Ranking top point guards for 2022-23 NBA season

03.10.2022, 13:30 sportingnews.com

We're ranking all 30 NBA starters at every position during the offseason. Point guard has by far the deepest talent pool, and it was the hardest position to rank. A few caveats before we begin — coaches don't release their starting fives before tipoff of games, let alone in October when they've barely seen how their players perform together. These starting units for all 30 teams are my best guesses, but there will inevitably be some that I get wrong. Some of these positions may also look a little funky. But what do you do with a team like the Raptors when their small forward, power forward and center are all between 6-7 and 6-9? Stick 'em all somewhere. More and more, teams play a positionless form of basketball. As Jalen Rose noted in his live roasting of Skip Bayless, positions are more designations for fans than anything else these days. With that out of the way, here are the 30 best point guards for the 2022-23 season. MORE: Offseason additions and departures for all 30 teams 1. Stephen Curry, Warriors Curry proved to all of his doubters how valuable he truly is in the 2022 NBA Finals. He dismantled the best defense in the NBA en route to his first Finals MVP award. Curry is the greatest shooter of all time, and the Warriors' offense has been built around the attention that he gets on the court. He has also improved defensively over the course of his career. He's very solid at executing the Warriors' schemes. He will go down as one of the all-time greats, and entering his age-34 season, he still has a few more years of extremely high-level production remaining. 2. Luka Doncic, Mavericks After a slow start to last season, Doncic turned in top-five numbers by the end of it. He joined Oscar Robertson and Russell Westbrook as the only players in NBA history to average at least 28 points, nine rebounds and eight assists per game. Doncic turned his game up a notch in the 2022 NBA Playoffs, leading the Mavericks to a surprising Western Conference Finals appearance. It's only a matter of time before Doncic wins his first MVP award. 3. Trae Young, Hawks Young was one of the most productive offensive players in the league in 2021-22. He did everything for the Hawks on that end, leading them to the No. 2 offense while averaging 28.4 points and 9.7 assists per game. His defense remains problematic, though, and he wore down in the team's first-round series with the Heat. The addition of Dejounte Murray should help hide some of those weaknesses and make Young even better next season. 4. James Harden, 76ers Harden had a very down year by his standards last season. He was still an All-Star level talent, though, averaging 22.0 points, 10.3 assists and 7.7 rebounds per game. Harden appears to be more motivated this season. He voluntarily took a pay cut to help the Sixers chase a title, and he is still elite as an offensive facilitator. 5. Ja Morant, Grizzlies Morant made his first All-Star Game last season, helping to lead the Grizzlies to a 56-win regular season. No player is more electric on his drives. He led the league in points in the paint per game and was the only guard to rank in the top 10. Morant will move up this list as he gains more experience and continues to improve. One piece of low-hanging fruit is to compete harder defensively, which is one of his few weaknesses. 6. Damian Lillard, Trail Blazers Lillard had a nightmarish 2021-22 season, which was cut short after 29 games because of an abdominal injury. His shooting was severely hampered — he hit just 32.4 percent of his 3-pointers, a career-low. Lillard is still only 32 years old, and his shooting stroke should resurface after plenty of time to heal. He was a top-10 or top-15 player prior to the injury. He's far from finished. 7. Chris Paul, Suns "The Point God" was one of the most clutch players in the league last season and still a pick-and-roll artist. His midrange game is unstoppable, and he can still get easy points at the free throw line with his heady foul-baiting. Paul has lost a step defensively in one-on-one matchups. He was targeted by the Mavericks in the Western Conference Finals, and he had trouble staying in front of their guards. He's still an excellent help defender, though, and he is capable of getting his hands on the ball for steals. 8. Jrue Holiday, Bucks This may be too low for the perennially underrated Holiday. He's arguably the best defender in the league, able to guard multiple positions because of great technique and strength. Holiday is also a solid second or third option offensively. He turned in averages of 18.3 points and 6.8 assists for the Bucks last season. 9. Darius Garland, Cavaliers Garland is the best player that nobody nationally was watching. After a rough start to his career, he blossomed into an offensive force, averaging 21.7 points and 8.6 assists for a surprisingly good Cavaliers team. Garland has become a superb shooter, hitting 38.3 percent of his 3-pointers and 89.2 percent of his free throws last season. His court vision is also outstanding. He's garnered comparisons to Steve Nash, and his stock will continue to go up as he gets more national recognition. 10. Kyrie Irving, Nets Irving was still very effective when he played. He had games of 50 and 60 points last season and shot a career-high 41.8 percent from beyond the arc. That "when he played" caveat is important. Irving appeared in only 29 games because of his reluctance to get vaccinated. He has also battled injuries for much of his career, averaging less than 56 games played per season over 11 years. There's no questioning his offensive talent, but there is legitimate concern about how often Irving can get on the floor. 11. LaMelo Ball, Hornets 12. Jamal Murray, Nuggets 13. Fred VanVleet, Raptors 14. Marcus Smart, Celtics 15. De'Aaron Fox, Kings 16. CJ McCollum, Pelicans 17. Tyrese Haliburton, Pacers 18. Lonzo Ball, Bulls 19. Jalen Brunson, Knicks 20. Russell Westbrook, Lakers 21. Kyle Lowry, Heat 22. Mike Conley, Jazz 23. D'Angelo Russell, Timberwolves 24. Cade Cunningham, Pistons 25. Josh Giddey, Thunder 26. Monte Morris, Wizards 27. Reggie Jackson, Clippers 28. Kevin Porter Jr., Rockets 29. Markelle Fultz, Magic 30. Tre Jones, Spurs