Point Guard
| RANK | NAME | Team | # of Games | Analysis |
| 1 | Damian Lillard | POR | 3 | Lillard opens up with the top spot. He has a few new weapons to feed. Growth from Zach Collins and the addition's of Kent Bazemore and Hassan Whiteside should help bring Lillard's assist total up. |
| 2 | Kemba Walker | BOS | 3 | Walker is the prioritized scorer going into the season, but he now has more to work with in Boston than he did in Charlotte. He will take fewer shots, but he'll make up for it with dimes. |
| 3 | Kyrie Irving | BKN | 3 | Irving is by far and away the top option for the Nets with no Kevin Durant . Expect him to have a familiar role to what we're used to seeing from him with a high volume of shots and scoring. |
| 4 | Luka Doncic | DAL | 3 | Get ready to see a lot of give and go plays from Doncic to Kristaps Porzingis . Doncic will play multiple positions throughout the season, but expect him to the run the point for the majority of the year. |
| 5 | Chris Paul | OKC | 3 | There was a chance a couple of months ago that Paul would be traded or bought out by the Thunder prior to the start of the season, but, that isn't the case and he's the top scoring option in OKC. |
| 6 | Kyle Lowry | TOR | 3 | Lowry will be able to serve as the Raptors top option with Kawhi Leonard off the team. He's coming off of an incredible season when it came to assists and he still has his trio of big men to feed. |
| 7 | De'Aaron Fox | SAC | 3 | The Kings are deeper now but that shouldn't change Fox's role. Expect him to have the most time with the ball and be the prioritized scorer. He's excellent in transition because of his speed. |
| 8 | Terry Rozier | CHA | 3 | Rozier has been nursing a sore knee but shouldn't have to miss opening night. Rozier is the Hornets top option. Expect him to keep the offense moving at a quick pace and to take the most shots. |
| 9 | Mike Conley | UT | 3 | Conley has a lot more weapons to work with in Utah and, like Kemba Walker , he may take fewer shots, but his assist-numbers should rise. Health is always a concern long-term, but he'll get plenty of PT. |
| 10 | Stephen Curry | GSW | 2 | Curry would naturally be at the top of these rankings if he had a full slate for the week. His role will be very familiar. Expect Curry and D'Angelo Russell to handle most of the offensive burden. |
| 11 | Russell Westbrook | HOU | 2 | It'll be interesting to see the shot distribution between Westbrook and backcourt-mate James Harden . Harden should get more shots, but expect Westbrook to still get his and a ton of assists. |
| 12 | Ja Morant | MEM | 3 | Morant should be the second scorer on the team behind Jaren Jackson Jr., but if he's able to beat defenders with his incredible speed, he can become the top option within the first couple of months. |
| 13 | Jeff Teague | MIN | 3 | Teague is coming off of an injury-plagued season, but he doesn't have as much competition at PG entering the season with Derrick Rose and Tyus Jones off the team. He'll still get enough shots. |
| 14 | Lonzo Ball | NO | 3 | Losing Zion Williamson will be a little bit of a hit to Ball's assist-production. He's been working on his shooting all summer and enters this season healthy. He's a strong driver and passer. |
| 15 | Ben Simmons | PHI | 2 | Simmons would be much higher in these rankings if he had the third game. As we've seen, he'll play multiple positions and be a multi-category producer. He's hard to stop on the drive when in the lane. |
| 16 | Trae Young | ATL | 2 | The Hawks are deeper and Young will still take plenty of shots, but expect improvement in his assists this season. He will log heavy minutes throughout the season and will also help with steals. |
| 17 | Ricky Rubio | PHX | 3 | Rubio isn't the most reliable shooter, but the Suns paid him a lot of money for a reason. Rely on Rubio more for steals and assists and he gets to work with one of the best scoring guards in Devin Booker . |
| 18 | Goran Dragic | MIA | 3 | Dragic is healthy entering the season and the Heat may look to rest him from time to time to keep him healthy. When on the court, Dragic has been a very effective driver and passer. |
| 19 | Tomas Satoransky | CHI | 3 | Satoransky will draw the start opening night for the Bulls and he won't have to take too many shots. He should focus more on driving, drawing the double on the drive and passing off. |
| 20 | Ish Smith | WSH | 3 | There aren't a lot of options on the Wizards. John Wall won't play this season and Isaiah Thomas is hurt and Smith should get plenty of minutes and that will result in points, dimes and steals. |
Shooting Guard
| RANK | NAME | Team | # of Games | Analysis |
| 1 | Bradley Beal | WSH | 3 | Have I mentioned that Wizards are light when it comes to overall depth? Beal should be one of the top scorers in the league because he's the only proven scoring threat for the Wizards coming in. |
| 2 | Jimmy Butler | MIA | 3 | Butler will toggle between SG and SF throughout the season and he'll be the Heat's top scoring weapon and he'll get plenty of time to create with the ball. Butler is also a strong defender. |
| 3 | Devin Booker | PHX | 3 | Booker finally has a proven play-maker starting alongside him and he'll be set up a good amount. Booker should also be able to run the point at times as well. Expect mainly scoring. |
| 4 | Jrue Holiday | NO | 3 | Holiday enters the season as the Pelicans prioritized scoring option and with Williamson going down, it should benefit Holiday from a production standpoint. He'll also get time to run the point. |
| 5 | Zach LaVine | CHI | 3 | LaVine is the Bulls top scoring option coming into the season and as long as he can stay healthy, he'll get time to score and distribute. He's a scoring threat from both distance and on the drive. |
| 6 | Donovan Mitchell | UT | 3 | It'll be interesting to see what happens to Mitchell now that he has other scorers such as Conley and Bojan Bogdanovic on the team but he should still remain the prioritized scorer for the Jazz. |
| 7 | CJ McCollum | POR | 3 | McCollum is the Blazers second option and after a strong showing in last year's playoffs, expect Lillard to rely on McCollum even more and he'll be a help with steals on the defensive side. |
| 8 | Buddy Hield | SAC | 3 | Hield got his extension and with a heavily incentivized contract, he should be extra motivated as a second scorer for the Kings. He'll also be very helpful in grabbing long rebounds. |
| 9 | RJ Barrett | NY | 3 | The way the Knicks are built should benefit his style of play. He's shown that he's a fluid driver and is good at reading screens and has plenty of big men to help clear the lane for him. |
| 10 | Lou Williams | LAC | 3 | Williams has made a career of producing off the bench and with Paul George out for the first 10-20 games, he'll get even more shots in the Clippers offense while he shifts between PG and SG. |
| 11 | James Harden | HOU | 2 | Even with Westbrook on his team, Harden is still the top SG coming into the season and owners shouldn't worry about his shots getting limited. His assists may drop a tad, but will still run point at times. |
| 12 | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | OKC | 3 | Gilgeous-Alexander should blossom this season. He's committed on both sides of the ball. He can play multiple positions and he'll help with boards and steals throughout the year. He's OKC's third option. |
| 13 | Caris LeVert | BKN | 3 | Irving will draw a lot of pressure from opposing defenses early on as team's will want to make the rest of the Nets beat them while isolating Irving meaning a lot of shots are coming LeVert's way. |
| 14 | Jaylen Brown | BOS | 3 | Brown is fresh off of a contract extension, but the Celtics have a lot of shooters to feed. Brown will still get plenty of minutes and if he can work his way inside more this year, he'll get fed more. |
| 15 | Andrew Wiggins | MIN | 3 | Wiggins has a lot more pressure on him this season with rookie Jarrett Culver looking to take minutes away from him. When at his best, he'll help with scoring, boards and steals consistently. |
| 16 | DeMar DeRozan | SAS | 2 | The Spurs are healthier going into this season and even though they have more guards to work with, DeRozan should still be the prioritized shooter with LaMarcus Aldridge focusing more on the paint. |
| 17 | Khris Middleton | MIL | 2 | Middleton will have the same role this year as he did last year and with Malcolm Brogdon gone, he should pick up a couple of more shots, especially open shots from the top of the key. |
| 18 | Fred VanVleet | TOR | 3 | VanVleet's role will grow with Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green off the team. He'll have time to run the point when Lowry needs a break and will get plenty of shots playing the off-guard role. |
| 19 | Danny Green | LAL | 3 | Green's production will often live and die by his three-point shooting, but he should see high-percentage shots as LeBron James will draw a lot of coverage. He'll help a bit with boards and steals too. |
| 20 | D'Angelo Russell | GSW | 2 | Russell will have the Klay Thompson role for most of the year and be the Warriors second shooting option. Expect Russell to run the point at times as well and should be able to still produce dimes. |
Small Forward
| RANK | NAME | Team | # of Games | Analysis |
| 1 | LeBron James | LAL | 3 | James is the top SF option for this week, but that can easily change if he ends up playing primarily at PG. The scoring shouldn't drop especially with Kyle Kuzma hurt and his assist-numbers should rise. |
| 2 | Kawhi Leonard | LAC | 3 | Leonard has less competition for shots until George comes back. He'll still get rested at times throughout the season. He'll still be a multi-category producer and will be the top scoring option. |
| 3 | Danilo Gallinari | OKC | 3 | The Thunder don't have a ton of depth and Gallinari enters the season as the team's number two scoring option and should put up similar numbers to last season. He'll help with long-boards as well. |
| 4 | Otto Porter Jr. | CHI | 3 | Porter will be the third scoring option and he plays very strong perimeter defense. He'll produce boards and steals. Health has been an issue, and the Bulls may look to rest him in back-to-back's. |
| 5 | Miles Bridges | CHA | 3 | Bridges role will grow a ton this season and should be the Hornets second scoring option. Bridges is hard to defend against once he gets in the lane and he'll give them second-chance scoring opps. |
| 6 | Gordon Hayward | BOS | 3 | Hayward is in a tough situation with plenty of scoring guards and forwards in the Celtics offense, but could be featured more if Walker focuses on being a distributor. He'll get run with the second unit. |
| 7 | Kelly Oubre Jr. | PHX | 3 | Oubre should see his scoring grow this season and he's a very disciplined defender. Expect a lot of scoring from long and mid-range and he'll help with boards and especially steals. |
| 8 | Harrison Barnes | SAC | 3 | It's uncertain how many minutes Barnes will play, but he's signed to a big contract and he'll get run. Expect scoring from the elbow and arc and he'll help with boards inside as well. |
| 9 | Brandon Ingram | NO | 3 | If Ingram can stay healthy, he is set for a strong year playing multiple positions. Williamson being out should put the ball in his hands more and he'll even get time to run the point. |
| 10 | Bojan Bogdanovic | UT | 3 | There are a lot more scoring threats that could take away from Bogdanovic's shot total. If his shots aren't falling he will likely be pulled unless he shows more of a defensive commitment |
| 11 | Tobias Harris | PHI | 2 | Harris will be the third scoring option and will get to play primarily at SF this season and it will be tough for opposing SF's to match up against him and he'll score from both inside and outside. |
| 12 | Taurean Prince | BKN | 3 | Prince has sneaky value this season and his will on the defensive side of the ball will keep him in games. Prince will get plays called for him at the elbow and he'll help grab boards from the top of the paint. |
| 13 | Joe Ingles | UT | 3 | Ingles will still have a role on the Jazz and we should expect a full rotation of commitment of at least 20 minutes. He'll lead the Jazz second unit in scoring and he'll also help with boards and steals. |
| 14 | Bogdan Bogdanovic | SAC | 3 | Bogdanovic doesn't need a lot of minutes in order to be productive and he'll help with passing inside and taking long-range three's. Expect him to play at least 20 minutes coming off the bench. |
| 15 | Jae Crowder | MEM | 3 | With Josh Jackson starting the season in the G-League, the mid-court is wide open for Crowder who will help on both sides of the ball. He'll hit three's, and will also help grab boards and steals. |
| 16 | Tim Hardaway Jr. | DAL | 3 | It's uncertain whether or not Hardaway will start, but Dallas doesn't have a ton of scoring depth and it may benefit him more to come off the bench. He'll still make the rotation and will hit long-range shots. |
| 17 | Kent Bazemore | POR | 3 | With Rodney Hood a bit banged up, Bazemore should see more run early and he'll be used as a bailout option when it comes to scoring. He'll also produce boards and steals. |
| 18 | Kevin Knox | NY | 3 | Knox could be starting the season coming off the bench, but just like with Tim Hardaway Jr., it could benefit him and he'll still get plenty of minutes. Knox is a better driver than jump-shooter. |
| 19 | Mikal Bridges | PHX | 3 | Bridges will earn his minutes from his defense and he should still be able to log at least 20 minutes per game. He'll be a bailout shooter, but will help a ton with steals on the defensive side. |
| 20 | OG Anunoby | TOR | 3 | Anunoby should see a bigger role as the Raptors don't have as much depth. It remains to be seen just how involved he'll be offensively, but his defense will keep him in games and he'll grab boards and steals. |
Power Forward
| RANK | NAME | Team | # of Games | Analysis |
| 1 | Anthony Davis | LAL | 3 | Despite hurting his thumb in pre-season, he's able to play and will handle a full workload to start the season off. He's a fierce multi-category producer, but owners must be ready because injuries find him. |
| 2 | Blake Griffin | DET | 3 | Griffin enters the season as the Pistons top option and he'll have a bit more help coming off the bench in Markieff Morris . Expect Griffin to get a lot of shots and log a good amount of boards. |
| 3 | Lauri Markkanen | CHI | 3 | Markkanen is the Bulls second scoring option and he'll take shots from both inside and outside. Wendell Carter Jr. being healthy will allow Markkanen more time to work the perimeter. |
| 4 | Pascal Siakam | TOR | 3 | Siakam should see more shots this season without having Leonard and Green to worry about. He's excellent at attacking the basket and will do all of the dirty work in the paint. |
| 5 | Kristaps Porzingis | DAL | 3 | Porzingis will be rested at times this season to keep him healthy, but he comes into the season a bit more bulky and has one of the best playmakers in the league to set him up inside and out. |
| 6 | Julius Randle | NY | 3 | Randle will start the season as the Knicks top scoring option. He'll produce a bit from distance, but he's a banger in the post and will grab a lot of boards inside and log plenty of minutes. |
| 7 | Jaren Jackson Jr. | MEM | 3 | Jackson is the Grizzlies top scoring option going into the season and with rookie PG Morant having the speed he does, Jackson will get fed a lot even on the perimeter when Morant draws doubles. |
| 8 | Jayson Tatum | BOS | 3 | Tatum should be the second scoring option for the Celtics behind Walker and he'll need to focus more on his inside-game with no Al Horford to help out. Look for him to have more success in the lane. |
| 9 | Marvin Bagley III | SAC | 3 | Willie Cauley-Stein being gone will certainly help Bagley's production. He's explosive and opposing defenses will have a tough time keeping him out of the lane. Expect a high volume of boards. |
| 10 | Giannis Antetokounmpo | MIL | 2 | Antetokounmpo would be on top of this list if he had the third game this week. Teams haven't figured out how exactly to stop him even when they double him. Expect full multi-category production. |
| 11 | Robert Covington | MIN | 3 | Covington is healthy again and his post-defense will be needed. He'll produce boards and steals. Hoping he works his way inside more and not focus as much on being an outside shooter. |
| 12 | Montrezl Harrell | LAC | 3 | Harrell doesn't need to start to be productive as he's a bull inside and is very aggressive and that will lead to ample inside scoring and rebounding. The Clippers will rely on him as their main inside defender. |
| 13 | Justise Winslow | MIA | 3 | Winslow will see playing time at different positions this season. He'll get time at both forward spots and he'll have sneaky assist value as he can run the point if needed. |
| 14 | LaMarcus Aldridge | SAS | 2 | Aldridge is the Spurs main inside producer on both sides of the ball and he'll be the second scoring option. Expect plenty of minutes, points, boards and blocks. He'll fight for steals in the lane. |
| 15 | Kevin Love | CLE | 2 | Love has been very banged up over the last few years, but he comes into the season healthy and resumes his role as the prioritized scorer for the Cavs until another player can be fully relied on. |
| 16 | Draymond Green | GSW | 2 | Green is used to having to play two positions at once and with Willie Cauley-Stein hurting, he'll need to start the season off playing both PF and C this season. Rely on him for boards, steals, dimes and blocks. |
| 17 | John Collins | ATL | 2 | Collins will see a ton of shots both inside and outside despite the Hawks having a lot more depth. Expect a high volume of minutes and boards on the defensive end. He's hard to stop once he hits the lane. |
| 18 | Serge Ibaka | TOR | 3 | Ibaka should still see a true rotation commitment of at least 20 minutes per game. He'll be up and down when it comes to his scoring, but he'll help grab boards and block shots consistently. |
| 19 | Zach Collins | POR | 3 | Expect a ton of growth from Collins. He proved how gritty he could be in the playoffs and should be starting opening night. Expect inside production from Collins as he'll help with putbacks, boards and blocks. |
| 20 | Rui Hachimura | WSH | 3 | Especially with lack of depth inside, the lottery pick should get a lot of run this season. He's a fighter in the paint and he'll find his way when it comes to scoring throughout the year. He could be the 2nd option. |
Center
| RANK | NAME | Team | # of Games | Analysis |
| 1 | Karl-Anthony Towns | MIN | 3 | Towns enters the year as the top Center. He has his outside game, but hoping he can focus even more on banging inside, drawing a ton of contact. He should only pop outside if shooters can't get open. |
| 2 | Rudy Gobert | UT | 3 | Gobert is a monster in the paint and he doesn't need a ton of minutes to log double-doubles. The Jazz don't have much firepower in the paint and that will benefit Gobert. He'll block plenty of shots. |
| 3 | Andre Drummond | DET | 3 | Drummond may destroy your free-throw percentage, but he'll remain one of the top rebounders in the league as he's one of the hardest players in the league to box out. |
| 4 | Deandre Ayton | PHX | 3 | Ayton will be the Suns second scoring option and he has a good mid-range jumper. He'll be able to block shots from right outside the paint. He moves very well through inside screens. |
| 5 | Hassan Whiteside | POR | 3 | A change of scenary was definitely needed for Whiteside. He makes producing double-doubles look easy, but the Heat limited his minutes last year. With Jusuf Nurkic out, Whiteside will get plenty of run |
| 6 | Nikola Jokic | DEN | 2 | Jokic would be higher in the rankings if he had the third game. Even with Denver being as deep as they are, Jokic is still the top option and will be one of the strongest multi-category producers in the league. |
| 7 | Joel Embiid | PHI | 2 | Embiid shouldn't have to worry as much about sitting out early on. Al Horford being there will help give Embiid a bit of a breather, but he'll still be the prioritized scorer for the Sixers. |
| 8 | Bam Adebayo | MIA | 3 | Adebayo will be getting a lot more run this year and we should expect extreme growth from him from a scoring and rebounding standpoint. He doesn't have much competition at the position. |
| 9 | Steven Adams | OKC | 3 | Adams role will remain the same despite playing with a very different roster. Nerlens Noel won't pose a threat to Adams role. Expect Adams to still play over 30 minutes per game. |
| 10 | Thomas Bryant | WSH | 3 | Bryant is one of the few reliable options that the Wizards have and he'll be able to have the low-block to himself to start the season. Expect him to produce plenty of points and boards. |
| 11 | Enes Kanter | BOS | 3 | Kanter may not start this season but he's proven that he's a volume producer and doesn't need a ton of minutes to score inside and grab boards. His competition at the position is not strong and he'll get PT. |
| 12 | Marc Gasol | TOR | 3 | Gasol's role offensively should grow this season with no Leonard or Green. Now that he's had the offseason to get used to the team, he'll be able to adjust to the rotation better. Expect more shots. |
| 13 | Nikola Vucevic | ORL | 2 | Vucevic would be much higher on this list if he had a full slate of games. He's still be the prioritized scorer going into the season and he fights very hard for boards and get steals and blocks in the paint. |
| 14 | Jonas Valanciunas | MEM | 3 | Valanciunas has proven that he's a better player and producer when given fewer minutes. There isn't much competition for him in Memphis this year and should play heavier minutes early on. |
| 15 | Mitchell Robinson | NY | 3 | Robinson will be one of the best shot-blockers in the league and will start for the Knicks. The big questions surrounding him remain if he can stay out of foul trouble and how the Knicks will use their other bigs. |
| 16 | Derrick Favors | NO | 3 | Favors value rises with Williamson out for the next six to eight weeks. Favors will fight for boards and will hit mid-range jumpers. He'll get time at both PF and C for the time being. |
| 17 | Wendell Carter Jr. | CHI | 3 | Carter is healthy and he'll be the Bulls starting Center. He proved last season before he got hurt that he can bang with the big boys in the post and we can expect a good amount of double-doubles. |
| 18 | DeAndre Jordan | BKN | 3 | It'll be interesting to see how much run Jordan gets. He makes rebounding and shot-blocking look simple, but Jarrett Allen (who has similar skills to Jordan) will also be getting a good amount of minutes. |
| 19 | JaVale McGee | LAL | 3 | McGee currently has the edge over Dwight Howard and he should see at least 25 minutes per game. He doesn't need a ton of playing time to produce points, boards and blocks. |
| 20 | Cody Zeller | CHA | 3 | Zeller has faced health issues throughout his career. When healthy, he has shown he can produce from right under the basket and he currently doesn't have much competition at the position. |