Fantasy basketball: H2H points draft tiers by position

In the first ESPN fantasy basketball mock draft, I had the No. 5 pick. I was delighted that Jayson Tatum fell to me, both because I have him projected as a clear top-4 producer this season, but also because he plays forward.

I knew going into the draft that the two forward positions are more scarce in terms of both quality and depth of options than the other three positions. The draft really helped illustrate this point, particularly at the top:

• After I picked Tatum, 10 of the next 12 players drafted came from the backcourt.

• Among the top-17 players drafted, only Tatum and Giannis Antetokounmpo (both SF/PF eligible) were “pure” forwards. Every other forward-eligible player was also guard or center eligible.

• Of those top-17 picks, 11 were guard eligible and four were center-eligible.

The low ratio of forwards to other positions drafted wasn’t limited to the top of the draft. No, one could get quality guards and/or centers at almost every stage of the draft. But finding quality small- and power forward options wasn’t always a guarantee.

Thus, the importance of a tiered approach to preparing for drafts. By grouping prospects into tiers before the draft, I’m able to clearly illustrate the phenomenon I noted in that mock draft. Through the early-middle parts of the draft, there do tend to be more guards in the upper tiers than other positions, with the forwards as the sparsest of all.

As such, early in drafts, when deciding between similar caliber players it might be wise to lean toward filling the scarcer position with the knowledge that there’s a better chance to fill your backcourt with quality a few rounds later.

The following is my breakdown of players into tiers, by position, based upon my preseason projections. It’s worthwhile for you to see how I break things down, but ultimately you’ll get the most benefit out of taking a few minutes for yourself and breaking down the players into your own tiers based upon your own valuation. You would be shocked how much a little exercise like that can do to prepare you for your draft, and how much this 20 minute exercise could set you apart from the other team managers in your league.

Point guard

The top tier contains 11 players, of which three are point guards carrying first round grades. Tier 2 contains five guards capable of producing top level value but not as proven to do so at the current point of their careers. Tier 3 has another proven, ultra elite talent in Kyrie Irving, but his availability history has him in the same tier with four other up-and-coming guards. Tier 4 contains the top overall pick from the 2021 NBA Draft and another player who, if he were to play in the regular season like he plays in the playoffs, would soon ascend to the upper tiers. Tiers five and six both contain the full complement of five players each; Tier 5 is highlighted by the first rookie in Scoot Henderson and Tier 6 led by Ja Morant, who would be Tier 1 were it not for his lengthy suspension. The biggest lightning rod in the lower tiers is Ben Simmons, far removed from the days when he was a rising Tier 2 producer but still in possession of the talent at only 27 years old.