The point guard position is one that has changed in the modern NBA. Traditionally, a point guard’s main job was to get the ball to his teammates. They were there to rack up assists, maybe some steals, and knock down the occasional jump shot. Think of guys like John Stockton, Mark Jackson, and even Chris Paul.

Now, point guards are capable of doing a little bit of everything. They’re still racking up assists, but they’re much more potent in the other categories, too. Luka Doncic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Jalen Brunson all finished in the top five in points per game, while four other point guards were inside the top 15.

In a points league, getting as many point guards as you can possibly fit in your lineup is a wise strategy. In general, point guards and big men are the high-scoring producers in fantasy. They litter Adam Ronis’ Top 150 overall, so getting a point guard who is eligible at other positions can be a big advantage.

In a rotisserie or head-to-head categories league, who you choose at point guard will have a big impact on how you should construct your roster. Does your PG shoot a low percentage from the field? Maybe you should consider punting FG%. Is your PG an elite 3-point shooter? Maybe you don’t have to attack that category as aggressively with your later picks.

Let’s dive into some of the best ways to attack one of the most important fantasy positions in 2024.

Top Fantasy Basketball Point Guards for 2024

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | PG | OKC

  • ESPN ADP: 4
  • Yahoo ADP: 4

It’s very close between SGA and Doncic for the top overall spot at point guard. Doncic gets the nod in terms of ADP—he’s the second player off the board on ESPN and third on Yahoo—and he has the added benefit of shooting guard eligibility. With that in mind, I’ll discuss Doncic a bit more in the shooting guard breakdown.

Regardless, I think you can make a strong argument that SGA is the superior fantasy asset. That’s particularly true in rotisserie leagues that value his well-balanced skill set. Gilgeous-Alexander didn’t hurt fantasy players in a single category last year. He was a positive asset across the board in ESPN’s Player Rater, which is something that few can say. Overall, he finished as the No. 2 player in fantasy, trailing only Nikola Jokic.

The big difference between SGA and Doncic is that he’s absolutely elite in the efficiency categories. No point guard had a bigger impact on team FG% and FT% than Gilgeous-Alexander last season. He shot better than 53% from the field and 87% from the free-throw line on massive volume. He also provided immense value in the steals department, averaging a career-high 2.0 per game.

SGA might not be as flashy as Doncic in the counting stats, but he’s plenty good there, too: 30.1 points per game, 6.2 assists, 5.5 rebounds, 1.3 3-pointers.

In points leagues, Doncic clearly deserves to be the first point guard off the board. In fact, there’s a good argument he should be the first player off the board. But if you’re in a league that values efficiency, don’t sleep on the balanced production that SGA brings to the position. 

Tyrese Haliburton | PG/SG | IND

  • ESPN ADP: 10
  • Yahoo ADP: 6

Haliburton might be the closest thing to a “traditional” point guard in the modern NBA. He led the league with 10.9 assists per game last season. That’s unsurprisingly his top category, especially when you consider his minimal 2.3 turnovers per game. His 4.73 assist-to-turnover ratio was easily the best mark in the league among high-volume point guards.

That said, Haliburton is not a one-trick pony. He knocked down 2.8 3-pointers per game last year, and he eclipsed the 20-point-per-game threshold. Like SGA, he provided value in every statistical category across the board last season.

The only thing keeping Haliburton from being a “tier one” point guard is his modest rebound production. He averaged just 3.9 rebounds per game last season, and he’s never been above 4.0 for his career. That’s not a killer at the point guard position, but it separates him from the best producers in fantasy.

Trae Young | PG | ATL

  • ESPN ADP: 19
  • Yahoo ADP: 11

While SGA and Haliburton are balanced contributors, Young is a specialist. He’s there to score points, knock down 3-pointers, and hand out assists. He’ll also help out a bit in the FT department, but other than that, you’re on your own.

That makes Young a much better fantasy asset in points leagues, but in that format, he has the potential to be a stud in 2024-25. He no longer has to share the rock with Dejounte Murray, who put a damper on Young’s fantasy value over the past two seasons.

In his last year with Murray, Young led the league in assist percentage and was fourth in usage. He averaged 28.4 points and 9.7 assists per game en route to an All-NBA Third Team selection.

Without Murray, Young is free to go back to absolutely dominating the basketball. There’s no guarantee that leads to any team success, but it’s not like they were successful over the past two years anyway. At least we all get to enjoy Ice Trae this way.

Sleeper

Tyus Jones | PG | PHO

  • ESPN ADP: 117
  • Yahoo ADP: 111

Jones has long been a player who provided a big impact in limited minutes. However, he earned his first chance as a full-time starter last year with the Wizards, and while he was forced to toil on an awful team, he put up the best statistics of his career: 12.0 points, 7.3 assists, 1.1 steals, 1.3 3-pointers. He finished as a top-100 player in the ESPN Player Rater for the first time in his career while providing positive value in every category but rebounds and blocks.

Jones has now moved on to the Suns, where he is currently slated as the team’s starting point guard. He’s not going to have as many scoring opportunities as he did with the Wizards, but scoring isn’t a big part of his game to begin with. He’s a distributor and someone who provides efficiency, and the Suns should help him massively in those departments. Being able to throw the ball to guys like Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal could propel Jones to a new career high in assists, and he has the chance to improve upon last year’s career-best shooting percentages (48.9% from the field, 41.4% from 3-point range).

If Jones can finish as a top-100 player on the Wizards, I see no reason why he can’t do it again with the Suns. He’s a steal with where he’s coming off the board across the industry.

Honorable mentions: Collin Sexton (ESPN: 90, Yahoo: 118), Dennis Schroder (ESPN: 109, Yahoo: 135), Scoot Henderson (ESPN: 128, Yahoo: 140)

Breakout

Cade Cunningham | PG/SG | DET

  • ESPN ADP: 32
  • Yahoo ADP: 37

When looking at the PG position, there aren’t a ton of traditional “breakout” candidates. The top tier of the position is pretty well established, and there aren’t a ton of young players looking to crack it.

Cunningham stands out as the clear outlier. The first overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft has yet to live up to expectations while playing for a poor Pistons team. He’s played just 138 total games in his three seasons, and his game has some clear holes. Specifically, his shooting percentages are a drain on your FG% and 3PT%. He’s shot just 43.2% from the field and 32.9% from 3-point range for his career, though he was better in both departments last year.

However, if you can stomach his low efficiency, he has the potential to rack up the counting stats. He eclipsed 20 points per game for the first time last season to go along with 7.5 assists and 4.3 rebounds.

Perhaps this is the year that Cunningham and the Pistons finally put things together. They’ve been accumulating young talent for years—Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, and Ausar Thompson were all top-five picks—and they’ve added Tobias Harris to serve as the adult in the room. I’m not going out of my way to target Cunningham, but you can see some upside if you squint hard enough.

Honorable mentions: Ja Morant (ESPN: 14, Yahoo: 35), LaMelo Ball (ESPN: 31, Yahoo: 25)

Bust

Tyrese Maxey | PG/SG | PHI

  • ESPN ADP: 22
  • Yahoo ADP: 26

Maxey was a “breakout” in 2023-24, finishing as the No. 13 PG in ESPN’s Player Rater. He averaged 25.9 points, 3.0 3-pointers, and 6.2 assists, and he was a solid anchor in free-throw percentage. He shot 86.8% on 5.4 attempts per game, making him the sixth-most impactful PG in that department.

That said, Maxey’s production comes with a few caveats. First, he got to play a solid chunk of the season without Joel Embiid. Embiid was limited to just 39 games last season, which left Maxey to run the show on plenty of occasions. Maxey averaged more than 38 minutes per game in his 32 contests without Embiid, and he increased his usage rate by more than 2% in those outings.

If Embiid stays healthier this season—a big if—Maxey will have to share the ball with him. He’s also going to have to share the ball with Paul George, who was acquired this offseason to be the team’s third star. Ultimately, this roster looks a lot closer to the 2022-23 version of the 76ers, and while Maxey was good for that squad, he wasn’t as good as he was last year.

Additionally, Maxey leaves a lot to be desired in the FG% category. I’m less worried about him in points leagues, but in the other formats, I’m not looking to use a second or third-round selection on him.

Honorable mentions: Dejounte Murray (ESPN: 35, Yahoo: 29), Jamal Murray (ESPN: 43, Yahoo: 48), Anfernee Simons (ESPN: 72, Yahoo: 87)

Additional Notes

  • Stephen Curry | PG/SG | GSW (ESPN: 15, Yahoo: 10) – Fresh off his gold medal performance in France, Curry remains the most impactful 3-point producer in fantasy. He’s going to hurt you in FG%, but he’s a help in every other department.
  • Damian Lillard | PG | MIL (ESPN: 28, Yahoo: 22) – Lillard was the fourth-worst PG in terms of FG% impact last year, but he was No. 1 in FT% impact. He was also No. 6 in 3-pointers, No. 7 in assists, and No. 8 in points, so he makes a lot of sense in the right builds.
  • Jalen Brunson | PG | NYK (ESPN: 13, Yahoo: 21) – He’s a better real-life asset than a fantasy one. He’ll be forced to share the rock a bit more with Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges in tow, and most of his value last season came from scoring.
  • Fred VanVleet | PG | HOU (ESPN: 52, Yahoo: 38) – If you can stomach his poor contributions in FG%, he’s an excellent source of 3-pointers, assists, and steals. He’s also a low-turnover point guard, so he gets a bump in nine-category formats.
  • Derrick White | PG/SG | BOS (ESPN: 53, Yahoo: 47) – White seems undervalued as the No. 21 PG off the board on average. He’s not going to help in FG%, but he’s one of the best guards in the league in the defensive categories. He was No. 11 at the position in the Player Rater last season.
  • Alex Caruso | PG/SG/SF | OKC (ESPN: 134, Yahoo: 107) – Like White, Caruso is a specialist. He gets a massive bump on teams that are punting points, and he’s one of the top steals merchants in the game.

More 2024 Fantasy Basketball Analysis

 

  • 2024 Fantasy Basketball Rankings
  • Point Guards for Fantasy Basketball 2024
  • Shooting Guards for Fantasy Basketball 2024
  • Small Forwards for Fantasy Basketball 2024
  • Centers for Fantasy Basketball 2024
  • Rookies to Watch