Fantasy Basketball 2016: Position Rankings, Team Names for Upcoming NBA Season

While not quite as ubiquitous as fantasy football or even fantasy baseball, basketball has an ever-growing fantasy community.

Whether it's DFS or season-long games, the NBA's rich pool of talent has helped grow the game. What other form of basketball-related entertainment would you rather build around players not named Stephen Curry or LeBron James? Depending on who is doing the rankings, there are two or three players ranked ahead of the world's two greatest players.

Much like fantasy baseball, hoops is about building your most well-rounded roster. Taking Dwight Howard in the 10th round might sound like a great idea, but you can kiss your free-throw percentage goodbye if you're combining him with the likes of Andre Drummond, DeAndre Jordan or even Ben Simmons.

With that in mind, here's a look at top-20 player rankings for each position, along with some analysis. 

Breakout Candidates

D'Angelo Russell, PG/SG, Los Angeles Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers are the Western Conference's worst team on paper. But removed from the shadow of Kobe Bryant's goodbye season and separated enough from the Nick Young/Iggy Azalea fiasco, D'Angelo Russell could be in line for a huge numbers boost.

The former Ohio State standout quietly had a solid rookie season, averaging 13.2 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. He flashed an innate ability to create shots for himself off the dribble and coming off screens, and the Lakers will have a far more open offense this season under head coach Luke Walton.

Replacing Byron Scott with a cardboard cutout of Phil Jackson would have been an improvement; Walton should be a godsend for Russell after watching Curry and Klay Thompson grow the last couple of years.

Jabari Parker, SF/PF, Milwaukee Bucks

A lot of attention has been heaped upon Giannis Antetokounmpo in the preseason after his post-All-Star surge, and rightfully so. Antetokounmpo looks like a triple-double machine, provided head coach Jason Kidd continues to deploy him as a lead ball-handler.

But it's Jabari Parker who arguably holds the key to the Milwaukee Bucks' season. The 2015-16 campaign was essentially his rookie year. Injuries limited him to 25 games as a rookie, and Parker returned last season as the same player he was before. He's a solid enough stretch 4 but lacks the shooting stroke to be a 3 and the height to defend some 4s.

The Bucks need Parker to be more comfortable shooting beyond the arc. Antetokounmpo can't do it, Michael Carter-Williams can't do it, and Greg Monroe sure as the warm place downstairs can't do it. With Khris Middleton possibly out for the season, Parker's offensive strides will go a long way in determining whether the Bucks can field a cogent offense. 

Beware

Any Sixers Center

Joel Embiid is healthy now. Or at least we're told. After two years of waiting, the No. 3 pick in the 2014 draft will finally be making his debut. If healthy, Embiid will instantly become the Philadelphia 76ers' best player and establish himself above Nerlens Noel and Jahlil Okafor—especially with Ben Simmons sidelined for months.

One problem: No one knows what in the world will happen. If you set the over/under on Embiid at 60 games, how many people are taking the over? Thirty percent? A quarter? Everyone is rightfully in "we'll believe it when we see it" mode.

As for the other two, Noel is clearly unhappy and is a prime trade candidate. Okafor spent his entire rookie season putting up a lot of empty-calorie stats and frustrating the Sixers organization with his immaturity. There are enough minutes to go around, but a lot of time is going to be spent with these guys playing out of position.

We haven't even mentioned the arrival of Dario Saric, a power forward who will take even more minutes. These three will find a way to be effective, but not nearly enough to make them priorities.

Harrison Barnes, SF/PF, Dallas Mavericks

Nothing we've seen Harrison Barnes do over his four-year NBA career justifies the max contract he got in Dallas. He's not a good shot creator, disappears in big moments and has made only incremental improvements at a time when true stars his age begin to shine. 

It's not that Barnes is a bad player. He's a thoroughly average two-way guy, and in some areas he's above average. You can win a title with him as your fourth- or fifth-best guy. The Warriors just went to back-to-back NBA Finals with him playing that role.

But the Mavs need far more, and we've yet to see him prove capable. Expect his shooting splits to take a major tumble as he tries to take on too much responsibility. I give it about a month before head coach Rick Carlisle begins reconfiguring. 

Rankings

PG

Ranking	Player	Team	Position(s)
1	Russell Westbrook	OKC	PG
2	Stephen Curry	GS	PG | SG
3	Damian Lillard	POR	PG
4	Chris Paul	LAC	PG
5	John Wall	WSH	PG
6	Kyrie Irving	CLE	PG | SG
7	Kyle Lowry	TOR	PG | SG
8	Kemba Walker	CHA	PG | SG
9	Isaiah Thomas	BOS	PG
10	C.J. McCollum	POR	PG | SG
11	Victor Oladipo	OKC	PG | SG
12	Eric Bledsoe	PHX	PG | SG
13	Goran Dragic	MIA	PG | SG
14	D'Angelo Russell	LAL	PG | SG
15	Brandon Knight	PHX	PG | SG
16	Reggie Jackson	DET	PG | SG
17	Dennis Schroder	ATL	PG
18	Ricky Rubio	MIN	PG
19	Emmanuel Mudiay	DEN	PG
20	Mike Conley	MEM	PG

SG

Ranking	Player	Team	Position
1	James Harden	HOU	SG
2	Stephen Curry	GS	PG | SG
3	Paul George	IND	SF | PF | SG
4	Giannis Antetokounmpo	MIL	SF | SG
5	Kemba Walker	CHA	PG | SG
6	Kyrie Irving	CLE	PG | SG
7	Kyle Lowry	TOR	PG | SG
8	C.J. McCollum	POR	PG | SG
9	Jimmy Butler	CHI	SG | SF
10	Klay Thompson	GS	SG | SF
11	Gordon Hayward	UTAH	SG | SF
12	Nicolas Batum	CHA	SG |SF
13	Victor Oladipo	OKC	SG | PG
14	Eric Bledsoe	PHX	SG | PG
15	DeMar DeRozan	TOR	SG | SF
16	Goran Dragic	MIA	PG | SG
17	Bradley Beal	WSH	SG
18	D'Angelo Russell	LAL	PG | SG
19	Brandon Knight	PHX	PG | SG
20	Reggie Jackson	DET	PG | SG

SF

Ranking	Player	Team	Position
1	Kevin Durant	GS	SF | PF
2	LeBron James	CLE	SF | PF
3	Kawhi Leonard	SA	SF
4	Draymond Green	GS	SF | PF | C
5	Paul George	IND	SF | PF | SG
6	Giannis Antetokounmpo	MIL	SF | SG
7	Jimmy Butler	CHI	SG | SF
8	Klay Thompson	GS	SG | SF
9	Gordon Hayward	UTAH	SG | SF
10	Nicolas Batum	CHA	SG |SF
11	DeMar DeRozan	TOR	SG | SF
12	Carmelo Anthony	NY	SF | PF
13	Andrew Wiggins	MIN	SG | SF
14	Chandler Parsons	MEM	SF
15	Jae Crowder	BOS	SF
16	Tobias Harris	DET	PF | SF
17	Jabari Parker	MIL	SF | PF
18	Danilo Gallinari	DEN	SF | PF
19	Trevor Ariza	HOU	SF | SG
20	Harrison Barnes	DAL	SF | PF

PF

Ranking	Player	Team	Position
1	Kevin Durant	GS	SF | PF
2	Anthony Davis	NO	PF | C
3	LeBron James	CLE	SF | PF
4	Karl-Anthony Towns	MIN	C | PF
5	Paul George	IND	SF | PF | SG
6	Draymond Green	GS	SF | PF | C
7	DeMarcus Cousins	SAC	C | PF
8	Blake Griffin	LAC	PF
9	Hassan Whiteside	MIA	PF | C
10	Paul Millsap	ATL	PF
11	LaMarcus Aldridge	SA	PF | C
12	Al Horford	BOS	C | PF
13	Serge Ibaka	ORL	PF | C
14	Derrick Favors	UTAH	PF | C
15	Carmelo Anthony	NY	SF | PF
16	Kristaps Porzingis	NY	PF
17	Kevin Love	CLE	PF
18	Tobias Harris	DET	PF | SF
19	Jabari Parker	MIL	SF | PF
20	Danilo Gallinari	DEN	SF | PF

C

Ranking	Player	Team	Position
1	Anthony Davis	NO	PF | C
2	Karl-Anthony Towns	MIN	C | PF
3	Draymond Green	GS	SF | PF | C
4	DeMarcus Cousins	SAC	C | PF
5	Hassan Whiteside	MIA	PF | C
6	LaMarcus Aldridge	SA	PF | C
7	Al Horford	BOS	C | PF
8	Serge Ibaka	ORL	PF | C
9	Derrick Favors	UTAH	PF | C
10	Marc Gasol	MEM	C
11	Rudy Gobert	UTAH	C
12	Pau Gasol	SA	PF | C
13	Andre Drummond	DET	C
14	DeAndre Jordan	LAC	C
15	Nikola Vucevic	ORL	C
16	Jahlil Okafor	PHI	C | PF
17	Nerlens Noel	PHI	C | PF
18	Enes Kanter	OKC	C | PF
19	Dwight Howard	ATL	C
20	Jonas Valanciunas	TOR	C

Team Names

Let's be clear here: The best team names are always far too inappropriate for us to list on this family website. Inside jokes, flat-out insults and perverted puns are the way to go 100 percent of the time. I don't care if you're 15 or 55; this will remain true until the end of time. We are all pun-loving children at heart, and fantasy sports teams are one of the few areas where it's socially acceptable to honor our inner child.

But just in case you're in a work league and don't want your boss to see your twisted mind, here are a few safe-for-work choices:

• The Gobert Report
• Por Some Zingis On Me
• Super Dario
• Dwyane's World
• Bed Bath and Biyombo
• Burks and Recreation
• The Big Dieng Theory