:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/1333037/20120320_ajw_ss1_450.0.jpg)
The top five are no surprise and beyond that, players to watch include Mike Conley Jr. in Memphis, Goran Dragic filling the hole left by Steve Nash in Phoenix and as mid-season approaches, Timberwolves star Ricky Rubio who'll be coming back from a Torn ACL injury suffered last season. Kyrie Irving is the player with the most growth potential in this list, even though he had surgery on his hand this off-season.
Here it is, the top 25 point guards in fantasy basketball as we head into the 2012-13 NBA season...
- Chris Paul, LAC
Averaged19.8 Pts, 3.5 Rebs, 9.1 Ast per game last season and also played very well in the Olympics, particularly in the gold-medal game against Spain. With teammate Blake Griffin getting one year older and hopefully better, there's no reason to think Paul should be any less than the top point guard again this year.
- Russell Westbrook, OKC
He's one of the best and would be the MVP of the Thunder if it wasn't for some guy named Kevin Durant. He's got scoring ability that most point guards don't have.
- Brandon Jennings, MIL
Averaged a career-high 19.1 points per game last season but a full season with Monta Ellis at shooting guard could lower his point totals slightly this season. In terms of assists and rebounds, you pretty much know what you're going to get from Jennings.
- Ty Lawson, DEN
Coming off a season in which he had career-highs in points (16.4), rebounds (3.7) and assists (6.6). The Nuggets are one of the most exciting teams in basketball.
- Deron Williams, BRO
This summer's most coveted free agent, Williams chose to stay with the up-and-coming Brooklyn Nets for the long term. He will benefit from the team's acquisition of All-Star shooting guard Joe Johnson and is no doubt an elite fantasy option on a team that should make the playoffs for the first time since 2007.
- Mike Conley Jr., MEM
Consistently averaging 12 points and six assists per game the last three seasons combined and seems to have settled in around those numbers.
- Kyrie Irving, CLE
Irving is the real deal and he proved it in his rookie campaign with the Cavaliers, averaging 18.5 points per game 5.4 assists. Of the top seven point guards on this list he's the one with the most upside as leader of a very young team.
- Goran Dragic, PHO
What goes around comes back again as Dragic returns to the place where his career began. He once filled the shoes of Steve Nash on a temporary basis in the playoffs against the San Antonio Spurs, but he'll now be counted on to do that on a nightly basis as Nash signed with the rival Los Angeles Lakers in the off-season.
- Stephen Curry, GS
Had an injury plagued season last year appearing just 26 games for the Warriors. His 14.7 points, 3.4 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game were all career lows. That said with Monta Ellis being traded to the Milwaukee Bucks, Curry is now the clear-cut leader of the Warriors backcourt.
- Jrue Holiday, PHI
The acquisition of Andrew Bynum will probably lend itself to more assists for Holiday this season and with Lou Williams moving to Atlanta, Holiday will have to score more too.
- Mo Williams, UTA
He's the kind of player that will get you 13 points a game and will chip in a few assists. He could see slightly more minutes with the Jazz than he did with the Clippers last season.
- John Wall, WAS
Wall currently has an injury to his left patella and could miss up to eight weeks with the ailment. That will keep them out until early December. When he returns he'll be the lone star on a Wizards team that traded JaVale McGee last season and will lead the team in points and assists no doubt.
- Kyle Lowry, TOR
Lowry missed time last season due to an abdominal injury and is now nursing a leg injury suffered in the preseason. Whenever he's at full strength he will be starting at the point for the Raptors but may share minutes with Jose Calderon as well, depending on whether or not the Raptors trade Calderon. He is known more for his good defensive play, but did average a career-high 14.3 points per game last season.
- Louis Williams, ATL
Acquired in an off-season trade from Philadelphia, Williams averaged a career-high 14.9 points per game for the 76ers last season. With the Hawks making some major changes to their franchise trading Joe Johnson to the Brooklyn Nets i, Williams will be counted on to provide scoring from the backcourt and should be able to increase his numbers going into the 2012-13 season.
- Steve Nash, LAL
You have to absolutely love the prospects of Nash having a great year in his first with the Los Angeles Lakers. The team has committed to winning a championship and can have four All-Star caliber players on the floor at any given time throughout a game. Nash has so many options to pass to and will be able to get wide-open shots regularly. His fantasy outlook is great on a team where anything less than a championship is considered a failure.
- Jeff Teague, ATL
Averaged a career-high 12.6 points per game and saw his minutes played per game more than double to just over 33 last season. With the Hawks rebuilding and Teague now getting starter minutes, he should continue to flourish this season.
- Rodney Stuckey, DET
His 14.8 points per game average last season was his lowest since 2008-09. It looks like playing 30 minutes a game is right around his wheel-house and you can count on four assists per game on a nightly basis.
- Tony Parker, SAN
18 points and seven assists per game is nothing to sneeze at and although some may argue that the Spurs benefited from a shortened season given that they are one of the older teams in the NBA, Parker is as consistent as they come. There's no doubt he'll probably decline over the next several years, but he's still a good bet going into this season.
- Ricky Rubio, MIN
In a rookie campaign cut short by a torn ACL, Rubio averaged 10.6 points, 4.2 rebounds and 8.2 assists in his first NBA season. He definitely exhibited flashes of brilliance last year and has great chemistry with star forward Kevin Love. Rubio should really get to strut his stuff once he returns. That said, he'll be out until at least December as he's still rehabbing the injury.
- Rajon Rondo, BOS
Led the league in assists last year, averaging 11.7 per game. As much as he may not be the most likable player in the locker room, Rondo is the leader of the Boston Celtics and the fact the team replaced Ray Allen with Jason Terry means he should still dish out assists like he always has.
- Mario Chalmers, MIA
He stepped up nicely for the Heat in the NBA Finals last spring and the addition of Ray Allen might help him pick up more assists.
- Kemba Walker, CHR
The addition of Michael Kidd-Gilchrist will give Walker somebody to pass the ball to on what was an atrocious Bobcats squad last year. As with most players on a bad team, there's lots of room for improvement for Walker so his production should increase steadily this year.
- Nate Robinson, CHI
He's been called upon to fill the shoes of Derek Rose, who tore his ACL in the first round of the playoffs last year so he should see steady minutes and a slight uptick in his points per game average well into the new year.
- George Hill, IND
In his first season with the Pacers last year, Hill's points per game average dropped below 10 for the first time since his rookie season. He'll have D.J. Augustin around, which will put more pressure on Hill to improve if he wants to get starter's minutes.
- Jarrett Jack, GS
Missed 21 games last year, but averaged a career-high 15.6 points per game on a subpar New Orleans Hornets team. With the Warriors, he could very well maintain his scoring output on a more offensive minded team and he'll take on even more responsibility should Stephen Curry prove to struggle with injuries.
If you would like to follow more of the sports stuff that I have been doing, you can follow me on twitter @jackchoros.