Point Guard
RANK | NAME | Team | # Games | Analysis |
1 | Russell Westbrook | OKC | 3 | Clearly this list shows how great the PG position is with a bunch of players with three game slates are ranked above those with four games and Westbrook is still the lead dog. |
2 | James Harden | HOU | 3 | Harden is right behind Westbrook putting up similar stats and helping out in many categories consistently despite having a ton of shooting options. |
3 | Stephen Curry | GSW | 3 | Curry continues to play off the pick and pop as the defense has to choose between guarding the key or guarding the middle area so Kevin Durant does not cut. |
4 | John Wall | WSH | 3 | Wall continues to carry the Wizards and his shot selection when shooting continues to improve. He continues to attack the rim the majority of plays. |
5 | Eric Bledsoe | PHX | 4 | Our first 4-game guard. No disrespect to Bledsoe as he carries his team for the most part offensively, but as stated above, scoring guards are in and are producing at a high rate. |
6 | Kyle Lowry | TOR | 3 | With DeMar DeRozan limited with the ankle injury, Lowry will have to be the number one playmaker and scorer and he has big play ability. |
7 | Isaiah Thomas | BOS | 3 | Thomas continues to shoot and drive well. Thomas will often drive a couple of plays and then fake the drive and shoot the ball off a screen at the key. |
8 | Kyrie Irving | CLE | 4 | Irving has a full slate and should be active for all games, but he is suffering from quad soreness and there is a chance he misses a game this week. |
9 | Jeff Teague | IND | 4 | Teague continues to be a fantastic No. 2 option with a balanced attack and with Thad Young hurting, he will have even more time and room to create. |
10 | Goran Dragic | MIA | 4 | Dragic's scoring has been needed as the Heat keep suffering injuries, but, with most players back, expect the scoring to go down just a bit and his assists to rise. |
11 | Jrue Holiday | NO | 4 | Holiday has proven to be a consistent No. 2 option for the Pelicans and he makes driving while guarded look easy as he blows by a good amount of defenders at the position. |
12 | Kemba Walker | CHA | 3 | Walker is still a top option as the Hornets frontcourt pretty much doesn't exist at the moment and he will have to score inside and outside. |
13 | Mike Conley | MEM | 3 | I do not understand how in some of the games, the offense stands around and lets Conley work, when they should be cutting inside. If Conley doesn't see movement expect him to put up bad shots. |
14 | George Hill | UT | 4 | With Rodney Hood out of the lineup, Hill's offense will be relied on a lot more as he will stay at the key while the Jazz attack the basket and he is one of the best at hitting the knockdown three. |
15 | Ricky Rubio | MIN | 4 | As long as Rubio sticks with the plan of passing and driving, he will be helping. With Zach LaVine done for the season, he will asked to take more shots, but they can't be so forced. |
16 | Reggie Jackson | DET | 4 | Jackson has been a bit inconsistent as he is still learning how to balance out being moth a playmaker and scorer and can rotate to both guard spots, but it seems to be one or the other per game. |
17 | Elfrid Payton | ORL | 3 | Payton's shot selection has improved throughout the season, but it is his quickness and passing that makes me think he can grow and he has been better on defense and it shows in steals. |
18 | Damian Lillard | POR | 2 | Lillard is a fantastic scorer and playmaker, but unfortunately has the short slate this week. |
19 | Dennis Schroder | ATL | 3 | Schroder's offense continues to show maturity and he is doing a good job shifting from side to side off the ball. He has learned how to reset the offense when the play is blown. |
20 | Derrick Rose | NY | 4 | Rose should be active for the full slate this week, but due to the fact that he is coming off an ankle injury and he's Derrick Rose, he could very well miss a game this week. |
Shooting Guard
RANK | NAME | Team | # Games | Analysis |
1 | Gordon Hayward | UT | 4 | Hayward secures the top spot as he continues to carry the Jazz on offense from a shooting standpoint. He is always moving all over the court. |
2 | Dwyane Wade | CHI | 4 | Wade has a full slate and has been an excellent mid-range player, but always be ready for him to rest. |
3 | Wilson Chandler | DEN | 4 | Chandler can play four positions on the court and that will keep him in the game longer and picks up more shots with Danilo Gallinari hurt. |
4 | Devin Booker | PHX | 4 | Booker is the other offensive impact player the Suns have and due to lack of offensive ability up front, Booker picks up more shots and even time with the ball. |
5 | Nicolas Batum | CHA | 3 | The Hornets are another team that lacks any offensive ability up front and not only will Batum dominate from long-range, but he will get his own rebounds as well and is a solid denfender. |
6 | Bradley Beal | WSH | 3 | Beal has really picked up his offensive game as he is playing much more aggresively inside fighting for the ball to keep plays alive. |
7 | Klay Thompson | GSW | 3 | Thompson is another guard who will look to cut in and drive if he can. Klay is good at positioning himself for the kickout when the play gets stalled in the paint |
8 | DeMar DeRozan | TOR | 3 | DeRozan is always a top option but is definitely limited with an ankle injury and it will be hard to tell how many games he plays in this week. |
9 | Tyler Johnson | MIA | 4 | It doesn't matter if he is starting or coming off the bench, but Tyler Johnson is a hustler. Besides being a consistent shooter, Johnson will bang around inside and he will contribute assists as well. |
10 | Kentavious Caldwell-Pope | DET | 4 | KCP not only see's a bunch of open shots, but he will even post up at the elbow and has a quick spin and flip. He will always be frozen out on the offense against bigger guards. |
11 | Dion Waiters | MIA | 4 | Waiters continues to shoot well and we must ride him while he's hot because he has been taking a lot of shots and playing inside a bit as well and he drives for contact. |
12 | Wesley Matthews | DAL | 4 | Matthews has been an excellent bailout option from beyond the arc and he has also utilized his post game when needed against smaller guards and is one of the few healthy Mavs guards. |
13 | Patrick Beverley | HOU | 3 | Beverley always finds a way to get involved in the offense and that's because he is the only other Rockets impact player who drives besides James Harden. He is hard to stop while attacking. |
14 | Victor Oladipo | OKC | 3 | Oladipo is a good No. 2 option and will need to continue to hit shots from the perimeter with Enes Kanter out. He has not been driving into trouble as much in the lane and stays clear of Russ. |
15 | Eric Gordon | HOU | 3 | Gordon has been a good sharp shooter and knows how to cut around the defender to the basket when he has someone lazy guarding him. He is the ultimate Rockets bailout option. |
16 | Lou Williams | LAL | 3 | Williams offense will always keep him secure in the roation as he has a very effective corner three. Williams ability to rotate to PG has kept him on the floor a bit more. |
17 | Gary Harris | DEN | 4 | With Gallinari out of the lineup Harris picks up more minutes and will utilize his mid range game and get more chances to grab rebounds. |
18 | C.J. McCollum | POR | 2 | McCollum is a great scorer, but he has the short slate of the week. |
19 | Avery Bradley | BOS | 3 | Avery Bradley is expected to return from his achilles injury, but ot is hard to tell how many games he will play this week. |
20 | J.J. Redick | LAC | 3 | Value stays a bit higher with Chris Paul out, and is always moving on the court looking for the open three. |
Small Forward
RANK | NAME | Team | # Games | Analysis |
1 | LeBron James | CLE | 4 | LeBron James will need to take even more control of the offense with both Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love a bit banged up. |
2 | Kevin Durant | GSW | 3 | Even though Durant is on a star-studded team and has a game less than Kawhi, he has just been THAT much more productive overall. |
3 | Kawhi Leonard | SAS | 4 | Leonard has a full slate and has been great on both sides of the ball. Since Pau Gasol got hurt, he has been utilizing his mid-range game a bit more. |
4 | Giannis Antetokounmpo | MIL | 3 | Greek Freak goes down in the rankings just a little bit without the 4th game, but he plays four positions on the floor and has no competition at three of them. |
5 | Paul George | IND | 4 | George has been scoring a bit more and with Young out, he will get even more time to attack the rim. |
6 | Jimmy Butler | CHI | 4 | Injury Concern: Heel Injury-Questionable for Monday could miss a couple of games. Not good. |
7 | Carmelo Anthony | NY | 4 | Anthony can be held down by teams that rotate well on the perimeter, but he will never fail to take a ton of shots and somehow end up with rebounds. |
8 | Harrison Barnes | DAL | 4 | Barnes has really improved his offensive game and has really carried the team offensively as both Dirk Nowitzki and Deron Williams have been limited from injuries. |
9 | Andrew Wiggins | MIN | 4 | Wiggins will now need to take on even more of the offensive burden with LaVine done for the season. He will be guarded more, meaning he must learn to drive more. |
10 | Ersan Ilyasova | PHI | 4 | As crazy as this sounds, with Joel Embiid and Robert Covington hurt, he will be needed as a top offensive weapon for the time being and you can always expect rebounds. |
11 | Tobias Harris | DET | 4 | Harris has been effective when starting and coming off the bench. His quickness in the post and being able to control his momentum makes it hard to stop him. |
12 | Otto Porter | WSH | 3 | Porter has been an efficient two-way player and he never forces up shots and see's a lot of open three's. He has been a fantastic defender all season. |
13 | Jae Crowder | BOS | 3 | Crowder is an animal in the post as he is always driving from contact and is easily the most aggressive Celtic in the post. |
14 | Robert Covington | PHI | 4 | Suffering from a hand injury, but should be active for the full slate. |
15 | James Johnson | MIA | 4 | Johnson has been controlling the mid-court all by himself as a lot of the Heat's offense revolves around shooting. He has been scoring and rebounding consistently. |
16 | Will Barton | DEN | 4 | With Gallinari out, Barton will benefit the most and get more time to create in the post. On defense, he needs to work on positioning as he is often boxed out of the lane when the ball goes up. |
17 | Trevor Ariza | HOU | 3 | Ariza will continue defending the perimeter well and providing the Rockets with steals and fast break scoring opportunities. Also can hit the knock down three. |
18 | Terrence Jones | NO | 4 | Jones value skyrockets when Anthony Davis gets hurt, but he has worked hard to be the third scoring option on the team and works mainly in the mid-court in the post. |
19 | Evan Fournier | ORL | 3 | Fournier is still the Magic's top shooting option as he doesn't need a lot of time to create and can take one dribble and score. He will also look to drive in the lane. |
20 | Michael Kidd-Gilchrist | CHA | 3 | MKG is a good defender and very questionable on offense, but, with the changes that occurred on the team, he will be needed even more to defend in the post. |
Power Forward
RANK | NAME | Team | # Games | Analysis |
1 | Anthony Davis | NO | 4 | Easily the top PF option, even when he doesn't have the full slate. |
2 | Kevin Love | CLE | 4 | Love's back seems to be much better as we can hope his shot is not altered from the injury. |
3 | Nikola Jokic | DEN | 4 | Jokic's hip is better and with his second option Gallinari hurt, a lot of the offense falls on him. |
4 | Kristaps Porzingis | NY | 4 | Porzingis does not look 100 percent, but he is still attacking the rim and not leaving the lane to keep the play alive. Never have to worry about effort. |
5 | Draymond Green | GSW | 3 | Is there such a think as too much effort? Green is very aggressive in the lane and it has been very difficult boxing him out. Will d-up in the post very well. |
6 | Blake Griffin | LAC | 3 | With Chris Paul out, Griffin will need to be the main source of offense and will need to continue creating in the post and not resort to shooting. |
7 | LaMarcus Aldridge | SAS | 4 | Aldridge is back andhis knee seems better. We can expect a lot more offense from the elbow as he will have more room to create without Gasol. |
8 | Paul Millsap | ATL | 3 | Millsap has done a good job of providing a lot of his offense from the elbow. He is good at shaking off the defender in the post and creating space for himself with the ball. |
9 | Jabari Parker | MIL | 3 | After calling out his team, Parker has been that much more inspired and will always look to attack the lane first and will not fear shooting with a hand in his face. |
10 | Serge Ibaka | ORL | 3 | Ibaka is an excellent defender and you will see high scoring games when his three-pointer is on, but should look to create more on offense in the middle. |
11 | Gorgui Dieng | MIN | 4 | Dieng will even see a few more baby jumpers with LaVine hurt and he will continue to be a bull in the middle as it is always hard boxing him out. |
12 | Dirk Nowitzki | DAL | 4 | Dirk is playing more but looking at the way he is moving, it is not as swiftly as before his injury, and that has slown him down a bit and has had to pass off more. |
13 | Kenneth Faried | DEN | 4 | Faried is still very raw on offense but naturally will also benefit by getting more playing time and even time with the ball. He will be open when Jokic gets doubled. |
14 | Marcus Morris | DET | 4 | Morris has been a lot better creating from the elbow and muscling himself inside for scoring chances. Morris is never afraid to drive for contact. |
15 | Taj Gibson | CHI | 4 | Gibson has his small offensive game in the paint and has a couple of one handed moves to the basket that will send him to the lane and allow him to shoot over defenders. |
16 | Julius Randle | LAL | 3 | Randle has grown a ton this season, especially on defense as he has been the Lakers most effective post player. He will continue calling for the ball in the paint and can rotate to both F spots. |
17 | Trevor Booker | BKN | 3 | You can always rely on Booker to play a lot of minutes due to lack of competition at the position, but also because he is really the only Net who rebounds. |
18 | Zach Randolph | MEM | 3 | Randolph continues creating nicely from the elbow on offense, but it's his enforcer skills that make it hard to contain him in the post. |
19 | Markieff Morris | WSH | 3 | Morris offense has picked up a ton in the last month as John Wall continues to feed him at the free-throw line when he draws the double and Morris has developed a consistent mid-range game. |
20 | Ryan Anderson | HOU | 3 | Anderson can always be a match up problem because of his shooting range, but will pull the fake and drive if he catches the defender not looking. |
Center
RANK | NAME | Team | # Games | Analysis |
1 | DeMarcus Cousins | SAC | 4 | Boogie has a full slate and has limited options to work with on his team. Expect him to be one of the top producers for the week, per usual. |
2 | Karl-Anthony Towns | MIN | 4 | Expect more perimeter play from KAT due to LaVine being out and the Timberwolves are going to want to stretch the floor and draw out bigger defenders. He may shoot a bit more from the arc. |
3 | Hassan Whiteside | MIA | 4 | Whiteside continues to dominate the entire inside and has been aggressive on the boards like always. He times his jumps very well and gets rebounders over multiple players. |
4 | Andre Drummond | DET | 4 | Drummond continues to be one of the strongest forces in the paint and even though he's limited offensively, he still gets the job done and is the hardest player to box out. |
5 | Rudy Gobert | UT | 4 | Gobert has picked up his offense due to the ongoing injury woes of Derrick Favors. Gobert can always be relied on for blocks and rebounds. |
6 | Myles Turner | IND | 4 | Turner is fully healthy and with Young hurt, expect more post plays to get called for him and offensive statistics to rise. |
7 | Marc Gasol | MEM | 3 | Gasol continues to burn defenders from beyond the arc and at the elbow. He has been showing off his finess a bit more in the middle of the paint. |
8 | Dwight Howard | ATL | 3 | Howard has picked up his aggresivness in the post this season and has become a legit offensive threat and hard to keep out of the lane once he cuts. |
9 | DeAndre Jordan | LAC | 3 | Instant defense. Always expect rebounds and blocks. |
10 | Al Horford | BOS | 3 | Horford is over his injuries and has been playing effectively from the arc and elbow. He has gone inside when needed and grabs rebounds on defense, but he has stayed at the arc a ton. |
11 | Nikola Vucevic | ORL | 3 | Vucevic continues to be the Magic's most effective inside player on offense, but for how long? |
12 | Marcin Gortat | WSH | 3 | Gortat's cutting has led to more offensive plays for him in the post. He has learned to be one step ahead and call for the ball a bit earlier before his defender sets up. |
13 | Brook Lopez | BKN | 3 | Instant offense. Always expect scoring, but rebounding is a weakness. |
14 | Tyson Chandler | PHX | 4 | Chandler is another all-defensive Center, who will score on put backs and help with blocks, but scoring is a bonus. |
15 | Tristan Thompson | CLE | 4 | It is always hard to tell how involved Thompson will be in the offense. He is good a defending in the post and keeping the lane occupied, but that is his main role. |
16 | Jonas Valanciunas | TOR | 3 | With DeRozan hurt, Valanciunas mid-range game will be needed and we can expect him to get a bit more time to create with the ball in the post. |
17 | Steven Adams | OKC | 3 | Very gritty Center who is a complete inside player. Expect rebounds, blocks and cheap scoring from right under the basket. He will play a ton in games. |
18 | Robin Lopez | CHI | 4 | Lopez gets a bit of a boost as his aggresivness inside is appreciated, but it is hard to tell just how involved he will be in the overall scheme. |
19 | Clint Capela | HOU | 3 | Capela is the main source of inside offense for the Rockets and is over his injuries and playing time continues to increase. |
20 | Joel Embiid | PHI | 4 | Suffering from a knee injury and it is unsure how many games he will play in this week, if at all! Trust the Process! |