Which team has the best starting point guard, and which one has the worst? The Sporting News is ranking every team's starter at each position for the 2024-25 NBA season.
The bar has never been higher to be a starting point guard in the league.
Lead ball-handlers who can create for themselves and others are what drive most NBA offenses. Seventeen of the top 18 point guards on this list have made at least one All-Star game. The lone exception, Jamal Murray, is considered by many to be one of the best players to never make one.
Here are all 30 projected starters at point guard for the 2024-25 season, ranked 1 to 30.
POSITIONAL RANKINGS: SG | SF | PF | C
NBA point guard rankings 2024-25
1. Luka Doncic, Mavericks
This is Doncic's first season atop this list. He may be holding onto the top spot for a while.
Doncic earned his first scoring title last season, averaging 33.9 points per game to go along with his 9.8 assists and 9.2 rebounds. That helped him earn his fifth consecutive First Team All-NBA selection and finish third in the MVP race. He was unstoppable in leading the Mavericks to a surprise Finals berth before running out of gas against the Celtics.
Doncic's 3-point shot has become deadly — he connected on a career-high 38.2 percent of his looks last year. That, combined with his unstoppable 1-on-1 scoring and unreal passing, makes him one of the toughest covers of all time.
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2. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder
Gilgeous-Alexander finished runner-up in the 2024 MVP race after averaging 30.1 points, 6.2 assists and 5.5 rebounds per game. The crafty guard led the league in drives per game for the fourth consecutive year, finding a way to slither into the lane with his herky-jerky motion.
Gilgeous-Alexander has become a much-improved defender, garnering some All-Defensive consideration after averaging 2.0 steals and 0.9 blocks per game. He has great anticipation in the passing lanes, and he's now a good two-way player.
3. Jalen Brunson, Knicks
There's no point guard with a deeper bag than Brunson. He uses every move in the book to get to his favorite spots. He's deadly from the midrange, he hit 40.1 percent of his 3s last season and he is a good finisher at the rim.
Despite standing at only 6-2, Brunson loves initiating contact. He's comfortable working in the post and while he can get picked on defensively, he competes hard on that end. He was No. 2 in the league in charges drawn last season.
4. Stephen Curry, Warriors
Curry is still arguably the greatest shooter in the league. He led the league with 357 3-pointers made last season, connecting on 40.8 percent of his attempts. His 92.3 percent from the line was No. 2 behind former teammate Klay Thompson.
Curry was the No. 1 player on this list last season, but age has started to catch up to him. He always seems to miss a handful of games and entering his age 36 season, that trend will likely continue. He does save his best for the end of games — he won his first Clutch Player of the Year award last season and was fantastic in the last two games of the Olympics.
5. Tyrese Haliburton, Pacers
There isn't a better player in transition than Haliburton. The Pacers have leaned into his free-flowing offensive capabilities, finishing as the No. 2 offense behind the Celtics last season.
Haliburton has great range on his 3-pointer and he's one of the best passers in the league. His 10.9 assists per game led the NBA last season. He's also turned himself into a scoring threat, scoring 20.1 points per game and helping to lead the Pacers to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2023-24.
6. Damian Lillard, Bucks
Lillard is coming off a down year by his standards. His averages of 24.3 points, 7.0 assists and 4.4 rebounds still don't look too bad, but he's a better shooter than the 35.4 percent he canned from 3. He proved that by winning the All-Star Weekend's 3-Point Contest in convincing fashion.
Lillard should be better with a full training camp to acclimate to Doc Rivers and the Bucks. He did show flashes of brilliance, topping 40 points three times last year.
7. Ja Morant, Grizzlies
Morant has fallen off the collective radar after playing in only nine games last season and facing off-court issues. But he was excellent in that short healthy stretch, averaging 25.1 points and 8.1 assists per game. He's an athletic freak who is one of the best players in the league going downhill.
The Grizzlies were a mess last season, but a healthier roster should have Morant back in the discussion of top point guards in the league.
8. De'Aaron Fox, Kings
Fox has gotten better every year that he's been in the league. He averaged a career-high 26.6 points per game last season, driven in large part by his much-improved 36.9 percent from 3. That shooting has made him even tougher to guard when he uses his blazing speed in transition or off screens.
Fox also made great strides as a defender, leading the league with 2.0 steals per game. He's one of the more underappreciated stars in the league.
9. Tyrese Maxey, 76ers
Maxey had a breakout 2023-24 season for the Sixers, averaging 25.9 points and 6.2 assists per game as the new lead ball-handler for the team. He's a great shooter who developed quick chemistry with Joel Embiid to form one of the best pick-and-roll duos in the league.
10. Jamal Murray, Nuggets
Murray averaged 21.2 points and 6.5 assists per game as Denver's No. 2 option. He hit some big shots in the playoffs, as has become the norm for him, but nagging injuries limited his effectiveness.
UPDATED NBA PLAYER RANKINGS: Where LeBron, Curry and other stars land ahead of 2024-25 season
11. Jrue Holiday, Celtics
12. Trae Young, Hawks
13. James Harden, Clippers
14. LaMelo Ball, Hornets
15. Cade Cunningham, Pistons
- Holiday has become a rock-solid role player for the Celtics. He's one of the best corner 3-point shooters in the league and a terrific All-Defensive guard who will take on any assignment.
- Young is a wildly productive point guard who averaged 25.7 points and 10.8 assists last season. The departure of Dejounte Murray should allow him to have the ball in his hands even more for a retooled Hawks team.
- Harden's scoring took a big step back last season. His 16.6 points per game were the lowest since his sophomore season as a reserve on the Thunder. He's still a great facilitator and 3-point shooter who will find ways to get to the line.
- Ball has not been able to stay healthy, playing in just 58 games over the past two seasons. He's been great when he has been available, averaging 23.9 points and 8.0 assists last season.
- Cunningham averaged 22.7 points and 7.5 assists per game last season. The next step for him is improving his efficiency.
16. Fred VanVleet, Rockets
17. Darius Garland, Cavaliers
18. Dejounte Murray, Pelicans
19. Jalen Suggs, Orlando
20. Immanuel Quickley, Raptors
- VanVleet's teams always seem to do a lot better with him on the floor. He helped Houston take a big step forward last season, while the Raptors weren't able to overcome his departure. He's a tough defender and a good 3-point shooter who finds ways to compensate for his lack of height.
- Garland had a bit of a down year last season due in large part to injuries suffered at inopportune times. He's an All-Star talent, though, who can bomb away from 3 and has excellent court vision.
- Murray is in a new home in New Orleans, which may help him unlock more of his potential. He's a good shot creator but he was playing below his defensive capabilities in Atlanta.
- Suggs has turned into one of the best defensive guards in the league. He's tough, gets around screens well and is a ballhawk. He's become a much better 3-point shooter, hitting 39.7 percent from deep last season.
- Quickley gets to star in a bigger role in Toronto now. He's a smart help defender and a do-everything guard whose one weakness is getting all the way to the rim.
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21. Mike Conley, Timberwolves
22. Terry Rozier, Heat
23. D'Angelo Russell, Lakers
24. Chris Paul, Spurs
25. Josh Giddey, Bulls
- Conley remains one of the smartest guards in the league and a great 3-point shooter even entering his age 37 season.
- Rozier is a good shot creator who averaged 19.8 points per game last season. Injuries prevented him from finding his footing in Miami last season.
- Russell is capable of getting hot from 3 and putting up big scoring outputs, but his defense can be problematic. He has had issues because of that in the playoffs.
- Paul is still a genius passer and a midrange master, but entering his age 39 season, he can't be counted on for major minutes.
- Giddey gets a bigger role in Chicago to show he can be a lead ball-handler in the league. He's got great passing vision and rebounding. Turnovers, poor efficiency, bad defense and a shaky jumper all remain question marks.
26. Tyus Jones, Suns
27. Malcolm Brogdon, Wizards
28. Dennis Schroder, Nets
29. Scoot Henderson, Blazers
30. Keyonte George, Jazz
- Jones is a solid distributor who's not going to make many mistakes. He's improved his 3-point shooting over the years, hitting 41.4 percent from deep last season. That makes him a great fit next to higher volume shooters in Phoenix.
- Brogdon is two seasons removed from winning the Sixth Man of the Year award. Injuries will always be an issue for him, but he's a great shooter and smart decision-maker.
- Schroder has a blazing first step and can be a defensive menace. Attitude questions and a streaky jump shot are lingering issues.
- Henderson didn't have the rookie year that many had hoped for, but he's still a great athlete who showed flashes of very high potential.
- While George is still learning how to play the point guard role in the NBA, he had a solid rookie year in which he averaged 13.0 points and 4.4 assists per game.
