NBA's high 10 guards, ranked: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ascending as Mavericks backcourt will get two nods

Within the newest positional breakout from our just lately printed top 100 NBA players, we will be wanting on the high 10 guards as ranked by our panel of 10 NBA analysts. Reminder: This can be a projection for the 2024-25 season. There’s some educated guesswork right here. 

So far as the positional designations, it is truthful to ask what, precisely, constitutes a guard today. Properly, the purpose guards are simple; they’re the fellows who management the offense. However that may get sticky when so many wings successfully act as level guards initiating the offense. Jayson Tatum and Devin Booker really feel like very related gamers, however Tatum classifies as a wing with guard talents, whereas Booker truly performed 91% of his minutes final season as Phoenix’s level guard. 

Booker most comfortably classifies as a combo guard, which suggests he operates with and with out the ball and as each a lead facilitator and scorer at totally different occasions and in several lineups. Donovan Mitchell is one other combo guard. As is Stephen Curry. And Kyrie Irving. 

Alas, they’re all guards. And based on our rankings, these are the highest 10 of the breed heading into the upcoming season. 

High 100 rank: 25

For all of the considerations about how Irving would match on the Mavericks, each on and off the ground, he put collectively considered one of his greatest seasons thus far with out ruffling any feathers. Irving has reminded us all of why he is among the many greatest secondary choices in NBA historical past. Irving nonetheless has the very best deal with within the league, can simply get to the rim and rating from all three ranges. The Mavericks definitely would not have made it to the NBA Finals with out him as he and Luka Doncic create some of the harmful backcourts within the league. — Jasmyn Wimbish

High 100 rank: 24

Final 12 months’s rank: 60. After James Harden’s departure, Maxey stepped into the No. 2 position in Philadelphia final season and made the leap from thrilling younger prospect to All-Star. For his efforts, he was rewarded with the Most Improved Participant award. It is going to be attention-grabbing to see how Maxey’s position modifications, if in any respect, with Paul George’s arrival. The nice information for the Sixers is he has the on- and off-ball abilities to simply scale up and down relying on the state of affairs. Actually, he might even be greatest as a barely overqualified No. 3 possibility given his elite catch-and-shoot numbers (44.4% final season). — Jack Maloney

High 100 rank: 19

A perennial top-10 scorer within the league. Mitchell registered profession highs in assists, rebounds and steals final season. He was sensational when Darius Garland was out and he assumed whole management of the offense because the lone playmaker. He’s just about unstoppable when he will get going downhill as a pull-up shooter given his drive, however his pull-up capturing percentages (35% general and 30% from 3) dipped significantly final season. — Brad Botkin

High 100 rank: 17

When Tyrese Haliburton obtained harm on Jan. 9, he was averaging 23.6 factors per recreation and one other 32.3 factors created off of assists per recreation. That is a complete of 55.9 factors of offense generated, which might be the best mixed whole of the monitoring period by a snug margin. The imaginative and prescient of Haliburton most have of their head proper now’s of the compromised model we largely noticed within the second half of the season and within the postseason. He is change into a little bit of a meme for his Olympic position as bench vibes captain. 

However bear in mind… he was chosen to be a member of probably the most gifted Olympic group of the twenty first century for a purpose. He is a human quick break, a singular stylistic drive that empowers the Pacers to play the one manner that ever might have gotten their comparatively meager assortment of expertise to the Japanese Convention finals. — Sam Quinn

High 100 rank: 16

At his greatest, Morant is likely one of the most fun guards within the league because of his dazzling abilities and daring creativity, but it surely’s been some time since we have seen him present that on the court docket. Between suspensions and accidents, the high-flier has solely performed 70 whole video games within the final two seasons. Whether or not or not Morant can return to an All-NBA stage is likely one of the greatest storylines to look at this 12 months. If he does, the Grizzlies could possibly be an actual menace within the Western Convention. — Jack Maloney

High 100 rank: 14

Booker has arguably change into some of the underrated gamers within the league and among the many most effective. He is a killer within the mid-range, and if he will get sizzling, he is liable to drop 40+ factors on you, and he would not even need to take very many 3s. He is the kind of plug-and-play man any championship-contending group would like to have, and final season, we lastly noticed Booker’s versatility after primarily taking part in level guard for a Suns group missing in that division. It resulted in a career-high 12 months in assists for Booker, displaying that not solely is he probably the greatest capturing guards within the league, however it’s also possible to put him among the many greatest level guards, too. — Jasmyn Wimbish

High 100 rank: 13

In Could, Brunson turned the fourth participant in NBA historical past — and first since Michael Jordan in 1993 — to attain 40 factors or extra in 4 consecutive playoff video games. He had a complete of 16 40-point video games in 2023-24, postseason included; his former teammate Luka Doncic was the one participant to have greater than 10 such video games. Not dangerous for a 6-foot-2 man with a 6-foot-4 wingspan who went undrafted six years in the past and, heading into his fourth season, could not command a four-year, $55 million extension from the Mavericks. 

Now a full-fledged celebrity, Brunson agreed to a four-year, $156.5 million extension this summer time, which was seen as an unlimited sacrifice. The deal will enable the Knicks to proceed constructing a contender in Brunson’s picture, with three of his school teammates alongside him for the lengthy haul. Ideally, the addition of Mikal Bridges and the return of Julius Randle will imply that Brunson will not need to drop 40 all that usually in 2024-25, as New York was far too depending on Brunson’s scoring final season. That iteration of the group scored just like the Celtics with him on the court docket and just like the Blazers with him on the bench. The one participant whose presence on the court docket made an even bigger distinction to his group’s offensive effectivity is the three-time MVP ranked No. 1 on this checklist. — James Herbert

High 100 rank: 6

Curry remains to be an offense unto himself together with his inimitable motion and pure shot-making expertise. At 36 years previous, it is exhausting to see the place he is declined in any respect offensively, however what we have seen is that whilst nice as an ageing Curry stays, he wants higher expertise round him to make his manner again into title rivalry. LeBron James can relate. — Brad Botkin

High 100 rank: 4

Final 12 months’s MVP runner-up, Gilgeous-Alexander, retains ascending these rankings as his Thunder ascend the standings. The 26-year-old guard led the NBA in drives for the fourth straight season in 2023-24, and, with improved spacing round him, opponents had an excellent more durable time disrupting his funky rhythm. In accordance with Cleansing The Glass, Gilgeous-Alexander shot 69% on the rim and 51% from midrange, each of which have been profession highs. 

And whereas he would not draw the hardest particular person assignments on protection, there are few superstars extra engaged and disruptive on that finish. No one recorded extra steals than Gilgeous-Alexander final 12 months, and solely two gamers recorded extra deflections. After including a kind of two gamers (Alex Caruso) and a middle who will each defend the rim and function as an offensive hub (Isaiah Hartenstein) this offseason, Oklahoma Metropolis tasks to have a traditionally nice protection and a extra various offense, making the duty in entrance of its franchise participant extraordinarily clear: Lead the group to the place it hasn’t been since 2012. — James Herbert

1. Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks

High 100 rank: 3

Even after six years within the league, it is not unusual to stroll away from watching Doncic play and nonetheless suppose, “How is he doing this?” He performs on the tempo of paint drying on a wall, and but we noticed within the Mavericks’ run to the NBA Finals that even probably the most elite defenders could not cease him. Doncic will make you pay if you happen to attempt to double group him, and if you happen to change a giant on him out on the perimeter, he’ll seemingly drill a dramatic 3-pointer. He handles with finesse, bullies you within the paint and owns a number of the greatest assists in NBA historical past. He is coming off the very best statistical 12 months of his profession after main the league in scoring, and he is nonetheless solely 25 years previous. — Jasmyn Wimbish

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