Sept. 23, 2025 — Bristol, Conn. – ESPN Fantasy Basketball analysts held their opening mock draft for the 2025-26 NBA season, using a 10-team head-to-head points format to gauge early player values.
The top of the board
Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic was selected first overall, followed by Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama landed at No. 3, while Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo and Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic completed the first five picks.
First-round results:
1) Jokic (Barutha)
2) Gilgeous-Alexander (Moody)
3) Wembanyama (Karabell)
4) Antetokounmpo (Snellings)
5) Doncic (Carpenter)
6) Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves (Crites)
7) Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons (Kaiser)
8) Domantas Sabonis, Sacramento Kings (McCormick)
9) Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks (Alexander)
10) Karl-Anthony Towns, New York Knicks (Sprecher)
Where Cooper Flagg slotted
Rookie forward Cooper Flagg, drafted by the Dallas Mavericks, came off the board early in Round 4 at pick 34, giving manager Joe Kaiser a high-upside swing in the middle rounds.
Veteran movement
Long-time fantasy staples saw varied draft positions: LeBron James went 12th overall, Devin Booker 13th, Anthony Davis 14th, while Stephen Curry slipped to pick 23 and Kevin Durant to pick 32.
Mock draft format and participants
The exercise featured 10 ESPN analysts drafting in the following order: Alex Barutha, Eric Moody, Eric Karabell, Andre Snellings, Tom Carpenter, Ken Crites, Joe Kaiser, Jim McCormick, Steve Alexander and Kirien Sprecher. The mock covered 13 rounds and 130 total selections.
The session provides an early snapshot of player demand ahead of the 2025-26 fantasy campaign, especially for managers in head-to-head points leagues.
Source: ESPN Fantasy
