What I based these rankings on are how they have played this year statistically, how much of an impact they make to their team, and how good their team is. Also, it's just my overall opinion.
For this post, I decided to only base these on the starting point guards. Since it's the most stacked position, I thought it would be fitting. Again, this is only just an opinion so don't bash me all too much.
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| Chris Paul |
1. Chris Paul (Los Angeles Clippers)
- I think this one speaks for itself. He's the ultimate floor general and he does everything humanely possible. He can score whenever he wants and will also make everyone around him better. For example, look at Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan. Let's be honest here. Are they really that good or are they just athletic freaks? With an average of 16.9 points and 9.7 assists on the year it makes him a steady contributor. He is also a pesky defender and led the league in the steals category yet again. He's the best player and anchor of that LA Clipper team. Imagine where the Clippers would be without him.
2. Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City Thunder)
- He's starting to pass a bit more or so the stats say he is but he's at his best when he's aggressively attacking the rim. He's consistent and in my opinion, this era's Steve Francis. He's exciting to watch in the open court and I see him being a terror in this league for the next decade or so. The only problem I have with him is his shot selection but how can you be mad when he's doing everything else. Having Durant doesn't hurt either but Westbrook is still an amazing talent.
3. Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors)
- After his display this season, there was no doubt that he turned himself into an elite point guard in the league. He broke the record for most threes in a season and what's scary about that is that he missed a couple games too. While being a terrific scorer, he is also capable of being a great playmaker for his teammates. He's averaging a career high in assists with 6.9 and there's definitely more to come with him. I'm excited to see what he can do in the playoffs.
4. Tony Parker (San Antonio Spurs)
- In my opinion, he's one of the best. Although it doesn't seem like he's better than a lot of people, he actually really is. The Spurs, despite already being a great team, has relied on Tony Parker a lot especially in clutch situations. He's been a consistent MVP calibre player every year and he's done it under the radar. No one talks about him being one of the best, but he has clearly shown it.
5. Rajon Rondo (Boston Celtics)
- It was an unfortunate reality when he went down with the season ending injury. He was having another stellar year. He's as consistent as it gets and does everything a point guard needs to do. He's also the best rebounding and elite defending guards in the league. Boston rallied and defied the odds without him but they can only do so much before his presence is felt. Rondo is as good as it gets.
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| Kyrie Irving |
6. Kyrie Irving (Cleveland Cavaliers)
- Kyrie elevated his game this year and was selected to his first all-star appearance of his career. Despite being on a bad team record wise, you can see the strides the Cavaliers have made. He is scoring like one of the best but yet distributing at a high rate as well. His ball handling skills are probably one of the nastiest in the league. Brandon Knight should know how dirty it is. I would rate him in the second tier but since the Cavs aren't great yet I couldn't do it. Next year? Probably.
7. Deron Williams (Brooklyn Nets)
- I couldn't leave him out for that long. He's finally looking like the D-Will of old and Brooklyn is rollin'.
8. Damian Lillard (Portland Trailblazers)
- The rookie is for real! We all knew he was a good player coming out of Weber St. but we didn't realize how good he really was! The soon to be rookie of the year put up some tremendous stats in his first campaign. He's already adjusted well to the speed of the game and has gotten better as the year went on. As he gets more accustomed to the NBA life and the Blazers get more pieces, there's nothing stopping him.
9. Jrue Holiday (Philadelphia 76ers)
- He took big steps forward this year and turned himself into an All-star. He averaged career highs in points, rebounds, assists and steals. He has become a threat and opened a lot of eyes this year. However, he fell off a little bit in the second half and so did the 76ers' playoff chances. He's still a really good point guard and will only get better from here. The 76ers need to build around him.
10. Ty Lawson (Denver Nuggets)
- The speedy one is too good to leave off of the top 10 in my opinion. Denver needs him to stay healthy so that they can compete. Like many of the top guards in the league, he is a threat to do everything on both sides of the ball. He shoots the ball well and is also fearless when driving into defenders in the paint. The Denver Nuggets are the definition of how team play should be done and he's the main reason for it.
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| John Wall |
11. John Wall (Washington Wizards)
- When you look at the Wizards without him, you're looking at one of the worst teams in the league. With him, he makes them decent. Speedy isn't even a word to describe him. He is on another level when it comes to his quicks. Defensively, he is holding his own and offensively, he's more of a team player than he once was. His jumpshot is getting there and he's finally showing the promise we all thought of when he was drafted number one a couple years ago. I also like what Washington has been doing surrounding him with veterans and low-maintenance guys.
12. Mike Conley (Memphis Grizzlies)
- I think this is a good place to put Conley. No one really talks about him when it comes to Memphis because their team is settled around their bigs. He's steadily improving every year and he is carrying a bit more of the scoring load since Rudy Gay got traded. I expect him to be consistent for years to come.
13. Steve Nash (Los Angeles Lakers)
- He's been off the list for a long time and I think this is where he should be. He's still Steve Nash after all. He lost a little bit this year but I expect him to bounce back in the playoffs. Without Kobe, there's a little bit more pressure for him to perform.
14. Ricky Rubio (Minnesota Timberwolves)
- He is probably the best passer in the NBA. He is creative, exciting and fun to watch. The Timberwolves fell off last year when he got hurt. I expect him and the Wolves to get better next year when everyone is healthy.
15. Greivis Vasquez (New Orleans Pelicans)
- Vasquez put up a career year and cemented himself as one of the best playmakers in the league. With one of the best assists rates this year, it's easy to say that he's getting paid in the summer. This is a great thing and it shows again that with the right opportunity, a star can be born. I guess Austin Rivers isn't the point guard of the future after all.
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| Brandon Jennings |
16. Brandon Jennings (Milwaukee Bucks)
- He's going to become a restricted free agent this summer and this may have motivated him to play better. After his stellar rookie season and scoring outburst, he has yet to take that next step. This year, he has certainly grabbed a lot of attention and led the Bucks to a trip to the postseason. He does still need to improve his awareness of when to pass and when to shoot but he did get better. It's going to be exciting to see where he ends up.
17. Jeff Teague (Atlanta Hawks)
- Without Joe Johnson, Teague was pressured to carry a little bit more of the load on the perimeter. He has come into his own this year and has become a better player overall. The Hawks could be a darkhorse in the postseason but it could depend on the play of Teague.
18. Kyle Lowry (Toronto Raptors)
- His first year with the Raptors has been interesting. I didn't want to be too biased so I placed him here otherwise he would have been a little higher. If we were talking about the best point guards of last year, he'd be up there. He had some problems with Coach Casey but slowly improved as the year went on. He shed his score-first mentality and turned into more of a passive guard. Casey tried to make a Calderon clone out of him and it clearly isn't him. However, he is getting better when it comes to knowing when to pass and when to shoot. I expect him to shoot up the rankings next year because he does everything on the court. His disappointing year put him here.
19. Jeremy Lin (Houston Rockets)
- Linsanity has all but left but he was given a huge contract to duplicate what he did in New York. He has shown that with playing time, he could be dangerous. However, many of his flaws have been exposed. He's good but not great.
20. Raymond Felton (New York Knicks)
- He has always played his best ball with the Knicks. This year was no different. He has come in and played well.
21. Goran Dragic (Phoenix Suns)
- Steve Nash's protege did a good job filling in. His team wasn't so good but we can tell Goran is the best player on it.
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| Kemba Walker |
22. Kemba Walker (Charlotte Bobcats)
- It's tough to find the silver lining with the Bobcats but he's only one of the few bright spots on this team. He's scoring more and improving his ball-handling skills. He is an integral part of the future.
23. George Hill (Indiana Pacers)
- He has played pretty well for the Pacers and has really put himself in a good position with the team. The Pacers don't really have a threat to him for his job. He's been clutch and has done everything the team has asked of him. I feel he's more suited as a sixth man.
24. Mo Williams (Utah Jazz)
- He played pretty good for Utah this year but we can see his best days are behind him. He will probably only be a marginal starter or good backup in upcoming years. His history and the Jazz playoff run puts him here.
25. Brandon Knight (Detroit Pistons)
- He was shown getting clowned a lot more than his play. He has quietly gotten better but there's still a lot of work needed. Calderon could serve as a great mentor. Knight, like Kemba, is integral to the future of the Pistons. Give them a couple years and their core could be pretty scary. I would normally include Calderon but he has only been on the team for a few months.
26. Darren Collison (Dallas Mavericks)
- The once young heralded point guard of the Hornets played okay this year for the Mavs. They believed they got their future point guard but I don't know. I think Dallas should look elsewhere for one. He still has a lot of upside to turn it around but he is slowly being forgotten.
27. Isaiah Thomas (Sacremento Kings)
- He has improved and is certainly capable of being an everyday starting point guard. However, it seems as if he's looking to score more than pass. Earlier in the year, he was given limited playing time and also received a few DNP-CDs. His future is bright despite being overlooked in the draft two years ago.
28. Jameer Nelson (Orlando Magic)
- He hasn't played a whole lot this year but he has came in and provided leadership. His stats are a little inflated because the Magic don't have anyone else. They developed their rookies pretty well though. The Magic need to find their new future point guard in the draft.
29. Mario Chalmers (Miami Heat)
- He's good but the big three are carrying him. I think he could be better if he was on another team but he's ranked low because he isn't. He's an xfactor for the Heat but he's also nothing special.
30. Kirk Hinrich/Nate Robinson (Chicago Bulls)
- Where's Derrick Rose? Come back man, we miss you. Kirk and Nate filled in well but I didn't think it was fair to rank two of them higher than Mario Chalmers. However, these two played well enough for the Bulls to make the playoffs.
My Tier System
Ultimate Point Guard - Chris Paul
The Elite - Russell Westbrook, Stephen Curry, Tony Parker, Rajon Rondo
The Great Ones... - Kyrie Irving, Deron Williams, Damian Lillard, Jrue Holiday, Ty Lawson
"I'm not Great, but I'm still pretty good" - John Wall, Mike Conley, Steve Nash, Ricky Rubio
"I'm Almost there" - Greivis Vasquez, Brandon Jennings, Jeff Teague, Kyle Lowry, Dragic, Kemba
"I play hard" - Jeremy Lin, Felton, George Hill, Mo Williams, Brandon Knight, Jose Calderon
"I am Surprised I'm Starting" -Darren Collison, Isaiah Thomas, Jameer Nelson, Mario Chalmers, Bulls
"I would be starting on another team"- Jarrett Jack, Andre Miller, Eric Bledsoe, Brian Roberts, Jerryd Bayless
"If only I wasn't hurt" - Derrick Rose
Well, here are my starting point guard rankings, I hope you enjoyed!
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