Ranking the NBA's 30 point guards

[SlyPokerDog]

5. Damian Lillard

Team: Portland Trail Blazers
RPM rank: No. 9
WARP rank: No. 7
#NBArank: No. 15

Now that Lillard is the unrivaled alpha option in Portland, his playmaking ability can climb to the same level as his off-the-charts shot-making prowess.

Hidden talent: A big hole in Lillard's game was his inability to finish at the basket. Last season, he improved his rate at the rim from 50 percent to 62 while getting fewer shots blocked.

Taking it to the next level: That very ability to play smarter in the paint will bleed into Lillard's playmaking. As Portland surrounds him with shooters, Lillard's assist rate will soar. Then we can focus on his defense.

http://espn.go.com/nba/insider/stor...ppers-chris-paul-top-point-guard-rankings-nba

 

[SlyPokerDog]

19. Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls

26. Jarrett Jack, Brooklyn Nets

 

[Natebishop3]

So... who were the top 4?

 

[magnifier661]

Sly, was this done after or before last night's game?

 

[B-Roy]

Curry
Westbrook
Paul
????? <---Who? Wall? Irving?
Curry

 

[illmatic99]

So... who were the top 4?

Curry, CP, Westbrook, Wall

Dame at 5.

6. Lowry
7. Kyrie
8. Conley
9. Bledsoe
10. Rubio

 

[SlyPokerDog]

Sly, was this done after or before last night's game?

It was posted 1omins ago.

 

[SlyPokerDog]

So... who were the top 4?

No one cares.

 

[illmatic99]

11. George Hill, Indiana Pacers
12. Goran Dragic, Miami Heat
13. Jeff Teague, Atlanta Hawks
14. Ty Lawson, Houston Rockets
15. Jrue Holiday, New Orleans Pelicans
16. Kemba Walker, Charlotte Hornets
17. Marcus Smart, Boston Celtics
18. Reggie Jackson, Detroit Pistons
19. Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls
20. Deron Williams, Dallas Mavericks
21. Tony Parker, San Antonio Spurs
22. Rajon Rondo, Sacramento Kings
23. Elfrid Payton, Orlando Magic
24. Michael Carter-Williams, Milwaukee Bucks
25. Emmanuel Mudiay, Denver Nuggets
26. Jarrett Jack, Brooklyn Nets
27. Isaiah Canaan, Philadelphia 76ers
28. D'Angelo Russell, Los Angeles Lakers
29. Raul Neto, Utah Jazz
30. Jose Calderon, New York Knicks

 

[Natebishop3]

No one cares.

Dame does.

 

[B-Roy]

I don't think Wall is better than Dame, but I can see how someone could make the argument.

 

[kjironman1]

I hope Conley doesn't see this before tonight's game. He had quite the chip on his shoulder in the playoffs last year.

 

[Natebishop3]

I think it's hard to make a case that Dame is better than Curry, Westbrook, or Paul, but I don't know if I agree that Wall is better.

I know it's a small sample size, but right now their averages are:

Dame - 27 ppg, 7 assists, 3.6 rebounds, 1.4 steals, and he's shooting 46% from the field and 37% from three. His PER is 23

Wall - 21 ppg, 8 assists, 3.3 rebounds, 2.5 steals, and he's shooting 44% from the field and 31.6% from three. His PER is 24

So Dame is vastly outscoring him so far. The assists are REALLY close, and this was supposed to be the year that Wall led the league in assists? The rebounds are a wash, and the PER is really close as well. If I had a choice between the two, I would pick Dame.

 

[Natebishop3]

And it's not like Wall lit the world on fire last year either. They're the same age, but Wall has been in the league for going on six years. This is Dame's fourth year.

Look at their numbers last year as well:

Dame - 21 ppg, 6 assists, 4.6 rebounds, 1.2 steals, while shooting 43% from the field and 34% from three. PER of 20.7

Wall - 17.6ppg, 10 assists, 4.6 rebounds, 1.8 steals, while shooting 44.5% from the field and 30% from three. PER of 20

Very close.

 

[illmatic99]

Think the difference comes on the defensive end. Wall is elite, Dame is improving, but still a turnstile.

Total impact wise, they're close.

 

[Natebishop3]

Think the difference comes on the defensive end. Wall is elite, Dame is improving, but still a turnstile.

Total impact wise, they're close.

Eh..... it's pretty close actually. So far this year:

Dame - 102 DRTG, 0.2 DWS, -1.1 DBPM

Wall - 100 DRTG, 0.2 DWS, 0.9 DBPM

Dame was at a 112 DRTG last year, while Wall was 102, so Dame has actually improved quite a bit and Wall has stayed the same.

 

[illmatic99]

Eh..... it's pretty close actually. So far this year:

Dame - 102 DRTG, 0.2 DWS, -1.1 DBPM

Wall - 100 DRTG, 0.2 DWS, 0.9 DBPM

Dame was at a 112 DRTG last year, while Wall was 102, so Dame has actually improved quite a bit and Wall has stayed the same.

I don't disagree with the improvement, but you did see him get shredded by Bledsoe, yes?

 

[Natebishop3]

I don't disagree with the improvement, but you did see him get shredded by Bledsoe, yes?

Bledsoe shreds a lot of people. As does Dame. What point guard has ever really been able to shut down Lillard?

 

[illmatic99]

For argument's sake, CP has done a damn good job most of the time.

 

[Natebishop3]

For argument's sake, CP has done a damn good job most of the time.

Good call. Dame has pretty much sucked against the Clippers.

http://www.basketball-reference.com...equest=1&p1=lillada01&p2=paulch01#stats::none

 

[blue9]

To this point Dame hasn't been anywhere close to the play-maker that Wall has been. You (Nate) say that their stats from last season were pretty much the same, but I don't think that 6 APG is anywhere near the same as 10 APG. Wall was only .2 APG behind league-leading CP3 last season - Dame was #16. That's a pretty big difference. Hopefully Dame can close the gap this season now that he doesn't have a pass to a mediocre shooter for half the game.

 

[Rastapopoulos]

Jeff Teague will be trade bait soon. Dennis Schröder is coming for his job. Maybe then people will learn that it's not pronounced "Shrooder".

 

[Natebishop3]

To this point Dame hasn't been anywhere close to the play-maker that Wall has been. You (Nate) say that their stats from last season were pretty much the same, but I don't think that 6 APG is anywhere near the same as 10 APG. Wall was only .2 APG behind league-leading CP3 last season - Dame was #16. That's a pretty big difference. Hopefully Dame can close the gap this season now that he doesn't have a pass to a mediocre shooter for half the game.

And Wall averaged 17.6 ppg, which isn't anywhere near 21 ppg. It evens out.

 

[blue9]

And Wall averaged 17.6 ppg, which isn't anywhere near 21 ppg. It evens out.

Not really - he scored 4 fewer points on 2 fewer shot attempts, while shooting a slightly better percentage, and generating 8+ more points via passing.

 

[Natebishop3]

Not really - he scored 4 fewer points on 2 fewer shot attempts, while shooting a slightly better percentage, and generating 8+ more points via passing.

He's a career 8.7 assist per game player, and he's currently at 8.3 assists per game. How do you know that one year wasn't an aberration? He's also a career 43% FG shooter, and a 30% three point shooter. Dame is quite a bit better offensively. One good year out of five does not make him a significantly better play-maker.

 

[Denny Crane]

Lillard has exceeded expectations. Wall hasn't lived up to his yet, but he's made huge progress the past several seasons. It's not hard to see why Wall is rated so highly. The Wizards used to be garbage, now they're a very tough team. Wall is a huge part of that change.

 

[Natebishop3]

Lillard has exceeded expectations. Wall hasn't lived up to his yet, but he's made huge progress the past several seasons. It's not hard to see why Wall is rated so highly. The Wizards used to be garbage, now they're a very tough team. Wall is a huge part of that change.

Lillard has exceeded expectations in the same way that Steph Curry has exceeded expectations. They were small school players who were relatively unknown, Lillard even more so than Curry.

Wall was a high school phenom. He went to Kentucky. He came into the league at the age of 20. He was the #1 overall pick. I'm not saying he doesn't deserve to be rated highly, but right now I think Lillard is the better player.

 

[Pinwheel1]

Who would have thunk this: (besides us)

19. Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls
20. Deron Williams, Dallas Mavericks
21. Tony Parker, San Antonio Spurs
22. Rajon Rondo, Sacramento Kings

 

[Natebishop3]

Who would have thunk this: (besides us)

19. Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls
20. Deron Williams, Dallas Mavericks
21. Tony Parker, San Antonio Spurs
22. Rajon Rondo, Sacramento Kings

Rose is the next Brandon Roy. It's sad.

Williams' tanked as soon as he ran Jerry Sloan out of town. Serves him right.
Parker got old. So much of his game was predicated on speed. That speed is gone.
Rondo..... isn't playing with three HOF caliber players.

 

[magnifier661]

Hey @Natebishop3 being top 5 is a great accomplishment in a field of extremely talented PGs. I would say the PG position is the deepest it has been in a long while.