Fantasy Basketball 2023: Position Rankings, Team Names for Upcoming NBA Season
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NBA media day is behind us, and training camps are off and running.
Fantasy basketball is back.
You still have (a little) time to finalize your draft preparations, but the clock is ticking.
So, let’s get going by plotting our top fives and spotlighting a sleeper at each position and finally laying out 10 team names worth considering.
Point Guard
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Top 5
1. Luka Dončić, Dallas Mavericks
2. Tyrese Haliburton, Indiana Pacers
3. Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
4. Damian Lillard, Milwaukee Bucks
5. Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks
Sleeper: Tyus Jones, Washington Wizards
Formally Ja Morant’s backup in Memphis, Jones is now running the show in Washington and has a chance to take his stat sheet to the next level.
You know he’ll always keep his assists up (career 3.9 per game) and his turnovers down (0.7), but he also has a chance to make big strides as a scorer and outside shooter.
Last season, Jones averaged 16.4 points and 2.0 three-pointers in 22 starts.
Shooting Guard
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Top 5
1. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder
2. Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves
3. Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns
4. Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers
5. Kyrie Irving, Dallas Mavericks
Sleeper: Gary Trent Jr., Toronto Raptors
Trent has posted similar numbers over the past two seasons, which might convince some that he has plateaued. It feels too early to make that call. He hasn’t even turned 25 yet and has only really been a rotation regular for the past three seasons.
So, he could benefit from having extra opportunities in this offense. Fred VanVleet, who signed in Houston this summer, was Toronto’s second-leading scorer and its minutes leader last season. It’s hard to imagine Dennis Schröder taking all of the leftover floor time and touches, so Trent should be more heavily involved.
Small Forward
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Top 5
1. Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics
2. LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers
3. Mikal Bridges, Brooklyn Nets
4. Jimmy Butler, Miami Heat
5. Lauri Markkanen, Utah Jazz
Sleeper: Shaedon Sharpe, Portland Trail Blazers
Sharpe may not qualify as a small forward for everyone—he does at Yahoo and CBS but not ESPN, per FantasyPros—but no matter where he slots up, he could be one of this season’s best breakout performers.
The rebuilding, Damian Lillard-less Blazers should have all kinds of minutes, touches and shots available to their young players, and Sharpe will almost certainly see a ton of them.
Portland let him loose late last season, and the results were—statistically speaking—wholly ridiculous. He scored 20-plus points in eight of his final 10 outings, averaging 23.7 points on 46 percent shooting, 6.1 rebounds and 4.1 assists over that stretch.
Power Forward
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Top 5
1. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
2. Kevin Durant, Phoenix Suns
3. Pascal Siakam, Toronto Raptors
4. Julius Randle, New York Knicks
5. Paolo Banchero, Orlando Magic
Sleeper: Jabari Smith Jr., Houston Rockets
Last summer’s No. 3 pick, Smith seemed over his head for much of his rookie season. Even with an encouraging finish, he wound up with a woeful 40.8 field-goal percentage, a brutal connection rate for a 6’10” power forward.
Once the light bulb finally clicked, though, he hinted at how productive he could be. In his final 17 games, he averaged 16.4 points on 46.5 percent shooting, 8.2 rebounds, 1.5 three-pointers and 1.0 blocks.
Center
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Top 5
1. Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets
4. Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers
10. Domantas Sabonis, Sacramento Kings
15. Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers
18. Bam Adebayo, Miami Heat
Sleeper: Jalen Duren, Detroit Pistons
Duren was basically a double-double machine last season—as a rookie teenager who played fewer than 25 minutes per night.
In 67 games (31 starts), he had 29 games with double-digit points, 28 games with double-digit rebounds and 19 games when he hit both marks.
If he ups his defensive output (he only averaged 0.9 blocks), he has a potential path to becoming a top-10 center.
Assuming the Pistons find roughly 30 minutes per night for him—Detroit has other young bigs, but Duren has the highest ceiling—he should average a double-double with a strong field-goal percentage (64.8 last season) and hopefully improved defensive marks.
Team Names
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LaMelo Ball Don’t Lie
The Zion King
Who What When Where Kawhi
Bron to be Wild
Full Metal Jokić
Stairway to Kevin
I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butler
Jamal About That Bass
Take a Brow
Boogie Towns Productions