yahoo - 10/13/2025 5:19:36 PM - GMT (+2 )
The inaugural NBA High Score Creator Cup draft is officially in the books, and let me tell you, it was a ride. Competing in a fantasy basketball format that rewards rebounds, assists, and defensive stats (1 point per point/rebound, 2 for assists, 3 for stocks), managers in this 10-team league navigated a scoring system that values versatility and efficiency over pure scoring volume.
Going into it, I thought I had a solid plan. Then the draft started, and, well, you know how it goes. Everyone's strategy gets thrown into a blender. Let's break down what happened with some insights on how the draft unfolded.
Frontcourt dominates early-round selectionsFrontcourt players commanded the early spotlight, with 33 of the first 50 picks coming from F/C-eligible players. While I've been preaching that guards are more valuable, I may have underestimated how the High Score format’s requirement for filling three starting frontcourt slots created a scarcity that influenced early picks.
Beyond elite anchors like Nikola Jokić, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Victor Wembanyama, managers quickly targeted bigs who contribute across the stat sheet. Evan Mobley (15th overall), Alperen Şengün (17th overall), Chet Holmgren (24th overall) and Kristaps Porziņģis (25th overall) were all snatched up in the top 30 for their blend of scoring, blocks, boards and passing.
Even oft-injured players like Jaren Jackson Jr., Joel Embiid and Kawhi Leonard went in Round 5, indicating that this league understood how capturing discounted frontcourt players offers some boom potential when healthy.
In total, the draft leaned slightly toward frontcourt players — 53 F/Cs versus 47 Guards — reflecting the positional weight of this format. Yet, a pivot occurred after Round 5. The back half of the draft saw managers target guards more evenly, hunting for scorers, ball-handlers, and flex-eligible depth to complement their early frontcourt foundations.
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Dual eligibility: Flexibility drives value
Nine of 10 teams selected at least one dual-eligible G/F/C player, offering flexibility that becomes vital over the course of the season. These multi-position contributors — such as Jaylen Brown, Desmond Bane, Scottie Barnes, Paul George and Shaedon Sharpe — bring lineup adaptability along with well-rounded stat lines. There are 22 players with dual eligibility in the High Score Top 150, and below is the distribution of dual-threat players who were drafted in the High Score Creator Cup.
The Dream Team notably stood alone without a dual-eligible pick, banking on positional consistency and health across their guards and bigs.
Sidebar: I thought Dream Team took the most contrarian approach to their draft strategy, taking several players like Porziņģis (Round 3), Ace Bailey (Round 4) and Aaron Gordon (Round 5) well ahead of their ADPs.
Across 10 rounds, the positional rhythm of the draft revealed intentional roster construction. While F/Cs dominated the early rounds (including a 90% frontcourt surge in Round 5), the final five rounds (Rounds 6–10) saw a near-even split — 26 F/Cs and 24 Guards — as teams adjusted to their roster needs and the remaining player pool.
Managers used these later rounds to scoop up secondary guards, dual-eligible wings and injury stashes. Scoring guards like Anfernee Simons, Jordan Poole and Cam Thomas, versatile wings like Alex Sarr and Bennedict Mathurin, and lottery-ticket breakout players like Matas Buzelis and Jaden Ivey highlighted the value-hunting process.
Perhaps most impactful, however, was the use of injured list+ roster spots to stash premium injured talent. Kyrie Irving (Round 8), Paul George (Round 8), Dejounte Murray (Round 9) and Jayson Tatum (Round 10) were drafted with a clear long-view in mind — a willingness to sacrifice short-term production for high-upside reinforcements (possibly) later in the season.
These picks showcase a sophisticated layer of draft thinking: in High Score formats, late-round value isn't just about breakout bets — it's about strategic patience. Should you endure injuries along the way, there is no shortage of viable replacement-level options available on waivers.
To get a taste of how vast the waiver pool is in a standard 10-team High Score league (meaning 100 total players are drafted), here is the list of players over 80% rostered who were not selected in the Creator Cup draft:
Mark Williams - F/C, Phoenix Suns
Christian Braun - G/FC, Denver Nuggets
Donovan Clingan - F/C, Portland Trail Blazers
Jakob Poeltl - F/C, Toronto Raptors
John Collins - F/C, Los Angeles Clippers
Cameron Johnson -F/C, Denver Nuggets
Jalen Suggs - G, Orlando Magic
Onyeka Okongwu- F/C, Atlanta Hawks
Devin Vassell - G/F/C, San Antonio Spurs
Overall, it was a great draft that didn't disappoint. There were surprises, reaches and plenty of snipes along the way. Now the fun part begins — seeing which team rises to the top of the High Score hierarchy.
Here is each team's full draft:
Team 1: NBA Recap Pod| Round | Overall pick | Player |
| 1 | 1 | Nikola Jokić (DEN - FC) |
| 2 | 20 | Jaylen Brown (BOS - G,FC) |
| 3 | 21 | Josh Giddey (CHI - G) |
| 4 | 40 | Franz Wagner (ORL - FC) |
| 5 | 41 | Michael Porter Jr. (BKN - FC) |
| 6 | 60 | Darius Garland (CLE - G) |
| 7 | 61 | Kel'el Ware (MIA - FC) |
| 8 | 80 | Matas Buzelis (CHI - FC) |
| 9 | 81 | Alex Sarr (WAS - FC) |
| 10 | 100 | Jayson Tatum (BOS - FC) |
| Round | Overall pick | Player |
| 1 | 2 | Giannis Antetokounmpo (MIL - FC) |
| 2 | 19 | Amen Thompson (HOU - G,FC) |
| 3 | 22 | Tyrese Maxey (PHI - G) |
| 4 | 39 | Ja Morant (MEM - G) |
| 5 | 42 | Deni Avdija (POR - FC) |
| 6 | 59 | Jalen Duren (DET - FC) |
| 7 | 62 | Jalen Green (PHX - G) |
| 8 | 79 | Shaedon Sharpe (POR - G,FC) |
| 9 | 82 | Andrew Nembhard (IND - G) |
| 10 | 99 | Santi Aldama (MEM - FC) |
| Round | Overall pick | Player |
| 1 | 3 | Victor Wembanyama (SAS - FC) |
| 2 | 18 | Jalen Brunson (NYK - G) |
| 3 | 23 | Stephen Curry (GSW - G) |
| 4 | 38 | Zion Williamson (NOP - FC) |
| 5 | 43 | Ivica Zubac (LAC - FC) |
| 6 | 58 | Brandon Ingram (TOR - G,FC) |
| 7 | 63 | DeMar DeRozan (SAC - FC) |
| 8 | 78 | Cam Thomas (BKN - G,FC) |
| 9 | 83 | Jordan Poole (NOP - G) |
| 10 | 98 | Kevin Porter Jr. (MIL - G) |
ustin Henry| 1 | 4 | Luka Dončić (LAL - G) |
| 2 | 17 | Alperen Sengun (HOU - FC) |
| 3 | 24 | Chet Holmgren (OKC - FC) |
| 4 | 37 | Dyson Daniels (ATL - G,FC) |
| 5 | 44 | Joel Embiid (PHI - FC) |
| 6 | 57 | Nikola Vučević (CHI - FC) |
| 7 | 64 | Myles Turner (MIL - FC) |
| 8 | 77 | Payton Pritchard (BOS - G) |
| 9 | 84 | Rudy Gobert (MIN - FC) |
| 10 | 97 | Mikal Bridges (NYK - FC) |
The Dream Team| Round | Overall pick | Player |
| 1 | 5 | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC - G) |
| 2 | 16 | LaMelo Ball (CHA - G) |
| 3 | 25 | Kristaps Porziņģis (ATL - FC) |
| 4 | 36 | Ace Bailey (UTA - FC) |
| 5 | 45 | De'Aaron Fox (SAS - G) |
| 6 | 56 | Aaron Gordon (DEN - FC) |
| 7 | 65 | Zach LaVine (SAC - G) |
| 8 | 76 | Kyrie Irving (DAL - G) |
| 9 | 85 | Naz Reid (MIN - FC) |
| 10 | 96 | Stephon Castle (SAS - G) |
Zone Defense| Round | Overall pick | Player |
| 1 | 6 | Anthony Davis (DAL - FC) |
| 2 | 15 | Evan Mobley (CLE - FC) |
| 3 | 26 | Donovan Mitchell (CLE - G) |
| 4 | 35 | Paolo Banchero (ORL - FC) |
| 5 | 46 | Jaren Jackson Jr. (MEM - FC) |
| 6 | 55 | Walker Kessler (UTA - FC) |
| 7 | 66 | Jaylen Wells (MEM - G,FC) |
| 8 | 75 | Ausar Thompson (DET - FC) |
| 9 | 86 | Dejounte Murray (NOP - G) |
| 10 | 95 | Jaden Ivey (DET - G) |
Strictly BBall| Round | Overall pick | Player |
| 1 | 7 | Cade Cunningham (DET - G) |
| 2 | 14 | Kevin Durant (HOU - FC) |
| 3 | 27 | Jalen Williams (OKC - FC) |
| 4 | 34 | Derrick White (BOS - G) |
| 5 | 47 | Desmond Bane (ORL - G,FC) |
| 6 | 54 | Jimmy Butler III (GSW - FC) |
| 7 | 67 | Lauri Markkanen (UTA - FC) |
| 8 | 74 | Paul George (PHI - G,FC) |
| 9 | 87 | OG Anunoby (NYK - FC) |
| 10 | 94 | Bradley Beal (LAC - G,FC) |
Hoop Venue| Round | Overall pick | Player |
| 1 | 8 | Karl-Anthony Towns (NYK - FC) |
| 2 | 13 | James Harden (LAC - G) |
| 3 | 28 | Jalen Johnson (ATL - FC) |
| 4 | 33 | Jamal Murray (DEN - G) |
| 5 | 48 | Trey Murphy III (NOP - FC) |
| 6 | 53 | Tyler Herro (MIA - G) |
| 7 | 68 | Josh Hart (NYK - G,FC) |
| 8 | 73 | Julius Randle (MIN - FC) |
| 9 | 88 | Isaiah Hartenstein (OKC - FC) |
| 10 | 93 | RJ Barrett (TOR - FC) |
ooners| Round | Overall pick | Player |
| 1 | 9 | Anthony Edwards (MIN - G) |
| 2 | 12 | Domantas Sabonis (SAC - FC) |
| 3 | 29 | Pascal Siakam (IND - FC) |
| 4 | 32 | Scottie Barnes (TOR - G,FC) |
| 5 | 49 | Brandon Miller (CHA - FC) |
| 6 | 52 | Cooper Flagg (DAL - FC) |
| 7 | 69 | Coby White (CHI - G) |
| 8 | 72 | Deandre Ayton (LAL - FC) |
| 9 | 89 | Anfernee Simons (BOS - G) |
| 10 | 92 | Bennedict Mathurin (IND - G,FC) |
Kevin O'Connor| Round | Overall pick | Player |
| 1 | 10 | Devin Booker (PHX - G) |
| 2 | 11 | Trae Young (ATL - G) |
| 3 | 30 | LeBron James (LAL - FC) |
| 4 | 31 | Bam Adebayo (MIA - FC) |
| 5 | 50 | Kawhi Leonard (LAC - FC) |
| 6 | 51 | Austin Reaves (LAL - G) |
| 7 | 70 | Miles Bridges (CHA - FC) |
| 8 | 71 | Jarrett Allen (CLE - FC) |
| 9 | 90 | Immanuel Quickley (TOR - G) |
| 10 | 91 | Norman Powell (MIA - G,FC) |
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