We are at the counting days of the 2016-17 NBA regular season, and its time for us to lay out our top point guards of the season. Be sure to follow all of our hard working writers on Twitter.
Brian Sampson
@Brianball0
- Russell Westbrook
- Isaiah Thomas
- Steph Curry
- Chris Paul
- Kyle Lowry
Westbrook at the top, IT at second, and Curry in third don’t need explaining. Paul is an underrated point guard at this point in his career. The Clippers rely on him to create so much for their offense. You’re probably surprised by my fifth pick. I was between Lowry and John Wall. I chose Lowry because he has more win shares per 48 and both a higher Offensive Rating and Defensive Rating than Wall. Even though he has missed time due to injury and the Raptors have fared well without him he has still been the fifth best point guard in the NBA this season.
Kirshner’s Top Five Point Guards (@Kirsh_TLFO)
1. Russell Westbrook
Russell Westbrook is currently averaging a triple double, him being ranked at #1 is self-explanatory.
2. James Harden
James Harden was switched to point guard this season as an experiment, it has been proved successful. Harden is in the midst of an MVP-type season averaging 29 points, 11 assists, and 8 rebounds while navigating the Rockets to an impressive 51-25.
3. Isaiah Thomas
IT has brought his game to another level this season. He is averaging 29 points per game this season and is a major reason why the Celtics are second in the East this season, he has been simply amazing.
4. John Wall
John Wall has shown why he was the top pick back in 2010. After a poor start to the season, Wall and running mate Bradley Beal have been staples for the Wizards and are the main part of them being the 4th seed in the East.
5. Steph Curry
The unanimous MVP has had what some would consider a quiet season. With the team adding Kevin Durant, the spotlight has been less on Curry. But that has not stopped him from still having a fantastic season. Curry is averaging 24 points, 6 assists, and 4 rebounds this season. And he has also become the 2nd player in NBA history to hit 300, the first person? Stephen Curry.
Cale Michael- @xjustified
It was hard to narrow down the top five for the league’s deepest position, but the hope is my logic did the trick. Also as a note, despite James Harden technically playing the point for
5. John Wall, Washington Wizards
With how good the Wizards have been since the All-star break, anyone would be hard-pressed to leave the former Kentucky star off this list. With his running mate Bradley Beal finally healthy, it has opened the doors for Wall to take the stage.
The starting five in Washington is close to perfect for Wall’s game. Beal and Otto Porter can make shots from the perimeter and Makieff Morris can spread the floor while Marcin Gortat eats up space in the middle. This gives Wall the options he needs to drive, cut and work around defenders in multiple ways to get his own shot or dish it to one of his teammates.
We all knew that he was a top point guard before this season, but with the team, he has now it is harder to put others before him in the conversation.
4. Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers
When people think of the teams with the largest payroll in the league, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors are always the first on people’s minds. While it is true in the case of Cleveland, Portland is just behind them after the ludicrously expensive offseason they just had. Not every player has worked out *cough* Evan Turner *cough* but it did give Lillard more weapons to work with.
As the number one option in scoring for his team the sky is the limit for how much he will put up any given night, the question people really should be asking is what teammate will get hot and how to keep Lillard from getting him good looks. The Blazers were a joke and most people wrote them off as the All-star break came and went. But after trading Mason Plumlee for Yusuf Nurkic the team has taken off.
Lillard and his crew are now in control of the final playoff spot in the Western Conference, largely as a byproduct of his insane workload. If Nurkic can come back from his recent injury at 100 percent and Lillard gets himself, CJ and the big man involved, Golden State might want to look out.
3. Chris Paul, Los Angeles Clippers
Ah, the aging Paul is again on the list and despite having lost a step or two in recent years, his game hasn’t deteriorated much. The Clippers have been a mess all season and Paul has missed significant amounts of time this year. This could be his final year in LA as his contract is up this offseason too.
With his record in the playoffs being less than stellar and the team reflecting that every postseason, people are starting to wonder if the scheme the Clippers have is running dry. Paul is still the best player on the team despite Blake Griffin being great, but the question is can the two of them be better together?
This story could be in its final chapter and should the Clippers suffer another agonizing loss in an early round, Paul might be for hire.
2. Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
The story is as follows; 3-1 lead blown, sign Kevin Durant… win championship?
That is what the narrative is supposed to be for the super team in the Bay Area. Durant joins a Warriors team with three other top-15 players and the only thing that suffers is the depth. Title or bust fans chant and opponents jeer as the Warriors come into town.
But when Durant goes down and the core of years past needs to step up without the help of a deep bench, the league goes silent as the splash brothers struggle and the record slips. Enter two-time reigning MVP Steph Curry’s slump ending and the resurgence of Andre Iguodala, you have a 10-game win streak in the works.
Curry had to take a step back for Durant, but now that he was needed, he grasped the opportunity and is playing just like the last two seasons. His rust is gone and when KD comes back opponents will have even more to worry about.
1. Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder
True there might be a little bias since I am from OKC, but the stats don’t lie. Russ is averaging a triple double and is on pace to beat the great Oscar Robertson’s record of trip-dubs in a single season. That hasn’t been done in over five decades and people are excited.
While it is looking less likely every day that he will walk away with the MVP award even after carrying the Thunder to the playoffs following KD’s departure to the Bay, but fans are still hopeful. No one is calling for a championship this year in Oklahoma because they know it is unlikely, yet they want to see Westbrook succeed.
His lone ranger attitude is what the city needed after Durant broke everyone’s, heart. And while I personally think KD was right when he left for greener pastures, I think it is equally true that Russ is what OKC needed. If he wins the MVP and can lead the Thunder to a berth beyond the first round, his legacy in Oklahoma will be cemented even more than it has been already.
Brandon Wentz- @Thebighonch
My top five point guards this season are:
5. Steph Curry
I have to put him 5th because of how off his three point shot has been this season and how much more efficient Kevin Durant had been than Curry this season. Steph is still dangerous and I don’t envy anyone who has to cover him when he’s got the ball at the three point line.
4. Isaiah Thomas
IT is having himself an insane season. His True Shooting Percentage is an incredible 62%, according to ESPN. He’s averaging a career-high 29.1 points per game. His Celtics are also currently the owners of the number one seed in the East behind his 26.57 PER. Not only that, but he’s leading the league in scoring in the 4th quarter. He’s only ranked 4th in my eyes because he is a defensive liability, he gets very few rebounds (2.6 per game), and he’s only dishing out 5.9 dimes per contest.
3. John Wall
John Wall has always been the quintessential point guard. Throughout his NBA career, he’s never averaged less than 7.6 assists per game, and this season he’s averaging a career-high 10.8 per game. He’s also averaging career-highs in scoring (23.2 points per contest), steals (2 per contest), field goal percentage and free throw percentage. Not only that, but his Wizards currently sit at the third seed in the East with 46 wins when before the season began they weren’t expected to exceed 43 wins, via OddsShark – and they still have eight games left to play.
2. Russell Westbrook
The walking triple double that is Russell Westbrook is on a quest to achieve history, looking to become the second player in NBA history to average a triple-double for an entire season and is within grasp of breaking Oscar Robertson’s record for most triple-doubles in a single season. Westbrook currently has 37 – the record is 41 – and he still has nine games left to play. The Brodie is also leading the league in scoring and PER with an outlandish 30.44. The question of who is the best point guard this season is probably one of the most difficult to answer because both Harden and Westbrook are playing at a spectacular level. Westbrook, though, is shooting almost 24 shots a night and only making 42% of them.
1. James Harden
Since James Harden left OKC and joined the Rockets, he’s become a bona fide superstar. He went from Sixth Man of the Year to Third Team All-NBA in one season and the following two seasons he was selected to the First Team All-NBA before being snubbed from all three All-NBA teams last year – despite averaging 29 points, 7.5 assists, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.7 steals per game. This season marked the first without teammate Dwight Howard since Harden’s first year as a Houston Rocket in 2012 and OddsShark expected the Rockets wouldn’t get more than 44 wins. Currently, Houston has 51 wins with eight games yet to play. The Rockets are the third seed, six games up on the 4th place Jazz and six and a half behind the 2nd place Spurs. Once Mike D’Antoni announced he would be moving Harden to the primary point guard role, I expected an uptick in Harden’s assist numbers – maybe one and a half or two more per game – but he’s gone from 7.5 assists per game last year to a career-high and league-leading 11.3 dimes per game. Not only that, but he’s also averaging career-highs in points and rebounds – 29.3 and 8 per game, respectively. And yeah, Westbrook, Wall, and Thomas are all enjoying career years too, so why aren’t they number one? Because the Rockets roster looked very, very empty at the beginning of the year. Eric Gordon and Ryan Anderson were alright pick-ups, but neither were in the primes of their careers or All Stars either. Gordon has been having a surprisingly good year, I’ll admit that, and picking up Lou Williams was a big weight off The Beard’s shoulders. Harden has become the new Steve Nash. He’s making the guys around him better, and when the ball is in his hands, all eyes are on him. It’s also worth noting that Harden is shooting an Effective Field Goal Percentage of about 53%, while Westbrook’s eFG% is just 47%.
Being the best isn’t just about scoring the most, or securing the most triple doubles, it’s about winning and being efficient enough that your team is in a position to win night in and night out. And that, that is why Harden is the best point guard in the league.
Mohamed Bah- @RAGEMO23
My list will be quite short due to the fact that this season, many point guards have been great. I know I’m leaving someone great off, but these five guys have performed the best in my opinion.
- Russell Westbrook
- John Wall
- Isaiah Thomas
- Stephen Curry
