Fantasy Basketball 2015: 1st-Round NBA Mock Draft and Top Team Names | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors
Sarah Rodriguez
Published Mar 23, 2026
The cream of the fantasy basketball crop is filled with players of all positions, skill sets and statistical tendencies. To fill out a good roster, you'll need variety in all of those areas.
But today, it's time to focus on which players can anchor your team: the first-round picks.
Let's look at a first-round mock draft for a nine-category, 12-team league with standard scoring. Below the mock, three players facing adjustments to their games will be specifically highlighted.
Mock Draft
| 2015-16 Fantasy Basketball First-Round Mock Draft | |||
| 1 | Anthony Davis | PF/C | New Orleans Pelicans |
| 2 | Stephen Curry | PG/SG | Golden State Warriors |
| 3 | James Harden | SG/SF | Houston Rockets |
| 4 | Kevin Durant | SF/PF | Oklahoma City Thunder |
| 5 | LeBron James | SF/PF | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 6 | DeMarcus Cousins | PF/C | Sacramento Kings |
| 7 | Russell Westbrook | PG | Oklahoma City Thunder |
| 8 | Chris Paul | SG | Los Angeles Clippers |
| 9 | Jimmy Butler | SG/SF | Chicago Bulls |
| 10 | John Wall | PG | Washington Wizards |
| 11 | Kawhi Leonard | SG/SF | San Antonio Spurs |
| 12 | Damian Lillard | PG | Portland Trail Blazers |
| Picks are authors, positions according to FantasyPros | |||
SF/PF LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers (No. 5)
The best player in the NBA is no longer one of the four best fantasy options, but it's by his own doing. With this particular Cavaliers team in the weaker Eastern Conference, the 30-year-old James is understandably content conserving energy for the playoffs.
He doesn't attack the rim nearly as much, as his average field-goal attempt was from 12.6 feet from the basket last season, more than a foot farther than his average from the previous three campaigns. He'll also defer to teammates early on in games, then turn it on when the game's outcome is in the balance.
| LeBron: 2014-15 Usage Percentage by Quarter | |
| 1 | 30.7 |
| 2 | 34.5 |
| 3 | 27.7 |
| 4 | 38.3 |
| Overtime | 47.1 |
The injury recoveries of Kyrie Irving and Iman Shumpert early on in the season will force LeBron to carry a bigger load on the perimeter, but the superstar forward is dealing with back problems of his own. The likes of Kevin Love, J.R. Smith and Mo Williams can help out in the early going so LeBron doesn't have to do too much.
James showed us during June's NBA Finals that he can still put up video game numbers. Just don't expect those numbers consistently during the regular season.
Per-game statistical predictions: 25.4 points, 6.8 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 1.5 steals, 0.5 blocks, 3.8 turnovers, 1.8 threes, 49.4 field-goal percentage (on 18.9 attempts), 73.6 free-throw percentage (on 6.7 attempts)
Westbrook is one of the toughest fantasy players to judge heading into the 2015-16 season because of uncertainty concerning Kevin Durant's health and his own role.
The explosive point guard proved once and for all last season he deserves to be a No. 1 offensive option, scoring 28.1 points per game, including 31.4 after the All-Star break. However, with Durant back, who takes the biggest share of the touches? Enes Kanter and Serge Ibaka are two other talented scorers who need reps, as well.
The preseason has done little to separate Durant and Westbrook.
| Preseason Scoring: Westbrook vs. Durant | ||
| 10/7 at Minnesota | 5-of-10 FG, 14 points | 5-of-8, 15 points |
| 10/9 vs. Fenerbahce | 6-of-14 FG, 16 points | 6-of-10, 13 points |
| 10/13 vs. Dallas | 8-of-13 FG, 19 points | 4-of-12, 10 points |
| 10/18 vs. Denver | 6-of-14 FG, 17 points | 9-of-14, 23 points |
| ESPN.com | ||
Durant has historically been the more efficient shot-maker, so expect him to take a slightly larger scoring load than Westbrook, especially after he shakes off the rust from his foot injury.
However, if said injury flares up again for the talented forward, Russ will be right back up there as arguably the most valuable asset there is.
Per-game statistical predictions: 24.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, 7.6 assists, 2.0 steals, 0.3 blocks, 3.9 turnovers, 1.4 threes, 44.1 field-goal percentage (on 19.6 attempts), 82.2 free-throw percentage (on 7.6 attempts)
Lillard is a fantastic scorer and the only starter remaining from last season's Trail Blazers squad, and many think that warrants a top-10 fantasy selection.
Not so fast.
Lillard has shot 42.4 and 43.4 percent from the field playing next to LaMarcus Aldridge, Wesley Matthews and Nicolas Batum in the Portland starting lineup during the past two seasons. Don't you think that number will go down with Mason Plumlee, Gerald Henderson and Al-Farouq Aminu replacing them?
What about his assists and turnovers? Lillard will handle the ball more in 2015-16, but considerably worse teammates will make it difficult to rack up huge assist totals. And since opponents will be keying in on the 25-year-old more, it's safe to assume he'll be forced into many more miscues with the ball.
Lillard is, ultimately, only a solid contributor in points, assists, threes and free throws. I have him as the last pick of the first round, but he's definitely not a surefire choice for that spot.
Per-game statistical predictions: 24.4 points, 4.7 rebounds, 6.8 assists, 1.0 steals, 0.3 blocks, 3.3 turnovers, 2.9 threes, 41.2 field-goal percentage (on 20.4 attempts), 85.5 free-throw percentage (on 5.5 attempts)
Top Team Names
Searching for a pun-tastic name for your team? Below are some options that can entertain your opponents as you rip them to pieces with your killer lineup:
Kyrie on my Hayward Son
Afflalo Creed
Crabbe Cakes
Knight in Shining Arthur
Wroten in the Stars
Grand Theft Otto
The Justise Teague of America
