Fantasy Basketball Exit Interview: Why it's worth paying up for point guards
With the NBA play-in tournament underway and the actual playoffs starting in a matter of days, it is time to take one last look back at how each position had stacked up against each other from a fantasy perspective across the 2022-2023 regular season.
[2022-23 Exit Interviews: PGs | SGs | SFs | PFs | Cs]
This campaign featured an array of talented point guards making their mark, with five players ending in the top 10 for per-game value. From Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's meteoric rise to Kyle Lowry's gradual decline, landing a high-end point guard early in drafts is a winning formula in fantasy basketball.
Let's dive into the point guard exit interviews.
Tier 1: The Elite
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
The fantasy hoops MVP for the 22-23 season topped the list for point guards in 9-cat formats. The soon-to-be 25-year-old All-Star should be the first PG off the board in drafts for his unique ability to rack up defensive stats with pristine efficiency and cross-categorical upside heading into the 23-24 season.
Tyrese Haliburton
The first-time All-Star joined James Harden as the only player to average at least 20 points with 10 dimes this season. He's a defensive thief, posts stellar shooting splits, and emerged as one of the best young PGs in the league — and fantasy.
Damian Lillard
Whether he's in a rebuild or not, Dame is a certified bucket who returned to superstardom after an injury-plagued 21-22 season. He could compete for the scoring title next season.
Stephen Curry
The Chef ranked in the top 20 in total value despite playing only 56 games this season (yeah, he's still that good). If he can shake the injuries, he will remain one of the best in fantasy.
James Harden
He's averaged over 20 points and 10 assists in six straight seasons and led the league in assists in his 14th NBA season. That's about as consistent as it gets from the PG spot.
Luka Dončić
He's the top player in points leagues but for 9-cat? He's just outside of the top 12. But still, it'll be hard to pass on a player that fills up the stat sheet to the tune of 30/9/8 nightly.
Kyrie Irving
The enigma of the NBA will test free agency, and he has too much talent to pass up outside of the first round. He's a 50/40/90 threat that, when locked in, is a great fantasy player.
Donovan Mitchell
A jersey swap may have been just what Spida needed, as he posted the best fantasy season of his career, finishing 11th in per-game value. Oh, and he dropped 70 points in a game while showing he can thrive alongside three other fantasy ballers in Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen.
Tier 2: On the cusp of elite
LaMelo Ball
Injuries derailed what looked to be a promising campaign for the third-year pro but he finished 34th in per-game value after playing 36 games this season. He'll be healthy to start the 23-24 season and is still an early second-round pick for his upside in points, assists, steals and threes.
Trae Young
Young finished 29th in per-game value while posting his first 20 points and 10 assist campaign. He'll enter elite status if he can cut down on the turnovers and improve his FG% (43% in 22-23 and 43% for his career).
Tier 3: Likely will exceed ADP each season
Jrue Holiday
He's finished no worse than 41st over the past six seasons and is consistently one of the top guards in fantasy.
Jalen Brunson
Mark Cuban can deflect to Rick Brunson all he wants, but not resigning Brunson was the worst decision in franchise history. It's not all bad, though — getting the bag and becoming the franchise PG for the Knicks brought out the best version of Brunson and enhancing his fantasy stock. He had a career year across the board, and it's only up from here.
Fred VanVleet
His future in Toronto is undecided, but after another strong season, he'll undoubtedly be one of the top free agents this summer (if he so chooses). He'll tank your FG% and shines everywhere else — especially in steals, FT percentage and threes.
Darius Garland
There was barely any production drop off with Donovan Mitchell's arrival, and the Cavs formed a very talented young lineup that'll be fantasy gold for years to come. He's a top-40 player with top-20 upside if he can limit the turnovers.
Dejounte Murray
Regression was due after being the focal point of the Spurs' offense. Yet he showed he was more than capable of playing off-ball with Trae Young in his first season in Atlanta. He saw a downtick in rebounds and assists, but the points, steals and efficiency numbers were on par with last year's breakout.
Cade Cunningham
A shin injury cost Cunningham his season before it really took off, but he's a player I'll be looking to buy low on heading into next year.
Typically, Chris Paul would qualify for his steals and assists, but his drop off in scoring (decline in four straight years) caps my desire to target him next season. De'Aaron Fox was spectacular, likely earning the Clutch Award and helping bring the Kings some relevance since the Chris Webber, Jason Williams days. Jamal Murray is another player that will exceed his ADP as he played 65 games this season, and it never hurts being the second option in a Nikola Jokic-led offense.
Tier 4: Solid but best as a second PG option
Ja Morant leads this tier because even though he's one of the best in-game dunkers and showmen, it doesn't always translate to fantasy. He needs to improve his free-throw shooting, turnovers and off-court stuff before I take him in drafts. Tyler Herro is also a bucket, leading the league in FT% and providing a suitable 20/5/5 with limited stocks. Terry Rozier is due for a bounce back after the Hornets had terrible injury luck for much of the season. CJ McCollum admitted he's been playing through a couple of injuries that hampered his game, but it looked like Brandon Ingram and Trey Murphy III took a step forward while he leveled out as a backend PG, closing the year at 87th in per-game value.
Tyrese Maxey is another guy that overcame injury to close out the season strong, pacing to a top-30 rank over the final two months of the season. Saying the Rockets' offense sputtered under Stephen Silas is an understatement, but Kevin Porter Jr. managed to finish 84th, the second-best fantasy player for the Rockets. Let's see if a new coaching regime can build off of his best season to date.
Tre Jones was a beast during the fantasy playoffs and doubled his production from a year ago as the starting PG in San Antonio. He remains a good source of assists in the mid-to-late round, as he and his brother Tyus are among the best guards at protecting the ball. The Blazers shut down Anfernee Simons a little early, but he averaged over 21 points with 4 assists and three triples per contest. He's the second option to Damian Lillard, so volume shouldn't be an issue. Markelle Fultz looked like a franchise PG in the season's final two months, so let's see if he can stay healthy and hold the job going into next season.
Tier 5: Sixth-man candidates
Jordan Poole and Immanuel Quickley benefited from injuries to star players (Steph Curry and Jalen Brunson) and have prominent roles in their respective offenses even when coming off the bench. Malcolm Brogdon and Derrick White settled nicely into their new roles, and depending on Jaylen Browns' situation, those opportunities could expand into next year.
Tier 6: Vets, bench and utility depth
Players like Marcus Smart, D'Angelo Russell, De'Anthony Melton, Spencer Dinwiddie, Mike Conley, Tyus Jones, Monte Morris and Russell Westbrook have secure roles with their respective teams. It's a mixed bag because some endured midseason trades or filled in admirably for starters, but they'll be mid-to-late round picks worthy of drafting in 23-24.
