The 2024-25 NBA season in just over a month away, meaning fantasy basketball drafts and preparation will start soon.
In a recent fantasy basketball mock draft carried out by ESPN’s fantasy basketball experts, Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was selected with the No. 4 overall pick.
Experts selected players based on a 10-team, head-to-heading scoring style, with Joe Kaiser, Eric Moody, Michael Schwartz, Andre Snellings, Eric Karabell, Tom Carpenter, Matt Williams, Steve Alexander, Jim McCormick and Keith Lipscomb taking part in the exercise.
Snellings, a senior writer at ESPN, selected Gilgeous-Alexander in the first round, one pick ahead of former MVP and NBA champion Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Nikola Jokic, Victor Wembanyama and Luka Doncic were the only players selected ahead of Gilgeous-Alexander in ESPN’s mock draft, with Antetokounmpo, Domantas Sabonis, Joel Embiid, Anthony Edwards, Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton rounding out the top 10 picks.
Gilgeous-Alexander’s placement in the exercise comes after a second consecutive top five finish in the MVP race for the former Los Angeles Clipper. After tallying over 31 points per game the previous year, the 26-year-old averaged 30.1 points, 6.2 assists, 5.5 rebounds and two steals per game in 2023-24,
Gilgeous-Alexander’s versatility makes him a solid fantasy basketball option, as the Kentucky product often fills up the stat sheet in multiple categories. Additionally, the standout guard’s defensive ascension has made him even more valuable on the court and in fantasy basketball.
Aside from Gilgeous-Alexander, three other Thunder players were selected in ESPN’s mock draft.
Lipscomb selected OKC center Chet Holmgren with the No. 30 pick, followed by Alexander drafting talented wing Jalen Williams three picks later. Isaiah Hartenstein was the final member of Oklahoma City’s squad to be selected, going No. 92 overall as the 22nd center to come off the board.
Want to join the discussion? Like Thunder on SI on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Thunder news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.
