What's up, Hooooooopballers! I just did a 9-CAT H2H draft - $100 buy-in, so decent prize money. I had the 5th pick and came up with this team:

1) I know assists come off the board early this year and could have gone with Dame, Steph or Trae with pick 5, but decided KAT was the best value.

2) Round 2 is tricky. You're choosing between durable guys who might be third-rounders or injury-risks who might be second-rounders. I went Beal for added durability and I don't think Westbrook knocks his value all that much, especially when Westy will sit back-to-backs and probably pick up a few other injuries along the way. This is Beal's team.

3) LaVine. I was not ecstatic about this pick, but with points and assists being two of the categories that disappear the fastest, I thought this was a fair spot for him.

4) Lowry. The mileage and injuries scare me, but for a guy with top 25 ceiling, pick 44 should be solid value.

5) Jrue. He's going to lose minutes in Milwaukee without question, but round 5?? Hard to go any other direction at this point.

6) Hayward. Lead dog for CHA should be a top-40 type guy. With each passing pick, I thought there was no way he'd fall to me. I would have liked more defensive stats, but again, I think this is a steal.

7) Lonzo. His splits post-all-star break are crazy. Don't let his percentages fool you, as they're both low volume. This guy is a stud who a couple months ago I thought I would have to take in round 3. I love his value here.

8) Bagley. This is where the train kind of goes off the rails for me. Now, while I think we haven't even seen the tip of the iceberg in terms of Bagley's ceiling, due to all his injuries, this is where I realized I was severely lacking in big man stats and started to pass on "best available" player for positional needs. Here I was over-compensating for guard stats early on, when all the while, it ended up being my big man stats that I was neglecting. Lesson learned. 

9) PJ. Not very exciting and bad in percentages, but only a sophomore and looking like he could be the starting 5 with more minutes, and his defensive stats seem to be coming along. Why not.

10)Boucher. I new I was struggling in the big man stats, and since I'll probably drop my last few picks anyway, I love the intrigue with Boucher at this point. Everyone is wanting him in the last few picks, so if you want him as well, take him a pick sooner.

11) Killian. I think this one is going to get ugly in FG and TO, but for a late-rounder, the assists and steals could be great. I probably should have looked for another solid big to fill that hole, but fell for the rookie intrigue. I don't really need assists at this point, so maybe in a month or two he becomes trade fodder.

12) Jakob. He's one of my favorite late-round flyers. LaMarcus is 47 and a trade candidate. He's also wanting to fire away from 3-point land, including 10 attempts in a recent pre-season game. If LMA slots in at 4 and Jakob takes the 5 with minutes anywhere above 25, I think he'll be a solid double-double, 2-block threat on any given night. Now, if LMA is traded, look out. 

13) Darius Garland. Again, I didn't really need more guard stats. I was between him and Cam Reddish. I like Reddish's game more, but coming off the bench in a crowded ATL team, I leaned toward the guaranteed minutes/usage. Not stoked about it, but we'll see what happens.

Anyyyyyyway, that's my quick evaluation. I'd love to hear what you guys think of this team and its odds to compete in 9-CAT H2H.