There’s been a meteoric rise in star NBA point guards over the last several years. With a host of All-NBA caliber talents, who are the five best point guards in the league right now?
The question is one that springs up annually. For the last decade, Golden State Warriors’ two-time league MVP Stephen Curry has come out on top over his peers statistically and when the lights havs shined brightest.
Though, the influx of players at the one that are making the conversation interesting.
The best floor generals sit atop many of the Association’s leaderboards and enthrall fans with outstanding individual outings. Let’s take a look at the position’s upper crust.
But first, salutes go out to De’Aaron Fox (Sacramento Kings), Damian Lillard (Milwaukee Bucks) and Tyrese Maxey (Philadelphia 76ers) as honorable mentions who barely missed the cut.
The NBA’s top five point guards this season
5. Jalen Brunson
Jalen Brunson’s arrival as a 2024 All-Star came as a pleasant surprise this year, even to himself. The New York Knicks floor general wins, and in major ways too. Brunson’s 27.7 points per game, sixth in the NBA, legitimizes him as an elite scorer. Beyond that, he’s sprouted as a three-point marksman and an efficient decision-maker. The Villanova product’s 6.7-2.5 assist-to-turnover ratio proves such. Brunson is able to get to his sweet spots on the court with ease and best defenders in the midrange. The Knicks owe much of their success to their franchise player. Among point guards, there aren’t many that are scoring, playmaking and winning the way he is currently.
4.Tyrese Haliburton
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Indiana Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton is the league’s best distributor. With 11.6 nightly assists, Haliburton outpaces the field. The 23 year old is also leading the NBA’s fastest offense. Haliburton’s impact on the game extends beyond his flashy passes. The Pacers are 7-6 when he sits and 26-20 with his services readily available. The Iowa State product has 15 double-doubles with 25 or more points and a pair of 40-point games. There are few players in the entire league that generate more total points of offense, regardless of position. Haliburton is unquestionably a No. 1 type of talent on a Pacers team hoping to make a deep playoff run this year. Haliburton’s defense, while not poor, is the only indictment on his game. Otherwise, he’s legit.
3. Stephen Curry
Steph Curry is doing Steph Curry things in 2023-24. Individually, the 2024 All-Star is racking up 27.7 points per night. He continues to do unheard of things from downtown. Curry is pouring in 4.9 threes every game, which is the second most of his illustrious career. While Curry may be the best and most impactful player on this list in many respects, he’s not doing enough to claim the No. 1 spot this season. The Warriors (29-27) are struggling as the No. 10 seed in the West. His rebounding and assist numbers are down compared to what we’re used to seeing from the Davidson product. Nonetheless, Curry is still having a great individual season that is more likely to improve down the back half of the season than regress.
2. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
The Oklahoma City Thunder hit the proverbial jackpot when they acquired Shai Gilgeous-Alexander back in 2019. He’s blossomed into a franchise player headed for superstardom this year with ridiculous numbers. The Canadian playmaker is putting up an incredible 31.2 points on 54.8 percent shooting from the field. He’s also dangerously close to 50-40-90 territory. Gilgeous Alexander’s 38 percent clip from deep and 88.3 percent connect rate from the charity stripe need a slight boost to get him there. Gilgeous-Alexander can stop on a dime and score over the best defenders in the game. The Thunder (40-17) have overachieved as the No. 2 seed in the West, only helping his case.
1. Luka Doncic
There’s little argument against Luka Doncic as the NBA’s best point guard this season. The Slovenian superstar leads the league with 34.3 points per game. He’s also top three in the Association with 9.5 dimes. Doncic controls the pace of the game. He’s bigger than nearly all of his point guard contemporaries, and stronger than many too. The MVP candidate has the Mavericks situated at 33-24 on the year. Doncic makes the Mavs serious dark horse title contenders. With Joel Embiid’s recent leg injury taking him out of the MVP race, Doncic has a strong case to take home his first honor if he can climb a couple of spots in the standings, making him the top dog at the position.
