The guards who protect the ball, and why it is worth a round in 9-cat

Turnovers are the category most 9-cat managers forget about until the first week of the season, when they discover that a roster built around high-usage guards loses it every week. The problem is that assists and turnovers usually come together, because the players who handle the ball the most make the most mistakes with it. A guard who passes a lot and rarely turns it over is unusual, and he helps two categories at once, which is why he is worth more in categories leagues than his assists suggest.

We ranked every player projected for at least four assists and 55 games by his projected assists per turnover. The top of that list is a mix of a first-round star, several middle-round starters and a few late-round specialists.

Every player in this story is on the fantasy basketball rankings and the 2026-27 projections, and the NBA depth charts show where each one stands in his team’s rotation tonight.