October 11, 2016

Justin Bales ranks the 2016-17 NBA rookies in tiers for the 2016-17 fantasy basketball season. Use his rookie rankings to win fantasy basketball drafts.

Rookies in fantasy basketball aren't like the high impact rookies you'll find in fantasy football or baseball.  In most standard leagues you can get away with ignoring rookies.  Even LeBron James wasn't all that great of a fantasy player in his rookie year.

However, with more and more fantasy owners playing in dynasties, keeper leagues, and very deep leagues, there's a lot of interest in the rookie class.  Here we rank and tier the rookies by position, with a focus on how quickly they could make an impact in fantasy leagues.

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NBA Rookie Rankings - Point Guards

Tier 1 - Point Guards

1. Kris Dunn, MIN

Kris Dunn is the obvious pick to lead the pack. He had an outstanding Summer League, and he should see immediate minutes. If Ricky Rubio is traded this season, Dunn could potentially end up being the best rookie this season.

Tier 2 - Point Guards

1. Wade Baldwin, MEM

2. Caris LeVert, BKN

Wade Baldwin and Caris LeVert are two players that are going to come off the bench. Baldwin will help the Grizzlies immediately, while LeVert will likely need part of the season to get into form after dealing with multiple injuries in college. They both will have a role this season, which is what helped them into the second tier.

Tier 3 - Point Guards

1. Tyler Ulis, PHO

2. Dejounte Murray, SAS

3. Kahlil Felder, CLE

4. Demetrius Jackson, BOS

This is a tier filled with players that are going to need a trade or injury to play significant minutes this season. With that being said, these players all have good upside, and are worth a stash in deeper leagues.

NBA Rookie Rankings - Shooting Guards

Tier 1 - Shooting Guards

1. Buddy Hield, NOP

There could be an argument made for Jamal Murray to be in this tier, but Buddy Hield is in a league of his own this season. He's going to play immediate minutes for the Pelicans, and he won the National Player of the Year in the NCAA last season. He has looked outstanding in preseason, and he's one of the best rookies this season.

Tier 2 - Shooting Guards

1. Jamal Murray, DEN

2. Denzel Valentine, CHI

3. Malachi Richardson, SAC

Each of these three players are in this tier for different reasons. Jamal Murray has the draft prestige to find minutes immediately for the Nuggets. Denzel Valentine is one of the most NBA ready players in this draft, which will help him find the court his rookie season. Malachi Richardson is playing for a team that needs to find an identity at shooting guard, and could use Richardson as a high upside player. Regardless, all three players should earn minutes as the season progresses.

Tier 3 - Shooting Guards

1. Malcolm Brogdon, MIL

2. Patrick McCaw, GSW

These are two players that have earned minutes in training camp, but don't have the draft prestige to be locks for the entire season. The Bucks are looking to move Michael Carter-Williams, which suggests they have plenty of confidence in Michael Brogdon to play minutes. The Warriors also seem to have plenty of confidence in their second round rookie, as they have been talking Patrick McCaw up the entire offseason. Neither of these players will likely have a huge role, but they could be depth for a fantasy team.

Tier 4 - Shooting Guards

1. Malik Beasley, DEN

2. Isaiah Whitehead, BKN

These are high upside rookies that are going to have trouble finding playing time. They are both sitting behind other rookies on their respective teams, and while they may play at some point this season, they are two extremely risky players.

NBA Rookie Rankings - Small Forwards

Tier 1 - Small Forwards

1. Brandon Ingram, LAL

As many people would expect, Brandon Ingram is in a tier of his own. He may start the season out slow because of his spot on the depth chart, but he will take over as the starter at some point, and he has elite upside. If he can work his way into minutes early on, he is likely the favorite to win Rookie of the Year.

Tier 2 - Small Forwards

1. Taurean Prince, ATL

2. DeAndre Bembry, ATL

3. Timothe Luwawu, PHI

4. Juan Hernangomez, DEN

5. Jaylen Brown, BOS

All of these rookies will have trouble finding consistent minutes this season. They aren't all on great teams, but they do all have players ahead of them on the depth chart. Of the group, Timothe Luwawu will likely have the easiest path to minutes, but each player comes with great upside. All of these guys are just one injury away from great fantasy value.

NBA Rookie Rankings - Power Forwards

Tier 1 - Power Forwards

1. Dario Saric, PHI

Saric was drafted a couple years ago, but he's a rookie because this is his first season in the NBA. He tops the list because of the injury to Ben Simmons. He could potentially be the starting power forward, and he should be locked into big minutes. He is a versatile player, and he comes with elite upside.

Tier 2 - Power Forwards

1. Dragan Bender, PHO

2. Marquese Chriss, PHO

3. Domantas Sabonis, OKC

4. Pascal Siakam, TOR

Each of these power forwards have some type of path to minutes. The Suns will be using both Dragan Bender and Marquese Chriss throughout the season, and they both have at least a small ability to play multiple positions. Jared Dudley is the only "power forward" ahead of them on the depth chart, and it likely won't take long before they are both playing minutes.

Domantas Sabonis and Pascal Siakam both have the potential to start this season. Keep in mind, it is unlikely, but it is not out of the question. Regardless of whether they start or not, they could both be two of the first big men off the bench for their respective teams.

Tier 3 - Power Forwards

1. Brice Johnson, LAC

2. Henry Ellenson, DET

3. Ben Simmons, PHI

These players could have problems getting minutes for a variety of reasons this season. Brice Johnson simply isn't needed on the Clippers, but that doesn't mean he won't carve out some type of role. The Pistons have already expressed their desire to sit Henry Ellenson and develop him on the bench. Ben Simmons recently had surgery and will miss at least a large chunk of the season. There have been reports that he will be back in January, but there have also been reports that the Sixers plan on keeping him out for the season. If he plays at any point, he will immediately be one of the highest producing rookies, but I don't think we should count on him any time soon.  In dynasty leagues, he's still one of the top picks, but in re-draft leagues or leagues with limited keepers, a player with a foot injury like his is probably a wasted pick.

NBA Rookie Rankings - Centers

Tier 1 - Centers

1. Joel Embiid, PHI

2. Thon Maker, MIL

Joel Embiid is technically a rookie because he has yet to play in the NBA, which is how he made the list. He has looked good in limited action this preseason, and that is why he is this high. He is low on the overall list because of his injury concern and that he will not be playing in back-to-back games this year.

Thon Maker was likely going to redshirt this season, but his elite Summer League play could have forced the Bucks hand. He's currently penciled in fairly low on the depth chart, but many betting sites have him as the dark horse to win the Rookie of the Year. He's a player to keep an eye on.

Tier 2 - Centers

1. A.J. Hammons, DAL

2. Ivica Zubac, LAL

These are two second round rookies that likely will see plenty of time for their teams. They both have injury prone centers ahead of them on the depth chart, and they could both produce solid numbers on a per minute basis. They are more of draft and stash players while waiting for an injury to happen later in the season.

Tier 3 - Centers

1. Jakob Poeltl, TOR

2. Diamond Stone, LAC

3. Damian Jones, GSW

These are three talented centers, but they simply are not needed on their teams. The Raptors, Clippers, and Warriors are three of the best teams in the NBA, and they generally don't give rookies many minutes; outside of special cases. They rookies are good options in dynasty leagues, but they likely won't be providing too much value this season.

NBA Rookie Rankings - Overall