Risers redefine Yahoo’s fresh board as the NBA season nears. Lonzo Ball headlines a massive climb, yet back-to-backs and health risk keep him off early rosters. Isaiah Collier, Jay Huff, and Quinton Grimes push into late-round air, while Miles Turner, Drew Holiday, Donovan Mitchell, Steph Curry, and Jamal Murray anchor mid-to-top rounds with varied injury certainty. The update sharpens drafting strategies, highlighting mid-round depth and punt-category builds.

Denver's title chase hinges on Jokic's workload and a crowded rotation that could sap late-season value. Murray returns as a clear focal point, while depth players like Aaron Gordon and Cam Johnson offer upside but come with usage uncertainty. Valančiūnas provides an elite late-round handcuff in best-ball, and the Nuggets’ varied wing mix—Bruce Brown, Tim Hardaway Jr., Julian Strawther, Peyton Watson—creates both risk and rotation flexibility. Strategic notes stress two-game weeks and schedule quirks when weighing Jokic and the top stars.

Brunson sits at 26 amid a nuanced nine-cat debate: his scoring and assists shine, but rebounding and blocks lag for a guard, pushing value toward pairing him with a big who can hit triples. Curry stands out at 28 as a clear value, while Mitchell, Zion, Morant and a slate of young or injury-prone stars add risk-reward dynamics. The chat covers safe bets, punt builds, and late-round upside (Amen Thompson, Chad Holmgren) with a focus on total-production floors and health risk.

Jokic opens as the safe No. 1 in a 12-team ESPN points mock, with the host noting ESPN’s efficiency penalties push high-usage scorers higher. He leans into upside in the mid rounds with Giddy, Mitchell and Reeves, while avoiding injury-prone anchors like Zion and Embiid early. The draft threads a line between health risk and ceiling, stacking speed and scoring with measured early risk, and highlights value in Scoot Henderson, Wiggins, and Murray as CONCRETE upside bets later.