Ranking the top 10 point guards heading into the 2021-22 NBA season.
It’s that time of year again, folks. Enough time has passed since free agency and there’s too much time until training camp so we dive head deep into clickbait territory, baby. On one day, NBA Twitter is in shambles over Ben Simmons’ workout videos. On another, it’s people using the Cavs 5 center lineup on 2K. Today, though, we’re ranking the top 10 point guards in the league.
[*note: Jamal Murray was excluded due to injury, Kyrie Irving played SG last season, and I don’t consider Luka Doncic a PG. Enjoy :)]
No. 10: Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies
2020-21 Stats: 19.1 PPG/4.0 RPG/7.4 APG/.449/.303/.728
The reigning rookie of the year’s stats stayed relatively the same in year two. He tacked on two more points per game, but his efficiency took a hit for it. Let’s face it, it was a weird regular season for Ja. He struggled with his health and suffered some dry patches while teammates like Jonas Valanciunas and Kyle Anderson had career years.
But then, the play-in happened. Morant dropped 20/6/6 and, with Valanciunas’ 23/23, Memphis made it to the second round of the play-in versus the Warriors. In a five-point victory over GSW, Morant had a line of 35/6/6/4s. While the team predictably fell to the Utah Jazz in the first round, it was an improvement from the year prior and earned the young team some respect.
This kind of postseason success can propel players in the rankings and it is enough here to secure Morant the last spot in the Top 10. It is only going to get harder from here, though. Gone is Valanciunas, the second option. In his place stands Steven Adams, a solid but offensively-deficient big man. That also means less spacing for Ja, who is not a marksman himself. He has to take his game to the next level this season if Memphis has any chance of even repeating last year’s success.