2020 Fantasy Basketball Draft Prep: Shooting Guard Tiers start with James Harden and Devin Booker

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Tiering is one of the most popular ways to prepare for a Fantasy basketball draft. Within each position group, separating players into tiers is an effective means of projecting general value and keeping organized during your draft. If you're in a position where you need to make a quick decision, consulting a set of tiers can help settle the debate between two players who are relatively close in value.

Entering the 2020-21 season, the NBA's talent pool is incredibly deep, so going into your drafts with a plan is more imperative than ever.

Here are our point guard tiers, which can serve as a general guide for those playing in standard leagues.

Tiers: Point Guard | Shooting Guard | Small Forward | Power Forward | Center

Tiers assume eight-category settings. Each player only appears in one set of tiers. Players are assigned to the position at which they're likely to play the most.

Shooting guard

Tier 1

James Harden, Houston Rockets

Harden continued his elite production in 2019-20, finishing as the No. 1 Fantasy player in eight-category leagues for the fourth time in six seasons. Heading into 2020-21, things are changing for Harden. He has asked out of Houston, but all signs are that the franchise wants to start the season with him on the roster. Westbrook wanted out as well, and he got his wish, being dealt for John Wall. Harden's role next to Wall probably won't change compared to his role next to Westbrook, unless new coach Steven Silas has plans to change the offense in a big way. Still, Harden is an elite Fantasy talent who is practically a guarantee to finish top 3.

Tier 2

Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns

Booker made his first All-Star game in 2019-20, and the 24-year-old is now in a position to push for the playoffs in 2020-21 alongside teammates Deandre Ayton and Chris Paul after the latter was traded to the team for Kelly Oubre, Ricky Rubio and picks. With the addition of Paul, Booker may play more off the ball. That could result in fewer assists, but increased scoring, and/or increased efficiency, is also on the table.

Bradley Beal, Washington Wizards

Beal had the best season of his career in 2019-20. His role could see a slight reduction in 2020-21, however, as Russell Westbrook is his new backcourt mate. Westbrook is ball-dominant -- more so than John Wall -- so we will likely see Beal off-ball as much as ever. The result could be fewer assists, though Beal might still be able to launch off a similar amount of shots.

Zach LaVine, Chicago Bulls

LaVine continued to take steps forward during his third season in Chicago, increasing his production in points (25.5), rebounds (4.8), steals (1.5) and 3s (3.1). It's possible that LaVine will exceed that rank in 2020-21, as he's entering his prime (25 years old) and has a new coach in Billy Donovan, who could be more open to using a run-and-gun system.

D'Angelo Russell, Minnesota Timberwolves

With the Timberwolves last season, Russell didn't have a real opportunity to share the court with Karl-Anthony Towns, who was injured late in the season. In 2020-21, we'll see how Russell will fare paired with one of his best friends and one of the best offensive centers in the league. The Wolves adding Ricky Rubio and No. 1 pick Anthony Edwards could cut into Russell's usage, but it shouldn't be enough to result in a drastic dip in Fantasy value.

Tier 3

Fred VanVleet, Toronto Raptors

With Kawhi Leonard leaving the Raptors for the Clippers, VanVleet took on an expanded role last season, and his Fantasy stock rose significantly, upping his rank to 30th in 2019-20. The 26-year-old opted to remain with the Raptors during free agency. This season, he could expand his role even more, as the Raptors lost both Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka in free agency, and Kyle Lowry is another year older.

Donovan Mitchell, Utah Jazz

Mitchell has made marginal strides to his game since his excellent rookie debut in 2017-18. However, his playoff performance against the Nuggets in the first round suggests he has another level to his game. In that series, Mitchell averaged 36.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.0 steals, which included two 50-point outbursts. Mitchell's durability is also a selling point, as he's missed just 11 games in his career.

DeMar DeRozan, San Antonio Spurs

DeRozan had arguably his best season as a pro in 2019-20. On one hand, DeRozan's strong 2019-20 campaign implies he could be drafted as high as the late second round in Fantasy, but there should be some concern if he is truly on the trading block in a contract year, since there's a fair chance he'd go to a team that wouldn't be featuring him as a co-No. 1 option like the Spurs do with him and LaMarcus Aldridge.

CJ McCollum, Portland Trail Blazers

The 2019-20 season was business as usual for one half of Portland's dynamic backcourt duo. McCollum has been one of the most consistent and durable guards in the NBA over the last four seasons, posting similar numbers year-in and year-out and appearing in at least 70 games for five straight campaigns. That shouldn't change this season.

Tier 4

Marcus Smart, Boston Celtics

Smart improved across the board in 2019-20, posting career highs in points, assists, 3-pointers and blocks per game. Expect that trend to continue with Gordon Hayward leaving for Charlotte. Hayward's departure leaves the door wide open for Smart to be a regular starter for Boston -- a role he filled during Hayward's various past injuries. Smart is an especially good source of steals, averaging 1.8 swipes across the past two seasons in 29.8 minutes per game.

Buddy Hield, Sacramento Kings

Hield's reputation as an elite 3-point shooter continued in 2019-20. However, Hield's role changed dramatically late in the season. After the All-Star break, he started none of his 18 appearances, averaging 15.6 points in 22.9 minutes as he fell out of favor with coach Luke Walton. The situation makes it tough to gauge Hield's draft stock for 2020-21, as there has been no clarification regarding what his role will be.

Bogdan Bogdanovic, Atlanta Hawks

Bogdanovic is likely to start on the wing for the revamped Hawks, who clearly have playoff aspirations. For the Kings last season, Bogdanovic averaged 15.1 points, 3.4 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 1.0 steals in 29.0 minutes per game. Given how much the Hawks paid to get Bogdanovic on the roster, he looks like a decent bet to be a 30-minute regular for his new team.

Derrick White, San Antonio Spurs

With Bryn Forbes now in Milwaukee, White's place as the Spurs' starting shooting guard seems secure. In 20 starts last season, he averaged 13.8 points, 4.0 assists, 3.2 rebounds and 1.8 3s across 28.0 minutes. More playing time could be in store, so we shouldn't be surprised if White can average 15 points and five dimes.

Tier 5

Victor Oladipo, Indiana Pacers

After tearing his quad in 2018-19, Oladipo made his return to the court last season in January, but his play was underwhelming. Along the way, rumors began to swirl about Oladipo's lack of desire to remain with the franchise. It's unclear what Oladipo's future holds, though he's going into camp with Indiana and has been receptive to new head coach Nate Bjorkgren. The upcoming season for Oladipo could have a wide range of outcomes, ranging from still looking rusty from his serious injury to playing back at an All-Star level

Collin Sexton, Cleveland Cavaliers

Sexton is coming off a great second season in the league, in which he improved across the board. The guard has also been reliable, failing to miss a single game entering his third season. While the offensive numbers have been strong, it would be ideal to see a little improvement from Sexton in dishing out assists, so that his value stretches beyond points and effective percentages.

Andrew Wiggins, Golden State Warriors

After a couple of down seasons in Minnesota, Wiggins bounced back in 2020, playing well in Minnesota before being dealt to the Warriors and maintaining that level of play. In Golden State, he improved defensively, averaging 1.4 blocks and 1.3 steals. With Klay Thompson out again this season, the Warriors will need Wiggins to play up to his potential on both ends of the floor.

Terry Rozier, Charlotte Hornets

Rozier's offseason move from Boston to Charlotte prior to the 2019-20 campaign turned out to be a major boon for him, as he was handed a full-time starting role for the first time in his five NBA seasons. However, it's possible he'll remain stagnant this season or take a step back. The Hornets selected guard LaMelo Ball with the third overall pick in the draft, and the team also signed Gordon Hayward to a huge contract. That could mean fewer minutes and less usage for Rozier.

Norman Powell, Toronto Raptors

Coming off a breakout season that included several big-time performances in the playoffs, Powell's arrow is pointing up as we enter the 2020-21 campaign. With both Serge Ibaka and Marc Gasol departing in free agency, Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby may have to spend more time at power forward. That would open up more opportunities for Powell to see action, so an uptick in minutes and usage could be on the horizon in 2020-21.

Tyler Herro, Miami Heat

Herro is heading into his sophomore NBA season with considerable momentum after a strong rookie campaign that included some fantastic playoff performances. His Fantasy value is capped to some degree by a deep backcourt, but at just 20 years old, Herro has plenty of room to grow his game after averaging 16.0 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.6 assists in the postseason.

Eric Bledsoe, New Orleans Pelicans

During the offseason, Bledsoe was dealt from the Bucks to the Pelicans in the deal that brought Jrue Holiday to Milwaukee. It's a bit of an odd fit, and we shouldn't be surprised if Bledsoe finds himself in a sixth-man role. Last season with the Bucks, he saw 27.0 minutes per game, averaging 14.9 points, 5.4 assists and 4.6 rebounds. A similar workload in New Orleans seems feasible, so Bledsoe's Fantasy stock might not take much of a dip.