It’s officially October and NBA regular season action is quickly on its way. Of course, that doesn’t mean there can’t be last-minute action on the trade market. Damian Lillard is now a Buck and paired with Giannis Antetokounmpo, while Jrue Holiday is a member of a loaded Celtics squad. The East remains stacked and more importantly, there are plenty of fantasy ripple effects. That’s why we’re highlighting our Draft Guide’s point guard tiers for the upcoming season.
Our 2023 Rotoworld Fantasy Basketball Draft Guide is loaded with expert analysis, positional tiers, mock drafts, player profiles, rankings for multiple scoring formats, and so much more. It’s the ultimate companion for any fantasy hoops manager looking to enter the year with confidence. With so many tools at your disposal, you’ll be in a great spot no matter where you are in your preparations for what should be a very fun year of hoops.
Get an assist with your draft with the Rotoworld Basketball Draft Guide. Use promo code HOOPS23 at check out and score a 20% discount, a $10 eGift card to Fanatics and free Season Tools with your draft guide.
Everyone loves rankings, but there’s no denying the importance of positional tiers. They provide critical looks at player draft values among their position group. With them, managers can refine their understanding of positional landscapes with projections and detailed outlooks for every player. Today’s preview highlights tiers one, two, three and four. You can see all eight tiers and more for every position in the full Draft Guide.
Let’s dive in!
Tier One
Tyrese Haliburton, IND: Haliburton was rolling until mid-January last season when a knee injury sidelined him for nearly three weeks. Finishing the year as a top 10 fantasy player, the Pacers’ star was limited to 56 games. Haliburton will provide great value; the key is for him to avoid an extended absence due to injury.
Luka Doncic, DAL: Doncic’s biggest concern regarding fantasy value is the turnover count, as he averaged 3.6 per game last season. But the overall production is good enough to make up for the high turnover average.
Stephen Curry, GSW: Curry isn’t the prolific assist man that some other point guards are, but the 3-point shooting makes up for that. He finished last season just outside the top 5 in 9-cat per-game value.
Tier Two
Damian Lillard, MIL: Lillard got his much-desired move to a contender, even if it wasn’t his preferred destination (Miami). In Milwaukee, he’ll be on what projects to be the best roster of his career to date, as he can play off Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, and Brook Lopez. Look for Lillard to remain one of the top point guards in fantasy basketball.
LaMelo Ball, CHA: Many fantasy managers were high on Ball before last season began, but two ankle injuries limited him to 36 games. There may be confusion regarding what the Hornets are doing in other aspects of their rebuild, but Ball is the clear focal point in Charlotte.
Kyrie Irving, DAL: Despite the availability concerns, Irving played 60 games last season and provided first-round per-game value. He has a new deal with the Mavericks; hopefully, this prevents availability from being too big of a concern.
Trae Young, ATL: Young’s turnover issues hurt him in 9-cat formats, which is why he’s in Tier 2 instead of Tier 1. That said, the overall production makes him well worth the risk as an early-round pick.
Tier Three
Fred VanVleet, HOU: VanVleet’s final season in Toronto was an excellent one, as he was a top-25 player in 8- and 9-cat formats. He moved to Houston this summer, where he’ll take on a leading role for the rebuilding Rockets. The overall youth of the roster may nick VanVleet’s value slightly, but there’s no need for concern.
Darius Garland, CLE: Garland and Donovan Mitchell made for a very good pairing in Cleveland last season, and we’re expecting more of the same. DG finished as a 3rd-round player in 8-cat per-game value and a 4th-round player in 9-cat.
Dejounte Murray, ATL: Murray isn’t going to give you fantasy value on par with his final season in San Antonio due to his sharing the court with Trae Young. But the drop-off wasn’t severe, as he was provided top 25 value in totals and top 40 in 9-cat per game.
De’Aaron Fox, SAC: Appearing in 73 games, Fox was a top 30 player in totals and a top 50 player in 9-cat per-game value. The one concern is availability, as last season was the first in which Fox appeared in 65 games or more since 2018-19.
Cade Cunningham, DET: Cunningham was limited to 12 games last season due to a shin injury that ultimately required surgery. He’s healthy now and looked very good as part of the Select Team entrusted with preparing the squad that represented the US at the FIBA World Cup.
Tier Four
Jrue Holiday, BOS: Holiday has been a top 50 fantasy player (per-game value) each of the last six seasons. The only concern is that he hasn’t hit the 70 games played mark since 2017-18, but that hasn’t negatively impacted his value in any format.
Jamal Murray, DEN: In his first season back from a torn ACL, Murray appeared in 65 games and helped lead the Nuggets to their first NBA title. He didn’t represent Canada at the FIBA World Cup for rest/recovery reasons, and the second year back from an ACL tear is when many players have taken off in the past.
Jalen Brunson, NYK: Brunson’s first season in New York went better than even the most optimistic fantasy manager or Knicks fan hoped. He was a top 50 player in per-game and totals, and that shouldn’t change in 2023-24.