Almost every fan in the NBA knows who the best scorers are. They are the ones who get all the publicity. If they score more than 20 points per game, they are normally all gone by the beginning of the fourth round.

Let’s take a look at the top players in the NBA, which ones you might be able to get at a bargain, and which ones might step up to the next level for their respective teams:

1. Kobe Bryant - 2323 - There is no reason to think that Kobe won’t be one of the top three scorers in the NBA again this year, even with Pau Gasol in the fold for an entire year. His 46% field goal percentage, 84% free throw percentage, high three pointers, good rebounds, good asssists, and good steals make him one of the most coveted players every year. Will the Olympics affect him at all? How about his injured hand?
2. LeBron James - 2250 - And he is still getting better. Can Mo Williams get him the ball better and save him from so much work bringing the ball of the court? Probably. Will this help him to score even more points? Probably.
3. Allen Iverson - 2164 - He is on his way down…supposedly. He still keeps scoring and scoring and scoring. Will he be moved during the season? Maybe. Will this affect his scoring? Not a chance!
4. Carmelo Anthony - 1978 - This is the only top tier player likely available in the third round. If you opted to nab a couple of less than stellar scorers in the first two rounds, you really need to grab Carmelo here. (If Carmelo goes a bit early, Jason Richardson is another option.)

Tier 2

1. Richard Jefferson - 1857 - The only reason I didn’t stick Jefferson into the first tier is because I’m not really sure how his move to Milwaukee will affect his numbers. Milwaukee doesn’t really have many other options for scoring besides Michael Redd, though, so I can’t see how they will go down. Considering the fact that he will very likely be available in the seventh round, you probably can’t go wrong with picking him up and rolling the dice that he will stay healthy and be able to fit in.
2. Dirk Nowitzki - 1817 - Everybody knows what Nowitzki brings.
3. Jason Richardson - 1788 - He’s the best in three pointers. One of the best in points scored. How is it that he is available in the third round of most leagues!?!
4. Joe Johnson - 1779 - I can’t see how any of the young up-and-coming teammates are going to keep Johnson from scoring and scoring big.
5. Al Jefferson - 1726 - Will the newly acquired Mike Miller cut into his scoring, or just give him more put backs? I can’t see how Jefferson doesn’t get even more points than he did last year. He’s still getting better and better.
6. Carlos Boozer - 1708 - Contract year, anybody? You can guarantee that Boozer will get his.
7. Dwight Howard - 1695 - Howard keeps getting better and better. His rebounds are insane! Don’t pick him up, though, unless your league doesn’t count free throw percentage and turnovers.
8. Antawn Jamison - 1689 - This number largely depends on how long Arenas is injured, but since Agent Zero seems to be perennially injured, I don’t think there are any doubts that Jamison will be a scoring machine again this year.
9. Chris Paul - 1684 - One of the top players in the league, stats-wise and otherwise. You’re probably not picking him up for his points, but you certainly won’t be disappointed with what he gets you.
10. Jamal Crawford - 1645 - Don’t be fooled if you don’t know Crawford very well compared to the other guys in this list. D’Antoni instituting his offense in New York should only enhance Crawford’s numbers.
11. Rudy Gay - 1632 - I look at that roster and wonder how Rudy doesn’t score 30 per game. There is nobody there, especially with Pau and Mike Miller gone.
12. Kevin Durant - 1624 - And that was in his rookie year!!! What is he going to do in year 2?

1. Baron Davis - 1791 - I knocked him down to Tier 3 because I don’t think he’ll score anywhere near 1800 points again this year with a fat contract and a nice gig in Hollywood. I think we’ve probably seen the best of Baron.
2. Michael Redd - 1632 - How will Richard Jefferson affect his scoring?
3. Andre Iguodala - 1630 - I don’t see him scoring much more than he did last year, honestly. He’s just not a scorer, though he manages to get the ball in the bucket often enough.
4. Vince Carter - 1622 - No Jason Kidd. No Richard Jefferson. This seems like it’d be a dream come true for Carter’s points column, but Carter didn’t do very well in Toronto when he wasn’t winning. I don’t think that it’ll be much different in Jersey this year.
5. Hedo Turkoglu - 1602 - He’ll probably be near his last year’s totals.
6. Danny Granger - 1567 - No Jermaine O’Neal. T.J. Ford getting him the ball. I think he’ll improve by 100 to 200 points this year.
7. Mike Dunleavy - 1565 - Ditto of Danny Granger.
8. David West - 1564 - Nothing much has changed in New Orleans accept for the addition of James Posey. Look for more of the same from West.
9. Corey Maggette - 1547 - In Golden State’s run-and-gun offense, Maggette’s numbers should improve if his body can take it.
10. Deron Williams - 1545 - He keeps shooting more and more often and his shot continues to get more and more accurate. Look for more improvements from Utah’s best player.
11. Chris Bosh - 1496 - A great Olympic showing. If Bosh’s body isn’t worn down from the Olympics he should improve over last year’s numbers, especially with O’Neal drawing double-teams as well.
12. Kevin Martin - 1443 - Martin was injured last year. If he is healthy, he’ll have at least 200 more points over the course of the year.

Tier 4

1. Monta Ellis - 1636 - Ellis gets dropped a tier because of his injury.
2. Paul Pierce - 1570 - Pierce is getting older as are teammates Allen and Garnett. I don’t expect Peirce to reach 1500 this year.
3. Josh Howard - 1513
4. Tim Duncan - 1508
5. Rashard Lewis - 1476
6. Stephen Jackson - 1466
7. Brandon Roy - 1416
8. Ben Gordon - 1336 - Contract year