The NBA is in the throes of a big man renaissance, with a galloping herd of mythical unicorns thundering across the hardwood on a nightly basis. But the irony is that what’s precipitating this evolutionary epoch – i.e. the severe pendulum swing toward three-point shooting – necessitates that frontcourt players essentially play more like perimeter players.
Yet we’re still firmly in the golden era of point guards, a position that continues to evolve and stubbornly defies description. At 6’11, Giannis Antetokounmpo, for instance, logs significant minutes at the point, and though it might seem like little more than a novelty, there is some precedent for it in Magic Johnson and Penny Hardaway, who were both over 6’7. There’s also the score-first mentality engendered by many of the top names on this list.
Then, of course, there are still a handful of traditional point guards out there, as well as those who, diplomatically speaking, are more dominant on one side of the court than the other. In short, it’s a rich tapestry that we celebrate today with our ranking of the league’s top 12 players at that position.
Let’s get to it.
12. Giannis Antetokounmpo
At just 22, the Greek Freak has already been anointed by some as the league’s next superstar. His superior physical skills have been there since the beginning of his NBA career, and now his basketball acumen is finally starting to catch up. The move to point guard was a risky yet ultimately brilliant decision on the part of Jason Kidd, and for the most part, it’s been an unqualified success.
He stuffs the stat sheet in points, rebounds, and assists. Although he still doesn’t have much of an outside shot to speak of. Once he develops that part of his game, the rest of the league will be in serious trouble. He also still needs to prove that those numbers aren’t empty and lead his team to a postseason berth before we can truly take him seriously.
11. Kemba Walker
The New York City product has that unmistakable New York City playground flair to his game, which is just delightful to watch. He’s set to make his long-overdue debut at the All-Star Game this month in New Orleans, where we simply cannot wait to see his filthy handles on display in an exhibition game featuring the league’s elite. The Hornets have faltered at times, but it’s Walker who keeps them watchable on a daily basis.
10. Mike Conley
Perpetual All-Star snub Mike Conley might never get invited to the league’s annual midseason festivities, but he is still perpetually and annually and quietly among the league’s most steadfast point guards. His numbers are a bit more modest than a lot of the guys on this list, but he shoots nearly 40 percent from behind the arc and the Grit-N-Grind Grizzlies have finally moved into the 21st century. He’s also one of the more underrated defenders at his position. As in years past, nobody wants to face the Grizzlies in the playoffs, and Conley is a big reason for that.
9. Damian Lillard
The Blazers have been one of the NBA’s biggest duds this season, so much so that it’s sparked all sorts of (arguably premature) navel-gazing from folks around Portland about whether they’d be better off trading one of their two star players and embarking on a full-fledged rebuild. Despite the losses and all the extracurricular noise that has accompanied it, Lillard is still outstanding, making him the only player in decades not to be named an All-Star after putting up such numbers. But if history is any indication, Lillard will relish this latest snub and use it as motivation to rain hellfire on the rest of the league.
8. Isaiah Thomas
Isaiah (“Clearly Some Relation”) Thomas is one of the better feel-good stories of the NBA in recent memory. Picked dead last in the 2011 Draft, behind players like Jimmer Fredette – his own lottery-pick teammate who is no longer even in the league, the 5’9 Thomas has been perpetually (umm) overlooked because of his size. Yet, he’s a devastating scorer in the league and has been one of the best fourth-quarter performers in recent memory (which, as a sidebar, has prompted him to co-opt a certain celebration from the man he narrowly edged out for this spot). He’s become an unstoppable force on offense, and his recent play has legitimately thrust him into the MVP discussion. His size, however, remains an issue defensively, which is why the Celtics guard isn’t higher on this list.
7. Kyle Lowry
Yes, for the past two seasons, the Toronto Raptors have been the second best team in the East and the only legitimate threat to the Cavs (until the Celtics recently emerged as a serious challenger). And yes, Kyle Lowry is the six-cylinder engine that gets them from Point A to Point B, despite his humble proclamation that teammate DeMar DeRozan is the better all-around basketball player. Lowry is arguably than he’s ever been before. He’s a great distributor, an above-average defender, and a knock-down shooter from behind the arc, but the specter of his playoff struggles still haunts the halls of the Air Canada Centre. If the Raptors want any chance of unseating the reigning champs, Lowry will have to prove that he can bring it consistently when it matters most. Until then, he doesn’t belong in the upper echelon of players at his position.
6. Kyrie Irving
Up until last season, Kyrie Irving was about as one-dimensional as they come, but that singular dimension, a preternatural ability to score on almost anyone at any time, is on a level most players can only dream about. He’s been posting the best assists numbers of his career, thanks in part to time spent studying how Dwyane Wade used to set up LeBron James during the Big 3 era in Miami. Those numbers have tapered off a bit, but Irving’s overall efficiency is higher than it’s ever been. And Irving proved once again that he’s one of the league’s most clutch players as he scored 11 points – including eerily familiar dagger three pointer – in a thrilling overtime win against the Wizards. Still, if Uncle Drew wants to be the best player at his position, young blood will have to prove that he can consistently do more than just get buckets.
5. John Wall
It’s All-Star point guard John Wall who has spearheaded the Wizards resurgence. Wall can basically do it all, except consistently knock down shots from the outside, though he’s improved tremendously in that area the past few seasons. He averages nearly 23 points per game, but more significantly, over 10 assists, and is one of the best defenders at his position in the NBA. In their barn-burner game against the Cavs, Wall and the Wizards proved that they can hang with the East’s elite, and behind Wall’s stellar play, Washington might continue to surprise people.
4. Chris Paul
Maybe the most inexplicable All-Star snub this season, Chris Paul had the highest PER of any player in the league before sustaining an injury required months of recovery. Regardless of that reality, Paul still should’ve been ceremoniously named to the team in light of his performance up to that point, then substituted out with an injury replacement. As far as traditional point guards go, there still isn’t anyone better than Paul, and the Clippers are feeling his absence profoundly. This could be the last gasp for Lob City in Los Angeles, and much of that will depend on how quickly Paul can return to action and whether he can lead the Clippers past the second round of the playoffs.
3. Steph Curry
The two-time MVP and unanimous best shooter ever to grace the basketball court got off to a slow start in 2016-17 (by his own lofty standards) while the Warriors shifted their emphasis to integrating Kevin Durant. It wasn’t all that alarming considering Golden State was by far the best team in the league during the regular season, but the Warriors were even deadlier once Curry started to rediscover his swagger. He currently leads the NBA in three-pointers made yet again, while shooting better than 42 percent from long-range. He’s also back to doing totally outlandish things like pulling up from the logo with 20 seconds left on the shot clock and making defenders look foolish with those otherworldly handles of his. In other words, he looking more and more like the Curry that one back-to-back MVPs and made two consecutive trips to the NBA Finals.
2. James Harden
Mike D’Antoni’s experiment with moving James Harden to the point has reminded everyone why he was once considered one of the savviest and most innovative coaches in the league during the Suns’ “seven seconds or less” era. Harden flourished almost instantly, and in the process, the Rockets have regained some of that form that carried them all the way to the Western Conference Finals a few years ago. In addition to averaging a ton of points per game, he’s dishing out a crazy amount of assists. In short, he’s proving that he can manage the dual responsibilities of scoring at a high level while running the offense and getting his teammates involved. As far as the MVP race is concerned, he’s neck-and-neck with the number one player on this list.
1. Russell Westbrook
What more can be said about Russell Westbrook? He’s on pace to accomplish something that hasn’t been done in more than 50 years, something most experts didn’t even believe was possible in the modern NBA: averaging a triple-double for the entire season. Westbrook’s mindboggling performances have become so commonplace that we’re beginning to take them for granted. But history will show that in 2016-2017, Westbrook put in what will inarguably go down as one of the greatest single-season performances in NBA history. Rather than get bogged down in whether the Thunder stand any chance if/when they make it to the postseason, we should all just sit back and enjoy his electrifying talent while we’re still in the moment.
