Due to all of the trades and injuries in the NBA this season, there are at least 10 young point guards out there that are in new situations where they could change their expected production for the rest of the season: Devin Harris and Marcus Williams in New Jersey, Nate Robinson in New York, Delonte West in Cleveland, Travis Diener in Indianapolis, Marcus Banks in Miami, Earl Watson in Seattle, Randy Foye in Minnesota, Beno Udrih in Sacramento, and Mike Conley Jr. in Memphis. All of the guards on this list now have some degree of fantasy relevance over the last 30 games of the season, but which are the most likely to make an impact? I would put them in tiers, with tier 1 as the best bets and tier 3 as the borderline waiver wire guys that are worth keeping an eye on.
Tier 1: Devin Harris, Earl Watson, Randy Foye, Beno Udrih
Tier 2: Mike Conley Jr., Delonte West, Nate Robinson
Tier 3: Travis Diener, Marcus Williams, Marcus Banks
Watson and Udrih have each shown this season that they could produce on their current team, and now that some of their competition has been traded they should be safe bets to do well. Harris and Foye are both high potential guys coming off injury to new situations, so even though they have some competition at their position (Marcus Williams and Sebastian Telfair) they are still in the top tier due to their high ceilings.
Conley should play as large of a role as his body will allow for the struggling Grizzlies down the stretch, but questions about his durability and the fact that he's a rookie point guard keep him from tier 1. West was a great fantasy option in Boston two years ago, but he struggled in Seattle this year, so he is a bit of an enigma. West should now have a chance to produce in Cleveland if LeBron doesn't steal all of his assist opportunities. Robinson hasn't stepped up much yet this season since taking over for Stephon Marbury, but he showed at the end of last season that he could put up numbers for a struggling team so he could step it up down the stretch.
Finally, tier 3 consists of the back-ups to other point guards. Diener heads this list because he is currently starting and Jamaal Tinsley's injuries are lingering, but if Tinsley returns Diener probably goes back to the bench. Williams is also currently starting and doing well in New Jersey, but Harris is due back soon and as the centerpiece of the Jason Kidd trade you have to feel that Harris will get the job upon his return. Banks is currently the back-up in Miami, but with the Heat going nowhere and both Dwyane Wade and Jason Williams having some health issues it is conceivable that Banks could be the one to start the most down the stretch.