For so long now the debate surrounding the top overall fantasy selection in the NBA has come down to just two players. Fantasy general managers have their preferences and those draft tendencies have always led to either LeBron James or Kevin Durant going first overall. Now with Durant’s injury holding him out of action for at least a couple months and the new personal in Cleveland perhaps affecting LeBron’s production; one must ask is it time for a change at the top.
In eDraft’s sequel piece to why Anthony Davis could be the top overall fantasy selection, we now shift focus and make the same argument for Golden State Warriors Stephen Curry. Curry is one of the most exciting young players in the league and from a fantasy perspective, general managers know that this kid can explode on any given night. Curry along with Davis are leading the NBA’s younger generation and with James’ new settings and Durant’s injury, could Curry be the best fantasy player out there?
Let’s start by looking at Curry’s rip line from last season; 24 ppg, 8.5 apg, 4.3 rpg and 1.6 steals per game. Add in a blistering .471 from the field, .424 from behind the arc and .885 from the charity stripe. Curry launched a career high field goal attempts per game, career high three pointers per game and he got to the charity stripe on average more than ever before. All this means that Curry is not just a one dimensional shooter, he can flat out score from anywhere on the floor and he has no fear in attacking the hoop.
Now as if these averages weren’t impressive enough, factor in that last season Curry had 28 double-double games and 4 triple-doubles as well. He also had three games of 40-plus points, 21 games with 30-plus points and 29 games with 10-plus assists. Down the regular season stretch in April, Curry stepped his game up even more and shot a lights out .517 from the field and .470 from three.
Curry’s stats differ little between home and away games and he is actually a more productive player when he goes on zero days or one day rest versus when he actually has a few days off in between contests. Curry was once considered a fantasy risk due to injury; however, those pesky ankle injuries seem to be a thing of the past as he has played in 78 games in back-to-back seasons.
This season the Golden State Warriors are a very deep team as they will be bring either Harrison Barnes or Andre Iguodala off the bench. To compliment this depth they also went out and acquired the versatile Shaun Livingston. Livingston is an interesting player as he can actually spell off minutes at the point guard spot for Curry. Less of a load on Curry in terms of bringing the ball up the court and breaking presses designed to make him work harder could benefit his endurance down the stretch. Livingston at the point would also allow for Curry to play more minutes at the two-guard spot which would definitely be beneficial to his per game scoring average.
There is no question that Curry is a supremely talented player in the association and he is ready to lead the Warriors to a title run. From a fantasy perspective, Curry is easily a top-four talent and deserves wholeheartedly to be considered among James, Durant and Davis. It really is going to come down to individual preference on draft day as Curry makes a very strong case to be taken with the first overall pick ahead of the aforementioned players.