NBA Draft Strategy: Point Guard Preview/Tiers

The start of the NBA regular season is less than two months away. As we continue to prepare you for your fantasy basketball drafts, let's dive into tiers for the point guard position.

Tier 1

Stephen Curry, Warriors

Curry is showing no signs of slowing down. Last season, the two-time MVP averaged 29.4 points, 6.1 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 4.9 made three-pointers per game. For a player with his three-point shooting volume, the fact that he shot 49.3 percent from the field was especially valuable. Be prepared to use an early first-round pick if you want Curry on your squad.

Luka Doncic, Mavericks

Doncic continued to stuff the stat sheet last season with 32.4 points, 8.6 rebounds, 8.0 assists, 1.4 steals and 2.8 made three-pointers per game. He also shot 49.6 percent from the field while posting a more manageable 3.6 turnovers per game. Doncic's biggest downside in fantasy is that he has never shot higher than 75.8 percent from the free-throw line. That is especially troublesome when you consider he averaged 10.5 free-throw attempts per game last season.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder

Gilgeous-Alexander took his game to another level last season, putting up 31.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 1.6 steals per game. While he took a step back in terms of three-pointers, limiting his attempts from behind the arc enabled him to shoot 51.0 percent from the field. It's also noteworthy that Gilgeous-Alexander played in 68 games, and rest days should continue to be few and far between as the Thunder continue to become more competitive. Gilgeous-Alexander is the centerpiece of the team, leaving him with an extremely high floor this season. 

Tyrese Haliburton, Pacers

Haliburton continues the theme for the top tier. He can stuff the stat sheet in multiple categories, coming off a 2022-23 campaign in which he averaged 20.7 points, 10.4 assists, 1.6 steals and 2.9 made three-pointers per game. He also did it efficiently, shooting 49.0 percent from the field and 87.1 percent from the free-throw line. For those who play in nine-category leagues, he also averaged just 2.5 turnovers. Haliburton is one of the best young guards in the league and should go in the first round of most leagues, if not in the first half of the first round.

Tier 2

Damian Lillard, Trail Blazers

Lillard would be in the top tier if not for his uncertain status after requesting a trade from the Trail Blazers. He has also had some injury issues, appearing in a total of 87 games the last two seasons. When Lillard was on the floor last season, though, he was excellent, averaging 32.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, 7.3 assists and 4.2 made three-pointers per game. He also shot 46.3 percent from the field, showing that his 40.2 percent mark in 2021-22 was a fluke.

LaMelo Ball, Hornets

Ball can record a triple-double whenever he steps onto the court. However, his poor shooting percentage is what keeps him out of the top tier. His shooting percentage has declined each season of his career, bottoming out at 41.1 percent last year. Ball is more valuable in points formats than category leagues.

Trae Young, Hawks

The good news with Young is that he provided 26.2 points per game while averaging a career-high 10.2 assists last season. However, he didn't provide a ton of production on the boards, and his shooting percentage from behind the arc dipped to 33.5 percent. Young has shot 43.8 percent from the field or lower in four of his five seasons in the league, which is the reason why he falls to the second tier.

Darius Garland, Cavaliers

Garland doesn't have the same scoring upside that the likes of Lillard and Young do. However, he has provided 21.7 and 21.6 points per game the last two seasons, respectively. He shot a career-high 41.0 percent from deep last year, which helped him shoot 46.2 percent from the field. After proving that the addition of Donovan Mitchell wouldn't hurt his production, Garland is one of the safer point guards to target in fantasy.

Tier 3

CJ McCollum, Pelicans

McCollum isn't a flashy pick as he enters his 11th season in the league. However, he continues to churn out valuable stat lines, finishing last season with 20.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 2.8 made three-pointers per game. McCollum's points and assists could take a hit if Zion Williamson is able to put together a healthy campaign.

Fred VanVleet, Rockets

After a productive career in Toronto, VanVleet landed a big contract during the offseason with the Rockets. He will be tasked with turning things around for the young team and should have the ball in his hands a ton. While VanVleet should provide plenty of points, assists and three-pointers, his career 40.2 percent shooting from the field is a drag in category leagues.

Cade Cunningham, Pistons

Cunningham appeared in just 12 games last season because of a lower leg injury. He is completely healthy again, evidenced by the fact he was allowed to practice with Team USA ahead of the FIBA World Cup. Cunningham can contribute in multiple categories, but he will need to improve his efficiency to take his fantasy value to the next level.

De'Aaron Fox, Kings

The Kings finally made the playoffs last season and Fox was a big reason why. He became a more efficient player, shooting 51.2 percent from the field and 78.0 percent from the free-throw line. Those were both the best marks of his career. With his improved efficiency, Fox was able to average at least 25 points per game for the second time in his career. As the Kings look to build on their success, Fox will remain a focal point of their scoring attack.

Jalen Brunson, Knicks

A move to the Knicks proved to be fantasy gold for Brunson, who put up 24.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 2.0 made three-pointers per game. His 27.2 percent usage rate was the highest mark of his career, yet he still shot 49.1 percent from the field. The Knicks failed to land a big star during the offseason, so Brunson will continue to be one of the team leaders this season.

Bradley Beal, Suns

Beal goes from the main man on the Wizards to forming a star-studded trio with Devin Booker and Kevin Durant on the Suns. Beal is expected to enter the season as the starting point guard, but it could be close to an even split in terms of ball-handling responsibilities with Booker. As potent as Beal can be in the scoring column, playing alongside Booker and Durant will make it difficult for Beal to finish with a usage rate of at least 29 percent for a fifth straight season.

James Harden, 76ers

The Harden situation is up in the air. He wants to be traded, but the 76ers have reportedly taken him off the market. Based on his history of giving lackluster effort when he wants out of a city, it feels like a move is inevitable. If this situation is resolved as we approach the start of the season, Harden would likely vault into Tier 2.

Tier 4

Kyrie Irving, Mavericks

Irving is risky. Between injuries and off-court situations, he hasn't played in more than 60 games since the 2018-19 season. He can still be productive, evident by his averages of 27.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 3.1 made three-pointers per game last season. However, it's anyone's guess how many games Irving will play in 2023-24.

Ja Morant, Grizzlies

Morant is one of the most talented players in the league, but a 25-game suspension to begin the season puts a major dent in his fantasy value.

Jamal Murray, Nuggets

After sitting out the entire 2021-22 campaign, Murray bounced back to average 20.0 points, 6.2 assists and 2.6 made three-pointers over 65 games last year. The Nuggets won a title and have their sights set on repeating. That could lead to added off days down the stretch for Murray as they look to keep him fresh heading into the playoffs.

Jrue Holiday, Bucks

Holiday is not only one of the best defensive guards in the league, but he is a reliable fantasy contributor. He has averaged at least 17.7 points, 4.5 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.9 made three-pointers in each of his three seasons with the Bucks.

Tier 5

Tyler Herro, Heat

Herro is coming off back-to-back seasons in which he provided at least 20.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.7 made three-pointers per game.

Derrick White, Celtics

With Marcus Smart no longer in town, White will take over as the Celtics' starting point guard. Across 34 games in which he logged at least 30 minutes last season, White averaged 17.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 2.5 made three-pointers.

Tyus Jones, Wizards

Jones is lined up to be the Wizards' starting point guard after backing up Ja Morant in Memphis the last few seasons. For his career, Jones has averaged 12.1 points, 6.9 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.3 made three-pointers over 94 games as a starter.

Russell Westbrook, Clippers

Westbrook returns to a Clippers team that has dealt with injuries to Paul George and Kawhi Leonard the last few years. If either superstar were to miss time again, Westbrook is waiting in the wings to provide plenty of points, rebounds and assists.

Markelle Fultz, Magic

Leading a talented young Magic squad, Fultz basically set career bests across the board last season. Not only did he shoot 51.4 percent from the field, but Fultz averaged only 2.3 turnovers to go along with his 5.7 assists per game.

Tier 6

Spencer Dinwiddie, Nets
Marcus Smart, Grizzlies
Collin Sexton, Jazz
D'Angelo Russell, Lakers
Tre Jones, Spurs
Mike Conley, Timberwolves