Choosing between the top floor generals the Association has to offer is a nearly impossible endeavor, as their skill sets are all so dissimilar.
Some are sharpshooters who prefer to play off the ball, while others can also make it rain from deep, but prefer doing so with the rock in their hands from the beginning of possessions. Certain top point guards take pride in their defense, others are forced to hide on lesser offensive players. Some top lead guards are ball-handling maestros, while others don’t need to get creative with their dribbles since they’re such athletic monsters they can blow by any defender.
Regardless, a ranking of this kind is sure to ruffle feathers; no matter how obvious the totem pole of top floor generals may appear to some, there will always be others who disagree, whether it be due team-centered biases or whatever else.
At the end of the day, that’s the beauty of basketball fandom: We can see things differently from each other while agreeing that all of these players are incredible to behold on a nightly basis.
Without further ado, let’s get into projection the Top-30 point guards for the 2018-19 season.
30. patrick beverley, Los Angeles clippers
Los Angeles Clippers point guard Patrick Beverley missed most of 2017-18 due to a knee injury, but has already been cleared to play. The lengthy period of time missed is a bit concerning as far as projecting his 2018-19 campaign, as is the fact he’ll be heading into his age-30 season. But if Beverley’s able to regain his pre-injury form, there’s a good chance we’re underrating him by calling him the league’s 30th-best floor general.
After all, before going down, he was playing some of the best basketball of his career. To go with his already-incredible defense, the Arkansas product was averaging career highs in points (12.2), three-point accuracy (40 percent) and steals (1.6) in 2017-18, helping the Clippers fill the massive void left behind by a certain point guard coming up on our list.
When building a playoff contender, there are few complementary options at the lead-guard spot teams would rather have than Beverley; he can handle the ball or play off of it, he can knock down triples at an above-average rate and, most importantly, there may not be a more tenacious point-guard defender than him in the Association. Here’s hoping he’s fully fit for 2018-19 and proves this ranking wrong.
29. spencer dinwiddie, brooklyn nets
In his fourth year, Spencer Dinwiddie had a breakout season as a member of the Brooklyn Nets. The long 6-foot-6 point guard averaged 12.6 points, 6.6 assists and 1.8 three-pointers per game, while turning the ball over merely 1.6 times nightly. His 4.1 assist-to-turnover ratio was the second-best mark in the league among guys with more than 50 games played last season, trailing an underrated floor general coming up on our countdown.
For his troubles, Dinwiddie finished third in Most Improved Player voting, and had his shooting not fallen off late in the season, he may have garnered more consideration for a higher finish. Over his first 32 games of 2017-18, Dinwiddie shot a respectable 36.3 percent from beyond the arc. In his final 47 contests, that number plummeted to 29.7 percent, which had an adverse effect on the rest of his game.
The Colorado product is now heading into an important season. If he can maintain respectable shooting marks for the entire 2018-19 campaign, he’ll enter free agency as a hot commodity, because as is, his pick-and-roll prowess, his ability to finish over smaller defenders and his solid defense, make him an intriguing player. Dinwiddie’s shooting, though, is going to have to improve for him to both make a jump on this list and to receive more interest as a free agent.
28. rajon rondo, los angeles lakers
Last season proved that although he may have lost a step, the player known as Playoff Rondo certainly hasn’t. In the regular season, Rajon Rondo averaged a decent 8.3 points and 8.2 assists per contest, but the New Orleans Pelicans were outscored by 2.4 points per 100 possessions during his time on the floor.
Then the postseason came around, and the veteran floor general took his play to another level. Rondo led all players in playoffs assist average with 12.2 per outing, played outstanding defense in the first round against the dynamic duo of CJ McCollum and the No. 4 player in our ranking, and helped New Orleans outscore postseason foes by 6.9 points per 100 possessions when he was in the game.
Not bad from the 32-year-old, who will now be looked on to make the same impact playing with LeBron James in Los Angeles.
27. Dennis schroeder, Oklahoma City Thunder
A chance of scenery may be exactly what the doctor ordered for Dennis Schroeder. Although the German floor general averaged a career high in points (19.4) and steals (1.1) last season as a member of the Atlanta Hawks, it wasn’t his best year in any advanced metric other than the flawed PER, which places too much value on players with high shot attempts. On top of that, the rebuilding Hawks landed a high-upside point guard in Trae Young in June’s draft, and Schroeder is about to turn 25, making him an awkward fit with the team’s new timeline. That, plus his public discord with the franchise this summer meant the marriage had to end.
Luckily for the mercurial player, Schroeder couldn’t have hoped for a better landing spot than the Oklahoma City Thunder. Head coach Billy Donovan‘s men have contention in mind, but have lacked competent backup point guard play for years. Schroeder could fill the Reggie Jackson role and do a better job at it than Norris Cole, Semaj Christon and Raymond Felton did. What’s more, as HoopsHype’s Bryan Kalbrosky detailed here, Schroeder’s iso-centric skill set should fit nicely on a Thunder team so dependent on the one-on-one play style.
He’ll have to become more efficient and turn the ball over less, but there’s a good chance Schroeder may find his niche as a backup, since he clearly struggled in a starting role with Atlanta.
26. dejounte murray, san antonio spurs
Last year was the beginning of the Dejounte Murray-as-starting-point-guard era for the San Antonio Spurs, and the early returns were mixed. Murray averaged 8.1 points and 5.7 rebounds per game, while chipping in just 2.9 assists and 1.8 free-throw attempts nightly. He’s a complete non-threat from three-point range, his floor vision is limited and even his finishing around the rim isn’t great yet.
He’ll have to make a serious jump this summer to be considered among the league’s elite.
But Murray’s still young (turns 22 a couple of weeks before next season rolls around) and has the benefit of playing for one of the best coaches in the NBA, who clearly has a lot of faith in him. Plus, even despite his relative struggles, the Spurs were still 5.6 points per 100 possessions better with Murray on the floor. 2018-19 could be the year the Washington product breaks out.
25. fred vanvleet, toronto raptors
Fred VanVleet has started just one game in his entire Toronto Raptors career, and that number likely won’t grow much next season with Kyle Lowry still in the fold. Even so, he’s one of the most effective point guards in basketball. VanVleet put up “just” 8.6 points and 3.2 assists per game last year, but his impact went beyond the box score. The Wichita State product converted on 41.4 percent of his threes, grading out as one of the NBA’s best spot-up sharpshooters according to Synergy Sports, and helped Toronto outscore opponents by a whopping 7.5 points per 100 possessions during his time on the floor.
He’s an adept ball-handler who can create out of the pick-and-roll, and who thrives playing off the ball, as well. Couple that with his defensive toughness and overall leadership qualities, and you can understand why the Raptors were thrilled to re-sign him this summer. He may not be a box-score darling, but VanVleet is one of the top complementary pieces the league has to offer.
24. D’angelo russell, Brooklyn Nets
Through 12 games in 2017-18, it looked like D’Angelo Russell was on his way to a breakout campaign. To that point, the Ohio State product was averaging 20.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.5 triples per outing. Then the third-year guard picked up a knee injury that required surgery, and once he returned two months later, his form dropped severely. Over his final 36 contests, Russell averaged 13.7 points and 5.0 assists on 39.2 percent shooting. Even with Brooklyn smartly bringing him back slowly, the 22-year-old’s play late in the year can only be defined as ugly.
As far as projecting Russell’s upcoming season, we basically have three seasons’ worth of sample size that show us he’s an inefficient (career 51.1 true shooting percentage), low-assist, high-turnover, shoot-first point guard, who may not be that easy to build around. Nevertheless, Russell’s still pretty young, and he’s in a great spot with the Nets, playing for a guard-whisperer of a head coach in Kenny Atkinson, who, at least early last season, proved he was able to unlock the point guard who was so ballyhooed as a prospect coming out of college.
And to be fair, those 12 games early in the year were awfully impressive. What’s more, Russell will be in a contract year, which, as is only natural, will motivate him to put up the best season of his career.
23. Isaiah thomas, denver nuggets
A former All-Star coming off an injury-plagued year, Isaiah Thomas could easily outperform his place on this list just by getting fully healthy again.
In 2017-18, returning from a serious hip injury, the diminutive floor general put up meager 15.2-point and 4.8-assist averages on paltry 37.3/29.3/90.9 shooting splits. The season prior, however, Thomas had one of the most ridiculous high-volume scoring seasons in NBA history when he averaged 28.9 points and 5.9 helpers nightly – on fiery 46.3/37.9/90.9 shooting splits. According to offensive box plus/minus (OBPM), it was the eighth-most efficiently productive season by a guard, ever.
Now reunited with his former head coach from his time with the Sacramento Kings, Michael Malone, and playing with one of the highest point-producing teams in the league, Thomas may be up for a major bounce-back campaign. The fact he was forced to sign for the minimum and is playing for his next long-term deal shouldn’t hurt his motivation, either.
If the Denver Nuggets get the healthy version of the 5-foot-8 point guard, they’ll undoubtedly have their best year since Carmelo Anthony’s departure, and be an outright lock for the playoffs. But if they get the slowed-down version, things could get dicey, as they did for the Cleveland Cavaliers, one of Thomas’ former teams, last season.
22. de’aaron fox, sacramento kings
The Sacramento Kings selected De’Aaron Fox fifth overall in the 2017 NBA Draft, and the Kentucky product came in with high expectations. In Year-1, when Fox averaged 11.6 points and 4.4 assists per contest with ugly 41.2/30.7/72.3 shooting splits, he didn’t quite live up to them.
Still, he’s not even 21 yet, and flashed an uncanny ability to come up big in clutch situations as a rookie:
If he can improve his three-point shot and get stronger to help his finishing in the paint, he could make a big jump as a sophomore, as his intangibles and speed are fantastic.
21. dennis smith jr, dallas mavericks
Fox wasn’t the only point guard taken early in the 2017 draft who came in with high expectations. Dennis Smith also fits the bill – and he had just a slightly better rookie campaign, giving him the bump in our ranking.
Smith posted solid raw numbers in his first year, averaging 15.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.5 triples per contest for the Dallas Mavericks. The only other players to put up similar averages as rookies – at least 15.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.5 three-pointers – are Stephen Curry, Allen Iverson and Damon Stoudamire.
Not bad company for the North Carolina native, and if he continues to improve his efficiency (he shot a paltry 39.5 percent from the field last season), he has the upside to turn into one of the NBA’s best floor generals.
20. terry rozier, boston celtics
Under different circumstances, Terry Rozier could have finished higher in our ranking. But the fact he’ll have to split playing time with an elite point guard ahead of him in the rotation, with a defensive monster in Marcus Smart, who’s going to get a ton of minutes next year, and with Gordon Hayward, a ball-dominant wing, could hurt Rozier’s overall output.
In 2018-19, Rozier made a jump, averaging career highs in points (11.3), rebounds (4.7), assists (2.9) and three-point percentage (38.1) while playing an important role on an upstart Boston Celtics team that won 55 games and was within one victory of reaching the NBA Finals. Boston’s deep playoff run was heavily buoyed by Rozier, as the Louisville product put up 16.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 5.7 assists per postseason outing.
He’s still got to work on his overall efficiency, and he performs far better at home than on the road, but with his improved offensive game and his stingy defensive prowess, Rozier could wind up being a prime trade target at the deadline for a rebuilding organization looking for a long-term fix at point guard.
19. reggie jackson, detroit pistons
Had it not been for back-to-back injury-plagued seasons, there’s a good chance Jackson would have finished higher on this list. But lingering ailments of different varieties have taken their toll on the Boston College product, forcing him to miss 67 contests over the last two years, and sinking the Detroit Pistons’ chances of making the playoffs in the process.
Even when he did get a chance to play, Jackson shot a meager 42.3 percent from the floor and 33.4 percent from three, though it should also be noted, the Pistons were statistically better with him in the lineup last season.
If Jackson can show his 2015-16 form, when he averaged 18.8 points, 6.2 assists and 1.5 three-pointers nightly, and finished Top-50 in box plus/minus (BPM) and Value Over Replacement Player (VORP), he could be in store for a bounce-back season. He’s still just 28, so it’s not totally unreasonable to believe that could happen. But it’s been two years since his last fully healthy campaign, so we’re gonna have to see it to believe it.
18. jeff teague, minnesota timberwolves
He may not be the best fit on his new team, but Jeff Teague is still one of the league’s better point guards. In his first year with the Minnesota Timberwolves, the 6-foot-2 floor general averaged 14.2 points, 7.0 assists, 1.2 triples and 1.5 steals per contest while slashing 44.6/36.8/84.5 shooting splits.
Teague is about a league-average threat from beyond the arc, is a good distributor and, even in his late-20s, can be a terror in transition. The issue is, playing next to such ball-dominant players like Karl-Anthony Towns, Jimmy Butler and Andrew Wiggins, Teague wasn’t able to flaunt his full skill set. Minnesota would have been better off with a sharpshooter at the lead-guard spot, who could thrive off the ball. And Teague would have been better-suited on a team needing more scoring punch in their opening lineup – a problem the Timberwolves don’t have.
Either way, Teague will continue to do what he does, and that’s score efficiently and defend opposing point guards well.
17. ricky rubio, utah jazz
Minnesota’s former point guard, Ricky Rubio, also struggled to acclimate with his new team, the Utah Jazz, early in 2017-18.
Over his first 26 games in Utah, the Spaniard averaged 11.8 points and 4.9 assists per contest while shooting a paltry 38.4 percent from the floor, and 29.0 percent from beyond the arc. But then Rubio got more comfortable in head coach Quin Snyder’s system, and over his final 51 outings, upped his numbers to 13.8 points and 5.5 assists nightly, on healthy 43.4/38.7/86.3 shooting splits.
Now heading into his age-28 season, Rubio should improve further, as he’ll be even more familiar with what Snyder wants out of his ball-handlers. Utah has high expectations entering Year-2 of the Donovan Mitchell era, and with an experienced veteran like Rubio manning the lead-guard spot, they could very well exceed them.
16. lonzo ball, los angeles lakers
Quietly – or actually, not that quietly considering all the family-related noise that surrounded him in his inaugural campaign – Lonzo Ball posted a pretty strong rookie season. His shooting numbers (36.0/30.5/45.1) were downright abysmal, but he made a huge impact for the Lakers every time he set foot on the floor. According to NBAWowy, from January on, L.A. posted a +3.2 net rating with Ball in the game and a -0.8 net rating when he sat.
Player-specific advanced metrics are even kinder to Ball. Per VORP, the Chino Hills native had a more productive year (+1.7) than multiple point guards who finished ahead of him on this list. What’s more, Ball’s 10.2/6.9/7.2 averages as a rookie put him in elite company for first-year players; only Oscar Robertson, Magic Johnson and a player coming up on our countdown put up similar numbers in their opening seasons.
Ball has a funky game for a floor general, but that’s exactly what makes him so special. He loves to rebound and hit ahead to streaking teammates for easy transition opportunities rather than dribble the air out of the ball. He’d rather make the extra pass than seek out his own shot. And he’s already one of the most impactful defenders at the point-guard spot the league has to offer.
The sky’s the limit for Ball, and with a big 2018-19, it wouldn’t be shocking to see him break into the Top 10 of this list next year. He’s got that type of potential. (Plus, teaming up with that LeBron dude shouldn’t hurt, either.)
15. darren collison, indiana pacers
The player with the highest assist-to-turnover ratio in the NBA last season (4.3), Darren Collison posted one of the strongest all-around campaigns of his career as a member of the Indiana Pacers. Actually, according to both VORP and BPM, 2017-18 stands alone Collison’s best season, and it’s not all that close.
To go with his ability to take care of the ball, Collison also led the Association in three-point percentage after knocking down an absurd 46.8 percent of his shots from beyond the arc. Essentially, Collison’s offensive game was perfectly suited to play next to a star shooting guard (like Victor Oladipo) since he was so adept at playing off the ball. He’s also underrated defensively, as his long arms and anticipation skills help him rack up steals and be an all-around pest on the less glamorous side of the ball.
He’s about to turn 31, but either way, because his game isn’t predicated upon athleticism, we’re confident Collison will post another strong season in 2018-19 for what should be an exciting Pacers team.
14. jamal murray, denver nuggets
Only a handful of players made the leap Jamal Murray did from 2016-17 to 2017-18. The third-year point guard out of Kentucky set career highs all across the board last season, averaging 16.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.0 three-pointers on healthy shooting splits of 45.1/37.8/90.5. His efficiency should improve as he learns how to draw more fouls (just 3.1 free-throw attempts nightly as a sophomore), and as his three-stroke gets more accurate. But as is, Murray is quietly among the league’s top point guards, and a legitimately a perfect fit for a Denver Nuggets team that gets so much play-making out of its star frontcourt, featuring Nikola Jokic and Paul Millsap.
Murray is the type of floor general who doesn’t need the ball in his hands to do damage, as the young Canadian is among the best spot-up shooters in the NBA. According to Synergy, Murray ranked 12th in spot-up shooting (1.18 points per possession, or PPP) among players with at least 200 such attempts, outpacing the likes of Jayson Tatum and Otto Porter Jr, and fourth in scoring when coming off screens (1.23 PPP). With minor improvements regarding his play-making and defensive toughness, which we fully expect him to make, Murray could be in store for an even more impressive third season.
13. eric bledsoe, milwaukee bucks
After a move from the Phoenix Suns to the Milwaukee Bucks, Eric Bledsoe saw an uptick in production across the board. He finished the year averaging 17.7 points, 3.8 rebounds and 5.0 assists per contest while shooting 47.3 percent from the field and 34.7 percent from deep. His season also ended by being completely outplayed by Rozier in the playoffs, in what was a Bucks seven-game defeat at the hands of the Celtics.
Bledsoe’s fit with Milwaukee may not be perfect, as he’s the type of point guard who’s better on the ball than off it which is tough with Giannis Antetokounmpo on the team, but he’s talented enough to make it work. And in Year-1 of the Mike Budenholzer era, Bledsoe’s play could reach another level. It’ll be interesting to see whether the Kentucky product can finally prove whether or not he has the ability to contribute to a winning situation – a question he hasn’t been able to answer since leaving the No. 5 point guard on our list’s shadow.
12. goran dragic, miami heat
Despite it being his age-31 season, Goran Dragic earned All-Star honors for the first time in his career last year. By averaging 17.3 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.8 assists per contest on 45.0/37.0/80.1 shooting splits, Dragic maintained a strong level of play and helped lead the Miami Heat to the playoffs for just the second time since LeBron’s departure.
Unfortunately, even last year, in an All-Star campaign, you could start to see signs of the Slovenian floor general’s regression. After shooting 63.2 percent from within five feet of the basket in 2015-16 and 60.2 percent from the same area in 2016-17, Dragic’s efficiency there dropped to 57.2 percent this past season, and considering how important rim forays are to his offensive game, that could prove problematic for Dragic if his number continues to drop.
Regardless, Dragic has done a few things – primarily, develop a solid step-back jumper and turn into an above-average three-point threat – to help offset his steady decline in athleticism, so we predict he’ll post another strong season in 2018-19.
11. mike conley, memphis grizzlies
Due to a heel ailment that ended his 2017-18 season after just 12 games, Mike Conley was one of the hardest floor generals to place on this list. If he can fully recover, he’ll get right back to being one of the NBA’s most underrated point guards. Conley averaged 20.5 points, 6.3 assists, 1.3 steals and 2.5 triples per contest in 2016-17, the last time he was fit, and was even better once the playoffs rolled around, putting up 24.7 points 7.0 assists, 1.7 steals and 2.8 three-pointers per game against an elite Spurs defense.
The issue with projecting how Conley will do next year is: When will he get healthy again? Conley wasn’t able to participate in USA Basketball’s recent training camp as he still recovers from that same heel injury, and considering he had surgery on it back in late January, six months ago at this point, it’s at least a little worrisome that he’s not even able to practice yet. Nevertheless, Conley claims he should be ready for Memphis Grizzlies training camp in September, so we’ll just have to wait and see how this situation develops.
10. kyle lowry, toronto raptors
A change in offensive scheme sawLowry’s usage rate fall from the 25.5 percent it had been in the three years prior, to 21.7 percent this past season, and his numbers across the board dropped accordingly. Lowry averaged his lowest point-per-game total (16.2) since 2012-13, while his true-shooting percentage dipped from 62.3 percent to 59.8.
Regardless, Lowry still earned a deserving All-Star bid last season, and remains one of the top point guards in the East, and even with slight regression next year, he should still be one of the best floor generals in the NBA. Thanks to both VanVleet’s emergence and a game plan that requires less of Lowry dominating the ball on every possession, the 32-year-old’s prime could even be extended for another year or two.
9. kemba walker, charlotte hornets
The development of an elite outside shot turned Kemba Walker from a decent starting point guard into a great one. Walker, who’s still just 28, has knocked down nearly 39 percent of his three-point looks over the past three seasons – a mark that makes him the eighth-most accurate shooter from deep over the past three seasons (min: 1250 attempts).
It’s also important to note the types of three-pointers Walker is putting up. Rather than just being a threat as a spot-up shooter, Walker has developed one of the most vicious pull-up jumpers in the league, which allows Charlotte to high pick-and-roll teams to death thanks to Walker’s ability to either attack the basket or just bomb away from deep.
He’ll never be mistaken for a defensive stopper, but few point guards can come close to matching Walker’s offensive impact, and that’s what makes him so special. If he played in a bigger market or a more competent franchise, his name would garner far more respect.
8. jrue holiday, new orleans pelicans
It’s hard to say a player in his ninth year as a pro finally broke out, especially one who already had an All-Star appearance under his belt, but that’s still sort of what it felt like happened to Jrue Holiday. Not only did he average a career high in points at 19.0 per contest, he also chipped in 6.0 assists, 1.5 steals, 1.5 triples and nearly a full block nightly. When he was on the floor, the New Orleans Pelicans outscored teams by an absurd 12.5 points per 100 possessions. When he sat, they themselves were outscored by 9.1 points per 100 possessions. That swing was one of the most drastic in the league last season, and though it may partially speak to the Pelicans’ bench deficiencies and to Holiday spending most of his time on the court with superstar big man Anthony Davis, the UCLA product still deserves a ton of the credit for his contributions.
What’s more, as if his beastly regular season wasn’t enough to convince potential detractors, Holiday’s playoff run, which included 23.7 points (on 51.8 percent shooting against two elite defenses in Portland and Golden State), 6.3 assists and putting the absolute clamps on McCollum and his backcourt partner in what was a surprising four-game first round sweep for the Pelicans over the Trail Blazers.
He proved it in the regular season and postseason, posted fantastic numbers across the board all year, and will be entering his age-28 season in 2018-19; Holiday is finally reaching his full potential as one of the league’s best two-way floor generals – a terrifying proposition for the opposition.
7. john wall, washington wizards
Health provided, John Wall has already proven himself to be one of the NBA’s top lead guards. He’s got five All-Star games under his belt, a 3rd Team All-NBA as well, and is still in the midst of his athletic prime. So next year should be smooth sailing for Wall and his Washington Wizards… right?
Well, it’ll depend on how Wall continues to progress after an injury-hampered 2016-17 season forced him to miss 41 regular-season outings. It’ll also depend on whether moving Marcin Gorat, who had a weird, unhealthy dynamic with the point guard, and bringing in Dwight Howard can help fix what was a fractured locker room last season.
Nevertheless, Wall should still be able to get his no matter what. He’s coming off a year where he hit a career-best 37.1 percent of his threes, and if that proves to be sustainable, it’ll make the former Kentucky guard even harder to slow down.
6. ben simmons, philadelphia 76ers
Is it bold to have a player heading into just his second season, coming off sort of a clunker of a playoff run, ranked this highly? Maybe. But when making projections as serious and important as this (that’s sarcasm, by the way), it’s vital to take some risks. And saying Ben Simmons will be the NBA’s sixth-best point guard next season is the risk we’ll choose to take.
In his inaugural campaign, in which he earned Rookie of the Year honors, Simmons averaged 15.8 points, 8.1 rebounds, 8.2 assists and 1.7 steals per contest. The only other rookie to ever put up 15/8/8 in their first year? Robertson, who did it in 1960-61 in a much weaker NBA.
Simmons certainly has flaws he has to improve upon to take the next step, but as is, he’s a special talent. His vision is next level, he can get by slow-footed bigs and bully regular-sized point guards, he’s a spectacular defender thanks to his 6-foot-10 frame and if he can tidy up his offensive game – really, it’ll come down to whether he can become a remote threat from beyond five feet of the basket – he has the potential to earn league MVP honors one day. His ceiling is that high.
He likely won’t reach it next season, but even if not, with a modicum of improvement, we believe Simmons will be among the six best point guards in the NBA in 2018-19.
5. chris paul, Houston rockets
A few years ago, it would have been unfathomable to have the player known as the Point God even ranked this lowly. But heading into 2018-19, it’s clear Chris Paul has taken the slightest of steps back in form. The Wake Forest legend averaged merely 7.9 helpers last season, his lowest total since his rookie year. He also missed the most regular-season games (24) he has since 2009-10. Paul’s inability to stay healthy didn’t just affect him in the regular season either; it actually popped back up at the worst possible time for the Houston Rockets, at the end of Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals against Golden State, with Houston about to be up 3 games to 2. Paul missed Games 6 and 7 due to a bad hamstring, and the Rockets weren’t able to recover without him.
But still, it’s hard to consider Paul anything but an elite floor general, even at this point in his career. He’s still the peskiest of defenders, he can still set up easy buckets for teammates with the best of them and, most importantly, playing next to reigning league MVP James Harden should help him extend the late stages of his prime, as Paul won’t be forced to carry the load every single night.
Ultimately, Paul’s 2018-19 season, and overall time with the Rockets, will be defined by whether he, along with Harden, can unseat the Warriors as the class of the Western Conference. It won’t be easy, but with a backcourt that talented, it won’t be impossible, either.
4. damian lillard, portland trail blazers
Despite an ugly end to his season, Damian Lillard still put up one of the best years of his career in 2017-18, receiving 1st Team All-NBA honors to prove it.
Last season was Lillard’s best according to both VORP and BPM, he came up clutch time and time again…
…and without him, the Trail Blazers likely wouldn’t even be a playoff team. Instead, they won 49 games and were the stacked Western Conference’s No. 3 seed heading into the playoffs.
And then… came the playoffs, where it all fell apart for both the superstar floor general and his team. Lillard shot just 35.2 percent from the floor in the postseason, averaging a mediocre 18.5 points along the way, in what amounted to a four-game sweep at the hands of Holiday and the Pelicans.
Lillard did have the excuse of there being a newborn baby waiting for him back at home when the playoffs rolled around, but even he would admit his game wasn’t up to par in those four outings.
Nevertheless, all things considered, only one other floor general makes the same offensive impact on a nightly basis as Lillard, and we expect him to bounce back and return even stronger in 2018-19.
3. kyrie irving, boston celtics
What could have been if Kyrie Irving didn’t need to go under the knife to clean up an infection in his already-surgically-repaired knee….
A Celtics/Cleveland Cavaliers Eastern Conference Finals, featuring Irving and his former team, would have been fantastic theater. And who knows? Considering the upstart, young, not-injured remnants of the Celtics took Cleveland to seven, it’s not difficult to imagine Boston coming out victorious, had they had their star floor general for the duration of the series.
But they didn’t, and we know how that story ended.
Even so, the return of a fully fit Irving, to go with the rest of the Celtics’ young core, should form one of the best teams in the league next year. Irving, particularly, in Year-2 of playing for Brad Stevens, will be exhilarating to behold, as in Year-1 – when he averaged 24.4 points, 5.1 assists and 2.8 triples on extremely efficient 49.1/40.8/88.9 shooting splits – he further proved to be one of the best point guards in the NBA.
He should only be better next season.
2. russell westbrook, oklahoma city thunder
The flaws with Russell Westbrook’s games are well-documented: He’s inefficient, he takes a lot of shots and his defense tends to be a little too hit-or-miss. But even with those flaws, there aren’t many, or any, floor generals who are as explosively dominant as Westbrook can be. In 2017-18, Westbrook became the only player to average a triple-double two years in a row when he put up 25.4 points, 10.1 rebounds and a league-best 10.3 assists per contest.
Heading into his second season playing alongside Paul George, and with the return of a healthy Andre Roberson (don’t underestimate how important his defensive tenacity is to the Oklahoma City Thunder’s win total), Westbrook should be able to turn his personal accolades into more team-oriented success next year. If he doesn’t, and the Thunder are first-round fodder for the third consecutive postseason, then it may be time to reconsider Westbrook’s spot in the point-guard totem pole.
But for now, we’re content calling him the second-best floor general the Association has to offer.
1. stephen curry, golden state warriors
Even with lingering ankle and knee issues slowing him down in 2017-18, forcing him to miss 31 regular-season contests, there’s still no question who the top point guard in the NBA is.
That would be a two-time MVP who goes by Stephen Curry.
Last year, even with the injuries, Curry averaged 26.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 1.6 steals and 4.2 three-pointers per outing, on ridiculous 49.5/42.3/92.1 shooting splits.
Simply put, even with Kevin Durant in the fold, Curry is the Warriors’ most important player. The space he creates on his deep heaves opens up so much room for the rest of the Warriors to get not just easy, but impossible-to-miss looks near the basket, that Golden State’s offensive numbers skyrocket with Curry on the floor, and become borderline average when he sits. According to NBAWowy, with Curry on the floor last season, the Warriors posted an insane 124.4 offensive rating, which would have been the best mark in the league by nearly a full 12 points. When he sat, Golden State’s offensive rating fell to 108.2, which would have made them merely the NBA’s seventh-best offense, behind the Nuggets and Timberwolves.
Curry’s impact is that great.
And had it not been for one cold shooting night in Game 3 of the championship series against the Cavaliers, it’s very possible we could have added a Finals MVP to his list of accolades.
No matter, as Curry will likely get another chance to win it in 2019, after he wraps up another season as the NBA’s best floor general.
Frank Urbina joined Alex Kennedy on the HoopsHype podcast to go into further detail on his point-guard rankings. Click play here for his reasoning on the selections he made:
You can follow Frank Urbina on Twitter @FrankUrbina_.
from HoopsHype https://ift.tt/2NTI0oh
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