Best Point Guard in the NBA?

By: Candy Man 

Russell Westbrook is making his case as the best point guard in the league. He’s had to carry his team with Kevin Durant in & out of the lineup and he has been very productive doing so. People are wondering whether Westbrook might be more valuable to his team than Durant. There are also questions if he could possibly have more success if he was the leading man on his own squad. Just take a look at his numbers from this month alone & you can see why Westbrook’s name has been gaining momentum around the league…he’s been averaging about 30 points, 10 assists & 8 rebounds and has been putting up monster stats with Durant out of the lineup. The most explosive playmaker in the NBA, he’s also been more efficient, posting those numbers while only playing under 30 minutes on some nights. I’m calling it now that Westbrook will win an MVP trophy in the next few seasons.

Other names that are brought up in the best point guard conversation are Chris Paul, Stephen Curry, Kyrie Irving & John Wall. Paul has been considered the best point guard because he is the prototypical guard with a pass-first, shoot-second mentality. He puts up high assist numbers and gets his teammates involved in the game, while being one of the most efficient players in the league. The only knock against Paul is that he hasn’t gotten deep into the playoffs. His teams have been disappointing in the playoffs, coming in with high expectations but consistently getting knocked out in the first & second rounds. He has cost the Clippers late in games with dumb mistakes & turnovers and he should be more aggressive in scoring as I feel he could score more than 20 a night if he really wanted to. Steph Curry, the best 3-point shooter in the game today, probably has taken the best PG title from Paul this season. He’s elevated his game and improved on much criticized areas such as defense & passing. Curry is the most exciting player in the NBA to watch and is deadly from anywhere on the court. From pulling up for the 3 to swerving through traffic down the lane with his fancy ball handling, he can get any shot he wants and hit it with pinpoint accuracy. John Wall is one of the best finishers in the league and is having a career season. He leads the NBA in assists with over 10 a game and he’s been the key piece to the Wizards getting back into the playoffs. Kyrie Irving is another point guard with a shoot first mentality. He’s not much of a facilitator, isn’t impressive on defense but is a lethal scorer and probably has the best handles out of anybody. With LeBron James & a better supporting cast, he has the potential to be a more all-around guard in the next couple years.

The talent at the point guard position is probably the deepest it has ever been. In addition to the first five, you also have Damian Lillard, Rajon Rondo, Derrick Rose, Kyle Lowry, Mike Conley, Goran Dragic, Tony Parker, Kemba Walker, Brandon Knight, & Eric Bledsoe. In my opinion, Lillard has the potential to be the biggest star out of all those I just named. He’s still young (3^rd year in the league) and is far from reaching his prime. If this was a list of the top 5 offensive point guards, he would definitely be in there without a question. He’s one of the most clutch players in the NBA, hitting big shots for the Trailblazers late in games. The man hit one of the best buzzer-beaters I’ve ever seen when he sent Houston home last year in the 1^st round of the playoffs. This season, he’s averaging over 21 points, 6 assists & 4 rebounds a game.

The way Stephen Curry & Russell Westbrook are playing, they’ll be considered for the MVP trophy at the end of the season. Steph most likely is going down as the best 3 point shooter ever along with Ray Allen & Reggie Miller. It seems like Westbrook has gotten even better & more explosive since his torn meniscus injury in the 2013 playoffs and arthroscopic surgery last year. I feel like Westbrook is the player Derrick Rose was supposed to be before his knee injuries. With Steph & Westbrook in my top 2, the rest of my top 5 in no order would be Paul, Kyrie & Wall with Dame not too far behind them at 6th.