Our NBA player fantasy rankings continue as we break into the elite of the point guards. Each guy on this list will cost you a high round pick; however, it will be completely worth it. The point guard position on a whole is very deep, having said that there is only one Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook while the players outside of the top ten are very interchangeable.
Noticeably absent from our point guard rankings are two players who would have appeared among the top ten. Derrick Rose and Ricky Rubio were left off the rankings due to their significant injuries sustained last season. While both players are expected back this season, it might be December before we see either one. Even upon return, their conditioning, effectiveness and playing limitations remains to be seen. You could draft them based on pure speculation; however, half a season of fantasy stats is just too much to make up for.
There was certainly no shortage of players willing to fill the void left by the absence of Rose and Rubio from the rankings. There might even be a few names here that would surprise you. Here are the Edraft rankings for point guards 1-15:
1- Chris Paul – LA Clippers
Point guards don’t come any better than Chris Paul. Even in a very deep talent pool at the point guard spot, it is Paul that rises to the top. It would seem that the thumb injury won’t be an issue and the knee’s look to be healthy. Paul is the offensive catalyst for the Clippers team, so goes Paul so goes the Clippers. There is no reason to think that there will be any drop off from last year’s averages of 19.8 ppg, 9.1 apg, 3.6 rpg and 2.5 steals. Paul is a top three fantasy player, ranked only behind Lebron James and Kevin Durant; as tempting as Russell Westbrook is, Paul is the better pick.
2- Russell Westbrook – Oklahoma City Thunder
There isn’t much separating Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook in terms of fantasy value. I see the real difference in two statistical categories; being assists and steals. Westbrook posted only 5.5 apg last season down from consecutive years of posting over 8 apg. With the all-out hustle play that Westbrook brings one would think that the steals would be higher than 1.7 a game. Westbrook does score more than Paul; however, does take more shots to get those points. Still a top five fantasy talent, expect Westbrook to be off the board in the first round.
3- Deron Williams – Brooklyn Nets
With a full complement of players around him, Deron Williams should feel less pressure offensively and thus be more inclined to involve his teammates. Last season was a down year for field goal percentage, based largely on an increase in field goal attempts. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Deron lead the league in assists this year while averaging over 10 per game. From a fantasy value perspective it would be beneficial to see a decrease in shot attempts and a slight decrease in scoring as trade off for higher assist totals. The Nets team should be exciting with Williams free-wheeling at the point position; if the turnovers stay down, Williams’ value remains top five.
4- Rajon Rondo – Boston Celtics
The only knock against Rondo has been and will continue to be his jump shot. Opposing defenses know they can play off and force Rondo to shoot. You’d think this would limit his effectiveness; rather he racks up the assists and picks his spots to launch jumpers. He still shoots at a 45% clip; it’s the three point shots which are horrific at 23%. Last season Rondo posted a 11.9 ppg, 11.7 apg, 4.8 rpg and 1.8 steals per stat line. Pretty hard to improve upon a double-double average; unless the field goal percentages stay up and the turnovers go down. At 26 years of age, Rondo is an elite fantasy option at the point guard spot.
5- Kyrie Irving – Cleveland Cavaliers
The reigning rookie of the year exceeded many expectations last season as he posted 18.5 ppg, 5.4 apg and 3.7 rpg. An impressive stat for the first year point guard was the 47% field goal percentage and the 40% from beyond the arc. First year players typically don’t shoot the ball with that efficiency. Through no fault of his own, Irving’s assist numbers were a bit low; however, in retrospect he didn’t have much in the way of offensively gifted teammates. The Cavaliers made some upgrades this offseason and Irvin’s assist numbers should come up. Otherwise expect about the same stat line this year.
6- Ty Lawson – Denver Nuggets
One of the breakout players of the year last season, Lawson earned the starting spot in the Nuggets backcourt. He posted averages of 16.4 ppg, 6.6 apg, 3.7 rpg and added 1.3 steals per contest. As if these averages weren’t enough, he shot a blistering 48% from the field. I do not envision any regression here at all for Lawson, he has asserted himself as a top point guard in the league and his play this season could push him into the realm of a fantasy must-have. One more kicker to Lawson’s success is that this is the final year of his rookie contract so he will be chasing down a nice new payday.
7- Tony Parker – San Antonio Spurs
This 12 year veteran is coming off a career year for the San Antonio Spurs. Still calling the shots as the Spurs floor general, Parker is the youngest of their big three at 30 years of age. The Spurs offense has changed over the years as Tim Duncan is no longer the sole focal point. Talented guard and wingman play has spread the offense; which gives Parker more scoring targets to dish to. Parker continues to log over 30 minutes per game and should continue to post averages around 17 ppg, 6.6 apg and 3rpg. Parker is only a marginally better shooter than Rajon Rondo and an equally poor three point shooter; yet hardly anyone criticizes Parker any longer for the field goal percentages.
8- Stephen Curry – Golden State Warriors
The ankle injuries that have cost Curry so much time are already causing concern again this season as he was recently removed from a preseason game as a precaution. When healthy, Curry is a lights-out shooter who posts a ridiculous 49% field goal percentage to go along with 45% from beyond the arc. When injured, Curry will leave you with a huge void in your fantasy team backcourt. A very risky draft pick due to injuries. I’m rating Curry in the eight spot based upon him being able to play at least 75 games this season.
9- Brandon Jennings – Milwaukee Bucks
Jennings is entering his final year on his rookie contract and will undoubtedly be seeking a hefty raise. Paired with Monta Ellis in the Milwaukee backcourt represents some problems. For starters they are too small and secondly both players are shoot-first scoring guards. I don’t think Jennings will finish the year in Milwaukee as he is likely going to be moved by the deadline. If this kid could just find a consistent jump shot he would be darn near unstoppable. Luckily, defenses can count on his jacking bad shots and connecting 40% of the time. Despite this field goal percentage, Jennings posted a 19.1 ppg average; imagine if he shot 47% from the field. Not great assist numbers nor steals for a point guard.
10- John Wall – Washington Wizards
Currently sidelined with a knee-injury that could keep him out till mid-November, Wall will miss all the preseason and first couple weeks of the regular season. With the addition of Bradley Beal at the shooting guard spot, Wall will have a formidable running mate in the backcourt. Add in Nene and Emeka Okafor to the rotation and Wall’s assist number should stay as strong as they did at the end of last year. Expect very similar numbers to last year’s averages of 16.3 ppg, 8.0 apg and 4.5 rpg.
11- Tyreke Evans – Sacramento Kings
Drafted by the Sacramento Kings to be their point guard of the future, Tyreke Evans finds himself without a position with the emergence of Isaiah Thomas. Nonetheless, Evans will be in the starting lineup either as a two guard or even as a small forward in some offensive sets. Evans will still have the ball plenty and be called upon to be the primary backcourt scoring option. Without being the primary ball handler, Evans stat line will suffer as the assists won’t be there. Despite being pushed out of the point guard spot, he remains a very valuable fantasy contributor.
12- Kyle Lowry – Toronto Raptors
The Raptors offseason acquisition figures to be the starting point guard ahead of Jose Calderon. Head coach Dwayne Casey has handed the keys to the offense over to Lowry in hopes of seeing similar like production from his days as a Houston Rocket. Speculation is that Lowry will not have as good a year as last season as folks are chalking it up to being a breakout year with numbers that just aren’t sustainable. I disagree, the past two seasons in Houston Lowry put up very similar numbers and I don’t see any reason why they won’t continue in Toronto. Expect averages around 14 ppg, 8 apg, 4 rpg and 1.5 steals per game.
13- Steve Nash – LA Lakers
One of the big offseason acquisitions made by the Lakers, Steve Nash will be surrounded by some very talented basketball players. The harmony between them all will determine the team’s success as well as each of their respective fantasy values. Nash will likely see a decrease in his scoring average to around 10.5 ppg as well as his assist numbers to around 8.8 apg. The rebounds and steals that Nash gets are absolute bonuses as they do not come often. Entering the season at 38 years of age, Steve Nash is still getting it done as indicated by his 53% field goal percentage.
14- Mo Williams – Utah Jazz
Going from a backup role for the LA Clippers to a starting role for the Utah Jazz will certainly help Mo Williams fantasy value. Even as a reserve last season, Williams was a solid fantasy contributor; however, as a starter Williams is a must-draft. When playing as the starting point guard, Williams averages 15.4 ppg and 5.7 apg. There is no reason to think that Williams won’t be able to post averages similar to his career numbers this season.
15- Isaiah Thomas – Sacramento Kings
The backcourt situation in Sacramento seems to be a bit tumultuous as Tyreke Evans, Aaron Brooks and Isaiah Thomas seemingly play the same position; yet only one will start at the point guard spot. Pencil in Thomas as the PG starter for now as Coach Keith Smart has given his endorsement as such. I think Thomas will hold onto the starting spot and he should log about 30 minutes a night. If the production over the last half of season was an indication then Isaiah will be a very productive fantasy pickup. Expect averages around 12 ppg, 5.4 apg and 2.2 rpg this season.