As much as we love to talk about the sleepers and the busts, fantasy championships are won by the stars. Just as in real life, if you have a Kevin Durant or a LeBron James or a Dwight Howard, you can ride them deep into the playoffs.
This year was no different for most of the big-name stars. A few, like Steph Curry and Durant, had career-years. Some just kept on truckin’ and put up numbers every single night. With the fantasy season winding down, here is this year’s All-Fantasy Basketball First Team.
[RELATED: This year’s fantasy basketball all-value team]
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PG – CHRIS PAUL (19.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, 10.7 assists, 1.2 threes, 2.5 steals)
CP3 missed some time due to injury and shot his lowest percentage from the field since arriving in Los Angeles, but still was the most efficient point guard in the league. He’s currently first in the NBA in assists per game, and as always, leads the league in steals. You couldn’t ask for a better fantasy situation for Paul, who has the option of throwing lobs to guys like Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan, or kicking out to shooters like Jamal Crawford and J.J. Redick (when healthy) on virtually every possession. For as long as he’s heading the Clippers offense, he’ll be a staple at the top of the rankings.
SG – STEPHEN CURRY (23.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, 8.5 assists, 3.3 threes, 1.6 steals)
Curry hasn’t played nearly as much shooting guard since Jarrett Jack left town, but when you’re a shooter of his caliber, it’s impossible for Yahoo! and ESPN to take away that eligibility. He currently leads the league in three-pointers made, and has 35 more than teammate Klay Thompson, who oddly enough is the next closest player. No, he didn’t break his own record for treys in a season this year, but Curry did manage to dish out a career-high 8.5 assists per game, which is even more lethal given his shooting guard status. His average draft position was 4.9 this year, and you can bet that it’ll be just as expensive to take him when next season rolls around.
SF – KEVIN DURANT (32.0 points, 7.4 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 51 percent FG, 88 percent FT, 2.4 threes, 1.4 steals, 0.7 blocks)
In ousting King James from a seasonal honors team, Durant has officially done the unthinkable. Even LeBron admits that KD is more deserving of the MVP award, and the same applies in the fantasy game too. Durant averaged more points, rebounds, threes and blocks than James this season and has taken his game to a whole other level. Some of that is attributed to the recurring absences of Russell Westbrook, but even when defenses were keyed in on the Slim Reaper, he was able to overcome. There’s no doubt he’ll the first-ranked player in all fantasy basketball formats next season.
PF – KEVIN LOVE (26.0 points, 12.5 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 2.5 threes, 82 percent FT, 0.8 steals, 0.5 blocks)
At what point will Love’s game stop getting better? It seems like he adds another element to his game every season, and 2013-14 was no different. Love upped his assist average by 2.0 dimes per game this year, while still finishing third in the league in rebounds per game, and first among center-eligible players in threes per game. If you really want to nitpick, his rebounding average dropped from 14.0 to 12.5, but while his steals and blocks are lacking too, don’t be surprised to see him add that to his repertoire next season.
C – ANTHONY DAVIS (20.8 points, 10.0 rebounds, 52 percent FG, 79 percent FT, 1.3 steals, 2.8 blocks)
During the exhibition season, Davis’s average draft position crept higher and higher. We all saw the potential in him, and once the games started counting, he lived up to the hype, posting a 20 and 10 season while dethroning Serge Ibaka as the league’s most feared shotblocker. Perhaps no player in the league has a higher ceiling than AD, who made a name for himself by developing into one of the best defensive players in the game. He also made the first of what’s sure to be many All-Star Game appearances. Although the season didn’t go the way the Pelicans thought it would, there’s still plenty to be happy about in New Orleans. Davis is a bonafide stud, who will probably be off the board within the first five picks next fantasy season.
Who do you think were the best players in fantasy this year?
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