Fantasy Basketball: The numberFire Hoops Writers' Draft 2018-19
Round 7
| Pick | Overall | Player | Team | Position | Writer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 73 | Ricky Rubio | UTA | PG | Ian Goldsmith |
| 2 | 74 | Jusuf Nurkic | POR | C | Russell Peddle |
| 3 | 75 | Dennis Smith Jr. | DAL | PG/SG | Brett Oswalt |
| 4 | 76 | Tim Hardaway Jr. | NY | SG/SF | Sam Hauss |
| 5 | 77 | DeMarcus Cousins | GS | PF/C | Alex McDonald |
| 6 | 78 | Jonas Valanciunas | TOR | C | Tom Whalen |
| 7 | 79 | Lonzo Ball | LAL | PG | Michael Rondello |
| 8 | 80 | Jonathan Isaac | ORL | PF | Jordan Sharp |
| 9 | 81 | Tyreke Evans | IND | PG/SG | Austan Kas |
| 10 | 82 | Brandon Ingram | LAL | SG/SF | Jay Kim |
| 11 | 83 | Goran Dragic | MIA | PG/SG | Shae Cronin |
| 12 | 84 | D'Angelo Russell | BKN | PG/SG | Dale Redman |
DeMarcus Cousins is a high-risk pick here by Alex McDonald, considering the fact that he's a 270-pound big man coming off an Achilles injury, joining the team in the NBA with the most mouths to feed in the Golden State Warriors. Sure, Cousins has finished in the top-21 in nine-category leagues in each of the last five seasons, but he might never be that guy again. The track record for big men coming off an Achilles tear is not very promising, and our 166th-ranked projection reflects that.
Lonzo Ball is a great pick at 79 by Michael Rondello. He may be in a position battle with veteran Rajon Rondo, but Ball's multi-category skill set can offer plenty of value in whatever role the Los Angeles Lakers throw at him. We have him projected to finish 48th this year.
Austan Kas grabbed one of our favorite sleepers at pick 81 with Tyreke Evans (58th in our rankings), while Shae Cronin took a shot on one of our biggest bust candidates in Goran Dragic (104th in our rankings).
My pick: I felt like I was reaching a bit on Jusuf Nurkic here at pick 74, but his ADP of 78.0 and our projection of 70th backed me up. I was seriously considering Lonzo Ball instead, but my selection was driven by team need over best player available, since I was lacking in exactly what Nurkic does best: rebounding, blocked shots, and field goal percentage.
