Warriors’ starting lineup shortly after the Jimmy Butler trade, the combo guard produced top-50 punt blocks numbers that included averages of 15.6 PPG on 46.2 FG%, 2.7 3PG, 5.8 RPG, 3.3 APG, and 1.1 SPG. That line is likely his ceiling this year, as it was tied to some unsustainable three-point shooting, but it does give you an idea of the type of line Podziemski is capable of when playing well in a 30 MPG role. The third-year man is one of this build’s top late-round guard targets for his ability to post a big number for his position in boards while providing helpful numbers in the guard categories.

R10) Keegan Murray – Murray’s ability to put up a big number on the boards while also producing an average-or-better number from deep is what gets him on this list. That’s a combination that usually can’t be found late in the draft. Threes are plentiful in later rounds, but most of the high-3PG options do very little on boards. Strong sources of boards are difficult to find late and very few of those sources do anything in threes. In his fourth year in the league, the King should be able to at least match last season’s numbers and it’s likely that his scoring numbers increase slightly. Murray produced 12.4 PPG on 44.4 FG%, 2.0 3PG, and 6.7 RPG in 2024-2025. Both his PPG and 3PG went up slightly after the Zach LaVine trade. It’s also possible that Murray receives a significant bump in touches at some point this season. With the Kings a clear treadmill team with no high-upside prospects on their roster, Sacramento could opt to blow it up this year. If either LaVine or DeMar DeRozan is shipped out at some point, Murray would likely be one of the biggest beneficiaries of the move. The King is an especially nice target for teams struggling with turnovers. In all three of his years in the league, Murray has averaged just 0.8 TOPG.

Other Round 10 Options: D’Angelo Russell, Aaron Gordon, Jrue Holiday

R11) Bobby Portis – Portis is not the most exciting pick in the world. No one goes into the draft thinking “I need to find a way to get Bobby Portis on my team”. However, in punt blocks, he is a smart late-round target. Portis could end up as the top source of rebound available after pick 100. What he does on the boards is valuable to all builds, but it is especially helpful here given the strategy’s natural weakness in the category. In 2024-2025, Portis averaged 8.4 RPG while giving his managers more in points (13.4 PPG), threes (1.3 3PG), and FT% (83.1 FT%) than most strong sources of rebounds available during the second half of the draft. While Portis is a boring pick, he should not be considered a low-upside pick. If Giannis Antetokounmpo goes down, Portis will turn into a top-50 player overnight. Over his seven 2024-2025 starts, the big man averaged an outstanding 22.1 PPG on 47.0 FG%, 2.3 3PG, 12.9 RPG, 4.9 APG, and 1.3 SPG in 34.5 MPG.

R11) Donte DiVincenzo – It would be surprising if we didn’t see a lot more of DiVincenzo this year. He’s not a perfect fit beside Anthony Edwards, but the Wolves don’t have any better options at this point with Mike Conley incapable of putting much pressure on defenses and Nickeil Alexander-Walker now in Atlanta. The former Knick likely isn’t going to be a 32 MPG player for the Wolves this year, but if he can get to even 29 MPG, he should be a steal at his current price. DiVincenzo did eventually right the ship after a very rocky start to his first season in Minnesota. Over the final three months of the regular season, fewer than 55 players were more valuable than Donte when blocks didn’t count, even though the guard played just 25.6 MPG. Over his big finish to the year, he averaged an extremely helpful 13.5 PPG on 46.4 FG%, 3.3 3PG, 3.9 APG, and 1.1 SPG. DiVincenzo is one of your top late-round targets.

Other Round 11 Options: Bilal Coulibaly, Herb Jones, Santi Aldama

R12) Aaron Nesmith – Nesmith is a stronger late-round target than most of the other points and threes options available in his range due to his ability to put up solid numbers in both categories without hurting you from the floor. Most late-round scorers will come with a material FG% hit, but the Pacer won’t. In 2024-2025, Nesmith was a borderline top-100 player in this strategy thanks to averages of 12.0 PPG on 50.7 FG%, 1.9 3PG, and 4.0 RPG. With Tyrese Haliburton out of the picture and some additional touches being made available by Myles Turner leaving for Milwaukee, Nesmith should be able to top all of last year’s averages. He should score in the mid-teens while averaging around 2.3 3PG. The forward also makes sense late because he is one of the only players likely to be available in the final rounds who can help us in FT%. In 2024-2025, he shot an immaculate 91.3 percent from the line.

R12) Kelly Oubre – Oubre will likely be just a late-round asset on nights when the Sixers are healthy, but how often will that be? The Joel Embiid situation is looking grim, and these days, Paul George is almost as unreliable. Over the past six seasons, George has played in just ten more games than Embiid and has averaged just 50.7 games played. Oubre is a good bet to spend a large chunk of the year getting the Nick Nurse treatment. On nights when one or both of the injury-prone veterans are out, he’s going to see minutes in the mid-30s. In a role of that size, Oubre can flirt with the middle rounds. In 2024-2025, in 34.6 MPG, Oubre was a borderline top-80 nine-category punt blocks asset thanks to averages of 15.1 PPG on 47.0 FG%, 1.2 3PG, 6.1 RPG, and 1.5 SPG. Make sure your dimes are in a good spot if you plan on targeting the Sixer late. Oubre will be a significant drag on the category (1.8 APG) regardless of how much he plays.

R12) Kevin Porter Jr. – Porter is another point guard that isn’t a perfect fit for the build, but who still needs to be considered due to how difficult it can be to find players who contribute in all of the guard categories during the second half of the draft. If KPJ can stay ahead of Cole Anthony in the Bucks’ rotation, he should end up as one of the strongest sources of points, assists, and steals drafted after pick 100. He’s not going to match the flashy numbers he put up in his final year in Houston because he is no longer playing for a team trying to maximize its ping pong ball combinations, but his 2021-2022 averages are possible. That season, Porter produced 15.6 PPG on 41.5 FG%, 2.5 3PG, 4.4 RPG, 6.1 APG, 1.1 SPG, and 3.1 TOPG in 31.3 MPG. The only two numbers in the line that don’t look reasonable are his FG% and threes. Porter’s efficiency has been trending up. He’s shot at least 44 percent from the field in each of his last two seasons. He’s unlikely to match his 2021-2022 output from deep because the Bucks won’t give him as much freedom to fire away from deep. In his first season in Milwaukee, Porter put up just 4.3 3PA36. During his three years with the Rockets, KPJ never averaged fewer than 6.8 3PA36.

Other Round 12 Options: Isaiah Jackson, Jeremy Sochan, Zaccharie Risacher, Jared McCain

R13) T.J. McConnell – McConnell is a high-upside late-round flier who fits this build very well. The point guard is an elite per-minute producer who doesn’t need much run to be useful. If his minutes get into even the 24 MPG range with Tyrese Haliburton out for the year, he’ll be a clear 12-team hold. If they get into the 26 MPG range, he should be at least a top-100 asset. Last season, McConnell produced an excellent 18.3 PP36 on 51.9 FG%, 8.9 AP36, and 2.1 SP36. None of those numbers are a fluke. His per-minute production has been in that range in each of the last three seasons and he has almost always delivered on nights when he has stepped into an expanded role.

R13) De’Andre Hunter – Hunter’s game isn’t a great fit for category leagues due to his weak contributions on the defensive end. However, with the Cavaliers losing some depth this offseason and already dealing with injuries to Max Strus and Darius Garland, the former Hawk should do enough damage in points, threes, rebounds, and the percentages to flirt with the top-100 in this friendly build (0.2 BPG). After the trade to Cleveland, Hunter averaged 14.3PPG on 48.5 FG%, 2.2 3PG, 4.2 APG, and 0.7 SPG in just 25.0 MPG. With Strus out for at least the first three months of the season, Hunter could be a 30 MPG player for much of the year. With that much run, he could end up as the best source of points drafted in the final rounds.

R13) Ty Jerome – If Jerome can come even somewhat close to matching last season’s per-minute production, he will end up as a fairly valuable piece in the punt blocks build. The combo guard is a nice fit for this strategy due to his ability to produce useful numbers in all the categories we need our guards to produce useful numbers in while also helping us win FG%. During his breakout 2024-2025 campaign, Jerome managed to average 12.5 PPG on 51.6 FG% and 87.2 FT%, 1.6 3PG, 3.4 APG, and 1.1 SPG in just 19.9 MPG. Those numbers were strong enough to get Jerome inside the top 90 in nine-category punt blocks. He should play more in Memphis than he did in Cleveland, so if his elite per-minute numbers do hold up, the top 70 will be in play. Jerome will gain a significant amount of value when blocks are ignored. In his final season with the Cavaliers, he blocked just three more shots than you and I did.

Other Round 13 Options: Keon Ellis, Cason Wallace, Gary Trent, Yves Missi, Kyshawn George, Cam Whitmore, Chris Boucher, Moussa Diabate, Neemias Queta, Adem Bona

Deep League Options: Rui Hachimura, Mike Conley, Dennis Schroder, Naji Marshall, Duncan Robinson, Wendell Carter Jr., Lonzo Ball, Nikola Jovic, Kyle Filipowski, Jay Huff, Bruce Brown, Luka Garza, Walter Clayton Jr., Kon Knueppel, Jonathan Kuminga, Day’Ron Sharpe

Successful Punt Blocks Examples

Below are five punt blocks teams I created using this guide and the Yahoo rankings. The teams are not meant to be thought of as a best-case scenario for the build. They are meant to give you an idea of what a strong punt blocks team will look like.