These are the fantasy basketball players to pair with your first round choice

It’s hard to go into a fantasy draft with a plan — or, perhaps it’s more accurate to say that no plan ever goes according to plan. There are just too many things left to chance, and every owner will find themselves needing to adjust on the fly. That begins as early in the first round, when draft order sets the tone for the rest of the draft and luck, not skill, rules.

You may not get the player you target, or want most. You probably won’t get James Harden or Anthony Davis. You can, however, fill out your team with the guy that fits best, and it’s in the second round that choice begins to separate the smart from the rest.

When you know who your first pick in the draft is, also know that these are their best running mates.

If you draft James Harden: Rudy Gobert (C, Jazz) or Ben Simmons (SF/PG, 76ers)

It’s hard to go wrong with James Harden. He led the league in points last season, and boasted elite percentages, assists and 3-pointers as a one-man team system. You’ll get contributions in almost every category, and really, blocks are (quite understandably) the only stat that Harden doesn’t provide. So, it’s sensible to draft a player such as Gobert, who isn’t as multi-dimensional as Harden but specializes in the stats that he doesn’t: blocks, rebounding, field goal percentage.

The bolder play is to double down on the out-of-position assists that Harden provides at shooting guard, and draft another guy who shares that rare quality in Ben Simmons. Simmons averaged 8.2 assists in his rookie year and he’ll have eligibility at small forward, presenting the opportunity to field two elite assist contributors in addition to a regular point guard. With how scarce assists are, it may be hard for any team to rival that combination.

Anthony Davis: Jimmy Butler (SG/SF, Timberwolves) or Rudy Gobert (C, Jazz)

For all intents and purposes, Davis can be treated as Harden’s inverse if you get him at the top of the draft. His stat numbers are going to stuffed with gaudy numbers, but for positional reasons, he provides blocks with a deficit in assists. It can be hard to make that ground up in the second round — John Wall or Chris Paul are fine options — but a wing such as Butler or Paul George can be a better option to move in on steals or blocks.

Alternatively, Gobert allows you to own the big man categories. You can probably spot a pattern here: Gobert is going to be a fantastic option for any owner who wants to target blocks and rebounding. Andre Drummond and Draymond Green are also more well-rounded alternatives to Gobert — Drummond provides elite rebounding, Green provides assists and 3-pointers, and both offer steals and blocks.

*Karl-Anthony Towns: Towns is a similar player, but without Davis’ power forward eligibility. It’ll be tricky to pair him with another centre; go with a wing or forward such as Butler or Green.

Giannis Antetokounmpo or LeBron James: Chris Paul (PG, Rockets) or Kemba Walker (PG, Hornets)

LeBron may remain the league’s most impactful player in reality, but in fantasy, he’ll likely trail Giannis as basketball’s top wing. Either way, these two are all-around lumps of clay for your team. It makes sense to reprise the ‘point guard + power forward’ strategy of old with these players, and continue to pad the assist totals provided by Giannis or LeBron with a point guard who can also fill the 3-point shooting need. Paul will garner more assists, but Kemba presents less risk of injury or decline.

Kevin Durant or Steph Curry: Andre Drummond (C, Pistons) or Paul George (SG, Thunder)

Although vastly different in reality, these Warriors teammates have similar fantasy appeal — elite percentages, points and 3-point shooting, and solid rebounds and assists. Durant offers blocks, while Curry offers steals. A player such as Drummond or Gobert can continue to bolster field goal percentage while providing big man value (and having his drawbacks at the free throw line masked), while another scorer such as George or C.J. McCollum can pad points, 3-pointers and often steals without hurting any percentages.

Russell Westbrook or Damian Lillard: Draymond Green (PF/C, Warriors) or Devin Booker (SG, Suns)

These two point guards are polarizing picks because of just how much do they — they’re going to take and miss a lot of shots, and in Westbrook’s case, he’ll turn the ball over often while in pursuit of a third consecutive season with a triple-double average. Our advice: Don’t stress it. Punt those categories and build on your strengths with other freewheeling players that’ll go overlooked in your draft otherwise. Green is the big man’s version of Westbrook, while Booker complements Lillard — or go the other way around for a different profile.

Joel Embiid or Kawhi Leonard: The other one

This one’s scary, but fun. Embiid compares well to his fellow centres in Davis and Towns, but he’ll drop in the first round due to his fairly significant injury risk. So will Kawhi! Many owners won’t have the stomach for one high-risk player, let alone two, but waffling with a middle-ground approach doesn’t accomplish much. Even if you just draft one, you’re in for a rollercoaster of a season fraught with risk. That won’t change if you draft both, but the upside potential would absolutely shoot off. Lean into it and take them both, we say.