The point guard. The most important position on your team. Well, maybe that’s debatable, but it’s how I look at it! PG are strewn all over my top 40 in the overall top 200 for 2014-15 Fantasy Basketball, so I’m probably ending up with at least two in my first four rounds. A pair of points for the piper! Yeah, I’m as confused as you with that… And by popular demand, I’ve broken down the PG into tiers (PG as determined by Yahoo position eligibility since 2014-15 RCL Basketball is on Yahoo), along with my mini-blurb and Slim’s projection. Here’s the top PG for the 2014-15 Fantasy Basketball season:
The “Four Horsemen of the aPGalypse” Tier:
| PG RANK | TOTAL RANK | PLAYER, TEAM | POS | NOTE |
| 1 | 3 | Stephen Curry, GSW | PG, SG | Steady as she blows, big threes and big dimes, with a vault in the latter in 13-14. Kerr as the new coach shouldn’t change anything and Curry still has ThrAGNOF king Klay Thompson to camp for treys. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .465/.900/3.5/24.0/4.1/8.7/1.7/0.2/3.6 :38 | |||
| 2 | 5 | Chris Paul, LAC | PG | Should have no problem leading in APG yet again in 14-15, after lapping the field by nearly two dimes a game in 13-14. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .460/.860/1.2/18.0/4.1/10.6/2.3/0.1/2.2:36 | |||
| 3 | 9 | John Wall, WAS | PG | Led NBA in total assists, played 82 games, and still young and developing with Beal. Hopefully the slight signs of wear down last year (dare I say, he hit a wall?) we be overcome. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .440/.810/1.3/20.5/4.1/9.2/1.8/0.7/3.6 :38 | |||
| 4 | 10 | Russell Westbrook, OKC | PG | A rough 13-14 season with injuries and TOs, he developed a career-best perimeter game and I think a healthy season will reap 10th overall value. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .440/.820/1.4/23.0/5.2/7.2/1.8/0.2/3.8 :34 |
The “Oh Crap, Everyone is Drafting PG and I Better Get One More!” Tier:
| PG RANK | TOTAL RANK | PLAYER, TEAM | POS | NOTE |
| 5 | 19 | Damian Lillard, POR | PG | Opening the run on PGs, Lillard gives you elite 3s/FT%/consistency. Should be third straight season of solid-ness. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .430/.870/2.8/22.0/3.5/6.5/1.0/0.2/2.4 :36 | |||
| 6 | 20 | Goran Dragic, PHO | PG, SG | One of my big crushes this year, the FG% from a PG is elite. I see dimes going up and an even better follow-up after his 13-14 breakout. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .480/.770/1.4/18.0/3.1/6.2/1.4/0.3/2.7 :34 | |||
| 7 | 21 | Kyrie Irving, CLE | PG, SG | It’s all postulation, but I think Kyrie can surprise with ratios, get more assists than most (Slim!) expects, but at the expense of a few points. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .440/.860/1.6/18.0/3.4/5.2/1.5/0.3/2.4 :34 | |||
| 8 | 23 | Rajon Rondo, BOS | PG | There’s a lot of risk in his first healthy year in Brad Stevens’ system, but the development of a perimeter game and upside for 11 assists make him a great high-upside grab. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .445/.630/0.7/12.0/5.3/9.6/1.5/0.1/3.2 :32 | |||
| 9 | 24 | Kyle Lowry, TOR | PG | A monster breakout last year, I think he can do it again, injury-risk after career-long issue still a big concern. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .420/.800/2.1/17.0/4.4/7.2/1.5/0.2/2.4 :34 | |||
| 10 | 25 | Ty Lawson, DEN | PG | Chock full of dimebags like a true Denver dispensary! |
| Slim’s Proj: | .440/.790/1.2/18.0/3.4/8.8/1.5/0.2/3.2 :36 | |||
| 11 | 26 | Michael Carter-Williams, PHI | PG | I’m all-in, elite rebounds from a guard, shot better from the field post-ASB, immense upside. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .410/.710/1.0/18.0/6.4/6.7/2.0/0.7/3.6 :36 | |||
| 12 | 30 | Ricky Rubio, MIN | PG | The offense continues to be muy mal, but another elite ast/stl season is worth the price of admission. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .390/.800/0.8/12.0/4.2/8.9/2.4/0.1/3.0 :34 | |||
| 13 | 31 | Mike Conley, MEM | PG | Is the anti-Rubio, safer on all fronts, but without the category-killing upside. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .450/.820/1.4/17.0/2.8/6.1/1.7/0.2/2.1 :34 | |||
| 14 | 35 | Victor Oladipo, ORL | PG, SG | I’m hoping to get RainbOladipo on all of my teams – Orlando has cleared out the annoying G vets and given him the keys. Lost 20 pounds and is ready for a big breakout. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .440/.790/1.2/17.5/4.7/4.8/1.8/0.6/3.2 :34 | |||
| 15 | 37 | Jrue Holiday, NOP | PG | The Pelicans are turning into a really interesting team if they can stay healthy, with Jrue the true PG running the show. December slash of 16.3/4.6/9/1.4/0.4 while finally gelling with the offense pre-injury shows you the upside. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .440/.780/1.0/15.0/4.2/7.8/1.6/0.4/3.3 :34 | |||
| 16 | 38 | Kemba Walker, CHA | PG | Late-January ankle sprain lingered through the end of the season, improving AST:TO ratio while shooting tremendously pre-injury could make a draft day steal. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .410/.820/1.6/18.0/4.2/6.4/1.4/0.4/2.4 :36 | |||
| 17 | 39 | Monta Ellis, DAL | PG, SG | A rock-solid safety pick, and he should have no problem duplicating 13-14 with maybe even a tad more upside with Dallas’ downgrade at PG. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .440/775/0.8/19.0/3.7/5.9/1.5/0.2/3.1 :36 |
The “Mostly Old, All Injury-Prone, PG I’m Not Drafting This Year” Tier:
| PG RANK | TOTAL RANK | PLAYER, TEAM | POS | NOTE |
| 18 | 44 | Eric Bledsoe, PHX | PG, SG | I expect to be one of the lowest rankers on E Bled, finished only 52nd in per-game last year, contract dispute seems annoying, injury-risk still there, turned the ball over way too much in his first season as a full-time starter. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .465/.780/1.2/17.5/4.8/5.6/1.6/0.4/3.4 :34 | |||
| 19 | 45 | Kobe Bryant, LAL | PG, SG | Incredibly polarizing – upside is huge, downside is he gets hurt again early on. I feel good with the risk here. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .430/.840/1.3/19.0/4.6/5.0/1.1/0.2/2.0 :34 | |||
| 20 | 46 | Derrick Rose, CHI | PG | I’m likely passing on D-Rose in all leagues, I think he’s lost too much with the knee injuries and I don’t like the risk. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .420/.820/1.6/18.0/3.2/6.3/0.8/0.4/3.4 :32 | |||
| 21 | 56 | Deron Williams, BKN | PG | Minutes will be down again and injuries always seem to derail him, but still has some upside. Worth the gamble on his ankles at this point. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .440/.810/1.4/15.0/2.6/6.6/1.1/0.2/2.5 :32 |
The “OK, Time to Start Reaching for the PG I Like” Tier:
| PG RANK | TOTAL RANK | PLAYER, TEAM | POS | NOTE |
| 22 | 63 | Jose Calderon, NYK | PG | I’m buying a decent Ast resurgence in the triangle O, with similar 3s output and low TOs. Was a surprising value last year. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .450/.840/2.3/11.0/2.4/6.1/0.9/0.1/1.6 :32 | |||
| 23 | 64 | Darren Collison, SAC | PG | McCallum looms, but they gave Colly starting money and he’ll have the keys. Should facilitate well with low TOs. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .460/.840/1.3/14.0/2.8/5.9/1.4/0.2/2.1 :34 | |||
| 24 | 65 | Jeff Teague, ATL | PG | Was so brutal in January last year, I’m worried by his streakiness. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .455/.840/1.0/17.0/2.7/6.6/1.3/0.3/2.8 :34 | |||
| 25 | 66 | Brandon Knight, MIL | PG, SG | Numbers were stellar once he was fully back from the early hammy issues, playmakers like Parker and Giannis along with Kidd at the helm give him further breakout upside. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .425/.790/1.6/19.0/3.6/5.1/1.0/0.2/2.7 :34 |
The “Even Older Injury-Prone PG I’m Avoiding and Poor Ol’ IT2” Tier:
| PG RANK | TOTAL RANK | PLAYER, TEAM | POS | NOTE |
| 26 | 69 | Tony Parker, SAS | PG | DNPs, injuries, minutes restrictions, oh my! Wicked witch of the Alamo… |
| Slim’s Proj: | .490/.810/0.4/16.0/2.3/5.8/0.6/0.1/2.2 :30 | |||
| 27 | 70 | Dwyane Wade, MIA | PG, SG | DNPs, injuries, minutes restrictions, oh my! Wicked witch of having bad knees… |
| Slim’s Proj: | .495/.740/0.3/20.0/4.5/4.8/1.4/0.5/2.9 :32 | |||
| 28 | 78 | Isaiah Thomas, PHO | PG | I thought IT2 was going to be an interesting sleeper, but he’s getting ranked obscenely high. I don’t think he’s ever the facilitator with Dragic or Bledsoe, and the dimes drop way off. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .450/.850/1.5/16.0/2.4/5.3/1.0/0.1/2.4 :28 |
The “Getting into the Final Rounds Mishmash Of JB’s Sleepers, a Few Avoids, and Value Picks” Tier:
| PG RANK | TOTAL RANK | PLAYER, TEAM | POS | NOTE |
| 29 | 87 | Jeremy Lin, LAL | PG, SG | Low-upside, but Kobe to take the pressure off and a change of scenery could make him sneaky value. Don’t discount those steals! |
| Slim’s Proj: | .440/.790/1.2/14.0/2.8/6.2/1.3/0.4/2.7 :30 | |||
| 30 | 88 | George Hill, IND | PG, SG | Again low-upside, but could get back to 12-13 numbers with Paul George being out. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .440/.800/1.3/12.0/3.7/4.4/1.0/0.3/1.5 :32 | |||
| 31 | 89 | Elfird Payton, ORL | PG | Much higher upside and could flirt with numerous trip-dubs, but is a horrible FT shooter for a PG and turns the ball over way too much. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .475/.650/0.5/11.0/5.7/6.9/1.6/0.4/3.2 :32 | |||
| 32 | 94 | Patrick Beverley, HOU | PG, SG | More minutes with Lin gone, his metric-friendly 3s/low TOs should carry over with good steals. Nothing too exciting, but value will add up. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .430/.810/1.8/12.5/3.8/3.1/1.5/0.5/1.4 :34 | |||
| 33 | 97 | Reggie Jackson, OKC | PG, SG | Solid as a starter last year, and while most of those starts were without Westbrook, sheer volume of minutes as the probable starting 2 should add up nice numbers. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .450/.880/1.2/14.5/4.4/4.6/1.2/0.2/2.0 :30 | |||
| 34 | 100 | Alec Burks, UTA | PG, SG | Upside and opportunity, he could be a very sneaky late source of points. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .460/.760/0.8/16.5/3.8/3.0/1.1/0.3/2.1 :32 | |||
| 35 | 107 | Brandon Jennings, DET | PG | Horrific last year, and Stan Van emphasizing rotations and defense isn’t going to help. But still upside; he’s a talented player. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .390/.780/1.8/15.0/2.9/7.4/1.3/0.1/2.6 :32 | |||
| 36 | 112 | Rodney Stuckey, IND | PG, SG | George Hill isn’t a passer and Stuckey might be the main offensive catalyst. While on an offensively-challenged team, still think he can surprise. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .425/.830/0.5/15.5/3.2/3.8/0.9/0.2/2.1 :32 | |||
| 37 | 115 | Jameer Nelson, DAL | PG | Best fit of the 3 Mavericks PGs since he can hit treys. I see him surprising this year as an old vet sleeper. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .410/.830/2.1/11.0/3.2/5.8/0.7/0.1/2.1 :30 | |||
| 38 | 120 | Jamal Crawford, LAC | PG, SG | Spiked in dimes while CP3 was hurt, minutes and points to regress and late nagging injuries last year scare me. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .410/.870/2.0/16.0/1.9/2.7/0.8/0.1/1.8 :28 | |||
| 39 | 122 | Mario Chalmers, MIA | PG | Sure there’s some upside with LeBron now gone, but I’m not that enthusiastic. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .440/.770/1.7/11.5/3.2/5.6/1.7/0.2/2.4 :32 |
The “Throw a Blind Dart and Hope to Hit a Bullseye, Along with Deep-League Value Picks” Tier:
| PG RANK | TOTAL RANK | PLAYER, TEAM | POS | NOTE |
| 40 | 129 | Trey Burke, UTA | PG | Anemic steals, horrible FG%, but is the last big minute PG on the board if you need some upside. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .400/.870/1.7/13.5/3.1/5.9/0.8/0.1/2.0 :32 | |||
| 41 | 137 | Tony Wroten, PHI | PG | In 16 starts put up 17.8/4.4/5.2/1.2/0.4, but lots of TO and the worst FT shooting G in the NBA. Might get a shot to start at the 2 which makes him interesting. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .430/.660/0.7/13.5/3.4/3.2/1.1/0.2/2.8 :26 | |||
| 42 | 139 | Kendall Marshall, MIL | PG | Upside limited to dimes, but at least it’s a tough to find cat especially this late. Will move up if he’s given the starting gig. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .410/.680/0.9/7.5/2.1/6.4/0.7/0.1/2.0 :24 | |||
| 43 | 143 | Dante Exum, UTA | PG | Minutes are there for the taking, but he’s so so raw. Already feeling iffy having him even this high. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .400/.720/0.6/8.5/2.4/2.9/0.8/0.1/1.7 :24 | |||
| 44 | 144 | Avery Bradley, BOS | PG, SG | Brings you some scoring and out-of-position boards, but not too much upside. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .440/.790/1.6/15.5/3.7/1.6/1.1/0.1/1.8 :32 | |||
| 45 | 153 | Jarrett Jack, BKN | PG, SG | Will fill in admirably in the Shaun Livingston role, doing nothing exceptional but being useful. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .430/.840/0.9/11.5/3.1/4.3/0.7/0.2/1.8 :30 | |||
| 46 | 163 | C.J. McCollum, POR | PG, SG | Really if he was anywhere else he could be a major sleeper, still should see productive minutes as main backup G. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .440/.810/1.6/13.5/3.6/2.7/1.2/0.2/1.9 :26 | |||
| 47 | 165 | Cory Joseph, SAS | PG | Another sleeper pick due to lack of roster depth, Patty Mills is coming off rotator cuff surgery and Tony Parker is always hurt. Could leave Joseph with a lot more minutes than people expect. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .460/.820/0.4/8.5/2.7/2.9/1.0/0.3/1.1 :20 | |||
| 48 | 166 | D.J. Augustin, DET | PG | So much more efficient than Brandon Jennings, Stan Van emphasizing rotations should give him solid run. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .415/.880/1.3/10.5/1.7/3.9/0.7/0.1/1.6 :24 | |||
| 49 | 177 | Shaun Livingston, GSW | PG, SG | Toe surgery to keep him out right until opening tip, but big PG/SG backup minutes await with no one else there. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .470/.820/0/7.5/2.6/3.1/0.8/0.3/1.2 :20 | |||
| 50 | 178 | Marcus Smart, BOS | PG | With Rondo still there, upside is bleak but could get extended run in the 2nd half. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .410/.760/1.1/11.0/4.1/3.2/1.2/0.3/1.8 :26 | |||
| 51 | 180 | Randy Foye, DEN | PG, SG | Had a huge year last year, but a greatly reduced role behind Lawson and Afflalo in 14-15. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .410/.850/1.3/10.0/2.1/2.5/0.6/0.2/1.2 :22 | |||
| 52 | 183 | Ray McCallum, SAC | PG | Collison is a guy I like, but Ray MAc could push for decent minutes after his huge April last year. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .390/.750/0.6/7.0/1.9/2.8/0.6/0.2/1.0 :20 | |||
| 53 | 195 | O.J. Mayo, MIL | PG, SG | Not touching him in any leagues, going to really struggle for minutes. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .410/.820/1.3/10.0/2.2/2.0/0.5/0.2/1.5 :20 | |||
| 54 | 196 | Zack LaVine, MIN | PG | Deserving of the upside play for the 2nd half prospects, likely to have no consistency early on. May get some experience with some extended run post-ASB. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .390/.800/0.3/5.0/1.2/1.0/0.3/0.1/0.8 :12 |
Man, it thins out quick! And the sleeper upside is so small for the late round guys that I think you gotta load up on the big names. 17 PG in the top 39 of my ranks really solidifies that I’m getting two points early. MCW who I have way above the consensus is likely to be one of them as my PG2. I hope you like how we did the position breakdown this year, as always shoot your thoughts below and happy PG hunting!
