Draft Strategy: Point Guards in the 2023-24 Fantasy Basketball Drafts

In a shifting landscape of NBA positions, where shooting guards, small forwards, and power forwards exhibit a convergence in size and skill, the point guard position stands out as one of the few that still accommodates a more “traditional” style of play. This characteristic is reminiscent of the center position.

While the league has witnessed an overall increase in assists across various positions, it remains abundantly clear that elite assist production is primarily driven by point guards. In the previous season, an overwhelming majority of the top 12 assist percentage leaders, 11 out of 12, were classified as point guards, according to Basketball Reference. The sole exception to this trend was Nikola Jokić. Steals, another impactful statistic, also lean towards point guards, albeit not as decisively. Last season, eight out of the top 15 steal percentage leaders were point guards. Therefore, if your fantasy basketball league includes head-to-head category scoring and you aim to excel in the assist and steal categories, focusing on point guards during your draft is a prudent strategy.

However, even in points leagues or roto leagues, a point-guard-heavy strategy can yield substantial benefits for two key reasons:

1. Scaleable Usage: Consider this scenario—when injuries befall teammates, where does their usage typically go? Often, it gravitates towards the point guard, who tends to have the ball in their hands during possessions that don’t end successfully. These possessions are more likely to falter when talented teammates are sidelined.

2. Direct Backups: When a wing player sustains an injury, teams usually have multiple players who can step in and absorb extra minutes. Conversely, when a point guard is sidelined, the replacement is usually a single player who steps into this crucial role. Therefore, strategically targeting reserve point guards can yield significant dividends if the starter encounters an injury setback, although this approach is often more applicable to deeper leagues. Notable examples of such backup point guards include Immanuel Quickley and De’Anthony Melton.

In the realm of fantasy basketball, a well-crafted point guard strategy is poised to be a game-changer for your team’s success in the 2023-24 season.”