Ranking Garland and the 30 best point guards in the NBA

30 best point guards in the NBA: Superstar tier

The very best point guards in the NBA, now and throughout history, are those who can elevate a team all by themselves. If they are healthy for a season their team is going to be a Top 10 offense guaranteed, and they can be slowed-not-stopped in the postseason. Defensively they have to be able to at least survive. These are players who are perennial MVP candidates and in the conversation for being Top-5 in the league.

No. 1: Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors

No. 2: Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks

Stephen Curry is the best offensive player in the league, and he is much improved defensively from when LeBron James hunted him play-after-play in the 2016 NBA Finals. His 3-pointer is not only smooth and effortless, it’s lethal; he takes more 3-pointers than everyone and hits them at a high clip despite the steep difficulty. His gravity opens up space for his teammates and he knows just how to manipulate defenses to break them. When he gets inside he is one of the league’s best finishers as well.

Luka Doncic is clamoring for Curry’s throne, but given that Curry just prevailed in 5 games in the Western Conference Finals is a decent mark in his favor. Doncic has incredible size for a point guard, which allows him to bully smaller defenders in the post and to see the entire court in order to make unfathomable passes. He’s still somewhat inefficient on outside shots and his conditioning is poor, but his playoff impact is undeniable at this point.