The regular season has come to a close and while many teams continue in their quest for a championship it is time to look back and take stock of how our fantasy teams did. Many players had great years, the usual suspects rose to the top once again and asserted themselves as the game’s best.
Back before the NBA season tipped off, I gave you a top-25 fantasy ranking for each position. For the sake of self-criticism I referenced my preseason guide to critique and see just how accurate the preseason rankings turned out to be.
Before we get into the top-twenty fantasy players at each position (stay tuned), we would be remiss without giving specific mention to those who excelled above everyone else. What follows is the All-Fantasy team for the Western Conference. That is the starting five consisting of the top-performing fantasy players at each position plus an one honorable mention spot per position as well.
Had preseason picks come to fruition the starting five at year end would have consisted of; Chris Paul and Kobe Bryant in the backcourt, with Kevin Durant and Kevin Love at the forward spots and Dwight Howard at center. The honorable mentions were Russell Westbrook, Blake Griffin and Al Jefferson.
Injuries aside, lets see how accurate the preseason predictions were. Here is eDrafts year-end Western Conference All-Fantasy team.
Russell Westbrook - Guard, Oklahoma City Thunder
Westbrook was the top-performing fantasy guard in the entire league this past season much less the Western Conference. He did everything for the Thunder this season as he finished the season with averages of 23.2 ppg, 7.4 apg, 5.2 rpg and 1.8 steals per game. Now these averages are not quite as impressive as his 2010-2011 campaign, they do show a marked improvement over last season. Knock on Westbrook always seems to be his shot selection and field goal percentage; this year wasn’t great as he closed out the year at .438 and was still averaging 18.7 attempts per game. Westbrook did post 23 double-doubles on the year and recorded a single triple-double as well. His 2.22 turnovers per game average is a little high; however, considering the style of offense the Thunder run and Westbrook’s style of play the number is quite acceptable to fantasy owners. No reason to think that Westbrook won’t return next season as healthy as ever and he should be able to duplicate his success in the 2013-2014 season.
Kobe Bryant - Guard, Los Angeles Lakers
Yet another solid statistical season out of Bryant as he placed second in the league behind Westbrook for fantasy production at the guard position. Bryant actually improved on his field-goal percentage as he raised his season average to .463 and raised his three-point conversion average as well to .324. Bryant finished out the season having played in 78 of the Lakers games where he averaged 27.3 ppg, 5.6 apg, 6.0 rpg and 1.4 steals per game. Even with the ruptured achilles tendon and despite being 35 years old come start of next season, Bryant will remain as a top fantasy option in the guard spot.
Kevin Durant - Forward, Oklahoma City Thunder
Durant finished the season as the second most valuable fantasy player in the league behind only LeBron James. His season averages of 28.1 ppg, 4.6 apg, 7.9 rpg, 1.3 blocks and 1.4 steals per game are all up from his career averages. Durant powered the Thunder to a Western Conference title and the hopes are that Durant can keep it going long enough to get the Thunder back to the Championship. For the first-time in his career, Durant finished the season with a field goal percentage higher than .500. He also posted a near career high in three-point percentage with .416 and set a new career high mark with a .905 free-throw percentage. Amazing thing is that Durant is only 24 years of age; scary to think that his best years might still be ahead of him.
David Lee - Forward, Golden State Warriors
Without a doubt, my favorite fantasy player of the year was David Lee. Looking back he registered more starts for my fantasy teams than anyone not named Lebron James. In retrospect this isn’t too surprising given that his season averages were 18.5 ppg, 11.2 rpg and 3.5 apg. Lee went on to post 56 double-doubles on the year and was as consistent a fantasy option as they came. Lee isn’t the sexiest choice out there for forwards, heck he isn’t even the most popular fantasy choice on his own team. Come next season Lee will see his fantasy stock at or near it’s pinnacle; despite this he is worth every penny you will spend on him.
Dwight Howard - Center, Los Angeles Lakers
For all the negative attention drawn toward Howard throughout the season he still had himself one heck of a fantasy season. Almost every centerman in the league would be satisfied with averages of 17.1 ppg, 12.4 rpg, 1.4 apg and 2.4 blocks per game. Fact of the matter is that fans and fantasy general managers actually expected more. Howard was limited early on by the nagging back injuries which were followed by shoulder pains. Despite these annoyances, Howard still had a monster season and had the injuries not slowed him his season would have been colossal. Knock on Howard this season was his ability to disappear during key moments in games and other times his general lack of interest was noticeable. It will be interesting to follow the offseason Howard-saga as his free-agency period will begin. One thing's for certain, I wouldn’t expect anything less out of him come next season regardless of the environment he finds himself in.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
James Harden - Guard, Houston Rockets
As soon as the trade was announced that sent Harden from Oklahoma City to Houston; his fantasy stock skyrocketed. The potential was always there and now that he was unshackled by the sixth-man role he exploded as a legitimate fantasy-stud. Harden finished the season with averages of 25.9 ppg, 5.8 apg, 4.9 rpg and 1.8 steals per game. Pretty amazing fantasy numbers given this was his first year as a starter in the league and the fact that he is just 23-years old. Harden also added nine double-doubles on the year and he registered a triple-double; all were career firsts. Harden has propelled himself up the ladder in terms of fantasy producers. I mean the Western Conference is so jammed with talent at the guard position that both Chris Paul and Stephen Curry didn’t make the cut.
Blake Griffin - Forward, Los Angeles Clippers
This was not a banner season for Griffin; he finished with career lows in scoring and rebounding. One positive for the Clippers was that Griffin missed just two regular season games and his minutes per game were reduced to minimize the wear and tear on his body. Despite not posting the most outstanding numbers, Griffin had himself a solid season as he still averaged 18.0 ppg and 8.3 rpg.
Al Jefferson - Center, Utah Jazz
Quietly Jefferson has gone about compiling yet another solid season of fantasy production. His season averages of 17.8 ppg, 9.2 rpg and 2.1 apg are pretty much in line with his carer numbers. Granted the production is sliding off a bit since his days in Minnesota, but the numbers still warrant Jefferson being considered a top-tier fantasy option. Jefferson is unlikely to remain with Jazz after this season as he is an unrestricted free-agent and he will still command a hefty salary on the open market. Wherever Jefferson ends up (my bet is Houston after they lose out on Dwight Howard), he is likely to continue his success.