[Bankroll PJParticipant]

 Just curious, but how do you guys rank the top 5 PGs in the NBA right now? We saw a lot of great PG play this playoffs and Steph arguably got outplayed in both of his last two series vs Kyrie and Westbrook. My current top 5

1. Kyrie Irving – He’s special. Never afraid of the moment, gets better when the pressure is on, has takeover ability, and can score on anyone.  Additionally, he played some solid defense in the playoffs, but he still gambles too much. He can be a bit turnover prone, but he’s a special talent and makes up for it. 

2. Russell Westbrook – Most tenacious player in the league.  Ultra competitor and sensational athlete. Gets it done on both ends of the court, but not a great closer. 

3. Damian Lillard – Great shot making ability and continues to play with a chip on his shoulder every game.  Showed that he can be leader this year as well. 

4. Steph Curry – He was exposed in this playoffs this year. Great talent and deserved to be the MVP, but he’s just not as good of a player as the guys above him. His team allows him to be great, but his limitations were easily visible. 

5. Chris Paul – Getting older, but still a star in this league. It’s a shame that he got hurt this year, because this was a good Clippers team. 

How do you guys rank em? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[ChewyParticipant]

 played amazing in the playoffs this year, but I still have Westbrook as number 1. Kyrie outplayed Curry in the finals, so I’m ok with him at 2 until they match up again next year.

[ChewyParticipant]

 played amazing in the playoffs this year, but I still have Westbrook as number 1. Kyrie outplayed Curry in the finals, so I’m ok with him at 2 until they match up again next year.

[TripleDoubleScoutParticipant]

We’ve seen Curry become overrated. Now I guess it’s time for him to become underrated again. 4th on a top 5 list? Completely ridiculous. 3rd is the lowest he should be. For crying out loud, no PG in the league can even guard a HEALTHY Steph Curry. People memories/attention span are amazingly short.

[TripleDoubleScoutParticipant]

We’ve seen Curry become overrated. Now I guess it’s time for him to become underrated again. 4th on a top 5 list? Completely ridiculous. 3rd is the lowest he should be. For crying out loud, no PG in the league can even guard a HEALTHY Steph Curry. People memories/attention span are amazingly short.

[jonwangcbParticipant]

This post seems reactionary. Did we all forget what Steph did during the regular season, and in the 2015 playoffs?

[jonwangcbParticipant]

This post seems reactionary. Did we all forget what Steph did during the regular season, and in the 2015 playoffs?

[BiggysmallsParticipant]

 I’ll say this, I disagree with Curry being ranked fourth. But I honestly don’t think it is such a horrible notion that someone should be crucified for thinking it. The PGs in the NBA right now are unbelievable and I don’t think there is a huge difference between any of them. Don’t think the Warriors would be much different with Lillard or Paul as opposed to Curry. 

Here’s my top 5

1. Westbrook – its a love-hate thing with Westbrook. I hate the way he plays, but I love the way he plays at the same time. The only thing I don’t like about him is his shot selection – and I guess that idiotic gun holster thing he does when he actually does hit a 3-pointer – but his ability to dominate a game is matched by very few in the league.

2. Lilard – not much a defender but has a little bit of bulldog in him. He’s a knockdown shooter, willing passer and he’s capable of scoring from everywhere on the court. Love him as a leader and ambassador for the league. Defense is the one thing I don’t love. 

3. Curry – Ridiculous shooter, which changes the game even when he’s not able to do much else. He was clearly hurt in the finals, but he doesn’t impact the game enough for me beyond his ability to shoot. He still has idiotic turnovers and garbage defense leave a bad taste in my mouth. Think the Warriors have such a strong system and infastructure that he’s a bit of a product of that. He’s really good. But I don’t think he’s a top-5 player, let alone the most valuable in the league. 

4. Paul – great facilitator and defender. Quintessential point guard. Good scorer and honestly might still be worthy of the No. 2 spot on this list. The only thing I don’t like about him is the fact that he essentially always plays in an offense that is nothing but pick n roll. I think some of that is because he’s good in that action, but some of it is his reliance on it and inability to play without the ball. Nitpicking though. 

5. Lowry – rock solid defender and good 3-point shooter. I know he didn’t play well in the playoffs but he’s still a useful player even when his shot has gone to crap becasue he can guard and he does other little things. Not a great facilitator but certainly good enough to lead a team. He’s not always aggressive enough, and yet at other times his shot selection bothers me but I like him enough to give him the nod over Irving and Wall. 

I’m not going to overreact to one incredible series for Irving and put him up there on this list. He’s an unbelievable 1 on 1 player and some of the finishes that he had in this series were ridiculous but I don’t like the way he plays and I don’t think he’s much of a defender either. He’s really tough to stop in hero-ball sets though, so maybe he should be ahead of Lowry. I’m admittadly a little biased on this one because I’m such an anti-hero ball guy. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[BiggysmallsParticipant]

 I’ll say this, I disagree with Curry being ranked fourth. But I honestly don’t think it is such a horrible notion that someone should be crucified for thinking it. The PGs in the NBA right now are unbelievable and I don’t think there is a huge difference between any of them. Don’t think the Warriors would be much different with Lillard or Paul as opposed to Curry. 

Here’s my top 5

1. Westbrook – its a love-hate thing with Westbrook. I hate the way he plays, but I love the way he plays at the same time. The only thing I don’t like about him is his shot selection – and I guess that idiotic gun holster thing he does when he actually does hit a 3-pointer – but his ability to dominate a game is matched by very few in the league.

2. Lilard – not much a defender but has a little bit of bulldog in him. He’s a knockdown shooter, willing passer and he’s capable of scoring from everywhere on the court. Love him as a leader and ambassador for the league. Defense is the one thing I don’t love. 

3. Curry – Ridiculous shooter, which changes the game even when he’s not able to do much else. He was clearly hurt in the finals, but he doesn’t impact the game enough for me beyond his ability to shoot. He still has idiotic turnovers and garbage defense leave a bad taste in my mouth. Think the Warriors have such a strong system and infastructure that he’s a bit of a product of that. He’s really good. But I don’t think he’s a top-5 player, let alone the most valuable in the league. 

4. Paul – great facilitator and defender. Quintessential point guard. Good scorer and honestly might still be worthy of the No. 2 spot on this list. The only thing I don’t like about him is the fact that he essentially always plays in an offense that is nothing but pick n roll. I think some of that is because he’s good in that action, but some of it is his reliance on it and inability to play without the ball. Nitpicking though. 

5. Lowry – rock solid defender and good 3-point shooter. I know he didn’t play well in the playoffs but he’s still a useful player even when his shot has gone to crap becasue he can guard and he does other little things. Not a great facilitator but certainly good enough to lead a team. He’s not always aggressive enough, and yet at other times his shot selection bothers me but I like him enough to give him the nod over Irving and Wall. 

I’m not going to overreact to one incredible series for Irving and put him up there on this list. He’s an unbelievable 1 on 1 player and some of the finishes that he had in this series were ridiculous but I don’t like the way he plays and I don’t think he’s much of a defender either. He’s really tough to stop in hero-ball sets though, so maybe he should be ahead of Lowry. I’m admittadly a little biased on this one because I’m such an anti-hero ball guy. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Stop_basketball_nonsenseParticipant]

 Wow…the truth always makes me laugh at least from the perspective of others.

Kyrie over curry after 1 playoff series. I mean kyrie needed love and LeBron just to be apart of the playoffs. 

Also Lowry? Dude played well like 4 or 5 games all playoffs and was a big part of them being ousted in the 1st round the 2 years prior to this 1. Still, anyone who has kept up with my opinions on curry knows I think he is overrated and yes he is the best 3pt shooter in history with a sick dribble but the only good defense he Smith in the finals was the block on jr smith.

So I got…

1.westbrook,curry,Paul

2.wall

3.healthy Conley

4.llilard

5.irving

Did I answer the question my own way, yes. All the ones at my 1st rank all are good in areas and bad in others.

Westbrook most athletic, can guard 2 positins/also makes boneheaded plays, tries to draw fouls too much versus actually using his head to help ensure confidence in others. 

Curry best shooter great dribble/ can’t defend, not the best passer on his on team

Paul best passer, good 3pt shooter, will defend whoever/older not able to make atheletic plays.

So yes for me I can’t pick 1 over the other that’s just me, to be honest I think curry benefits more from the talent around him than the other 2.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Stop_basketball_nonsenseParticipant]

 Wow…the truth always makes me laugh at least from the perspective of others.

Kyrie over curry after 1 playoff series. I mean kyrie needed love and LeBron just to be apart of the playoffs. 

Also Lowry? Dude played well like 4 or 5 games all playoffs and was a big part of them being ousted in the 1st round the 2 years prior to this 1. Still, anyone who has kept up with my opinions on curry knows I think he is overrated and yes he is the best 3pt shooter in history with a sick dribble but the only good defense he Smith in the finals was the block on jr smith.

So I got…

1.westbrook,curry,Paul

2.wall

3.healthy Conley

4.llilard

5.irving

Did I answer the question my own way, yes. All the ones at my 1st rank all are good in areas and bad in others.

Westbrook most athletic, can guard 2 positins/also makes boneheaded plays, tries to draw fouls too much versus actually using his head to help ensure confidence in others. 

Curry best shooter great dribble/ can’t defend, not the best passer on his on team

Paul best passer, good 3pt shooter, will defend whoever/older not able to make atheletic plays.

So yes for me I can’t pick 1 over the other that’s just me, to be honest I think curry benefits more from the talent around him than the other 2.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[SubZeroParticipant]

Yeah, little bit of a strong reaction there. For me it’s

1. Westbrook
2. Curry
3. Paul
4. Wall
5. Lillard/Irving

I’m a little biased towards Wall cause he’s my guy, but I think if he’s shown that when he’s healthy and on a good team, he’s a winner in the playoffs. I was tempted to just put Lillard at 5 cause I think if he switched places with Kyrie, the Cavs might be even better but Kyrie came up huge this series, so no way I could leave him off. The only reason I have Wall above them is because while they can take over a game with scoring, he can take over with defense, his passing, and the occasional scoring burst. I couldn’t say someone’s wrong for putting Wall below them though cause they’re all great, great players

And I’m an OKC fan so I’m a fan of Russ. I just love his intensity, I’ve never seen anything like it

[SubZeroParticipant]

Yeah, little bit of a strong reaction there. For me it’s

1. Westbrook
2. Curry
3. Paul
4. Wall
5. Lillard/Irving

I’m a little biased towards Wall cause he’s my guy, but I think if he’s shown that when he’s healthy and on a good team, he’s a winner in the playoffs. I was tempted to just put Lillard at 5 cause I think if he switched places with Kyrie, the Cavs might be even better but Kyrie came up huge this series, so no way I could leave him off. The only reason I have Wall above them is because while they can take over a game with scoring, he can take over with defense, his passing, and the occasional scoring burst. I couldn’t say someone’s wrong for putting Wall below them though cause they’re all great, great players

And I’m an OKC fan so I’m a fan of Russ. I just love his intensity, I’ve never seen anything like it

[Edgecat20Participant]

 1. Curry

2. Westbrook

3. Paul

4. Kyrie

5. Lillard

Had Kyrie jump Wall, and Lillard after finals performance. As much as LeBron is appreciative of his lil bro’s spectacular play in the finals, I still think he would prefer to run with CP3 for next year. Westbrook is my favorite player in the league, but Curry got the last laugh in the WCF, and Curry is the 2 time reigning MVP so he’s still #1. In my opinion he lost the title of best player in the world to LeBron on Sunday night, but he is still the top dog at PG.

 

 

[goldie92689Participant]

 You nailed it!!!! 

[goldie92689Participant]

 You nailed it!!!! 

[goldie92689Participant]

 You nailed it!!!! 

[goldie92689Participant]

 You nailed it!!!! 

[Edgecat20Participant]

 1. Curry

2. Westbrook

3. Paul

4. Kyrie

5. Lillard

Had Kyrie jump Wall, and Lillard after finals performance. As much as LeBron is appreciative of his lil bro’s spectacular play in the finals, I still think he would prefer to run with CP3 for next year. Westbrook is my favorite player in the league, but Curry got the last laugh in the WCF, and Curry is the 2 time reigning MVP so he’s still #1. In my opinion he lost the title of best player in the world to LeBron on Sunday night, but he is still the top dog at PG.

 

 

[MachettiParticipant]

 I don’t know some of these guys to me are combo guards. If we’re looking at just pure point guards I would have to start with Chris Paul. To me he still is the best floor general on the court. Kyrie Irving was truly fantastic in the post season simply a playmaker and extremely crafty off the dribble. Mike Conley like someone mentioned earlier when healthy really knows how to operate an offense efficiently. I think John wall has all the components necessary to be a well rounded point guard. Kyle Lowery I’m Villanova bias since I went to school there would be my 5th guy seems like classic point guard who plays stingy defense and makes players around him better. Side note Lebron James is the best point guard but he is considered a sf so he was excluded from my list.

[MachettiParticipant]

 I don’t know some of these guys to me are combo guards. If we’re looking at just pure point guards I would have to start with Chris Paul. To me he still is the best floor general on the court. Kyrie Irving was truly fantastic in the post season simply a playmaker and extremely crafty off the dribble. Mike Conley like someone mentioned earlier when healthy really knows how to operate an offense efficiently. I think John wall has all the components necessary to be a well rounded point guard. Kyle Lowery I’m Villanova bias since I went to school there would be my 5th guy seems like classic point guard who plays stingy defense and makes players around him better. Side note Lebron James is the best point guard but he is considered a sf so he was excluded from my list.

[IndianaBasketballParticipant]

What the hell did Kyrie ever win before LBJ got there and who in the hell has he ever made better? Give him credit for having a great series and carrying CLE offensively in game 7. He’s a GREAT ball handler, ISO player, finisher and shot maker… However, let’s not get carried away. 

To each is own, but some of you don’t know basketball if you think Steph is any lower than 2nd at his position (behind Westbrook). Lillard over Steph? Based on what? Your feelings? As great as Lillard is, he’s basically a lesser version of Steph. 

Some of you guys let your emotions get in the way of logic. This guy just had one of the best seasons in NBA history. He struggled in the playoffs and I’ll even say he folded like a lawn chair, but let’s not get ridiculous. I’ve seen LBJ fold like a lawn chair too (versus Dallas). Plus we all know Steph was playing hurt. However, he’s not the type to ever complain or give an excuse. But it was clear to see he wasn’t the same.

1. Steph. 2. Russ. 3. CP3. 4. Wall. 5. Lillard/Irving 

[jonwangcbParticipant]

This. Lillard is just a Steph-lite with a TS% more than 10 points lower than him. Crazy anyone would ever consider putting him above Steph. Kyrie is the best ball handler and the flashiest PG, but doesn’t make his teammates better and would much rather hoist up a bad shot than find an open man.

[jonwangcbParticipant]

This. Lillard is just a Steph-lite with a TS% more than 10 points lower than him. Crazy anyone would ever consider putting him above Steph. Kyrie is the best ball handler and the flashiest PG, but doesn’t make his teammates better and would much rather hoist up a bad shot than find an open man.

[IndianaBasketballParticipant]

What the hell did Kyrie ever win before LBJ got there and who in the hell has he ever made better? Give him credit for having a great series and carrying CLE offensively in game 7. He’s a GREAT ball handler, ISO player, finisher and shot maker… However, let’s not get carried away. 

To each is own, but some of you don’t know basketball if you think Steph is any lower than 2nd at his position (behind Westbrook). Lillard over Steph? Based on what? Your feelings? As great as Lillard is, he’s basically a lesser version of Steph. 

Some of you guys let your emotions get in the way of logic. This guy just had one of the best seasons in NBA history. He struggled in the playoffs and I’ll even say he folded like a lawn chair, but let’s not get ridiculous. I’ve seen LBJ fold like a lawn chair too (versus Dallas). Plus we all know Steph was playing hurt. However, he’s not the type to ever complain or give an excuse. But it was clear to see he wasn’t the same.

1. Steph. 2. Russ. 3. CP3. 4. Wall. 5. Lillard/Irving 

[Pro-21Participant]

There’s never been a lot of nuance when it comes to Irving. He has the type of game that looks amazing, but if you look through his month by month stats throughout his career, he’s never truly exploded with his offensive skills. He’s never, for instance, averaged 30 points for a month. The most points he’s ever averaged is 22.5, and then LeBron came so he got less attempts. 

I never liked the "he didn’t do anything until LeBron got there" argument because Irving’s team was tanking for at least the first two years of his career, when he was a 19-21 year old kid. They literally sat him out at the end of seasons just because it was pointless. They won 35 games in 2013-2014, which isn’t great, but is a drastic improvement from his first season. And he had a young Dion Waiters, who, as we can see, is pretty much useless offensively on a good team. They also had Andrew bynum at one point. Yup, andrew bynum. And a really raw tristan thompson. No 21 yer old PG ive seen in recent memory is bringing that team to the playoffs. We all saw how the Wizards, who are still better than those cavs, missed the playoffs this year. He

As for the PG rankings, Irving hasn’t done enough to move ahead of Curry, Westbrook or CP3. His post season numbers were stellar though and its a big enough sample size to make some sort of judgement. I think he’s cemented his status at number four. Lillard and Wall aren’t as talented in my opinion. Both shoot poorly during the playoffs, and neither are truly dynamic enough to torch elite defenses the way Irving just did. 

Irving might not have lead a team to the playoffs as the best player, but he did do about as well as you can possibly do in his role. Neither John Wall nor Lillard are capable of outplaying Curry (injured or not) and putting up the scoring numbers Irving just did, and in my opinion, that’s what you need to be able to do. Lillard shot 38% this playoffs. He relies too much on his three pointer and he’s pretty damn streaky. He has a good first step, but his functional athleticism — body control, first step — aren’t in the same ballpark as Irving, who can get off a good look for himself against any defense. 

Wall just can’t score enough points. Passing is fun, but in the fourth quarter you won’t win the game passing to average shot makers. Wall just hasn’t proven himself in the playoffs, while Irving just got an A+.

If Irving can average 24-26 ppg on 48% shooting and 40% from three and 5 assists and 4 rebounds and keep his turnover rate low, I’d say he’s tied for top 3. But, I need to see it for a full season. For now, his stellar playoff performance earns him number 4. Curry is still top three point guards, but I was disturbed by how limited he was without his 3pointer falling. He was also very careless. Can’t see CP3 crumbling like that. I just can’t. Westbrook can simply do more than Curry and he’s still an elite scorer. 

Either way, here is my ranking:

 

1. Curry – Best shooter ever, really good vision, elite at the rim, all time level handle. Best PG in the game right now. Careless with the ball. too reliant on 3 pointer

2. Westbrook – Triple double machine, might be the greatest rebounding guard ever, or up there. Awesome passer. Most athletic player in the NBA. Can play defense.

3. CP3- No weaknesses, is very good at everything. Best floor general in the game. Best IQ, best playmaker. Capable of averaging 24 ppg on good efficiency if he needed too. 11 assists a game with two turnovers? Are you kidding? Also, all time ballhandling. Excellent midrange shooter. Solid long range. Good finisher.

4. Kyrie Irving: The best one-on-one player in the league, scores from everywhere on the court efficiently. Can finish, hit threes at 39-40%, great midrange game. Goat level handle. Changes speeds better than anyone. Has the physical tools to defend when he puts his mind to it. Dribbles too much some times.



5. John Wall/Damian Lillard: Wall is a solid scorer and a great playmaker. Great finisher, amazing in transition, top 5 athlete in the game? maybe. Great vision. Improving shooter. Lillard is nasty and proved alot this year. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[OhCanada-Participant]

 1-Curry

2-Westbrook

3-CP3

4-Lilliard

5-Irving

6-Wall

7-Lowry

Westbrook is my favourite player, but I would rather have Curry’s 3pt shooting ability than Westbrook’s extreme versatility. You can plan a game around Curry way better he is much more predictable and routine with his actions.

Paul is the best actual PG in the world everyone other than Paul and Wall are more like scoring gaurds offensively.

If Lilliard was on Cleveland and aloud to play one on one each possession in the finals as the opponent’s second most important defensive assignment he would have averaged 30-ppg.

Irving played great and proved he is not a liability defensively.

Wall is more than likely being underrated on my list. Although his shooting woes especially in the playoffs hurt his game in key moments.

Lowry is a great two way player although he goes into depressing shooting slumps which stops him from being an elite gaurd.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Pro-21Participant]

No, Lillard shoots a good deal worse than Irving from the midrange, and that’s a huge disadvantage. Irving shot like 50% from 10-16 feet this year and 47% from 16-23 feet. Lillard shot like 38% and 40% from the same distances, respectively. Against a team like GSW, with all of their help defenders who have long arms and good athleticism, that’s not good enough.

Another interesting statistic i saw from Irving was that he shot 49% on pull-up jumpers during the playoffs, and 47% when defenders were within 2-4 feet of him. Also, GSW only doubled LeBron in the post, so Irving was as much of a primary defensive assignment as LeBron was, and he scored well on every single defender who checked him. Most of his points (which is actually what people criticize him for) come off the dribble. He’s a mini-kobe.

Lillard is also not as good of a finisher at the rim as Irving. He relies too much on his 3ball. Lillard also shot poorly against the Clippers, and was badly outplayed by Mike Conley last year before Conley broke his entire face. I like Lillard, but his relatively pedestrian midrange game in conjunction with his good, but not great finishing ability and relative lack of creativity off the dribble make him an inferior scorer to Irving, who flatout torched the warriors, and just about every team he played against this postseason. Lillard has never shown the all-around scoring ability to do what Irving just did, though, you could argue Lillard making the playoffs with a young team is at least as impressive if not more impressive than Irving’s playoff run. But when it comes to scoring, Lillard is not as skilled as Irving. 

 

[Pro-21Participant]

No, Lillard shoots a good deal worse than Irving from the midrange, and that’s a huge disadvantage. Irving shot like 50% from 10-16 feet this year and 47% from 16-23 feet. Lillard shot like 38% and 40% from the same distances, respectively. Against a team like GSW, with all of their help defenders who have long arms and good athleticism, that’s not good enough.

Another interesting statistic i saw from Irving was that he shot 49% on pull-up jumpers during the playoffs, and 47% when defenders were within 2-4 feet of him. Also, GSW only doubled LeBron in the post, so Irving was as much of a primary defensive assignment as LeBron was, and he scored well on every single defender who checked him. Most of his points (which is actually what people criticize him for) come off the dribble. He’s a mini-kobe.

Lillard is also not as good of a finisher at the rim as Irving. He relies too much on his 3ball. Lillard also shot poorly against the Clippers, and was badly outplayed by Mike Conley last year before Conley broke his entire face. I like Lillard, but his relatively pedestrian midrange game in conjunction with his good, but not great finishing ability and relative lack of creativity off the dribble make him an inferior scorer to Irving, who flatout torched the warriors, and just about every team he played against this postseason. Lillard has never shown the all-around scoring ability to do what Irving just did, though, you could argue Lillard making the playoffs with a young team is at least as impressive if not more impressive than Irving’s playoff run. But when it comes to scoring, Lillard is not as skilled as Irving. 

 

[tblazer_NZParticipant]

It is a toss up.

But Lillard was playing as a first option not the second option that Kyrie was and he didn’t have a Phenominal Lebron type teammate to draw the main attention of the defense. Lillard had to be the facilitator too, where as Kyrie was able to go into Mamba scoring mode and he only had one assist in game 7. Cleveland’s third and fourth options on offense ( Love and J.R Smith) draw far more defensive attention than anyone that Portland had outside of their top 2 players (Dame & C.J).

[tblazer_NZParticipant]

It is a toss up.

But Lillard was playing as a first option not the second option that Kyrie was and he didn’t have a Phenominal Lebron type teammate to draw the main attention of the defense. Lillard had to be the facilitator too, where as Kyrie was able to go into Mamba scoring mode and he only had one assist in game 7. Cleveland’s third and fourth options on offense ( Love and J.R Smith) draw far more defensive attention than anyone that Portland had outside of their top 2 players (Dame & C.J).

[OhCanada-Participant]

 1-Curry

2-Westbrook

3-CP3

4-Lilliard

5-Irving

6-Wall

7-Lowry

Westbrook is my favourite player, but I would rather have Curry’s 3pt shooting ability than Westbrook’s extreme versatility. You can plan a game around Curry way better he is much more predictable and routine with his actions.

Paul is the best actual PG in the world everyone other than Paul and Wall are more like scoring gaurds offensively.

If Lilliard was on Cleveland and aloud to play one on one each possession in the finals as the opponent’s second most important defensive assignment he would have averaged 30-ppg.

Irving played great and proved he is not a liability defensively.

Wall is more than likely being underrated on my list. Although his shooting woes especially in the playoffs hurt his game in key moments.

Lowry is a great two way player although he goes into depressing shooting slumps which stops him from being an elite gaurd.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Pro-21Participant]

There’s never been a lot of nuance when it comes to Irving. He has the type of game that looks amazing, but if you look through his month by month stats throughout his career, he’s never truly exploded with his offensive skills. He’s never, for instance, averaged 30 points for a month. The most points he’s ever averaged is 22.5, and then LeBron came so he got less attempts. 

I never liked the "he didn’t do anything until LeBron got there" argument because Irving’s team was tanking for at least the first two years of his career, when he was a 19-21 year old kid. They literally sat him out at the end of seasons just because it was pointless. They won 35 games in 2013-2014, which isn’t great, but is a drastic improvement from his first season. And he had a young Dion Waiters, who, as we can see, is pretty much useless offensively on a good team. They also had Andrew bynum at one point. Yup, andrew bynum. And a really raw tristan thompson. No 21 yer old PG ive seen in recent memory is bringing that team to the playoffs. We all saw how the Wizards, who are still better than those cavs, missed the playoffs this year. He

As for the PG rankings, Irving hasn’t done enough to move ahead of Curry, Westbrook or CP3. His post season numbers were stellar though and its a big enough sample size to make some sort of judgement. I think he’s cemented his status at number four. Lillard and Wall aren’t as talented in my opinion. Both shoot poorly during the playoffs, and neither are truly dynamic enough to torch elite defenses the way Irving just did. 

Irving might not have lead a team to the playoffs as the best player, but he did do about as well as you can possibly do in his role. Neither John Wall nor Lillard are capable of outplaying Curry (injured or not) and putting up the scoring numbers Irving just did, and in my opinion, that’s what you need to be able to do. Lillard shot 38% this playoffs. He relies too much on his three pointer and he’s pretty damn streaky. He has a good first step, but his functional athleticism — body control, first step — aren’t in the same ballpark as Irving, who can get off a good look for himself against any defense. 

Wall just can’t score enough points. Passing is fun, but in the fourth quarter you won’t win the game passing to average shot makers. Wall just hasn’t proven himself in the playoffs, while Irving just got an A+.

If Irving can average 24-26 ppg on 48% shooting and 40% from three and 5 assists and 4 rebounds and keep his turnover rate low, I’d say he’s tied for top 3. But, I need to see it for a full season. For now, his stellar playoff performance earns him number 4. Curry is still top three point guards, but I was disturbed by how limited he was without his 3pointer falling. He was also very careless. Can’t see CP3 crumbling like that. I just can’t. Westbrook can simply do more than Curry and he’s still an elite scorer. 

Either way, here is my ranking:

 

1. Curry – Best shooter ever, really good vision, elite at the rim, all time level handle. Best PG in the game right now. Careless with the ball. too reliant on 3 pointer

2. Westbrook – Triple double machine, might be the greatest rebounding guard ever, or up there. Awesome passer. Most athletic player in the NBA. Can play defense.

3. CP3- No weaknesses, is very good at everything. Best floor general in the game. Best IQ, best playmaker. Capable of averaging 24 ppg on good efficiency if he needed too. 11 assists a game with two turnovers? Are you kidding? Also, all time ballhandling. Excellent midrange shooter. Solid long range. Good finisher.

4. Kyrie Irving: The best one-on-one player in the league, scores from everywhere on the court efficiently. Can finish, hit threes at 39-40%, great midrange game. Goat level handle. Changes speeds better than anyone. Has the physical tools to defend when he puts his mind to it. Dribbles too much some times.



5. John Wall/Damian Lillard: Wall is a solid scorer and a great playmaker. Great finisher, amazing in transition, top 5 athlete in the game? maybe. Great vision. Improving shooter. Lillard is nasty and proved alot this year. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Hype Machine]

Curry seems stoppable in a 7 game series. 

I have him #1 but hes holding on by a thread.

 

[Hype Machine]

Curry seems stoppable in a 7 game series. 

I have him #1 but hes holding on by a thread.

 

[machu46Participant]

This reminds me of how everyone had Dirk rated as the #1 player in the NBA after the Mavs beat Miami lol.  Having the back-to-back MVP at #4 for his position is an absolute joke.

[machu46Participant]

This reminds me of how everyone had Dirk rated as the #1 player in the NBA after the Mavs beat Miami lol.  Having the back-to-back MVP at #4 for his position is an absolute joke.

[CavFanPRParticipant]

Curry

Westbrook

CP3

Irving

Lillard

 

[CavFanPRParticipant]

Curry

Westbrook

CP3

Irving

Lillard

 

[Untouchable JParticipant]

Last i checked Steph beat Okc with Klay as his wingman, vs Russ with KEVIN DURANT as his wingman. Russ cant possibly be ahead of Steph.

The reason it seems like its a close argument is bc the pressure Steph puts on a defense is of the assist-less variety. Him simply being able to shoot, shoot quicky, and shoot accurately from so deep is almost immeasurable. But i notice it. That is why i STILL say he is better than Kyrie and Russ.

Not to mention both those guys play with A1 game changers. Steph IS the A1 game changer.

[Untouchable JParticipant]

Last i checked Steph beat Okc with Klay as his wingman, vs Russ with KEVIN DURANT as his wingman. Russ cant possibly be ahead of Steph.

The reason it seems like its a close argument is bc the pressure Steph puts on a defense is of the assist-less variety. Him simply being able to shoot, shoot quicky, and shoot accurately from so deep is almost immeasurable. But i notice it. That is why i STILL say he is better than Kyrie and Russ.

Not to mention both those guys play with A1 game changers. Steph IS the A1 game changer.

[Author]

Posts