NBA Player Rankings: Point Guard?s 15-1

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Last week I kicked off my NBA Player Rankings by rankings point guards 25 thru 16. Now, as Liam Neeson says in Batman Begins, I?m back to finish the job. So without further adieu, here are the top 15 point guards in the NBA:

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15. Damian Lillard, Portland Trailblazers

2012-13 Stats: 19 PPG, 6.5 APG, 3.1 APG, 16.45 PER

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Bottomline: Lillard shined as a scorer in college, and carried that part of his game over enough into the NBA to win him Rookie of the Year. Lillard is a dynamic point guard who showed this year that he has what it takes to be an All-Star eventually.

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14. Brandon Jennings, Milwaukee Bucks

2012-13 Stats: 17.5 PPG, 6.5 APG, 3.1 APG, 16.20 PER

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Bottomline: Why do I have Jennings over Lillard when the stats dictate otherwise? Well, simple because Jennings has worse pieces surrounding him than Lillard, yet Jennings still led the Bucks to a playoff spot (and yes, I?m aware in a different conference). Oh, and the Blazers losing their last 13 games didn?t help the ranking.

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13. Kemba Walker, Charlotte Bobcats

2012-13 Stats: 17.7 PPG, 5.7 APG, 3.5 RPG, 18.86 PER

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Bottomline: When it comes down to it, I?m a stats guy. And the stats show that Walker was significantly better than you think last season. He was 7th among NBA point guards in PER and with his will to work, I think he?ll be able to develop a jump shot enough to the point where he?ll make a few All-Star games.

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12. Jrue Holiday, New Orleans Pelicans

2012-13 Stats: 17.7 PPG, 8.0 APG, 4.2 RPG, 16.74 PER

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Bottomline: Had Holiday stayed on the Sixers, I would have put him lower (as in worse) on this list. But, with Holiday in a new franchise that seems to want to win sooner rather than later, I can see Holiday dramatically increasing his efficiency, while still putting up gaudy per game numbers.

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11. Mike Conley Jr., Memphis Grizzlies

2012-13 Stats: 14.6 PPG, 6.1 APG, 2.8 RPG, 18.38 PER

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Bottomline: Conley is uber-efficient, and can hit big shots as evidenced by the Grizzles remarkable playoff run. He?s still got that pretty lefty stroke from his Buckeye days and is, in my opinion, the most underrated point guard in the league.

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10. Ty Lawson, Denver Nuggets

2012-13 Stats: 16.7 PPG, 6.9 APG, 2.7 RPG, 17.96 PER

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Bottomline: Another underrated guy who you probably know more from his college days, Lawson kicks off the top 10. Lawson is super fast, makes great decisions in transition, and showcased his talents in Denver all year long by leading the Nuggets to a 38-3 record at home. Lawson?s shooting numbers were down this season, if they go back up to, or surpass, his career average next year? watch out.

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9. John Wall, Washington Wizards

2012-13 Stats: 18.5 PPG, 7.6 APG, 4.0 RPG, 20.91 PER

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Bottomline: Wall is one of the most exciting players in the league, and one of the most efficient, which is a rare combo. Here?s the bottomline with Wall, though. Without him this season, the Wizards were 5-28. With him, they were 24-25. Not great, but a remarkable improvement.

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8. Deron Williams, Brooklyn Nets

2012-13 Stats: 18.9 PPG, 7.7 APG, 3.0 RPG, 20.38 PER

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Bottomline: Williams continued to put up strong numbers this season for the Nets with a new look squad. Next year, the Nets will again be a new look squad but I think Williams is now surrounded by enough winners for him to return to his top level.

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This is where the list gets really, really, really hard. We?ve got Rondo, Curry, Rose, Westbrook, Parker, Irving, and Paul still left on the table and excluded two of those guys from the top 5 is a shame.

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7. Rajon Rondo, Boston Celtics

2012-13 Stats: 13.7 PPG, 11.1 APG, 5.6 RPG, 18.12 PER

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Bottomline: Ok, before you tell me that I hate my own school you have to hear me out. Rondo was 12th amongst NBA point guards in PER (and that?s counting Tyreke Evans, who I excluded from this list), the Celtics were 18-21 with him (as opposed to 23-19 without him), and is considered to be a ?cancer,? in the locker room. Now, that last part is debatable because nobody knows for sure, but it says a lot about his game if I can say three negative things like that (not even counting his knee issue), and still have him in my top 7.

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6. Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls

2012-13 Stats: 82 games sat on the bench, a lot of funny memes made of him, 1 crying Adidas press conference

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Bottomline: When will he be back? Nay, will he be back? Ok, he?ll be back but still. Iman Shumpert tore his ACL on the same exact day and is throwing down jams like this. I?m sure once he?s back from his injury he?s back from his injury he?ll be making jaw dropping plays night in and night out like he used, but until then, I?ll keep him sitting just outside the top 5.

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5. Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors

2012-13 Stats: 22.9 PPG, 6.9 APG, 4.0 APG, 21.34 PER

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Bottomline: The league?s second top scoring point guard captivated the nation (again) with his ridiculous shooting ability in the playoffs. But Curry was awesome in the regular season, too, placing 5th amongst NBA point guards in PER.

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4. Tony Parker, San Antonio Spurs

2012-13 Stats: 20.3 PPG, 7.6 APG, 3.0 RPG, 23.10 PER

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Bottomline: Parker was awesome this season, no doubt about it. But do you think he can replicate last season again? I mean, the mental toll it must be taking on him to come that close to another ring and seeing it slip away must be crushing. He certainly can be as great next season, but I see him taking a step backwards as his team will.

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3. Kyrie Irving, Cleveland Cavaliers

2012-13 Stats: 22.5 PPG, 5.9 APG, 3.7 RPG, 21.51 PER

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Bottomline: Irving is the real deal. He can get to the rim, he can dish, oh, and he can flat out shoot it. I can only imagine the numbers he?d put up if he had a competent supporting cast. Maybe next year?

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And now, the moment we?ve all been waiting for (because by revealing number 2, I?m also revealing number 1 by default)

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2. Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder

2012-13 Stats: 23.2 PPG, 7.4 APG, 5.2 RPG, 23.98 PER

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Bottomline: This was a really hard decision. Daniel Orton?s Russell Westbrook?s value was illuminated during the playoffs when Durant failed to go LeBron in Cleveland on the Grizzlies. Westbrook can score, and takes a heavy burden off the Durantula, but sometimes he does shoot a little too much.

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1. Chris Paul, LA Clippers

2012-13 Stats: 16.9 PPG, 9.7 APG, 3.7 RPG, 26.43 PER

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Bottomline: This first thing that comes to mind when looking at Paul?s numbers is how staggeringly high his PER is. It?s way higher than any other point guard in the league, and is third best overall. Paul had a down year from behind the arc (a touch over 30%), if he gets his shot back? look out.

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Whew. I?m done. Peace.

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@BWardKSR

Source: http://ksrcollege.com/?p=19277

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