One of my guards (Tomas Lapis) is #5 in total pts and #4 in total assists in the NBBA, and top 8 in the division in 10 different rankings, yet didn't crack the top 4. I wonder if it's because he played 7 games at PG and 6 at SG. He averages almost 40 mins/game so I don't know if your lack of playing time theory really holds.