Point Guard
Rank | Player | Team | # Games | Analysis |
1 | Russell Westbrook | OKC | 3 | Even when Westbrook and Harden have three games, they are that much more productive overall and are very deserving of the top spots. |
2 | James Harden | HOU | 3 | Another all-around top producer who gets respect for being on a team with a ton of scoring options. He still eats as much as he does in games and that says something. |
3 | John Wall | WSH | 4 | The Wizards need to pray that Wall does not run out of gas when Playoff time rolls around. Wall is the glue of the offense and can count on double-digit Assists just as much as scoring. |
4 | Chris Paul | LAC | 4 | Paul has not looked back since returning from injury and he alone has been able to keep the Clippers producing at a high level offensively. |
5 | Damian Lillard | POR | 4 | Lillard does not have the fifth game, but when one of the most lethal scoring guards has a full slate and his frontcourt cannot score, expect him to feast as always. |
6 | Stephen Curry | GSW | 3 | Curry does not have the full slate, but is the Warriors top scoring option and will have the most time with the ball while Durant is out. |
7 | Kyrie Irving | CLE | 4 | Irving is an excellent driver and can hit the knock down three-ball, but fatigue is always a factor late in games, and may be rest a bit down the stretch. |
8 | Isaiah Thomas | BOS | 3 | Thomas continues his high level of production as the Celtics can shoot any team's lights out and Thomas not only scores off of single screens, but he is excellent at finding the cutter inside. |
9 | Mike Conley | MEM | 4 | Conley has been encouraging pace while on the floor and has been looking to drive a lot more in the second half of the season. He remains one of the best at creeping through screens. |
10 | Kemba Walker | CHA | 3 | Walker does not have the fourth game but owners can always expect him to feast due to lack of a healthy frontcourt. They NEED him to shoot a ton and he runs point most games every game. |
11 | Jrue Holiday | NO | 4 | Holiday can be frozen out at times because both of the Pelicans highly skilled big men like to shoot from the elbow and perimeter, but when they post up, it allows Holiday room to create. |
12 | Eric Bledsoe | PHX | 3 | Even though he has been a bit banged up, the Suns inside scoring is a learning process because they lack consistency and Bledsoe's scoring and driving are needed and he controls the pace. |
13 | Ricky Rubio | MIN | 4 | Since the year turned, 2017 has been kind to Rubio. Better shots, better driving, less risky cross-court passes. He has filled in for the injured Zach LaVine nicely on the scoring front. |
14 | George Hill | UT | 4 | Hill has had a bit of toe injury he has been dealing with and the pain changes each day, so he can be held out a game this week. Be careful. |
15 | Dennis Schroder | ATL | 3 | Schroder needs to continue focusing on keeping the turnovers down as he is learning his craft. There will be a decent amount of plays that is all him and he won't even attempt passing. |
16 | Goran Dragic | MIA | 3 | Dragic has an eye injury with blurry vision that he is dealing with. The Heat have a couple of days off and if he can't see, he may be held out additional games. |
17 | Jeff Teague | IND | 3 | Teague remains the 1A scoring option on the Pacers as he has shown that he is not afraid to pull-up from right inside the key and the Pacers back off and let him create. All health signs are good. |
18 | D'Angelo Russell | LAL | 4 | Russell is learning the ins and out of driving to the rack and how to attack without getting plays broken up. He is a lot more patient at reading screens and he has been taking way better shots. |
19 | Jeremy Lin | BKN | 4 | Lin is picking up playing time and because the Nets are a mess, his shooting and driving will be most crucial as he has been excellent at nailing the knockdown three. He also sets up Lopez well. |
20 | Reggie Jackson | DET | 4 | Jackson continues to hang on to as much playing time as possible and his decision-making has been a bit better in the last week, but he is still on a short leash and could lose shots and PT. |
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Shooting Guard
Rank | Player | Team | # Games | Analysis |
1 | DeMar DeRozan | TOR | 4 | DeRozan returns to the top spot with a full slate and especially no Kyle Lowry. |
2 | Gordon Hayward | UT | 4 | Hayward continues to be the Jazz top shooting option and he always looks to power his way through the lane first. He has been excellent at curling off the screen and shooting quicker. |
3 | C.J. McCollum | POR | 4 | McCollum still has the full slate and as many shots as he wants lined up because outside of Lillard, there is no consistency when it comes to the Blazers offense. |
4 | Bradley Beal | WSH | 4 | Beal continues to play well and serve as the open cross-court option when Wall's drives are stalled. Instead of hanging out by the key, Beal's cuts have been fantastic. |
5 | Nicolas Batum | CHA | 3 | Batum is still a major scoring and rebounding help on a team that lacks a healthy frontcourt, but moves down a bit because of lack of full slate. His outside shooting remains consistent. |
6 | Dwyane Wade | CHI | 4 | The reason Batum is over Wade is because noone likes resting more than Wade. Wade has been Mr. Mid-Range this season and even though he has had success, he likes RESTING. |
7 | Klay Thompson | GSW | 3 | Thompson has to play a bit differently with Durant out and has to spend more time at the key rather than looking to cut. He is a pure shooter, but scoring will not come as easy until Durant returns. |
8 | Khris Middleton | MIL | 4 | Middleton has been getting a ton of playing time and as expected, he has become the Greek Freak's secondary scoring option. His drives have been better and is playing more aggresively. |
9 | Wesley Matthews | DAL | 4 | Matthews moves up due to consistent elbow scoring and with the Mavs lacking inside weapons, Matthews will have to take advantage of match ups against smaller defenders and post high side. |
10 | Avery Bradley | BOS | 3 | Bradley looks to be recovering nicely and will continue to spend more time setting screens until he can handle more shots, but expect teams to lay off Bradley a bit and he should find openings. |
11 | Kentavious Caldwell-Pope | DET | 4 | KCP's shooting will need to be relied on a bit more as Jackson is hanging on by a thread when it comes to playing time. KCP will also stay right outside of the lane until the possesion ends. |
12 | Patrick Beverley | HOU | 3 | Beverley continues to be a nice change of pace option for the Rockets and he attacks the rim hard, can pull-up for a jumper on the break and he has been an effective defender. |
13 | Devin Booker | PHX | 3 | Booker is the OTHER consistent scoring weapon on the Suns and just like in Portland with McCollum, same rules apply for Booker as the shots will always be there. |
14 | Victor Oladipo | OKC | 3 | Oladipo is over his back injury and returns to being the scoring dependant secondary weapon on the Thunder. When Oladipo gets hot, Westbrook will feed him a bit more. |
15 | Seth Curry | DAL | 4 | Curry has been a quick driving option for the Mavs and like his Brother, he can hit turn around jumpers and does not need a lot of room to create. Curry gets a ton of playing time. |
16 | Sean Kilpatrick | BKN | 4 | Kilpatrick's playing in both guard spots will be needed. Kilpatrick is not afraid to drive the lane and due to lack of other scoring weapons, he will continue to get a lot of shots. |
17 | Dion Waiters | MIA | 3 | Waiters holds the balance of his playing time in his hands because the Heat have a lot of scoring weapons and he will help only a little on the glass and if the shots aren't falling, he will be benched. |
18 | Eric Gordon | HOU | 3 | Gordon continues to find openings as he is now the J.J. Redick of the team. Gordon's job is to only drive when open and knockdown three-pointers when open. |
19 | Lou Williams | HOU | 3 | Williams has more of the PG role when Harden plays off the ball or even out of the game. Williams is an excellent creator from the corner and will cut back-door when the ball is at the key. |
20 | Tyler Johnson | MIA | 3 | Johnson is an off the bench scorer with driving ability and will need to keep playing for contact if he wants to stick out and get more playing time down the stretch. |
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Small Forward
Rank | Player | Team | # Games | Analysis |
1 | LeBron James | CLE | 4 | King James remains on top of the rankings with the full slate and as much as people want to see him lose some ability, he only gets better with age. |
2 | Giannis Antetokounmpo | MIL | 4 | Even though Middleton is healthy, the Bucks lack a true frontcourt presence and that is where Antetokounmpo's driving will be a huge benefit and he will use it more. |
3 | Jimmy Butler | CHI | 4 | Unlike Wade, Butler will played every game even when banged up and the Bulls do not have as many scoring options to rely on and he will have a ton of time with the ball. |
4 | Kawhi Leonard | SAS | 4 | Still in the league Concussion protocol and is Questionable to play Monday night. |
5 | Paul George | IND | 3 | Even with the three games, George produces from all over the court and remains one of the best defenders in the league and he will never lose playing time. He just passes on shots. |
6 | Otto Porter | WSH | 4 | Porter continues to be an effective wing player on both sides of the ball. He shuts down on the wing defensively and scores mainly from that area on offense. |
7 | Andrew Wiggins | MIN | 4 | Wiggins will continue to have all of the shots in the world with LaVine out and he will need to continue to rely on his drive to find openings. He will crash the boards from time to time. |
8 | Harrison Barnes | DAL | 4 | Barnes has been excellent at keeping the offense balanced. He will lineup at different parts of the court on offense and shows his range nicely without forcing up too many shots. |
9 | Tobias Harris | DET | 4 | Harris continues controlling the wing nicely on offense and will always look to attack the rim first and just like Marcus Morris, he transitions nicely into post-play and Drummond is limited on offense. |
10 | Danilo Gallinari | DEN | 3 | Gallinari is fully healthy and with Wilson Chandler a bit banged up, he will likely get more shots and chances to drive. Even though he stays at the key, he needs to use his size a bit more to get in. |
11 | Jae Crowder | BOS | 3 | Crowder is an all post player who will try to get a quick step inside to score or draw contact. He will look to pass the second another defender comes in sight to avoid getting trapped. |
12 | Trevor Ariza | HOU | 3 | Ariza remains an excellent perimeter defender and due to all of the scoring and driving weapons, he can remain at the key to be fed open three's. |
13 | Rodney Hood | UT | 4 | With the Jazz inside game a bit banged up, expect Hood to get a lot more shots and he will find himself open at the top of the key. Hood will fake his defender out and drive too. |
14 | Moe Harkless | POR | 4 | Harkless continues to remain an offensive weapon by default and will look to create from the elbow. He can hit a mid-range jumper, but he will pass off a lot and keep the ball moving. |
15 | Robert Covington | PHI | 4 | Knee issues, questionable for Tuesday |
16 | Wilson Chandler | DEN | 3 | Groin Strain, Questionable for Monday |
17 | James Johnson | MIA | 3 | Johnson continues to be a big inside weapon for the Heat and has been a good driver and post player. On defense he does not let anyone through and he is hard to push around in the lane. |
18 | Evan Fournier | ORL | 3 | Fournier continues to be the top shooting weapon on the Magic and he takes some terrible shots but by default due to lack of consistency of others, he will have a lot of time with the ball. |
19 | Carmelo Anthony | NY | 2 | We all know what 'Melo can do, but he moves way down the rankings due to the short slate. |
20 | Ersan Ilyasova | ATL | 3 | Ilyasova has a tougher time getting shots or time with the ball due to all of the elbow players the Hawks have. His defense will save his playing time down the stretch. |
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Power Forward
Rank | Player | Team | # Games | Analysis |
1 | Anthony Davis | NO | 4 | Davis remains far more productive than other players at his position and thus remains at the top of the rankings. |
2 | Blake Griffin | LAC | 4 | Because of how limited DeAndre Jordan is, Griffin gets more time with the ball and has been dominant from the post and will rebound consistently. |
3 | Nikola Jokic | DEN | 3 | Jokic has been excellent and is able to move around nicely all over the court. He attacks the rim hard and takes a lot of contact and he is a hound on the glass. |
4 | Draymond Green | GSW | 3 | Green, as always, will need to play multiple positions at once and will see more plays on offense with Durant on the sidelines, but he is mainly a rebounder and blocker. |
5 | Paul Millsap | ATL | 3 | Millsap continues to be dominant on the offensive end. He will shoot off screens and create from the elbow. He has good moves to the middle of the paint that give him more chances to score. |
6 | Serge Ibaka | TOR | 4 | Ibaka will continue to benefit with more shots on offense with Lowry out and he continues to shoot perimeter jumpers and it is hard to get around him on the defensive end. |
7 | Julius Randle | LAL | 4 | Randle has improved his drive and has been hard to stop in the post. He is good at positioning himself right under the basket and helps the Lakers get secondary scoring opportunities. |
8 | Dirk Nowitzki | DAL | 4 | Nowitzki seems over his health issues from earlier in the season as his scoring has picked up a ton. Expect long-range shooting and rebounding right inside as Dirk has said he is not done yet. |
9 | Markieff Morris | WSH | 4 | Morris continues showing off his new-found mid-range game and he is always able to get himself open because of how often Wall drives to the rack and all of the attention he requires. |
10 | Zach Randolph | MEM | 4 | Randolph continues to be fierce on the glass and he can always create from the elbow. Randolph's shot release is quick for a big man, and it is hard to defend and does not need a lot of air in his jump. |
11 | Trevor Booker | BKN | 4 | Booker continues to be a hound on the glass and nobody else has really been there to help him on the boards. He feasts on second chance scoring. |
12 | Gorgui Dieng | MIN | 4 | Because Towns is such a mobile big man, Dieng often stays right outside the paint until the shot is put up and he crashes the boards hard and it is hard boxing him out. |
13 | Greg Monroe | MIL | 4 | Monroe is a volume player at best because we never know how often he will play into games. He has double-double potential each game, but will look lost in some games and be ineffective. |
14 | Marcus Morris | DET | 4 | As mentioned in Tobias Harris' post, both the Pistons wings are good at transitioning to backing down their defender and both have quick moves in the post. I trust Morris elbow jumper a bit more. |
15 | Al-Farouq Aminu | POR | 4 | Aminu is not a huge scoring threat, but will often look to cut or drive to the basket and that's more than most of the other Blazers will do to try to break defenses and he is a reliable rebounder. |
16 | JaMychal Green | MEM | 4 | Green is another volume player and can move a bit quicker than Randolph and will look to attack on the ball a bit more, but he is still growing and will be careless with the ball inside. |
17 | Jon Leuer | DET | 4 | Leuer has proven that when healthy he can get involved in the offense and he has a good turnaround jumper and he will immediately crash the boards as well. He has carved out playing time. |
18 | Marvin Williams | CHA | 3 | Williams has proven that he can create from the elbow and he will look to cut to the low post and draw contact. His jumps are well timed and he will draw a ton of contact. |
19 | Ryan Anderson | HOU | 3 | Anderson is excellent at drawing out the defender as he is most effective from the perimeter, but, he is known to fake out the often slower, bigger defender and drive the open lane. |
20 | Kristaps Porzingis | NY | 2 | Porzingis would obviously be higher in the rankings, but the Knicks are the only team with the short slate this week. |
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Center
Rank | Player | Team | # Games | Analysis |
1 | DeMarcus Cousins | NO | 4 | Boogie is at the top of the heap, but for how long? Will Anthony Davis feed into his shots? Will their be drama? It's Boogie, all-around Producer and an equally all-around Headcase. |
2 | Karl-Anthony Towns | MIN | 4 | Towns could un-seed Boogie as the Top default option when the top options have full slates and why not? Like Boogie, he's an all-around weapon on both sides of the ball with shooting range. |
3 | Andre Drummond | DET | 4 | Drummond is a very good defender and might be the hardest player to box out of the paint. Teams will often look to send Drummond to the line and he is not known for his offense. VERY LIMITED. |
4 | DeAndre Jordan | LAC | 4 | Jordan is another player not known for his offense, but with Paul in, double-digit scoring can be expected. When it comes to rebounding, Jordan has been a top dog in recent years and blocks too. |
5 | Rudy Gobert | UT | 4 | Gobert is having a bit of leg soreness from a collision and is having an MRI on it. Right now he is questionable for Monday. |
6 | Marc Gasol | MEM | 4 | Gasol has been effective as ever and as good of a shooter he is from the outside, he has been an effective inside player and is also hard to box out of the paint. |
7 | Hassan Whiteside | MIA | 3 | Whiteside moves down a bit due to the lack of fourth game, but he has transformed the Heat into a defensive powerhouse and attacks the rim as hard as any Center. |
8 | Brook Lopez | BKN | 4 | Lopez does not like attacking the rim, but he may be the best shooting Center in the game. Problem is, he doesn't attack the paint on defense either. |
9 | Dwight Howard | ATL | 3 | Howard has been working a lot harder for positioning this season, but still is limited to only an inside game and could be suspect from the free-throw line. Always expect rebounds and blocks. |
10 | Marcin Gortat | WSH | 4 | Gortat has been cutting more and is working hard for rebounding, but it is hard to determine how much he will be involved in the Wizards offensive scheme. He is fifth on the scoring depth chart. |
11 | Nikola Vucevic | ORL | 3 | Vucevic continues to be the Magic's best two-way inside weapon and he will always get fed. He is good for scoring, rebounding and has excellent footwork in the post. |
12 | Pau Gasol | SAS | 4 | With LaMarcus Aldridge out for who knows how long with a Heart ailment, Gasol will pick up a ton more plays on offense and will need to set the high screen and imediately post up inside. |
13 | Al Horford | BOS | 3 | Horford continues to be very effective from the outside and is good at reading the screens and escaping defenders, but he does not post up enough inside for a big man and is an ineffective defender. |
14 | Jonas Valanciunas | TOR | 4 | Valanciunas will continue getting open looks from right at the top of the paint, but Ibaka's demand for the ball will ultimately take the ball out of his hands and he will have to score from the post. |
15 | Myles Turner | IND | 3 | Turner has the ability to shoot from the perimeter and he has improved tremendously at crashing the boards. He won't post up as much due to how many of his teammates like attacking the rim. |
16 | Tristan Thompson | CLE | 4 | Thompson is all rebounding and anything he does offensively should accounted as an added bonus. He is very raw offensively, but hard to box out. |
17 | Mason Plumlee | DEN | 3 | Because Jokic takes up a ton of space, Plumlee becomes the Dieng-type in this situation and won't get as many plays called for him, but with Kenneth Faried out, he can remain in the game a lot. |
18 | Clint Capela | HOU | 3 | Capela is the Rockets main inside weapon with a ton of his teammates setting up outside and will help in the rebounding department. He is the only Rocket to crash the boards consistently. |
19 | Jusuf Nurkic | POR | 4 | Nurkic landed in the right spot for him and I expect him to move up the rankings down the stretch, but his production can only be counted on every other game, He is an inconsistent scorer and rebounder. |
20 | Steven Adams | OKC | 3 | Adams is all grit and we can always expect him to rebound and keep players out of the lane. He will take a ton of contact and score a lot from the free-throw line. Rely on him for mainly defense. |