Summer 2021 Fantasy Draft: Draft Thread

[Who]

Christian Wood is a guy I felt I did a bad job of evaluating prior to this draft. I pigeon holed him as a PF & largely dismissed him as a C rather than considering him a two-position player.

I usually do my rankings by position and there is sometimes a player who is a bit different and does not fit well into specific positional rankings. Wood is one of these players.

I dismissed him at C because I was worried at how he could matchup physically against the likes of Embiid. This is not something I would worry about in a 30 team league because there are so few physically powerful and/or offensively dynamic centers but in a 12 team league it is more of an issue. You have Embiid, Towns, Jokic. To a lesser extent Vucevic and Sabonis. Even other low quality offensive centers are often physically powerful and difficult for Wood to keep off the glass.

As a PF, I did not feel Wood was dynamic enough offensively or dominant enough defensively to be anything more than a borderline starter.

What I failed to consider is:

(1) Wood would be bloody brilliant as a part time PF part time C. As a small ball C who takes over when the main centers rest. Use his offensive punch against all the bench centers and create a major advantage for yourself.

(2) Wood could be much more dynamic offensively if alongside a high post center rather than a paint dweller. If the paint was open for him to attack it in PnRs but I did not realize this until after trying to figure out what was bothering me about a Gobert - Wood partnership. A duel threat of PnR bigs who can both either pop or roll like OKC has in AD and Wood is difficult for most teams to game plan against. Few of the starting PFs in this league can contest high lob passes and/or even used to defending against them on a regular basis in the manner Wood is capable of attacking them.

I believe he has a great deal of value for a 5th round pick as a two position PF-C player. His ability to create matchup problems vs backup centers is awesome.

[gouki88]

It’s weird waking up with no picks to make.

I’ll be enquiring via PM about trades with some, but my door is wide open - send me a PM if you want any of my players or picks

[nickagneta]

Anyone who is isn't doing anything this weekend, let's talk trade. PM me.

That's rather vague.  Are you looking to trade up, trade down or trade one of the players you drafted?

Yes!

😁😂

[Somebody]

Christian Wood is a guy I felt I did a bad job of evaluating prior to this draft. I pigeon holed him as a PF & largely dismissed him as a C rather than considering him a two-position player.

I usually do my rankings by position and there is sometimes a player who is a bit different and does not fit well into specific positional rankings. Wood is one of these players.

I dismissed him at C because I was worried at how he could matchup physically against the likes of Embiid. This is not something I would worry about in a 30 team league because there are so few physically powerful and/or offensively dynamic centers but in a 12 team league it is more of an issue. You have Embiid, Towns, Jokic. To a lesser extent Vucevic and Sabonis. Even other low quality offensive centers are often physically powerful and difficult for Wood to keep off the glass.

As a PF, I did not feel Wood was dynamic enough offensively or dominant enough defensively to be anything more than a borderline starter.

What I failed to consider is:

(1) Wood would be bloody brilliant as a part time PF part time C. As a small ball C who takes over when the main centers rest. Use his offensive punch against all the bench centers and create a major advantage for yourself.

(2) Wood could be much more dynamic offensively if alongside a high post center rather than a paint dweller. If the paint was open for him to attack it in PnRs but I did not realize this until after trying to figure out what was bothering me about a Gobert - Wood partnership. A duel threat of PnR bigs who can both either pop or roll like OKC has in AD and Wood is difficult for most teams to game plan against. Few of the starting PFs in this league can contest high lob passes and/or even used to defending against them on a regular basis in the manner Wood is capable of attacking them.

I believe he has a great deal of value for a 5th round pick as a two position PF-C player. His ability to create matchup problems vs backup centers is awesome.

I think you're underselling Wood a bit on offence. He can shoot and put the ball on the floor - the way he flows into shots and drives is very good for a big. He's also a high-end defender as a PF: he's posted DRAPTOR ratings of +2.7 and +2.6 in the past two seasons, which is similar to '20 George and '21 Davis (he was hobbled this year but was still a very good defender). But yeah he's not great against good centres as a man defender, that's why Draymond is there lol (he can guard the centre when AD sits).

[Roy H.]

No names please.

[Somebody]

No names please.

Done.

[gouki88]

The time-slots for the next rounds have been changed. We will be commencing at 6PM ET, as per usual, but we will only have 5 minutes per slot each pick as opposed to the 10 minutes we've had so far, so as to fit two rounds in a day where we were doing one.

[Jvalin]

Looking to trade up. Anyone interested in trading down? Feel free to send me a PM.

[Jvalin]

With the 10th pick, the OKC Thunder select …



Christian Wood!

He somewhat has the "put number up on bad team" moniker that can be a bit of a death sentence in these types of games, but the talent is there. Plus a big being able to shoot threes is always valuable.

He is somewhat polarising - Jvalin is a big fan of his, but I'm a bit more sceptical.

You stole Lowry from right under Somebody's nose

I actually believe Wood is better than Ayton (my pick). Only reason I went with Ayton is basically what RPG said. These games are decided by vote. It doesn't matter what I think. All that matters is what the majority of the voters think. If we could somehow put our teams on the floor and see which one is better, I would have selected Wood.

[Who]

With the 10th pick, the OKC Thunder select …



Christian Wood!

He somewhat has the "put number up on bad team" moniker that can be a bit of a death sentence in these types of games, but the talent is there. Plus a big being able to shoot threes is always valuable.

He is somewhat polarising - Jvalin is a big fan of his, but I'm a bit more sceptical.

You stole Lowry from right under Somebody's nose

I actually believe Wood is better than Ayton (my pick). Only reason I went with Ayton is basically what RPG said. These games are decided by vote. It doesn't matter what I think. All that matters is what the majority of the voters think. If we could somehow put our teams on the floor and see which one is better, I would have selected Wood.

Yeah, I was surprised when you passed on Wood. I thought your team would've been unguardable with him. The thought of CP3, Durant and Middleton with Wood either rolling to the rim or popping for 3 was a nightmare scenario to defend against.

[Jvalin]

With the 10th pick, the OKC Thunder select …



Christian Wood!

He somewhat has the "put number up on bad team" moniker that can be a bit of a death sentence in these types of games, but the talent is there. Plus a big being able to shoot threes is always valuable.

He is somewhat polarising - Jvalin is a big fan of his, but I'm a bit more sceptical.

You stole Lowry from right under Somebody's nose

I actually believe Wood is better than Ayton (my pick). Only reason I went with Ayton is basically what RPG said. These games are decided by vote. It doesn't matter what I think. All that matters is what the majority of the voters think. If we could somehow put our teams on the floor and see which one is better, I would have selected Wood.

Yeah, I was surprised when you passed on Wood. I thought your team would've been unguardable with him. The thought of CP3, Durant and Middleton with Wood either rolling to the rim or popping for 3 was a nightmare scenario to defend against.

Totally agree. There are very few bigs who excel at both rolling and popping. Wood is one of them. This fact alone would make him a very intriguing player, but it ain't just that. He can protect the rim thanks to his length/athleticism. He can play D on the perimeter. He can even put the ball on the floor and create his own shot! His weaknesses are his limited court vision and his relative lack of strength at the C position. Most advanced stats suggest Ayton > Wood, but that's partly because the Suns were clearly a better team than the Rockets. It ain't Wood's fault that he was stuck in a lotto team.

Anyway, I'm arguing against my pick right now. Ayton ain't half bad either. Not to mention, he's only 23 years old. Chances are he'll be even better next season. Wouldn't be surprised if he develops a 3pt shot. I mean, his FT% suggest he has plenty of room to grow as a 3pt shooter.

[theswitch]

With the 10th pick, the OKC Thunder select …



Christian Wood!

He somewhat has the "put number up on bad team" moniker that can be a bit of a death sentence in these types of games, but the talent is there. Plus a big being able to shoot threes is always valuable.

He is somewhat polarising - Jvalin is a big fan of his, but I'm a bit more sceptical.

You stole Lowry from right under Somebody's nose

I actually believe Wood is better than Ayton (my pick). Only reason I went with Ayton is basically what RPG said. These games are decided by vote. It doesn't matter what I think. All that matters is what the majority of the voters think. If we could somehow put our teams on the floor and see which one is better, I would have selected Wood.

Yeah, I was surprised when you passed on Wood. I thought your team would've been unguardable with him. The thought of CP3, Durant and Middleton with Wood either rolling to the rim or popping for 3 was a nightmare scenario to defend against.

Totally agree. There are very few bigs who excel at both rolling and popping. Wood is one of them. This fact alone would make him a very intriguing player, but it ain't just that. He can protect the rim thanks to his length/athleticism. He can play D on the perimeter. He can even put the ball on the floor and create his own shot! His weaknesses are his limited court vision and his relative lack of strength at the C position. Most advanced stats suggest Ayton > Wood, but that's partly because the Suns were clearly a better team than the Rockets. It ain't Wood's fault that he was stuck in a lotto team.

Anyway, I'm arguing against my pick right now. Ayton ain't half bad either. Not to mention, he's only 23 years old. Chances are he'll be even better next season. Wouldn't be surprised if he develops a 3pt shot. I mean, his FT% suggest he has plenty of room to grow as a 3pt shooter.

Lol, if Ayton is a three point shooter next year then so is Bam 

[Jvalin]

With the 10th pick, the OKC Thunder select …



Christian Wood!

He somewhat has the "put number up on bad team" moniker that can be a bit of a death sentence in these types of games, but the talent is there. Plus a big being able to shoot threes is always valuable.

He is somewhat polarising - Jvalin is a big fan of his, but I'm a bit more sceptical.

You stole Lowry from right under Somebody's nose

I actually believe Wood is better than Ayton (my pick). Only reason I went with Ayton is basically what RPG said. These games are decided by vote. It doesn't matter what I think. All that matters is what the majority of the voters think. If we could somehow put our teams on the floor and see which one is better, I would have selected Wood.

Yeah, I was surprised when you passed on Wood. I thought your team would've been unguardable with him. The thought of CP3, Durant and Middleton with Wood either rolling to the rim or popping for 3 was a nightmare scenario to defend against.

Totally agree. There are very few bigs who excel at both rolling and popping. Wood is one of them. This fact alone would make him a very intriguing player, but it ain't just that. He can protect the rim thanks to his length/athleticism. He can play D on the perimeter. He can even put the ball on the floor and create his own shot! His weaknesses are his limited court vision and his relative lack of strength at the C position. Most advanced stats suggest Ayton > Wood, but that's partly because the Suns were clearly a better team than the Rockets. It ain't Wood's fault that he was stuck in a lotto team.

Anyway, I'm arguing against my pick right now. Ayton ain't half bad either. Not to mention, he's only 23 years old. Chances are he'll be even better next season. Wouldn't be surprised if he develops a 3pt shot. I mean, his FT% suggest he has plenty of room to grow as a 3pt shooter.

Lol, if Ayton is a three point shooter next year then so is Bam 

Bam has played one more year though. Ayton is a bit earlier in his developement as a player. Not saying he'll develop a 3pt shot, just that I won't be surprised if he does. FT% is usually indicative of shooting potential.

Even if he never becomes a 3pt shooter, Ayton is still a force to be reckoned with on the offensive side of the ball primarily because he's an elite roller. In fact, he was scoring 1.39 PPP as a roller last season which ranked in the 92nd percentile. There were only two Centers who were more efficient rollers than Ayton (both of them are still on the board). In comparison, Wood was scoring 1.18 PPP which ranked in the 64.7th percentile. Obviously, Ayton was playing alongside an elite PnR ball handler in CP3 whereas Wood was playing alongside a score-first knucklehead who I can't name right now (he's still on the board). All the buckets Ayton has scored in these situations don’t even account for the wide open threes he produces by rolling his massive frame toward the basket.

Don't get me wrong, Bam is clearly better than both of them: Elite perimeter defender + great rim protector + amazing roller + elite court vision for a big man. Just an amazing player.

[theswitch]

With the 10th pick, the OKC Thunder select …



Christian Wood!

He somewhat has the "put number up on bad team" moniker that can be a bit of a death sentence in these types of games, but the talent is there. Plus a big being able to shoot threes is always valuable.

He is somewhat polarising - Jvalin is a big fan of his, but I'm a bit more sceptical.

You stole Lowry from right under Somebody's nose

I actually believe Wood is better than Ayton (my pick). Only reason I went with Ayton is basically what RPG said. These games are decided by vote. It doesn't matter what I think. All that matters is what the majority of the voters think. If we could somehow put our teams on the floor and see which one is better, I would have selected Wood.

Yeah, I was surprised when you passed on Wood. I thought your team would've been unguardable with him. The thought of CP3, Durant and Middleton with Wood either rolling to the rim or popping for 3 was a nightmare scenario to defend against.

Totally agree. There are very few bigs who excel at both rolling and popping. Wood is one of them. This fact alone would make him a very intriguing player, but it ain't just that. He can protect the rim thanks to his length/athleticism. He can play D on the perimeter. He can even put the ball on the floor and create his own shot! His weaknesses are his limited court vision and his relative lack of strength at the C position. Most advanced stats suggest Ayton > Wood, but that's partly because the Suns were clearly a better team than the Rockets. It ain't Wood's fault that he was stuck in a lotto team.

Anyway, I'm arguing against my pick right now. Ayton ain't half bad either. Not to mention, he's only 23 years old. Chances are he'll be even better next season. Wouldn't be surprised if he develops a 3pt shot. I mean, his FT% suggest he has plenty of room to grow as a 3pt shooter.

Lol, if Ayton is a three point shooter next year then so is Bam 

Bam has played one more year though. Ayton is a bit earlier in his developement as a player. Not saying he'll develop a 3pt shot, just that I won't be surprised if he does. FT% is usually indicative of shooting potential.

Even if he never becomes a 3pt shooter, Ayton is still a force to be reckoned with on the offensive side of the ball primarily because he's an elite roller. In fact, he was scoring 1.39 PPP as a roller last season which ranked in the 92nd percentile. There was only one Center who was a more efficient roller than Ayton (he's still on the board). In comparison, Wood was scoring 1.18 PPP which ranked in the 64.7th percentile. Obviously, Ayton was playing alongside an elite PnR ball handler in CP3 whereas Wood was playing alongside a score-first knucklehead who I can't name right now (he's still on the board). All the buckets Ayton has scored in these situations don’t even account for the wide open threes he produces by rolling his massive frame toward the basket.

Don't get me wrong, Bam is clearly better than both of them: Elite perimeter defender + great rim protector + amazing roller + elite court vision for a big man. Just an amazing player.

Yup, I think Ayton is fantastic - I was just giving you grief for the hypothetical.

[Somebody]

20 hours until the draft starts again - wild.