Fantasy Basketball 10-Team Categories Mock Draft: Is Luka Doncic A Must-Pick In the Early First Round?

The 2023 fantasy basketball season is starting next Tuesday, October 24th, and the mock draft season is in full swing as players prepare for their fantasy drafts in the coming days. I come back to you with a mock draft using Sleeper’s Mock Draft Function and am going to give you the rundown so you can get an ideal vision of how things should go in your 10-Team Snake Drafts. 

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Mock Draft Roster Breakdown and Settings

This mock was a 10-team draft in a Categories format.

Round 1 (1.05): PG Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks

Pick Analysis: In this mock draft, I picked from the fifth spot, and Luka falling to 5 is not something you plan for. Luka Doncic is a consensus top-three pick in fantasy. He is the epitome of a category king, a usage rate leader in the NBA, on a team that will surely be fighting all season for playoff positioning. This was too easy.

Round 2 (2.06): PF/SF LeBron James Los Angeles Lakers

Pick Analysis: The 65-game minimum for NBA awards will benefit LeBron James and fantasy managers alike. More games played with one of the two best players in NBA history should excite fantasy owners for first-round upside at 2.06. LeBron may not play as many minutes on a loaded Lakers team, which could cost him some volume, but he’s LeBron James. He scored 19 points in the first half in the final preseason game with relative ease against the Suns. LeBron is another category superstar that can give you 27/7/7 every night, and he should provide more defensively this season with a very presumably efficient Lakers offense. 

Round 3 (3.05): SG/SF Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics

Pick Analysis:  I took a big risk here, taking Brown just as a not-so-flattering video of him on Day 1 of Training Camp makes the rounds on the web. That left hand still needs work. But, with Malcolm Brogdon, Robert Williams, Marcus Smart, and Grant Williams out the door, and Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis in, the Celtics are not as deep anymore. Jaylen Brown will play big minutes and will look to prove himself after a disappointing playoff series last season. The Celtics are going big or going home this season. 

Round 4 (4.06): SF/SG: Paul George, Los Angeles Clippers

Pick Analysis: With George and LeBron, you can call this a risky team when it comes to injury luck, but Paul George feels due for a resurgent year in the NBA. The 65-game limit is intended to motivate players to play more, earn All-NBA honors, and make a run into the playoffs while entertaining the fans nightly. Paul George is looking stronger and more mature, and offers some of the most efficient scoring across the entire NBA. Filling out your team with frontcourt scorers, defenders, and efficiency always bodes well. Upside is crucial on a random night in April in the NBA. 

Round 5 (5.05): PG/SG Josh Giddey, Oklahoma City Thunder

Pick Analysis: This pick has to be one of my two favorites, including the next one. Josh Giddey is so versatile and can give you elite fantasy point production, being a near triple-double threat each and every night. The arrival of Chet Holmgren will bode well for Giddey's assist numbers, as will an improved Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, along with an improved Josh Giddey in his own right. 

Round 6 (6.06): Chet Holmgren, OKC Thunder

Pick Analysis: Chet in round 6?! Chet Holmgren is a ROTY candidate who looks stronger than ever before and is on a team that will play him a lot early and often and is going for an aggressive playoff push. Chet has shown signs of being a top rim protector in the NBA, a high-percentage shooter at his position, and a versatile threat who could emerge as a second scoring option to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. 

Round 7 (7.05): C Alperen Sengun, Houston Rockets

Pick Analysis: The most exciting player you can find in any of the mid-rounds this year is Alperen Sengun. The young center could become the face of the Houston Rockets and seriously give you Category greatness with all the supreme talent around him. Jabari Smith Jr. is clearly a better product than last season, and so are the Rockets. A focused offense from Ime Udoka with an emphasis on more ball-handling minutes for Sengun is too good to pass up on in the seventh round. 

Round 8 (8.06): F Franz Wagner, Orlando Magic

Pick Analysis: A top 55 player in the NBA now. It’s his and Paolo's show; his Germany production was real, and the Magic should take the next step. A 6’10 player with guard-level handles and a good offensive bag with a higher usage rate than most in the eighth round. 

Round 9 (9.05): C Rudy Gobert, Minnesota Timberwolves 

Pick Analysis: The Gobert slide ends with me. Gobert, formerly a fantasy superstar, still can be one of the most important players on fantasy managers’ radars this season. Winning blocks and rebounds and fg% has always been a key strategy in Categories formats, for good reason. Getting a player who backlines one of the best defenses in the NBA today and has zero offensive pressure on him is perfect. At the very least, we can expect two or three blocks a game still from Rudy Gobert. 

Round 10 (10.05): PG Ben Simmons, Brooklyn Nets

Pick Analysis: I emphasize versatility, and Ben Simmons’ confidence looks like it is coming back. Brooklyn seemingly has given him the keys for now, and he was setting up shooters in the preseason like prime Ben. I’m wary of the eight turnovers, but boy is this upside well worth it in Round 10. Ben is a guy who can give you 10 pts, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists, with two steals and a block. In turnover leagues he will scare you, but in standard Categories, Ben Simmons is a massive sleeper play, especially if you are willing to tank FT%. 

Round 11 (11.06): PG D’Angelo Russell, Los Angeles Lakers

Pick Analysis: This is a great value for a high 3-PM player in D’Angelo here. After a really strong preseason, D’Angelo looks to become more efficient offensively and more tenacious defensively. LeBron and AD being double-teamed bodes well for D’angelo’s scoring production as long as he is a Laker. He also runs heavy pick-and-roll with AD and has proven to be very efficient in that space. In a contract year (player option) and with a waived no-trade clause, DLo is out to prove himself. 

Round 12 (12.05): Jalen Duren, Detroit Pistons

Pick Analysis: The key cog to the pick-and-roll offense with Cade Cunningham and the entire Pistons organization, Jalen Duren is a dog, plain and simple. He’s developing a jumper slowly and plans to be one of the strongest players in the NBA, giving you more and more rebounds, efficiency, and upside. 

Round 13 (13.06): SF/PF: Miles Bridges, Charlotte Hornets

Pick Analysis: I hate the pick, but the upside with LaMelo Ball setting him up is obviously there. Bridges averaged 22 ppg before the legal incident last year. 

Round 14 (14.05): PG/PF: Jeremy Sochan, San Antonio Spurs

Pick Analysis: The NEW starting point guard of the Wemby-led San Antonio Spurs. Sochan has looked better than advertised at the PG position for San Antonio, as Victor Wembanyama has proven to be a good ball-handler himself. Sochan is a great defender, a high-IQ passer, and is becoming a very efficient FT shooter after starting his rookie year shooting badly. Sometimes, form shooting is a key; Jeremy in Round 14 is a value, to say the least. 

Round 15 (15.06): PF: Trey Murphy, New Orleans Pelicans

Pick Analysis: STASH Trey Murphy III if you can. The elite wing shooter will be back midseason, and if you didn’t stash anyone else, Trey is the best option at the end of the draft. Especially if your league has an IR slot, this is a no-brainer.