Find out the greatest point guards in the NBA, from those who are currently active to the best in league history.
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Who are the best point guards currently playing in the NBA?
There are several players considered among the best point guards currently playing in the NBA.
Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors is a three-time champion and two-time MVP who is one of the greatest shooters in NBA history.
In January 2021, Curry passed the legendary Reggie Miller to go second all time in three-point shots made in league history.
While Curry has been one of the best in the NBA for many years, Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks is an up-and-coming star who many believe is becoming the best in this position.
The 21-year-old Slovenian started out his NBA career as a shooting guard but has run the point for Dallas since 2019-20.
He was named an All-Star for the first time in 2020 and also made the All-NBA First Team.
Damien Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers is also among the best point guards at the moment.
Lillard has long been seen as a great player but has taken his game to new levels in recent years, reaching career highs in points, assists and three-point percentage in 2019-20.
Kyrie Irving of the Brooklyn Nets is another player ranked among the best point guards in the NBA.
The six-time All-Star is seeking a second NBA championship with a star-studded Nets roster after winning the title with Cleveland in 2016.
Others who could be put in this category are Ben Simmons of the Philadelphia 76ers, Chris Paul of the Phoenix Suns, Russell Westbrook of the Washington Wizards and Ja Morant of the Memphis Grizzlies.
Who are the best point guards in NBA history?
The greatest NBA point guard of all time is widely considered to be Magic Johnson, who played 13 seasons for the Los Angeles Lakers between 1979 and 1996.
After being drafted first overall in 1979, Johnson won a championship and Finals MVP Award in his rookie season, going on to win four more rings throughout the 1980s.
His 6ft 9in frame helped him dominate in a position normally reserved for smaller players, with Johnson’s size and skills making him one of the greatest triple-double threats ever seen in the NBA.
Oscar Robertson is also talked about as one of the greatest point guards in league history.
Similar to Johnson, Robertson was tall for a point guard, and in 1962 he became the first player ever to average a triple-double across a whole season.
Robertson won just one NBA title – with the Milwaukee Bucks in 1971 – but he was a 12-time All-Star, nine-time member of the All-NBA First Team, and was named MVP in 1964.
Other than Robertson and Johnson, many consider Steph Curry to already be among the greatest point guards ever.
Some of Curry’s career statistics eclipse those of Johnson and Robertson, but he has fewer career accolades than both of them – although there is time for that to change.
John Stockton, who played 19 seasons for the Utah Jazz, is also one of the best point guards in NBA history.
The 10-time All-Star took the Jazz to the playoffs in each of those 19 seasons, and holds the all-time NBA records for assists and steals – both by wide margins.
Isiah Thomas is considered to be among the best ever in this position, too, having led the Detroit Pistons to back-to-back titles in 1988-89 and 1989-90, when he also won Finals MVP.
Thomas remains the Pistons’ all-time leader in minutes, points, assists and steals.
Another player considered in this conversation is Jerry West, who was a dominant force during the 1960s and 70s for the Los Angeles Lakers.
West led the league in scoring in 1970, assists in 1972, was named an All-Star 14 times and an All-NBA First Team member on 10 occasions.
He won his only title in 1972, while he won Finals MVP in a losing effort three years before that.
West is such an NBA legend that it is his silhouette that features on the league’s logo.
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