RADIO
The 2022-23 NBA season came and went, with the Denver Nuggets coming away with the franchise's first championship, defeating the Heat 4-1. Some other notable happenings transpired during the year, including LeBron James passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the all-time scoring leader.
Not surprisingly, the league's Most Valuable Player was a hot topic, as usual. While Nikola Jokic appeared to be on his way to a third-straight MVP, Joel Embiid was the top vote-getter, becoming the first 76er in over 20 years to win the award (Allen Iverson).
But with all of that behind us, it's time to shift our attention toward the 2023-24 campaign. Although it's only August, and there are a few months before the start of the season, it's not too early to start planning. Here are the top 50 fantasy options for points leagues as of August 8, 2023. This list will change periodically, so others may get a chance to enter the equation.
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Fantasy Basketball Points Rankings: No. 1-4
| RANK | PLAYER | TEAM | POS |
| 1 | Nikola Jokic | DEN | C |
| 2 | Luka Doncic | DAL | PG, SG |
| 3 | Giannis Antetokounmpo | MIL | PF, C |
| 4 | Joel Embiid | PHI | C |
Few analysts will disagree on the top four fantasy options heading into October. But that is where the civility ends, and the debate begins. That said, Jokic should be the first player to go in fantasy drafts. Why? He's been healthy and available for over 90% of his career games, something Embiid, Luka Doncic, and Giannis Antetokounmpo can't say they've done.
Many focus on stats, but durability is often overlooked, even though it's arguably more important than anything else. There's no denying Doncic is nearly as talented. But he's played less than 66 games in each of the last four seasons.
On the other hand, Antetokounmpo, a multi-time MVP in his own right, is constantly burdened by injuries, and it's not uncommon for The Greek Freak to spend large chunks of a season carrying a questionable designation or being limited by soreness somewhere in his body.
To give Embiid some much-deserved credit, he's proven to be healthier than he was earlier in his career. Yet, James Harden may not be in Philly by the time the season rolls around, so Embiid could be without his primary distributor.
Fantasy Basketball Points Rankings: No. 5-10
| RANK | PLAYER | TEAM | POS |
| 5 | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | OKC | PG, SG |
| 6 | Jayson Tatum | BOS | SF, PF |
| 7 | Anthony Davis | LAL | PF, C |
| 8 | Domantas Sabonis | SAC | PF, C |
| 9 | Tyrese Haliburton | IND | PG, SG |
| 10 | Damian Lillard | POR | PG |
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jayson Tatum, Domantas Sabonis, and Tyrese Haliburton will likely be mentioned in the MVP conversation at some point during the year. A lot of people will foam at the mouth to get their hands on SGH (understandably so), but he's not a threat to the big four, especially with Chet Holmgren finally ready to make his debut.
An argument can be made for Tatum to be ranked ahead of Gilgeous-Alexander. Still, the expected progression of Jaylen Brown, fresh off receiving the richest contract in NBA history, and the arrival of Kristaps Porzingis will probably cause his usage and scoring opportunities to dip.
As for Davis, the guy can't stay off the injured list. However, he's still been a force to be reckoned with, so nobody can look past him. At the same time, Sabonis can stay on the floor. In fact, he played with a thumb injury for most of last season while averaging 19.1 points, 12.3 rebounds, and 7.3 assists. Sabonis won't get anyone much on the defensive end, but he more than makes up for it.
Then, of course, Tyrese Haliburton, who everyone has been clamoring over. The 23-year-old is obviously talented, but he needs another season like last to convince everyone he's the real deal. Last but not least, Damian Lillard. The All-Star is still looking to take his talents to South Beach, so he's barely hanging on to a spot in the top 10. That might change once Lillard's future is set in stone.
Fantasy Basketball Points Rankings: No. 11-20
| RANK | PLAYER | TEAM | POS |
| 11 | Kevin Durant | PHO | SF, PF |
| 12 | Trae Young | ATL | PG |
| 13 | LeBron James | LAL | PG, SF, PF |
| 14 | Stephen Curry | GSW | PG |
| 15 | Pascal Siakam | TOR | PF, C |
| 16 | Jaylen Brown | BOS | SG, SF |
| 17 | Anthony Edwards | MIN | SG, SF |
| 18 | Mikal Bridges | BKN | SG, SF |
| 19 | Ja Morant | MEM | PG |
| 20 | LaMelo Ball | CHA | PG, SG |
There should be a few surprises in this next group, but it's important to remember that it's still early, so some of the players can climb into the top 10. Kevin Durant, for example, is certainly worthy of a higher spot. But the fact remains he just can't stop getting banged up. He will be 35 before the regular season begins. Not only that, Durant appeared in eight games after he was traded to Phoenix and missed weeks for slipping on a wet spot on the court.
Moving on to Trae Young, a guy who averaged 26.2 points in 2022-23. Despite this, the former Oklahoma Sooner struggled from behind the arc by shooting 33% on the year, the second-lowest mark of his career. On the bright side, Young improved from downtown as the year progressed, shooting 38.1% in February and 40.7% in March. But why did this happen? Well, Quin Snyder was hired around then, so it appears there is a direct correlation.
Other players include Jaylen Brown, who averaged a career-high 26.6 points per game last season. It's scary to consider, but that number could rise even more, especially since he may be tasked with extra ball-handling duties now that Marcus Smart is in Memphis and Malcolm Brogdon can't remain ailment-free.
Entries No. 17 and 18 are there for a reason. While Edwards played 79 games in 2022-23, Bridges played 83 between the Suns and Brooklyn. Another key takeaway is that Bridges logged 26.1 points in 27 games with the Nets. He wants to improve as a distributor, meaning his floor is likely an All-Star selection. At the same time, his ceiling is All-NBA 1st team, something that's more than attainable.
We'll round out the top 20 with LaMelo Ball and Ja Morant. Ball could finish much higher than this list reflects. But there's also a chance he gets hurt again. For those who had him on the roster last year, it was certainly frustrating. The upside is there, but fantasy managers will need to decide if the risk is greater than the potential reward.
As far as Morant is concerned, he's going to miss 25 games; we know this. But what else is new? He played 61 games last year, 57 in 2021-22, and 63 in 2020-21. Yet, he still managed to remain a relevant fantasy option. Still, considering he is always injured at some point throughout a given season, adding more games on to the 25 he'll need to sit due to suspension isn't ideal.
I'll leave you for now with 21-50 presented without commentary, but yes - that is Victor Wembanyama all the way down at 41! Don't reach too early on him in redraft leagues this season!
Fantasy Basketball Points Rankings: No. 21-30
| RANK | PLAYER | TEAM | POS |
| 21 | James Harden | PHI | PG, SG |
| 22 | Donovan Mitchell | CLE | PG, SG |
| 23 | Julius Randle | NYK | PF |
| 24 | Chet Holmgren | OKC | PF, C |
| 25 | Jalen Brunson | NYK | PG, SG |
| 26 | Fred VanVleet | HOU | PG, SG |
| 27 | De'Aaron Fox | SAC | PG |
| 28 | Jimmy Butler | MIA | SF, PF |
| 29 | Bam Adebayo | MIA | C |
| 30 | Kyrie Irving | DAL | PG, SG |
Fantasy Basketball Points League Rankings: No. 31-40
| RANK | PLAYER | TEAM | POS |
| 31 | Devin Booker | PHO | PG, SG |
| 32 | Kristaps Porzingis | BOS | PF, C |
| 33 | Lauri Markkanen | UTH | SF, PF |
| 34 | DeMar DeRozan | CHI | PG, SG |
| 35 | Dejounte Murray | ATL | PG, SG |
| 36 | Karl-Anthony Towns | MIN | C |
| 37 | Darius Garland | CLE | PG, SG |
| 38 | Evan Mobley | CLE | PF, C |
| 39 | Brandon Ingram | NOR | SF, PF |
| 40 | Kyle Kuzma | WAS | SF, PF |
Fantasy Basketball Points League Rankings No. 41-50
| RANK | PLAYER | TEAM | POS |
| 41 | Victor Wembanyama | SAS | C |
| 42 | Desmond Bane | MEM | SG, SF |
| 43 | Paul George | LAC | SG, SF |
| 44 | Cade Cunningham | DET | PG, SG |
| 45 | Paolo Banchero | ORL | SF, PF |
| 46 | Nikola Vucevic | CHI | C |
| 47 | Scottie Barnes | TOR | PG, SF, PF |
| 48 | Kawhi Leonard | LAC | SF, PF |
| 49 | Jamal Murray | DEN | PG, SG |
| 50 | Bradley Beal | PHO | SG |
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