In the playoffs every year, the best teams left standing almost always get above-average to elite point guard play out of their point guards. This allows the team to always be in control on offense, runs sets that match up well with the opposing defense, get everyone set up, and can create off the dribble when the offense breaks down. Having a great point guard can also control turnovers, something that can severely diminish a team’s chances of winning the series. In the 2016 playoffs, it is no coincidence most of the teams have very good point guards that can both score and distribute with some of the top players in the NBA responsible for their team’s seeding and playoff berth, while others have been key pieces, but are not the main reason their teams are here. Going forward, though, here are the top point guards as I see it, starting from 16 and working all the way down to the top point guard, which should not come as a shock to anyone who watches basketball or even has heard anything this year.
(Note: This is a ranking of NBA Playoff starters at PG only; All stats courtesy of NBA.com)
16. Jordan Farmar, Memphis Grizzlies
This is one of the easier calls as even when you get down to the next spot there could be some debate, but Farmar is the fit here. Farmar is not a starting caliber point guard and really not even a good backup at this point. Farmar was signed by the Grizzlies knowing that their starter and stud point guard Michael Conley would not be coming back this season. Farmar is not a very good distributor, averaging just about 4.5 assists per 36 minutes and shooting just 42 percent from the field overall. Throw in the fact that this year when he is on the court his team is five points worse than the opponent and even putting him on the list is nice things for him.
15. Deron Williams, Dallas Mavericks
This one will have some people questioning the list, but Williams is a shell of himself and the shell that played for the Nets, who was terrible in the first place. Williams seems content to sit back and let the chips fall where they may, knowing he has his money already. Williams looks much slower than he was and isn’t very good defensively on the perimeter routinely getting beaten off the dribble and creating problems by making other defenders help and leaving shooters open in the corner, or cutter going toward the hoop. On the year, he is shooting just 41 percent from the field and is no longer a playmaker who can leave the Dallas offense sputtering at times when he overdribbles.
14. Patrick Beverley, Houston Rockets
Some people will wonder why I don’t have Beverley at 15 and Williams here, but Beverley is better than Williams defensively by a mile. In fact, Beverley is considered one of the biggest pests in the league and routinely pushes boundaries with his physical perimeter defense. Beverley can frustrate opposing point guards and take them out of their game giving his team a huge edge. Although he is not a great point guard in setting people up for baskets, that is not his job as the Rocket offense is centered around James Harden handling the ball and creating offense for others or himself. Beverley is good at his job of spreading the floor (he shoots it at 40% from three on the year)and playing physical and tough defense which earns him this spot.
13. George Hill, Indiana Pacers
Another point guard who really struggles to turn passes into assists is Hill, who is really a shooting guard, or scoring guard playing point guard in head coach Frank Vogel’s offense. Hill is 6’3” with long arms and good defensive versatility and quickness to prevent a lot of drives into the paint, but also can score the ball pretty well. Hill shoots 41 percent from three on the year to go along with his four rebounds, one steal, and the most important thing is although he is good defensively, he rarely fouls averaging just two per 36 minutes. Hill may not be a star or a household name, but he is a solid fit in this system and helps more than hurts this team.
12. Goran Dragic, Miami Heat
Next on the list is Dragic, a guard who has played much better in recent years than this past regular season. Dragic normally a reliable three-point shooter, shot just 31 percent from three this year and seemed out of sync at times playing in the offense with Chris Bosh. Dragic can look really smooth at times and although he averaged about six assists per 36 minutes, he also had about three turnovers to pair with that. However, it isn’t all bad with Dragic as he shot 48 percent from the field, averaged 14 points per game, and got better as the year went on. Still it is hard to have too much confidence in Dragic considering he doesn’t always seem to play with the highest level of confidence in himself and the turnovers are a real issue.
11. Reggie Jackson, Detroit Pistons
Jackson has a lot of talent and if this was just based on his talent he would move up a few spots for sure. However, point guards as usually the heartbeat of their respective teams and Jackson is a poor leader. Sunday’s game versus Cleveland was a perfect example as with his team down just four points with about two minutes remaining, Jackson felt he got fouled and ran up to the refs and yelled in their face guaranteeing him a technical foul. Not a smart or winning play for a point guard whose team is down just four points on the road against the top seed in their conference. Jackson has a lot of talent and averaged 18 points and six assists per game, but when people care more about their stats than the team’s success they get bumped down, and if he wasn’t so talented he would move down further.
10. Tony Parker, San Antonio Spurs
This may seem like a slap in the face to a man who has been the point guard in countless playoff runs for coach Gregg Popovich and the Spurs, but that is how the NBA works now. Parker is not as sharp as he was and part of that is he is not asked to do as much anymore with the signing of LaMarcus Aldridge and development of Kawhi Leonard. Parker did have a solid year though shooting 49 percent from the field and a surprisingly good 41 percent from three-point land, a spot that has been a weakness for him at times. Parker did his usual job though and dished out 7.5 assists per 36 minutes while also trying to help integrate a lot of new pieces on offense. Although Parker took a backseat this year, he is still a solid point guard who improved one of his only weaknesses in shooting from three.
9. Kemba Walker, Charlotte Hornets
Although coach Steve Clifford deserves a ton of credit for this team doing as well as they have, Walker also deserves a lot of praise. Walker has ignored criticism of his size and that he isn’t anything more than a spark plug off the bench by averaging 21 points, four rebounds and five assists per game this year and helping the Hornets improve their offense to compliment their outstanding team defense. Walker is a pest on the defensive end averaging just under two steals per game but also doing it without fouling as he averaged just one foul per game. The key improvements this year were boosting his three-point percentage from 30 to 37 percent and his overall field goal percentage from 38 percent to 43 percent. A very solid year for Walker.
8. Jeff Teague, Atlanta Hawks
After leading a surprise season for the Hawks last year, everyone knew what to expect from Teague this year, and although some were disappointed he played vert well once again. Teague averaged 16 points, three rebounds, and six assists per game, but struggled at times with turnovers, something that has not been a problem in recent years for him as he turned it over three times to just those six assists. Although turnovers were a rough spot for him, part of that can be traced to a team that had some new pieces coming in and the loss of their starting wing DeMarre Carroll. Despite that Teague still shot the ball well (40 percent from three), something head coach and Spur disciple Mike Budenholzer wants out of his starters to spread the floor. All in all, Teague had another solid campaign and will be key for the Hawks advancing through the playoffs.
7. Kyle Lowry, Toronto Raptors
I love Lowry as much as the next guy. The former Villanova star is a pit bull on defense (two steals per game) and has really improved his conditioning this year giving him more endurance and allowing him to be fresher for his jumper late in games or to attack the rim. However, I cannot move him up any more than this as he has really struggled in the playoffs as have the Raptors franchise collectively. He puts up great stats with 21 points, six assists, and five rebounds per game and also shot 39 percent from downtown, but until he proves it in the playoffs. Lowry has a tough task at hand against the Pacers who have a star in their own right in Paul George, but Lowry needs to be better offensively and needs to control the game on offense, something he did all season allowing backcourt mate DeMar DeRozan to put up great stats. If Lowry doesn’t play up to his potential they won’t win any series. It is that simple.
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6. Kyrie Irving, Cleveland Cavaliers
Once again Irving put up fantastic numbers and led a potent Cavalier attack. Irving is one of the best in the NBA running pick and roll and pairing that with his elite handle makes him a nightmare for opposing guards who have to cover him. Irving this season put up just under 20 points per game but had trouble with his shot, shooting just 32 percent from downtown after shooting 41.5 percent from three the year before. He also had a surprisingly low number of assists dishing out just five per game, while also committing two turnovers per game, a low assist to turnover rate for someone of his caliber. Part of the trouble can be traced to the fact he started late after recovering from his knee injury in last year’s playoffs and the adjustment of giving LeBron James the ball more in the point forward role. However, he still is extremely skilled and a key for this team to win the Eastern Conference, but does slip a little from where he would be if he had his normal year.
[wysija_form id=”1″]Â 5. Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers
Few point guards or even players in the league overall, have Lillard’s ability to score from anywhere on the court. Lillard is the prototype for the new point guard in today’s era of basketball where point guards are a little taller and are scorers rather than just assist men. Lillard can get to the line averaging six attempts per game and shoots 89 percent from the line making it a virtual certainty he walks away with about five or six points per game. Lillard also shoots 38 percent from deep and is averaging 25 points per game. The one weakness in his game though is that he seems disinterested at times on defense and is very stiff on the perimeter. Because of this, he generates less than a steal per game and allows a good amount of penetration by opposing guards, opening drive and kick passes. Nonetheless, he is a star and as good of a scorer as anyone on this list.
4. Isaiah Thomas, Boston Celtics
Some may be surprised to see Thomas this high up on the list considering his limitations defensively due to his height, but when taking into account how small he is, it makes it that much more amazing that he scores, assists, and succeeds as much as he does. Thomas’ best strength is without a doubt his ability to get to the rim and draw fouls as although he shoots just about seven per game, he only shoots 35 percent three-point land meaning most of his points are a result of rim drives. Thomas also is a creative passer who despite his height can see the whole court averaging six assists per game including some highlight level passes, specifically the behind his head pass earlier in the season. Thomas has elite quickness and is one of the better scorers at changing up his shot in the paint to score over taller defenders.
3. Chris Paul, Los Angeles Clippers
Although he isn’t the top point guard anymore, Paul has certainly been elite the longest with an all-around game that makes life miserable on opposing guards both offensively and defensively. Paul is a playmaker first and foremost averaging 10 assists to just 2.5 turnovers, while also pouring in 19.5 points per game and is the type of player every point guard should emulate. Paul is good at all facets of the game including defense, where he routinely racks up big steal numbers. This year he picked up two steals per game while committing under three fouls per game. The only reason he is not higher is due to the fact more lethal scorers (both doing it in a different fashion) have passed him. Paul is still one of the game’s best and is the reason Los Angeles has home court and a four seed in the playoffs.
2. Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder
In Westbrook, there is not a more athletic and skilled point guard. Westbrook has a great handle on the ball and can get to the hoop at will on both guards and forwards. In fact, Westbrook is the closest thing in stats that we have seen of Oscar Robertson in a point guard since he left the league. This year Westbrook nearly averaged a triple-double with 23.5 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 10.4 assists per game. He also added two steals per game to top it all off. The one area where Westbrook can get a little careless with is his turnovers where he averaged four per game. Westbrook also struggled in shooting from deep this year shooting under 30 percent making it easier for defenders to sag off of him, but somehow he still got to the hoop at a high rate. Westbrook is a top six player in the game and if he ever gets a team away from Durant, would be remarkable to watch.
1. Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
Saving the best for last is last year’s MVP and most likely this year’s MVP, Curry. Curry continues to amaze with his lightning quick release, uncanny ability to get to the hoop despite not possessing elite athleticism and his deep, deep range. Curry set a record once again this year for three-pointers, breaking his old record by over 100 threes. Somehow in addition to his shooting, Curry also got better overall averaging 30 points per game, a league high, to go along with 5.4 rebounds, and 6.7 assists making him an all-around player. Curry even improved his steal rate on defense garnering two per game, right up with the top defensive theft artists in the game Paul and Westbrook. Curry also joined the prestigious club of shooting 50 percent from the field, 40 percent from three (45 percent actually) and 90 percent from the line (91 percent). Somehow he improved dramatically and is the best player by far now.
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