Position Primer: Point Guard

Position Primers: PG | SG | SF | PF | C

This is the first in a series of fantasy basketball position primers in preparation for the 2008-09 season. In the five primers, we will examine the statistical production fantasy owners should expect in general from players at each position, discuss a general draft strategy for each, and break down players by tiers.

Average Stats
Note: The stat averages listed below are the combined averages of the top 25 players at the position in season-ending “Rank” from each of the past three seasons.

Naturally, the PG position is comfortably ahead of the others in assists; it is also tops in steals and just behind SG for the highest mark in FT%. The position places last in four categories – FG%, REB, BLK, and TO – but keep in mind that assist-to-turnover ratio is often a better way to look at PG (and other players, for that matter) than by turnovers alone (the position’s AST:TO of 2.59:1 was easily the best).

Draft Strategy
It’s a good rule of thumb to plan on drafting at least three PG – even though you can supplement team assist totals with players at other positions, it’s generally a good idea to carry at least three players with eligibility at the position. Chris Paul will be the first player drafted more often than not – otherwise, you’ll need to spend one of your first two picks to get one of the true elite players at the position. Even if you wait a few rounds, it’s not wise to hold out too long – PG and C are the two positions where runs always occur, and the available talent at the end is always less appealing than at the start.

It’s also a good idea to assess your PG-eligible players as a unit, not as individual players, in order to get a combination that is as complementary as possible. If you are fortunate enough to land Paul then you’ve got some artistic license, given his across-the-board numbers. If you start with a player like Dwyane Wade, you’ll want to concentrate a bit more on assists and threes moving forward. If you draft Deron Williams or Jose Calderon, assists become slightly less of a priority when you are looking at your PG2. And don’t be afraid to fill a UTIL spot sooner than later with your PG3, especially given the position’s tendency to come off the board in clusters at any given point. The late rounds often produce sleeper PG, and this season is no different – early ADP numbers point to players like Ramon Sessions (138.5), Mike Conley (126.8), and Chris Duhon (132.0).

The rankings (below) are based on the nine Yahoo! default categories (FG%, FT%, 3PTM, PTS, REB, AST, STL, BLK, TO), with the general assumption that you are trying to win and/or be competitive in each of the nine categories.

07-08: season-ending Yahoo! rank (default 9-cat cumulative value)
BIAS: Notes when a player’s 9-cat line is more favorable in roto or h2h leagues; if blank, the player’s overall impact is relatively even in both