preface
Although it has entered the offseason, but many basketball media is not idle, recently the authoritative American media "STATS" according to the specific performance of last season's major players, ranked a list of today's strongest point guards, this list has been released, but also triggered a lot of discussion, and today we will take a look at who the top five players on this list are, see why they can be on the list!
Fifth: Jamal Murray
Last season's stats: 20 points, 4 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 1 steal
Unexpectedly, neither the popular Ja Morant nor the key Mr. Daron Fox last season ranked fifth, and the fifth choice was Jamal Murray of the Nuggets. Looking at Murray's regular season performance last season, he averaged 20 points, 4 rebounds, 6.2 assists, and 1 steal per game, which is not an amazing statistic compared to Morant, Fox, and even Halliburton and Trae Young, not to mention that he once returned from a major injury at the beginning of the season, and his state fluctuated considerably. But as Murray gradually found his past feeling on the outside, the Nuggets also surged all the way with his help, and it has to be said that Murray is the value that Jokic is waiting for. There's a reason STATS was able to put Murray in fifth place.
During the playoffs last season, Murray's performance could be ranked at least in the top three of guards, as the most trusted second-in-command around Jokic, Murray played a super performance of 26.1 points, 5.7 rebounds and 7.1 assists in a total of 20 playoff games, especially during the Finals, he became the fourth player who can average at least 20 points per game and give 10 assists after Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, and LeBron James, and he and Jokic's combination inside and outside, Both offensive efficiency and on-court coordination are the first duo to be able to play such a high-level performance since the OK combination in 2001. In addition, Murray is only 26 years old now, and he has already won the championship, and it is likely that he will start to attack the honor at the beginning of next season, so it is well deserved to be ranked fifth.
Fourth place: Damian Lillard
Last season's stats: 32.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, 7.3 assists
Lillard, who has recently been caught up in trade rumors, is fourth in Murray. Last season for Lillard and his Blazers, the process of going high and low was a pity for fans, and at the beginning of the season, under his leadership, the Blazers once hit the first place in the West, but with the wave of injuries and the team's tactical execution problems, the Blazers eventually missed the playoffs for the second consecutive year.
In fact, looking closely at Lillard's performance, he averaged 32.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, 7.3 assists per game and hit a total of 244 three-pointers, whether it was personal efficiency or court contribution, he has come out of the previous year's injury, but due to the decline in the overall strength of the team, he was ultimately unable to turn the tide. Even so, Lillard was named to the Third Team of the Year with the highlight of last season's regular season, and it should be known that Lillard is the only All-Star player in the past 8 seasons who has helped the team to the playoffs for 6 consecutive years without the help of any All-Star teammates, which is enough to prove Lillard's strength.
However, now that Lillard is also 33 years old, the gradually closing championship window has made Lillard more and more frustrated, which is an important reason why he hopes to join the Heat, after all, his time is running out.
Third place: Shay Giljess Alexander
Last season's stats: 31.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 1.6 steals and 1 block
As the new core of the post-Wei youth, Alexander has experienced a season of coaching by Paul, and after these years of training, he has grown into one of the top guards in the NBA. In the 21-22 season, Alexander has already played 24.5 points, 5 rebounds and 5.9 assists, but the Thunder's low ranking, plus he himself missed a lot of games, and finally failed to be selected as an All-Star.
Last season, Alexander once again ushered in a metamorphosis, averaging 31.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 1.6 steals and 1 block, you must know that his average three-point shooting is only 2.5, the lowest value since his rookie career, in other words, most of his points come from breakthroughs and mid-range shots, which the Thunder are willing to see, Alexander's threat is increasing, which is beneficial to the growth of other young people on the team.
In addition, Alexander's performance on the defensive end is also more and more outstanding year by year, and both the offensive and defensive ends can give visible contributions, which is why although the Thunder failed to make the playoffs, Alexander beat many superstars and was named to the best first team for the first time in his career. And Alexander is only 25 years old, and his future is worth looking forward to.
Second place: Stephen Curry
Last season's stats: 29.4 points, 6.1 rebounds, 6.3 assists
Last season was definitely a pretty bad year for the defending champions, and before the team could start a new journey, there was a bad incident with "dream-chasing" Green boxing star Jordan Poole, after which the team began to have a wave of injuries, and the mainstay Andrew Wiggins left the team for a long time for personal reasons, and it was not until the second half of the season that the Warriors barely locked in the sixth place in the West, and their performance in the playoffs was also disappointing, after going through the seven-game elimination of the Kings. They lost to their old rivals the Lakers in the semifinals and ended up bidding farewell to the season in defeat.
But for Warriors fans, the 35-year-old Curry is still in good shape, which is already a gratifying thing. As the greatest three-point shooter in NBA history, Curry is writing history with every three-point shot and every three-point shot, and despite being plagued by injuries and missing as many as 26 games this season, he can still contribute 29.4 points, 6.1 rebounds, 6.3 assists, and keep his three-point shooting rate at a good 42.7%. During the playoffs, it was still Curry who saved the team, and in the seven-for-seven game with the Kings, he scored a record 50 points at the time and led the Warriors to a thrilling advance. Although he failed to help the Warriors complete the title defense, it has to be admitted that no matter what period Curry, once he gets the ball on the outside, then he is the most feared presence on the court.
First place: Luka Doncic
Last season's stats: 32.4 points, 8.6 rebounds, 8 assists and 1.4 steals
Without any controversy, at the top of all point guards is 24-year-old Luka Doncic, who despite failing to help the Mavericks make the playoffs last season, Doncic has been good enough to conquer any discerning fan. Last season was definitely the toughest year for the 24-year-old Slovenian, who had to carry the entire team on his shoulders most of the time without quality helpers, so he shot a career-high 22 shots, shot a career-high 49.6%, and delivered 32.4 points, 8.6 rebounds, 8 assists and 1.4 steals.
In addition, with his outstanding performance, Doncic was named to the All-First Team for the fourth consecutive year, which is also the biggest affirmation for him. As Curry gets older and younger players need to hone, the All-NBA point guard position in recent years is likely to be monopolized by Doncic. And in the eyes of many media experts, once the Lone Ranger can make big moves in terms of recruitment, Doncic is fully capable of leading this Texas powerhouse to win the championship again, and Doncic also has a chance to win many honors including MVP in the future, of course, provided that the Lone Ranger can give enough support.