It’s time to start thinking about next season as you finishing wrapping up this one. For those in keeper leagues that means it’s time to start thinking about who you’re going to keep and who you’re going to cut loose.
I will be giving my keeper rankings for all five positions on the court, but the first one is point guard and it’s a fascinating one. There are a whole lot of questions and whole lot of depth at this position. I couldn’t believe how low I was ranking some guys, but I couldn’t find a way to get them higher either, though I am sure some of you have your own ideas.
Here is the breakdown for the deepest and certainly most intriguing position in basketball for the future:
- Chris Paul – Los Angeles Clippers
- Deron Williams – New Jersey Nets
- Russell Westbrook – Oklahoma City Thunder
- Derrick Rose – Chicago Bulls
- Kyrie Irving – Cleveland Cavaliers
- John Wall – Washington Wizards
- Stephen Curry – Golden State Warriors
- Rajon Rondo – Boston Celtics
- Kyle Lowry – Houston Rockets
- Ty Lawson – Denver Nuggets
- Brandon Jennings – Milwaukee Bucks
- Monta Ellis – Milwaukee Bucks
- Tyreke Evans – Sacramento Kings
- Mike Conley – Memphis Grizzlies
- Ricky Rubio – Minnesota Timberwolves
- Goran Dragic – Houston Rockets
- Jeremy Lin – New York Knicks
- Steve Nash – Phoenix Suns
- Jeff Teague – Atlanta Hawks
- Tony Parker – San Antonio Spurs
- Jrue Holiday – Philadelphia 76ers
- Brandon Knight – Detroit Pistons
- Jarrett Jack – New Orleans Hornets
- Isaiah Thomas – Sacramento Kings
- Ramon Sessions – Los Angeles Lakers
- For me number one was an easy decision, number two not so much. All of the next three guys on this list could be number two and all have number one upside, they just come with questions. Deron Williams is the most reliable and so he gets my nod. But we have no idea where he’s going to be playing next year and that’s a bit scary. Meanwhile Russell Westbrook doesn’t hit many three’s and he lost three assists per game. Derrick Rose’s problems are well charted and after this season he has to be labeled as injury prone. Any of the three could be a fantasy MVP, but I have problems trusting all of them.
- I won’t lie, I love Kyrie Irving, and maybe I am being a bit bullish on him here, but I think he has elite level talent. He might not have quite as high of a ceiling as someone like John Wall or Stephen Curry, but he also doesn’t have as low of a floor. Irving should take a step forward in assists and steals without losing anything in points if not gaining something. Injuries scare me, but I’m all in on him.
- Kyle Lowry and Goran Dragic both have strong keeper value heading into next season because my guess is they won’t be playing on the same team. Either Dragic signs somewhere else or Dragic resigns with the Rockets and Lowry gets dealt somewhere else for the interior piece that the Rockets have been trying to get since last offseason. I like Lowry more, but as soon as Dragic ends up somewhere in which he’ll be starting everyday he’ll move up a bit.
- It is absolutely crazy to see just how deep the point guard position is. Look at the 10 – 12 spots, those are some mighty fine players to be ranked this low. Brandon Jennings and Ty Lawson are emerging superstars, and Jennings in particular took a huge step forward this season. Meanwhile Monta Ellis is as about as reliable as they come for production, it’s just the injury history and new team that have him this low.
- I am a full-fledged, all-in member of the Ricky Rubio fan club. But I just can’t put him any higher than he is on the list when he is coming off an injury like the one he has. There isn’t even a guarantee he is ready for the beginning of next season. Part of me thinks I might be crazy for even having him this high up on the list.
- The New York Knicks savior, aka Jeremy Lin, has all kinds of question marks around him. He has top ten potential, but he also has a lot of holes in his game still which keep him from going any higher on this list than this. Lin is just one of a whole lot of questions surrounding this ultra-talented group of point guards.
- I’m aware that Steve Nash is getting old, but the guy was a top ten point guard, bordering on top five, and he probably still has two good years left in him. Where I have him might almost be too low considering how he can contribute in multiple categories still and he’s an elite assists guy.
- There are some interesting point guard rookies in Brandon Knight, Isaiah Thomas, Iman Sumpert and Kemba Walker. Any of the four could crack the top 25 in fantasy point guards next season, but Knight and Thomas are the most attractive options for me. Knight has shown the potential to be a four category contributor with points, assists, steals and three’s. And he has a chance to be one of the best in three’s. There is a lot of room to grow with Knight and fantasy owners will enjoy watching that growth on their team.
