Starting Friday things are going to be getting pretty crazy and if some of the rumors flying around these days are true a lot could be changing. However, the NBA season starts in 18 days (not that I’m counting), and while things are going to change, we have to get our positional breakdowns started. If/when things start changing we’ll revisit these rankings as necessary.
As far as I am concerned Chris Paul is still the for sure number one Point Guard in the league, but things are very interesting after number one. There are a lot of questions with certain players on new teams and other players on the verge of a breakout.
Here is my top 40 at the position and some of my thoughts on the players listed.
- Chris Paul – New Orleans Hornets
- Derrick Rose – Chicago Bulls
- Russell Westbrook – Oklahoma City Thunder
- Deron Williams – New Jersey Nets
- Stephen Curry – Golden State Warriors
- John Wall – Washington Wizards
- Steve Nash – Phoenix Suns
- Kyle Lowry – Houston Rockets
- Rajon Rondo – Boston Celtics
- Chauncey Billups – New York Knicks
- Jrue Holiday – Philadelphia 76ers
- Brandon Jennings – Milwaukee Bucks
- Raymond Felton – Portland Trail Blazers
- Mike Conley – Memphis Grizzlies
- Tony Parker – San Antonio Spurs
- Ty Lawson – Denver Nuggets
- Devin Harris – Utah Jazz
- Jason Kidd – Dallas Mavericks
- Darren Collison – Indiana Pacers
- Mo Williams – Los Angeles Clippers
- Jeff Teague – Atlanta Hawks
- Kyrie Irving – Cleveland Cavaliers
- Jose Calderon – Toronto Raptors
- Jameer Nelson – Orlando Magic
- Brandon Knight – Detroit Pistons
- D.J. Augustin – Charlotte Bobcats
- Andre Miller – Denver Nuggets
- Baron Davis – Cleveland Cavaliers
- Kemba Walker – Charlotte Bobcats
- Ricky Rubio – Minnesota Timberwolves
- J.J. Berea – Free Agent
- Eric Bledsoe – Los Angeles Clippers
- Jerryd Bayless – Toronto Raptors
- Jimmer Fredette – Sacramento Kings
- Luke Ridnour – Minnesota Timberwolves
- George Hill – Indiana Pacers
- Lou Williams – Philadelphia 76ers
- Kirk Hinrich – Atlanta Hawks
- Ramon Sessions – Cleveland Cavaliers
- Toney Douglas – New York Knicks
Sleeper : Mike Conley – After struggling through his first few seasons in the NBA, Conley finally broke through last season and looks like he might be on his way to building himself into a top ten point guard. Conley is surrounded by some very underrated talent led by Rudy Gay and Zach Randolph and his assist numbers should only continue to rise. Conley won’t ever be an elite scorer most likely, but he could and I believe will reach 15 points per game as soon as this season. To top it off Conley has some of the quickest hands in basketball and has become one of the elite steals guys in the NBA. Conley took a step forward last season, and I expect to take an even bigger step this season. 15 points, 8 assists and 2 steals per game are well within reach.
Deep Sleeper: Eric Bledsoe – In his rookie season Bledsoe ended up getting more playing time than anyone expected and he showed some nice promise in that playing time. Bledsoe ended up starting 25 games last season and had 8.9 points, 5.9 assists, 3.6 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game as a starter. Bledsoe will be relegated to the role of backup for Mo Williams this season, but that doesn’t completely negate his value. The Clippers realize that Bledsoe is their future point man and they’ll give him playing time. On top of that Mo Williams has missed double-digit games in five of the last six seasons so Bledsoe will probably get some starts as well. In deep leagues a guy like Bledsoe can be a steal if your stashing him on your bench.
Bust: Rajon Rondo – Let me start by saying I love Rajon Rondo and I would love to have him running my favorite NBA team from the point. Rondo is one of, if not the best playmaking guards in the league and he will be racking up the assists and steals. The problem is, not only does Rondo not bring a whole lot to the table outside of these two categories, he can bring you down. To have one of your guard spots occupied by someone who makes no threes at all means you have to readjust your later draft plans to add some at other places. And you also count on your guards to bring your FT% up, instead Rondo brings it down with his 57% shooting from the line. Rondo can help you win a couple categories, but he will bring you down in a couple more, that’s tough to stomach for a guy who most people consider a top 2 – 3 round pick.
What do you make of the point guard position this season? Who are you high on and who aren’t you high on? Got any sleepers or busts of your own? Leave a comment and let your opinion be heard.
I own Rondo in my 20-team fantasy league. I agree with you that he can hurt you in specific categories. 57% FT, 10 3PM, 11 BLK last season come to mind. But for the sake of argument, look at some other categories. 48% FG, 87 OREB, 297 REB, 760 AST, 153 STL, 721 PTS. He’s not the perfect fantasy player but he’s very much worth starting at your PG spot. I’ve decided to pair Rondo with the likes of Kevin Martin, Ray Allen and Marcus Thornton in my backcourt. They seem to be the right kind of players to offset Rondo’s few flaws. I especially like pairing Kevin Martin with Rondo. Martin is one of the league’s best at 3PM and FT% (with a high # of attempts) and they both happen to be Rondo weaknesses. Anyways, I like Rondo a lot but there are some better fantasy options. If you can get a good player back for Rondo then it should be considered. If you decide to keep him or trade for him, you’ll be happy to have him.
I agree with you. Rondo does bring stuff to the table and the stuff he brings he brings bunches of. I like Rondo, I just don’t like him for where he typically gets picked at. If you have him he is a surefire keeper. And you have the right guys around him to balance with his shortcomings.
I don’t like having to draft to fit with a guy I take in the first couple rounds, but if you already have the players in place than roll with Rondo.