2025 CelticsBlog Fantasy Draft: '05-'25 Edition

[Moranis]

With the addition of The Great Barrier Thief (love that nickname btw) the Cavs 2-deep lineup is set

PG - Luka, Daniels
SG - Brown, Mitchell
SF - Lebron, G. Wallace
PF - Wemby, Melo
C - Shaq, Noah

[smokeablount]

That concludes the live draft for today!

Jvalin?s pick will come in later

Login early tomorrow for our final round- Mo kicked it off around 8am this morning so things will be well underway before 9am!

Team roster thread here:
https://forum.celticsstrong.com/index.php?topic=109542.msg3317664#msg3317664

[smokeablount]

I?ve got a big board of I think down to 3 guys tomorrow. Curious to see who guys grab for their last roster spots. Maybe some contributors and second string guys will be in the mix

[Moranis]

I have 1 guy. As long as JV doesnt take him, I'm set for round 11.  Will figure out a list for last pick later.  Also, I am firm so I can make that pick whenever.  I know smoke is managing things, but if it is easier for everyone else, I can pick after JV sometime later today.

[snively]

10 man rotation:

Chris Paul/Fred VanVleet
Ray Allen/OG Anunoby
Paul Pierce/Gordon Hayward
Chris Bosh/Serge Ibaka
Tim Duncan/Andrew Bogut

Curious to hear some feedback and critiques

The starting line-up is flawless, but the bench, though a nice balance in terms of skillsets, feels very underpowered for this league. I'd go for some high octane options with your final picks.

[snively]

With the addition of The Great Barrier Thief (love that nickname btw) the Cavs 2-deep lineup is set

PG - Luka, Daniels
SG - Brown, Mitchell
SF - Lebron, G. Wallace
PF - Wemby, Melo
C - Shaq, Noah

The intimidation factor with this group is supreme. Overwhelming size and power. Steamrollers.

I feel it lacks a lot in the way of connective tissue tho. Lots of guys who want to be the focal point. JB and Wemby have range, but I don't see them maximized as 4th or 5th options - don't trust their off-ball/glue-guy contributions.

Spacing issues crop up when working with the bench guys.

[snively]

We haven't done a "critique my team" thread in this draft yet, but if people don't mind, I'll put my team up for review:

PG: Steph Curry (MVP), Jalen Brunson
SG: Jrue Holiday, Victor Oladipo
SF: Hedo Turkoglu
PF: Giannis (MVP, DPOY), Elton Brand
C: Kristaps Porzingis, DeAndre Jordan  Domantas Sabonis

I'll return the favor for anybody who comments (if they want me to).

Offensive juggernaut with a mammoth frontcourt.  I worry about the size of the backcourt in this league. Both Curry and Brunson are vulnerable defensively. Holiday and Oladipo are great 2-way guys, but they are also both combo guards. Hedo has the size, but will also be vulnerable to some match-ups.

I also think the team speed is a little underwhelming. Giannis the only real freak in the starting line-up.

[Goldstar88]

Moranis drafting Jaylen Brown made me chuckle. That?s a nasty team. I like it!

[snively]

SGA / Kidd
Klay / Vince
KD / Siakam
Mobley / Bam
Rudy / KAT

Please weigh in, and I will try to do the same later after work or late night. But remember- I already wrote 1.5 editions of power rankings so even if they were bad, give me some love/hate!

The fit of your scoring trio - SGA the ultimate slasher, Klay the ultimate offball shooter and KD score from anywhere freakv - plus their 2-way ability is excellent. Then Mobley and Gobert as suffocating twin towers and pop/roll guys.

Really nice balance on the bench with Kidd as the orchestrator, Vince and Kat as firepower/range and Bam and Siakam as ultra utility pieces.

A few gripes: the lack of dynamic playmaking off the bench. Vince is good but not great at this. Siakam and Bam play best off really dynamic guards.

Also with the starters, there's a lot of potency at the top and good big man support, but I worry a little about leadership. SGA and KD have a bit of lone gunmen in them. They dominate their individual match-ups but they don't always do the best job of controlling the game. And while Kidd off the bench really helps with this, I'm not sure older Kidd brings enough in this league to be one of the dominant minute guys.

[Roy H.]

SGA / Kidd
Klay / Vince
KD / Siakam
Mobley / Bam
Rudy / KAT

Please weigh in, and I will try to do the same later after work or late night. But remember- I already wrote 1.5 editions of power rankings so even if they were bad, give me some love/hate!

The 1-3 on this team are excellent for the modern game.  Everybody can play both ways, particularly when motivated (looking at you, KD).  Really excellent stuff here.

I'm less intimidated by the front court.  Rudy is huge and has the stats, but there seems to be something off with him in a team setting.  My own prejudice, I know.  I think I would have preferred to see you take one of the DPOY candidates taken in the 8th or 9th, rather than spend a premium pick on Rudy.  Evan Mobley has the potential to be KG-lite, but I don't think he's quite there, DPOY notwithstanding.  He's still one of the best two-way PFs in the game today, but I wonder about him matching up scoring-wise with some of these teams. 

Minor quibbles, though.

I think KAT is soft, but as a bench player that critique matters a lot less.  I loved the Bam pick.  I think the bench backcourt could have some spacing issues, but that's mitigated by mixing and matching with the starters.

This team is definitely a contenders, albeit with several others.

[Moranis]

We haven't done a "critique my team" thread in this draft yet, but if people don't mind, I'll put my team up for review:

PG: Steph Curry (MVP), Jalen Brunson
SG: Jrue Holiday, Victor Oladipo
SF: Hedo Turkoglu
PF: Giannis (MVP, DPOY), Elton Brand
C: Kristaps Porzingis, DeAndre Jordan  Domantas Sabonis

I'll return the favor for anybody who comments (if they want me to).

Offensive juggernaut with a mammoth frontcourt.  I worry about the size of the backcourt in this league. Both Curry and Brunson are vulnerable defensively. Holiday and Oladipo are great 2-way guys, but they are also both combo guards. Hedo has the size, but will also be vulnerable to some match-ups.

I also think the team speed is a little underwhelming. Giannis the only real freak in the starting line-up.

Yeah I worry about them defending the main points of attack of opposing teams i.e. PG's and SF's.  I think it will be a struggle and while there are some good defensive guys left, they will be significantly less talented than the guys theyd have to replace.

[Donoghus]

I'm heading to Day 1 of Lolla in a bit (don't ask why I still do this every year) so will be logging off but hope to provide additional input on some of these other teams in the morning.

For those curious, my festival jersey lineup this year is Sean May-Bobcats/Anthony Mason-Hornets/Michael Finley-Mavs/Anfernee Simons-Blazers (currently on major discount with Fanatics)

[Moranis]

With the addition of The Great Barrier Thief (love that nickname btw) the Cavs 2-deep lineup is set

PG - Luka, Daniels
SG - Brown, Mitchell
SF - Lebron, G. Wallace
PF - Wemby, Melo
C - Shaq, Noah

The intimidation factor with this group is supreme. Overwhelming size and power. Steamrollers.

I feel it lacks a lot in the way of connective tissue tho. Lots of guys who want to be the focal point. JB and Wemby have range, but I don't see them maximized as 4th or 5th options - don't trust their off-ball/glue-guy contributions.

Spacing issues crop up when working with the bench guys.

It is always a struggle to draft a team where everyone's roles are changed, but I do think Wemby and Brown are equipped to take more a backseat both in personality and skill set.  That is why I added them and did so when I did.  I mean Brown came off the bench as both a rookie and his 3rd year.  It wasn't till year 5 he was even the 2nd option (and the 3rd option was a pg who took a lot of shots) and he has never been the lead guy (though will be this year with Tatum out).  Wemby has obviously been the lead guy in SA, but nearly half his shots were 3 pointers and only about 20% were at the rim. I think he will dominate woth the corner 3 in this getting fed by Luka and Lebron. 

[Roy H.]

With the addition of The Great Barrier Thief (love that nickname btw) the Cavs 2-deep lineup is set

PG - Luka, Daniels
SG - Brown, Mitchell
SF - Lebron, G. Wallace
PF - Wemby, Melo
C - Shaq, Noah

Can I just cut-and-paste snively's comments?  I'm going to:

The intimidation factor with this group is supreme. Overwhelming size and power. Steamrollers.

I feel it lacks a lot in the way of connective tissue tho. Lots of guys who want to be the focal point. JB and Wemby have range, but I don't see them maximized as 4th or 5th options - don't trust their off-ball/glue-guy contributions.

Spacing issues crop up when working with the bench guys.

I see the team construction here like Team USA, before they started pulling in guys like Jrue and D. White.  Too many queens, not enough worker bees.  Lebron and Luka don't fit well in my opinion.  You noted Lebron and Wade as an example of why it would work, but remember:  Miami lost their first year together.  It was only until Wade subjugated his came to Lebron that the Heat took off, and even then they ended up losing a second Finals (and would have lost a third had Manu not uncharacteristically missed a FT followed by a Ray Allen bomb).  They had the most talented roster in the NBA all four seasons, and came within a whisker of going 1-for-4. 

I know you're a believer in fit.  It's why you've mentioned for years that JB and JT don't fit together.  Their skills are duplicative.  If that's the case, Lebron and Luka are carbon copies of each other.  And, I don't think you maximize Shaq's skills by giving him the third most touches. 

From what you've said, it sounds like there were a couple of choices early where you had 50/50 choices on guys.  Shaq vs. Embiid, Luka vs. George.  I'm envisioning the Embiid / Wemby / Lebron / George lineup, and I just like it a bit better, particularly if you had added a sniper at PG.

Having Carmelo as an extremely high usage, low efficiency guy off the bench doesn't bring much to your team in my opinion.  Again, I considered him as high as the 4th, but notice I didn't draft him (despite having a hole at SF) because I think he hurts more than he helps.

All that said, take away all the critiques and you still have a team that (hopefully) will see a heavy dose of Shaq and Lebron.  It's fat Shaq, sure, but Lebron is way, way better than Kobe.  I expect you will, at the very least, be a top-4 team, and will probably get ranked much higher.

[Roy H.]

I'm heading to Day 1 of Lolla in a bit (don't ask why I still do this every year) so will be logging off but hope to provide additional input on some of these other teams in the morning.

For those curious, my festival jersey lineup this year is Sean May-Bobcats/Anthony Mason-Hornets/Michael Finley-Mavs/Anfernee Simons-Blazers (currently on major discount with Fanatics)

Nice.  What's your rooming / sleeping situation going to be like.

Sean May is obscure, my man.  How'd that come about?