LeBron James is coming off his worst statistical season in terms of turnovers per game as his 3.94 average ranked among the worst in the NBA last season. However, the fact that LeBron averaged 25.3 points, 7.4 assists, 6.0 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game last season kind of makes up for it. You won’t find too many fantasy general managers will be complaining.
Although you’ll mostly live with the turnovers that a couple of the guys on this list put up, for some of the others, it might lead you to shy away. It’s the most overlooked category in fantasy and these four guys do hurt the cause (even though they’re great everywhere else).
Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder
Point Guard
Westbrook finally got the opportunity to be the man in Oklahoma City with Kevin Durant out for most of last season and while he delivered in a major way with 28.1 points, 8.6 assists, 7.3 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game, he also led the NBA in turnovers with an average of 4.4 per game.
There is no doubt that Westbrook deserves his due as one of the elite point guards in the NBA right now but his turnover averages have climbed in each of the past three seasons and he led the league in turnovers per game last season. Westbrook’s scoring totals could come down a little with Durant back this season and if his turnover averages don’t come down as well, it will hurt his overall value even more.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XcfaiQQdNo
DeMarcus Cousins, Sacramento Kings
Center
Cousins has established himself as one of the top centers in the NBA and considering he will be 25 years old when next season starts, there is no reason to expect his production to drop off. Cousins averaged 24.1 points, 12.7 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game but he also finished second behind Westbrook in turnovers per game with a 4.3 mark. The Kings had some offseason friction between Cousins, management and head coach George Karl, so it will be interesting to see where his mind is at when the season starts. Karl wants the team to play faster and more up-tempo, so turnovers could be an even bigger problem for Cousins next season.
Michael Carter-Williams, Milwaukee Bucks
Point Guard
LeBron, James Harden and John Wall all had higher turnover per game averages than Carter-Williams but all three of them also ranked among the top fantasy performers in the NBA, which is something MCW didn’t do with Milwaukee. The Bucks got excellent value in their trade for the 2014 NBA Rookie of the Year and he has a bright future ahead of him but he has to bring down his turnover numbers. Carter-Williams averaged 14.6 points, 6.7 assists and 5.3 rebounds per game last season but his 3.8 turnover per contest was among the worst in the league. Part of that was the fact that he was acquired by the Bucks midseason and he went through an adjustment period. He did manage to cut down those turnovers to just 2.7 per game in the playoffs, so that’s a good sign that things might be heading in the right direction for him.
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Tony Wroten, Philadelphia 76ers
Point Guard
The fact that both MCW and Wroten appear on this list could be part of the reason why the 76ers traded the former but they are banking on the latter bringing his turnover numbers down after he ranked among the worst in the NBA with an average of 3.77 turnovers per game. Wroten averaged 16.9 points, 5.2 assists and 2.9 rebounds per game for Philadelphia last season but those numbers aren’t nearly good enough to forgive his turnover numbers. On top of that, he tore his ACL in February. He should be ready in time for the start of the 2015-16 season but protecting the basketball has to be an area of focus for the 22-year-old. A lot of people are eyeing him as a late-round sleeper (in deeper leagues) but the turnovers are a deterrent.
