Ranking The Top 10 PG’s In The NBA
Today, after the dust from free agency has settled and teams are all but set, we will be exploring the Top 10 Point Guards for the 2019-2020 season.
#10- Jamal Murray: Comment Below
Jamal Murray had a breakout year for the Nuggets last season, averaging 18.2 points, 4.8 assists and 4.2 rebounds. He shoots 43.7% from the field, 36.7% from 3, and 84.8% from the foul line. Really good numbers. He is the perfect #2 for the Nuggets alongside Jokic. He plays well of the ball and off screens. He needs to work on getting better at shooting the ball in general, more assists, though that might be hard with Jokic. The most important thing Murry needs to add is his isolation game. He needs to get better at creating his own shot. This will help the Nuggets so that Jokic can get some breathers on offense while Murray gets the shot. But, Murray is an up-coming PG with an up-coming team in the West with the Nuggets.
#9- D’Angelo Russell: Comment Below
Last season, D’Angelo Russell led the Nets to the playoffs, averaging 21.1 points, 7.0 assists, and 3.9 rebounds. He shoots 43.4% from the field, 36.9% from 3, and 78.0% from the line. As he was traded from the Nets to the Warriors this past offseason, this might be the perfect thing for D’Angelo. He had a great season last year and with the only real scorer being Curry, Russell could have a big year once again. On paper, this Warriors team could make the playoffs, but if they play well they could become a solid team in the Western Conference. Russell needs to work on his 3 and free throw shooting. He has a good isolation game, but he needs to stay consistent and work on his defense. He has a great offensive coach in Steve Kerr, so D’Angelo could grow even more.
#8 John Wall (when healthy): Comment Below
When John Wall is healthy, he is very fast and athletic and has a good mid-range jump-shot. This past season, in a year where Wall only played 32 games, he averaged 20.7 points, 8.7 assists and 3.6 rebounds. He shot 44.4% from the field, 30.2% from 3, and 69.7% from the line. He needs better 3 and free throw shooting. He is a great passer and very explosive when going to the rim. But, if he gets a jump-shot, he will be even more dangerous. Wall will most likely miss all of next year, and we don’t know how good he will be when he returns from injury. If John Wall could have stayed healthy, then the Wizards would be in a better place. Wall has the same problem that Damian Lillard once had. He can’t win playoff games. The farthest he has been in the playoffs is the 2nd round. If Wall can have a good playoffs and him and Beal can lead the Wizards deeper into the playoffs, then people will remember how good John Wall is.
#7- Kyle Lowry: Comment Below
Although Lowry has never been the scoring PG, he is a really good one in our league. This past season, he averaged 14.2 points, 8.7 assists, and 4.8 rebounds. He shot 41.1% from the field, 34.7% from 3, and 81.0% from the foul line. Lowry needs to improve his shooting. Lowry has proven that he can be the leader for a team, as he proved with the Raptors team this past season. He does not need to score every single night, but he is good at facilitating the ball to his teammates. Without Kawhi Leonard, he might need to score a little more, but after winning a ring Lowry’s career is all but fulfilled.
#6- Mike Conley: Comment Below
Although people thought that age would affect most players, Mike Conley had the best year of his career this past season with the Grizzlies. He averaged 21.1 points, 6.4 assists, and 3.4 rebounds. He shot 43.8% from the field, 36.4% from 3, and 84.5% from the field. Now with Conley being on the Jazz, he will be a good #2 behind Donovan Mitchell. He can score in crunch time and if the Jazz make the playoffs, Conley will provide some key experience. He needs to shoot a little better, but as he becomes the #2, he will take less shots and become more efficient from the field.
#5- Kemba Walker: Comment Below
For most of his career, Walker has been a great player on a bad team, that team being the Charlotte Hornets. He has had no help to get the Hornets into the playoffs, and he made the right decision by leaving for Boston. Last season, he averaged 25.6 points, 5.9 assists, and 4.4 rebounds. He shot 43.4% from the field, 35.6% from 3, and 84.4% from the field. His shooting numbers will go up with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown on the floor. He will not be the complete vocal point of the offense and will have some help. If the Celtics can move the ball around more, and play less isolation ball, then they will have a good chance at being a top-4 seed in the East this season.
#4- Russell Westbrook: Comment Below
After a long time in OKC, Westbrook has finally moved on. He is a very explosive guard and that’s about it. He can’t shoot very well and is a stat-padder. Last season, he averaged 22.9 points, 11.1 rebounds and 10.7 assists. He shot 42.8% from the field, 29.0% from 3, and 65.6% from the line. The shooting needs improvement everywhere. When playing with Harden, he can’t really space the floor. I don’t think the Harden-Westbrook thing will work, 2 ball-dominant MVP players on the same team. Both of their scoring, rebounds and assists will go down, and hopefully, they can become more efficient, Westbrook especially. Westbrook can’t be successful if he cannot shot the ball, and the Rockets cannot go very far.
#3- Kyrie Irving: Comment Below
Before this past season, we all thought that Irving was the 2nd best PG in the league. But now, he has slipped a little bit. He is a gifted scorer, a great ball handler, but he has some chemistry issues and has proven that he can only be a #2 on a championship team. Last season, Irving averaged 23.8 points, 6.9 assists, and 5.0 rebounds. He shot 48.7% from the field, 40.1% from 3, and 87.3% from the foul line. He has great shooting numbers and solid numbers, but he has to prove that he is a good teammate. He wasted a couple of years with the young core, and has to hold down the ship for the Nets while Kevin Durant is recovering from injury. But, when KD is back from injury, Kyrie will be back in the position that suits him best, a scorer.
#2- Damian Lillard: Comment Below
I’m not being bias. After this playoffs, Lillard has proved that he is better than Westbrook or Irving. Lillard averaged 25.8 points, 6.9 assists, and 4.6 rebounds. He shot 44.4% from the field, 36.9% from 3, and 91.2% from the foul line. He needs to improve his field and 3 point shooting, but great numbers. The only reason why he has passed Westbrook and Irving is because he has no drama, not a huge ego, he just does the job. He and the Blazers have been silently building a Western Conference Powerhouse. Now that the Blazers have the West wide open, it’s time for Lillard to show the NBA what he is all about.
#1- Stephen Curry: Comment Below
Curry has been the best PG in the league since 2015 really. He is the first player since Michael Jordan to change the game completely. Last season, Curry averaged 27.3 points,5.3 rebounds and 5.2 assists. He shot 47.2% from the field, 43.7% from 3, and 91.6% from the line. Wow. He scored 27+ point with another superstar in Kevin Durant and teams know what he likes to do, but he is still doing it very efficiently. There’s no doubt he will be considered in the Top 5 Point Guards ever, and the greatest shooter of all time.
I hope you enjoyed this position ranking post, please leave a comment on who’s in your top 10 and which position I should do next.
