The NBA regular season has come to a close and now that the 2013-14 season is in the books we can look back and assess the fantasy season that was. Like those general managers who chase down the Larry O’Brien, the fantasy general managers realized success by stocking their rosters with fantasy stars.
There is no question that members of the fantasy elite are needed to take home a fantasy league title. Capitalizing on role players can make a difference over a season but it is the upper echelon of the NBA’s best that truly carry a roster.
You might be thinking that compiling a list of First Team All-Fantasy players would be an exercise in redundancy as everyone expects to see the likes of LeBron James, Chris Paul and Dwight Howard here right? Well so far you are zero for three as none of those finished out the season ranked atop their position in terms of fantasy value, so have a read as the top five might just surprise you.
With that in mind we take a look at eDraft’s All-Fantasy First Team. Irregardless of division or conference here are the top performers at each position on the season. All rankings are based on eDraft’s statistical rankings at season end.
Stephen Curry Guard - Golden State Warriors
Curry finished out the season as the fourth highest ranked fantasy player and was the top performing backcourt player in the league. He really did have a stellar season as he led the Warriors to a 51 win season and sixth seed in the uber-competitive Western Conference. Curry certainly did his part as he posted averages of 24 ppg, 8.5 apg and 4.3 rpg while shooting .471 percentage from the field and a remarkable .424 from beyond the arc. Curry out performed his closest counterpart by more than 130 fantasy points on the season and he will certainly top the list of guards come next season draft time.
John Wall Guard - Washington Wizards
Joining Curry in the backcourt is none other than Washington’s John Wall. Wall rebounded strongly from a season that was greatly diminished due to injury. This season Wall stayed healthy and played in and started 82 games for the Wizards. Wall propelled the Wizards to a playoff spot on the back of his 19.3 ppg, 8.8 apg and 4.1 rpg and in turn took himself up the fantasy ranks.
Kevin Durant Forward - Oklahoma City Thunder
Durant was the top fantasy performer on the season as his 32 ppg, 5.5 apg and 7.4 rpg were darn near untouchable. He not only performed with such consistency but he stayed healthy enough to play in 81 games for the Thunder. Consistency, excellence and health are true marks of a fantasy god. Durant is the player that wins fantasy leagues, he is and was a no-brainer as a daily pick. Fantasy general managers need those player who they can slot into their lineup and just forget about him. Simply put Durant was the best all season long and there is no indication that he is slowing down, rather the contrary seems to be true.
Kevin Love Forward - Minnesota Timberwolves
This may come as a surprise to many but the second best fantasy player this season did not come from the Miami Heat, rather he was out in Minnesota slugging through yet another non playoff season. Regardless of the team’s success, Kevin Love held true to form all season as he was a model of consistency on his way to averaging 26.1 ppg and 12.5 rpg. The versatile forward recorded 65 double-doubles in 77 games and had three triple-doubles for good measure. The last three games of the season despite playing for nothing but pride; re recorded two 40-point games and had two games come within an assist of being triple-doubles. Love was an absolute fantasy stud all season long and here’s to hoping he gets some help in Minnesota to win some games come next season or who could blame him for leaving.
DeMarcus Cousins Center - Sacramento Kings
Preseason fantasy prognosticators all valued Dwight Howard as the clear cut top option at the center position. Some went so far as to devalue Cousins based on his temperamental attitude and perceived lack of work ethic. Here at eDraft we pushed those naysayers aside back in October of 2013 and boldly ranked Cousins as our second best fantasy option at the center position. Even our prediction fell short as Cousins not only out played Howard but he also outperformed the rest of the Association at the same time. Cousins wrapped up the season with averages of 22.7 ppg and 11.7 rpg. He posted 53 double-doubles on the year in only 71 games played. If the strong finish to this season is any indication of what is to come; 30.3 ppg and 13.3 rpg over his last five, with this young man then the league has certainly been served notice that Cousins is going to be a dominant force in this league for years to come.