The NBA season is almost here and that means your fantasy basketball draft will be taking place soon. We will be looking at the top 20 players at each position and then finally putting together a list of the top players overall. Today, we look at point guards.
1. Chris Paul - Los Angeles Clippers
I don't think there is any argument to be had here. Chris Paul is the undisputed #1 PG in the NBA.
2. Stephen Curry - Golden State Warriors
Curry is coming off a phenomenal season and that should continue for the foreseeable future. Curry is a dynamic talent that can shoot from anywhere on the court as well as take it to the hole. He averaged almost 7 assists per game last season, which makes him even more valuable. He does have the "injury prone" tag that is always a sticking point with him, but he did manage to play in 78 games last season.
3. Kyrie Irving - Cleveland Cavaliers
There is no doubt that Kyrie will be a superstar for years to come. Unfortunately, he went down with an injury last year that resulted in him playing only 59 games. As long as he can avoid a similar fate this season, it won't be far fetched to say he could be the #1 PG in the very near future.
4. Deron Williams - Brooklyn Nets
Whatever you may think of Deron Williams, the human being, there is no denying that, Deron Williams, the basketball player, is an amazing talent. He now has Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett with him and that should increase his assist totals.
5. Damian Lillard - Portland Trail Blazers
Lillard took the league by storm in his rookie season and will continue to be a top point guard in the league for years to come. Lillard averaged 19 points and 6.5 assists in his rookie season and led all rookies in minutes played. He is a workhorse. The additions of Mo Williams and 1st round pick, C.J. McCollum has some fans worried about Lillard's playing time, but I'm not worried at all. I see Lillard improving from his 2012 stats and establishing himself one of the best fantasy point guards.
6. Derrick Rose - Chicago Bulls
A lot of people will be scared to draft Rose coming off ACL surgery. Take advantage of that fear and steal him from your opponents. I believe Rose will be back to his MVP ways and should be drafted with confidence.
7. John Wall - Washington Wizards
Wall is a very frustrating player but when he finds his groove, he can single handedly win you your match-up. Entering his 4th NBA season, I expect Wall to finally figure it all out, put it together, and become consistent. Wall is another injury-prone player which makes him even more frustrating. He hasn't played more than 69 games in his first three seasons. He's an awful 3-point shooter, but he will fill up the stat sheet with assists, steals and 20+ points a game.
8. Ricky Rubio - Minnesota Timberwolves
I love Ricky Rubio. He is awesome. He would be higher, but, he has trouble scoring. To say he's not a very good shooter would be taking mercy on little Ricky. The good news is he does everything else at an elite level. He's a constant triple double threat and he should only get better as time goes on.
9. Ty Lawson - Denver Nuggets
Ty Lawson is what you would call "great value". He won't go nearly as high as the "elite" PG's and I wouldn't go as far as to call Ty elite himself, but he gets the job done in more ways than one. He will help your team in 3-pointers, steals, assists and points. Definitely worthy of a spot in our top 10.
10. Brandon Jennings - Detroit Pistons
Jennings might not be a great real life point guard, but he's a very good fantasy basketball player. Now that he is in Detroit surrounded by talents such as Josh Smith, Andre Drummond and Greg Monroe, we should see his assists sky rocket. He will also be tutored by Maurice Cheeks and Chauncey Billups. We should see Jennings improve significantly. If he can stop himself from jacking up so many horrible shots and focus on distributing, driving to the basket and taking smart shots, Jennings will be a fantastic asset to your team.
11. Russell Westbrook - Oklahoma Thunder
You were probably wondering when you would see Westbrook on this list. Unfortunately, the former UCLA Bruin will be sidelined for the first 4-6 weeks with an injury, therefore, his stock is down. Westbrook should be available in much later rounds than you would usually see him in, and I would definitely take a chance on him. Stash him, and reap the benefits when he comes back. When healthy, I have Westbrook ranked #2 just behind Chris Paul.
12. Jrue Holiday - New Orleans Hornets Pelicans
Jrue has joined the new-look Pelicans and will team up with young phenom Anthony Davis. These two guys should form a lethal partnership consisting of alley-oops and some more alley-oops. Jrue had a breakout season last year and he should continue that form this season. He averaged a career-high 17.7 points and 8 assists and will come into this season looking to improve on that.
13. Tony Parker - San Antonio Spurs
Every year we say he's too old, every year, he makes us look stupid. Tony Parker is annoyingly good and if the Spurs are to challenge for a title, as expected, Parker will be influential in that run.
14. Mike Conley - Memphis Grizzlies
Mike Conley is a solid option for your squad in later rounds. He topped the league last year in steals with 174 and he averaged a healthy 6 assists per game. It would be nice to see him score more points per game, and maybe this year, he will take on more scoring responsibilities.
15. Jose Calderon - Dallas Mavericks
Jose is usually overlooked when it comes to point guards, but the Spaniard is extremely efficient at his job. He will be linking up with Dirk Nowitzki and start alongside Monta Ellis. He should rack up double digit assists almost every game, making him a double-double threat night in, night out. The only reason he's not higher on the list is because he just can't stay healthy.
16. Kemba Walker - Charlotte Bobcats
Kemba is another high volume shooter that will hurt your FG% but can also help you in other ways as well. The Bobcats are woeful and Kemba will have to do the majority of the scoring, along with newly acquired Al Jefferson. Kemba does help in other categories though, such as 2 steals per game, 6 assists and roughly 18 points per game. I expect him to average a little closer to 20 points per game and his assists should increase a little bit thanks to the presence of Al Jefferson.
17. Goran Dragic - Phoenix Suns
Many people are worried about Dragic with the addition of Eric Bledsoe but I'm not one of those people. I believe the Suns will play Dragic and Bledsoe together a lot and that means Dragic will not suffer a hit in playing time. He has shown us what he can do when he is given adequate playing time and I expect him and Bledsoe to form an electric partnership in the backcourt.
18. Jeff Teague - Atlanta Hawks
Teague has been somewhat of a disappointment since joining the league (heyo!), but he stepped up his game last season and averaged 14.6 points and 7.2 assists per game. Both of which were career highs for the 6'2' PG out of Wake Forest. Atlanta lost Josh Smith but gained Paul Milsap, so I can see Teague's assists at the very least stay at around 7 per game, but it would not surprise me if they saw a little bit of an increase. The reason being, Millsap is more efficient than Josh Smith, therefore, resulting in more assists for Teague.
19. Jeremy Lin - Houston Rockets
Four words: Dwight Howard. James Harden. Jeremy Lin should set a career high in assists this season.
20. Rajon Rondo - Boston Celtics
The reason you are only seeing Rondo now, is because he tore his ACL on January 25th. We do not know when Rondo will be back, some say he's gonna be ready opening night, some say he might not play at all this year, some say he'll be ready in a few months. We simply do not know. So, basically, we're stuck with another Derrick Rose scenario from last year. The Celtics lost a lot of their weapons and are in a rebuilding mode under rookie NBA coach and Butler University icon, Brad Stevens, but Rondo is Rondo and he is going to continue to produce at a high level when he is healthy.
Is there someone not on here that you feel should be? Keep in mind, Monta Ellis will be in the SG edition, same with Eric Bledsoe. Greivis Vasquez is on a new team and has some competition with Isaiah Thomas, and Kyle Lowry is, well, Kyle Lowry.