Top 10 NBA Point Guards in 2023

This is Bob Cousy. If you ask anyone that's 65 years or older, they'll tell you that he's the best point guard of all time. If you ask someone like J.J. Reddick on the other hand, he'll say that Bob couldn't dribble with his left hand and that he played with plumbers and firemen. Well, uh, I'm not about to debate across eras today because there's way too many variables in place, but what I can talk about is who are the best point guards in today's league. Alright guys, let's get down to business. To kick off this list, we have Donovan Mitchell at number 10. Now, we know Donovan Mitchell is one of the most lethal scorers in this league. I mean, he can hit the three ball, he can shoot the mid-range, and he's good at getting to the rim and finishing. Last season, the dude averaged nearly 26 points a ball game and, uh, although things fell apart for them in the playoffs, he's now a Cavalier in a fresh environment and playing with two other all-stars in Darius Garland and Jared Allen. He'll also be playing with Evan Mobley, Karis Levert, and Kevin Love. So what this'll translate into for Mitchell is a more efficient system where he's not forced to take bad shots and play hero ball. His points per game scoring will probably go down, but his field goal percentage and efficiency should see a drastic upward tick, and I'm super excited to see what he can do with his new squad. The reason why I have him here at number 10 is because of his lackluster postseason results. I mean, a few years ago, he let a Clippers team without Kawhi beat him, and then just last season, he couldn't take advantage of when Luka was out and let the Mavericks team led by Jalen Brunson get a 2-1 lead in the series. Anyway, moving on here, at number 9, we got Memphis' Ja Morant. Now, I know most people out there think I'm crazy putting him near the bottom of this list, but the fact of the matter is, Ja's overall impact on winning isn't nearly as great as his individual highlights. You see, according to the cold hard facts, the Grizzlies were 21-7 without Ja last season. In those 28 games, which includes a 73-point beatdown vs OKC and a win against the dubs in the playoffs, the Grizzlies were sharing the ball, playing hard, playing together, and you could really see the energy that they had. They were a 75% win team without Morant, and only a 62% win team with him. Now, I don't want to discredit Ja though, because it's not like he's an inefficient player who cares only about his stats. Against the Warriors in the 3 games he played, the dude averaged 38 points, 8 assists, and nearly 7 rebounds a game while shooting about 50% from the field, 43% from free point range, and 86% at the line. Those are some insane stat lines on some pretty elite efficiency numbers. He also put on some insane ESPN highlights for extra brownie points, but still, despite everything, I can't get over the fact that his team played much better without him in the lineup, so he's going to stay here at number 9 for the moment. Now for the next point guard on this list, I'm putting Kyrie Irving in the 8th spot. Despite all the controversies that he went through last season, he is still one of the most gifted scorers in the NBA, and to this day, I've never seen a more creative ball handler than Uncle Drew. Though some call him a lone wolf or a wildcard because of his unpredictability off the court, you can never question Kyrie's effort whenever he's on the floor, because he'll give you 110% every single night. I mean, this dude dropped 50 points last season on 78% shooting and a week later, he scored 60 while shooting 64% from the field. Sheesh. There really is no stopping this guy when he gets it going. Like, for instance, here against the Heat. You could see that Butler and Robinson were already doubling him up at midcourt, but in the end, none of that matters because Kyrie's so slithery and he's just that good at finishing around the rim. If he just showed better leadership and didn't cause drama everywhere he went, he'd be much higher on this list. Anyway, at number 7, we got LaMelo Ball. The youngest of the Ball brothers was balling out last season. Some of y'all might think I'm crazy for having him higher than Kyrie, Morant, and Mitchell, but if we're going to consider his growth trend, there's a high chance that he'll be averaging 24, 8, and 8 in 2023. The kid is literally a borderline walking triple double and next season, at the age of 21, he'll be getting his second all-star nod and who knows, if he puts the team on his back and miraculously wills them into the playoffs, he might even get all NBA votes. It's really too bad that the Hornets second best player in Miles Bridges had some serious off-court issues that'll most likely keep him out of action for the foreseeable future because, well, they were on the rise. Still though, despite everything going on with the team, I look forward to seeing LaMelo's progression as a basketball player and I look forward to seeing how he'll handle this setback. Anyway guys, the next point guard to watch out for this upcoming season is Damian Lillard. Now, his ranking on this list would have been higher if it weren't for last season where he shot a career low 40% from the field and 32% from distance. Were these the results of the new rules the league implemented regarding fouls, or were they because of an abdominal injury which limited him to just 29 games? We'll find out soon, but if I had to put my money on the line, I'd say that Dame Time is gonna bounce back big next season because he's shown time and time again that he's simply an elite player. I mean, just two seasons ago in the all-star game, this dude was having a half-court shooting contest with Steph, and then just a few months later in the playoffs, this dude had the highest post-season game score of all time when he dropped 55 points and 10 assists while shooting nearly 71% from the field. That deserves a sheesh. Now, moving on here at number 5, we got the point guard Chris Paul. Based on the last two seasons, we can conclude that despite being 37 years old, CP3 is still a baller. I mean, what other point guards 36 years of age or older led his team to the NBA Finals and then followed that up by leading his team to first in the league in terms of regular season standings? CP3 is the true definition of a floor general, and though he's not scoring as much as he did in the past, he impacts winning by setting up the table for his teammates and controlling the pace of the game at his own tempo. Like in this play right here. After going through the first screen, CP3 knows that the next screener will dive towards the rim, and so when he noticed Cat showed up on him, he waited a bit before threading the needle to Biambo for the sweet dime. I think the greatest tragedy with regards to Chris Paul is that we never got to see him team up with Kobe Bryant when the two were in their prime. Anyway, I still got him here at number 5. For number 4, we got Ice Trey. Although the 23 year old from Oklahoma fell off a cliff in the 2022 playoffs, his regular season performance is nothing to joke about. I mean, 28 points and nearly 10 assists on shooting splits of 46% from the field, 38% from 3 point range, and 90% at the free throw line. This also deserves a sheesh. He'll be playing with fellow all-star Dejounte Murray in 2023, and though I don't see the Hawks being a true contender for the championship just yet, I love watching Ice Trey play because he's one heck of a scorer. His floater game is the best in the league, and when it comes to range, just like Steph, Trey knows no limits. Anyway, at number 3, we got The Beard, James Harden. After being a bit out of shape for the past two seasons or so, The Beard looks really committed to regaining his old form. I mean, look at some of these. He's looking like the Houston version of himself recently. Anyways, one of the things I loved about what Harden has done recently is the fact that he took a $14 million pay cut to strengthen the 76ers roster. The 2018 MVP is sending a message that he's serious about winning the championship at all costs. He's only a few years removed from averaging like 30 and 10 into sleep, and something tells me that in 2023, we're going to see The Beard playing at an all NBA caliber, and alongside with Joel Embiid and rising star Tyrese Maxey, I see the 76ers representing the East. Alright guys, we're now at the second spot on this list, and uh, I'm pretty sure that we can all agree that this spot rightfully belongs to Luka Doncic. Coming off a strong season where he led his team to the Western Conference Finals, Luka got in better shape and headed straight to Europe where, in FIBA, he posted a 47 monster game against France and flirted with a triple double throughout the 5 games he played for In the regular season, he averaged 28-9-9, which is just downright nasty. Then on top of that, he humiliated the Phoenix Suns so bad that they've become a meme. The Mavericks future looks bright with Luka as their main guy, and I see him winning the 2023 MVP. On that note, there's only one player left to discuss, and at number one, we got Steph Curry. Throughout the 64 games he played in the regular season, Steph led the Doves in scoring with 25.5 points a ball game, and really carried the offense. He took more 3 point attempts than anyone else in the league, while hitting 38% of them. And uh, he did all this while being double teamed from half court, until Klay came back that is. Then in the finals, most of his numbers went up a notch to prove that he really deserved to be crowned as Finals MVP. His ability to draw defenses in, his shifty handles, his understanding of how to use screens, and his unbelievable range are some parts of his game that make him practically unguardable. And in the finals, we witnessed how he shredded apart one of the best defenses the NBA has seen since the 0-4 Pistons. I mean, check this out. Here's Curry being absolutely hounded by the reigning defensive player of the year, Marcus Smart. First, he uses Draymond's screen to lose his initial defender, then he fakes out the second Al Horford with a shot fake. And then through the outstretched arms of one of the best blockers in the game, he sneaks in a push shot. Man, what concentration, what talent, what skills. Steph can score, he can get his teammates involved in the offense, make them better, and he could raise the morale of the entire organization. There's a reason why he's made it into the top 10 players of all time, and I got him at number 1 here on this list. The crazy thing is, in 2024, he'll probably still be number 1.