The point guard position has become the deepest and most prolific position in the NBA. In today's NBA the point guard position has evolved so much from what it used to be. Point guards used to be players who could run an offense put their teammates in a position to score, dish out 10 assists, and score an efficient 15-20 points per game.
In today's NBA, the majority of the point guards are combo guards who are trying to average 25-30 points per game while also dishing out 6-7 assists. There are still some traditional point guards but the best of the best are often a scorer and playmaker.
There are so many elite point guards in the NBA — 22 out of the 30 starting point guards last season averaged at least 15 points per game. There are at least 15 point guards that are either All-Stars or All-Star caliber players.
With the point guards being the deepest position in the NBA only five will outshine everyone else.
Ranking the top 5 point guards for the 2023-24 season: 5. Damian Lillard
When it comes to the new-age point guards, there is almost no better example than Damian Lillard. Despite Lillard dealing with injuries for the last two seasons, playing in 29 games in 2022 and 58 games in 2023, he still remains one of the best point guards in the NBA.
Last season Lillard had a career year where he averaged 32.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and 7.3 assists on great efficiency shooting 46 percent from the field, 37 percent from the 3-point line, and 91 percent from the free throw line.
There aren't many players like Damian Lillard in the NBA. Last season Lillard took 658 3-pointers, of those 658 3s, 582 of them were taken from 25 feet or more and made 37 percent of those shots.
Lillard's insane ability to make any shot at a high efficiency makes him one of the deadliest scorers in the NBA, scoring 71 points in a game last season. On top of that, he is a great playmaker and gets his teammates involved at a high rate.
When healthy Lillard has led his team to the playoffs every single season besides his rookie year and made a Western Conference Finals in 2019. This season with him in the lineup the Trail Blazers went 27-31 which is equivalent to a 38-win season over 82 games.
Seeing that he needs more help than what the Blazers can give him, Lillard wants to go to the Miami Heat. If he does end up in Miami, his numbers won't be the same as last season but his impact will still be felt. The Heat would rise up to the top of the Eastern Conference and chase a title. He will once again be recognized as one of the best point guards in the NBA.
Ranking the top 5 point guards for the 2023-24 season: 4. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had been one of the most underrated players in the NBA because, for the 2021 and 2022 seasons, he put up All-Star caliber numbers but was hurt and on a bad team. This past season he broke through and became recognized as one of the league's best players.
Last season Shai had the best season of his career averaging 31.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 1.6 steals, 1 block on 51 percent shooting from the field, shooting 34.5 percent from the 3-point line and 90.5 percent from the free throw line. He would earn himself his first All-Star selection and was selected to the All-NBA first team.
On top of his breakout season he would play a huge role in the Thunder having a very successful season. The Thunder were projected to be one of the worst teams in the NBA but would finish with a record of 40-42 and earn themselves a spot in the Western Conference Play-In.
What makes Shai one of the best point guards in the NBA is the fact that he can do just about everything. He can score, pass, rebound, and defend at a high level. Standing at 6-foot-6 gives him an advantage in every aspect of the game. He is taller than most of his defenders allowing him to shoot over them and read the defense. His size and quickness give him a defensive advantage.
Last season Shai was one of four players to average at least 1 steal and 1 block per game. The other three players were all big men in Anthony Davis, Joel Embiid and the defensive player of the year, Jaren Jackson Jr.
Shai's ability to stuff the stat sheet and lead a young team to a lot of wins has made him one of the best point guards in the NBA and the Thunder could be ready for a deep playoff run.
Ranking the top 5 point guards for the 2023-24 season: 3. Ja Morant
Ja Morant has become one of the most controversial players in the NBA. He has dealt with many off-the-court issues, including more than one instance of carelessly displaying a firearm on social media, for which he was suspended for the first 25 games of the 2023-24 season. Even with that, Morant will be considered a top-3 point guard for next season.
Last season Ja Morant averaged 26.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, a career-high 8.1 assists and 1.1 steals, shooting 46.6 percent from the field, 30.7 percent from 3, and 74.8 percent from the free throw line.
Morant is not the best shooter from 3 but what he does very well is score in the paint averaging 14.4 paint points per game last season and shooting 65 percent from within three feet. He is also a solid mid-range shooter, shooting 46.3 percent from 10-16 feet and 46.7 percent from 16 feet to 3-point range.
Shooting the 3 will be an aspect that Morant will get better at, making him even more deadly. His elite athleticism and ability to score at the rim have made him an elite playmaker. His ability to distribute the ball has made Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. threats to score on any play.
His off-the-court problems may put into question whether or not Morant is a good leader. Considering that since Morant has got there, he turned the Grizzlies into a championship-caliber team within his first three seasons. He led them to the Play-in his rookie year, the playoffs his sophomore year and the second-best record in the Western Conference for the last two seasons.
There has been a direct correlation between the Memphis Grizzlies' success and the ascension of Ja Morant. He leads his team to wins and will do so when he comes back from his suspension. He will remind everyone why he was drafted to be a franchise player and why he should be considered to be a top-three point guard in the NBA.
Ranking the top 5 point guards for the 2023-24 season: 2. Stephen Curry
Last season Curry had another phenomenal year where he averaged 29.4 points, 6.1 rebounds and 6.3 assists shooting 49.3 percent from the field, 42.7 percent from the 3-point line and 91.5 percent from the free throw line.
Curry is one of the most special talents in the NBA. His ability to move off the ball is incomparable to anyone in NBA history. As soon as he passes the ball he runs around creating open space and tiring out his defender to get open 3s. His ability to move off the ball creates space for his teammates to get better looks and allows him to be an underrated playmaker.
The most important aspect of Curry's game is the fact that he is the greatest shooter in basketball history. His ability to shoot the 3 at a high volume, high efficiency, and from a far distance has changed the way basketball is played. Everyone is looking for the 'Next Curry" and every player is trying to become a great 3-point shooter.
Curry's impact has led the Warriors to four NBA Championships and last season led the Warriors to a 44-38 record. This was a huge disappointment for the Warriors as they were expected to be a championship contender once again after winning the title in 2022.
As the Warriors age and are much older, Curry's impact will once again not be as dangerous as it used to be. As great as Curry was last year, he wasn't a player that people feared because of how bad the Warriors were.
The way Curry plays the game is ageless. Curry will still be a top-10 player in the league where he's averaging a lot of points, shooting the ball well, and still being one of the league's most popular players. There is a good chance that Curry's excellence won't translate to as many wins as it used to and hence he will be the second-best point guard throughout the next season.
Ranking the top 5 point guards for the 2023-24 season; 1. Luka Doncic
It is hard to say that there will be a point guard that will have a better 2023-24 season then Steph Curry, except the only player who can do it is Luka Doncic. As a young superstar in the league, Luka will once again have an amazing season.
There is nothing that Luka Doncic can't do on the offensive side of the ball. The weakest part of his offensive game is that there are times when he is widely inconsistent shooting the 3 but despite all of that he is still one of the most efficient and impactful players in the NBA.
Last season Luka had the best season of his career averaging a career-high 32.4 points, 8.6 rebounds, 8 assists and 1.4 steals while shooting a career-best 49.6 percent from the field, 34.2 percent from 3, and 74.2 percent from the free throw line. Despite all this effort from Luka, the Dallas Mavericks finished with a record of 38-44, a disappointing end after going to the Western Conference Finals in 2022.
The Mavericks' struggles wasn't all on Luka because he wasn't the sole reason they finished 24th in defense. The Mavericks didn't have the right team around Luka last season but improved that a lot for this season.
If this ranking was based off of last season Luka would be in second. Since this is more of a prediction of who will be the best point guard for next season, Luka deserves to be one. As someone who is able to do everything and get everyone involved, he is the prototypical point guard for today's NBA.
He will once again put up phenomenal numbers with a good chance of being selected to 1st team All-NBA for the fifth straight season. Along with his greatness, the Mavericks will be a great team again this season and will compete for a championship.