The
All-Star Weekend has been etched in memory and the craziest trade deadline in
recent memory has just passed. Goran Dragic got his wish to bolt Phoenix along
with every other point guard the Suns had, while the Bucks did the smartest thing
ever by trading away their best player for a former Rookie of the Year who hasn’t
really done much since. OKC may have just become the league’s most dangerous
team, while, sadly, we might have seen the last of Chris Bosh this season after
he was diagnosed with a blood clot in his lungs.
It’s
been a crazy past week or so in the NBA, but here we are now, with only about 27-30
games to go per team and the Playoff race reaching fever pitch. By all
indications, it looks like things are going to get even crazier.
And with that backdrop, here they are – the top five
point guards RIGHT NOW in the 2014-2015 NBA regular season (this is based on
the Player Efficiency ratings as calculated by HoopsStats.com
as of the evening of February 21, 2015 – Manila time):
5.
Damian Lillard (POR) - 21.5ppg, 4.6rpg, 6.3apg, 1.5spg, 2.5 triples per game,
21.3 EFF
- Lillard
has maybe been the biggest reason the Blazers are still in the West’s top four.
He’s dropped off the MVP race, but that doesn’t mean he has slowed down
significantly. He’s certainly still among the league’s top 20 players and
surely among its top 5 best PGs.
4.
John Wall (WAS) - 17.3ppg, 4.4rpg, 10.1apg, 1.9spg, 21.9 EFF
- He’s
the only East PG on this list, and that’s really because there are only two
guys in the league who average a point-assist double-double – Wall and Denver
PG Ty Lawson. Sure, his scoring has dipped compared to last season, but if the
trade-off is leading the league in assists and having the Wiz vying for
homecourt advantage in the first round, then I’m sure Wall would take it.
3.
Chris Paul (LAC) - 17.8ppg, 4.9rpg, 9.8apg, 1.9spg, 1.6 triples per game, .383
3pt%, 24.6 EFF
- CP3
can still hack it, despite all the criticism and the fact that, like Wall, his
scoring has gone down a bit. I would argue, in fact, that Paul is still among
the top ten players in the league bar none. Sure, the Clips might yet finish below
lofty expectations, but if indeed that happens, nobody can really blame Chris Paul.
2.
Russell Westbrook (OKC) - 26.0ppg, 6.3rpg, 7.7apg, 2.2spg, 1.0 triple per game,
25.6 EFF
- OKC is
now in eighth spot out West, they got a ton of guys to make the team better,
and Jet Zero just got named All-Star MVP. Save for his injury early in the
season, 2014-2015 has been great to Russell Westrbook. Some people think OKC
has actually become Westbrook’s and not Durant’s team this season and, frankly
speaking, I would agree with that. Whoever faces this team in the first round
better watch out because the Thunder surely won’t play like typical eight
seeds.
1.
Steph Curry (GSW) - 23.6ppg, 4.7rpg, 7.9apg, 2.2spg, .481 FG%, 3.2 triples per
game, .399 3pt%, .900 FT%, 26.2 EFF
- Westbrook
has narrowed the gap a bit on Curry as the planet’s top point guard, but the
second-generation floor general of GSW is still the best until someone
supplants him. His first three-point contest win is pure icing on a season that
has been nothing short of spectacular. Golden State is back as the league’s
best team, and most of the credit certainly goes to this kid. Right now, he’s
my MVP.
Outside
looking in (ranked 11-15):
Kyrie
Irving (CLE) - 20.2 EFF
Ty
Lawson (DEN) - 20.1 EFF
Kyle
Lowry (TOR) - 20.1 EFF
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