After each month of the NBA season we will compile our NBA All-Fantasy teams comprised of the top fantasy performers at each position along with a few honorable mentions that might break into the starting lineup next month.
We will start first in the Eastern Conference where I’ll give you a starting five as well as a couple honourable mention spots that came close but ultimately fell just short of cracking the starting lineup. All rankings are based on eDraft’s fantasy stats and are based on a cumulative total for the month which is not necessarily indicative of individual fantasy point per game averages.
John Wall - Washington Wizards
Wall is having his best statistical year of his career as his ppg average is up nearly two points from last season. Difference maker for Wall has been his field goal percentages and shot selection. Having Bradley Beal as a running mate is alleviating some pressure off Wall and it is showing as his assist averages are career highs at 8.9 apg. December was a very good month for Wall as he solidified his spot atop the fantasy rankings for guards in the Conference. Wall’s slash line for the month was an impressive 21.7 ppg, 9.1 apg, 3.7 rpg and 1.6 steals per game.
Kyrie Irving - Cleveland Cavaliers
Irving took the second guard spot as he just edged out the Detroit Pistons Brandon Jennings. Irving was actually the fifth highest ranking guard in the league over the past two months. It’s no wonder as he has shown great consistency as a fantasy option. Irving has started 31 games for the Cavaliers and averaged a team high 35.9 mpg during December. Over the last month Irving has raised his game even higher as he posted averages of 24.1 ppg, 6.2 apg, 2.4 rpg and 1.3 steals per game. Irving will be pushed by Jennings to maintain his grasp on his top-five ranking, but with averages like these I expect Irving to be here again next month.
Paul George - Indiana Pacers
George has been a fantasy-stud through the first two months of the season; he is exceeding his scoring average of last season by nearly six ppg. George’s season averages of 23.5 ppg, 3.5 apg and 6.0 rpg place him squarely in the top 12 in the entire Association. As it stands now George is the third-ranked fantasy option in the East behind ‘The King’ and Washington’s Wall. Defenses are starting to key on the fourth-year forward and that has slowed his production slightly as he is forced to work harder now at both ends of the court. Expect George’s youthfulness and fantastic conditioning to kick in and ensure that he remains strong as the season progresses.
LeBron James - Miami Heat
As if there was any doubt as to who would be anchoring the Eastern Conference’s All-Fantasy team. James is the top fantasy player in the conference; however, he is only the fifth best option in the league on a whole. LeBron can certainly turn it on whenever he so chooses and he usually kicks it into overdrive later on in the year. It’s not like his 25.5 ppg, 6.6 apg and 6.9 rpg are anything to complain about, but these numbers are off from his career numbers and don’t put him on pace for another league MVP award at this point in the season.
Andre Drummond - Detroit Pistons
Going by true positions, Drummond is the best producing center in the East. The Atlanta Hawks Al Horford did slightly out-point Drummond; however, Horford is lost for the year so putting him in your lineup is going to give you anything. Drummond on the other hand is averaging a robust 12.9 ppg and 12.4 rpg and he has 23 double-doubles on the season so far. For a second-year player out of the University of Connecticut he has turned into a very reliable fantasy option.
Honourable Mentions
Brandon Jennings - Detroit Pistons
Jennings did not miss out on the starting rotation by very much. If he can continue his stellar play that saw him average 18.9 ppg, 8.4 apg, 3.5 rpg and 1.6 steals per game during the month of December then he will continue to push Cleveland’s Kyrie Irving for the second guard spot. Despite the fantasy success of Jennings and Drummond as well as the solid play of Greg Monroe and Josh Smith the Pistons are five games under .500 and are not gelling the way that General Manager Joe Dumars had hoped.
Carmelo Anthony - New York Knicks
The last spot on our All-Fantasy squad goes to the maligned Knick that is Carmelo. Anthony has been playing the same way he has been for better part of a decade. As a fantasy general manager you must accept a decent ppg average coupled with low low assist totals, mediocre and inconsistent rebounding and frustratingly poor shooting night. Regardless of it all, Anthony remains a top performer in the fantasy realm.