Ranking the top 5 point guards in the Eastern Conference ahead of the 2021-22 NBA season
The 2021-22 NBA season is less than a month away. The excitement among NBA fans is palpable. After the Milwaukee Bucks won the 2021 Larry O’Brien trophy, the question on everyone’s mind is whether the Bucks can repeat their success or will a retooled LA Lakers roster or healthy Brooklyn Nets have a championship-run of their own?
As we countdown to the start of the season (begins October 19), we will also take a look at the best talent in the NBA. We have already ranked the top 10 players in the league and have also ranked the top 10 by position. We will now take a look at the five best players at each position for each conference. We make a start here by listing down the top five point guards in the Eastern Conference.
#5 LaMelo Ball (Charlotte Hornets)
This may surprise some of you who may think that Kyle Lowry (now with Miami) or Lonzo Ball (now with Chicago) or even the more solid Malcolm Brogdon (Indiana) should get picked ahead of LaMelo. But the truth is that LaMelo was very good in his rookie season where he picked up Rookie of the Year honors.
Injuries aside, LaMelo averaged 15.7 ppg, while also averaging 5.9 rpg and 6.1 apg on a Charlotte team that wasn’t necessarily bursting with talent. He is also the youngest player now in NBA history to pick up a triple-double when he notched up a 22-point, 12-rebound and 11-assist game versus Atlanta on 9 January 2021. If LaMelo can continue to improve his game as he heads into his second NBA season, there is no reason why he shouldn’t be sitting at the top of the point guards list in the Eastern Conference sooner rather than later.
LaMelo Ball ROTY season:
15.7 PPG
5.9 RPG
6.1 APG
1.8 3PG
44/35/76%
He and Luka Doncic are the only rookies in NBA history to average 15/5/5 and 1.5+ threes in a season. https://t.co/H1A3bMc8Vf
#4 Ben Simmons (Philadelphia 76ers)
Simmons’ discontent with the Philadelphia 76ers apart, there is no doubting his playmaking ability. He is also a very good defender, completely capable of pressurizing the best of players on the opposite team. He finished second in the 2021 Defensive Player of the Year rankings. Over his four-year NBA career, Simmons has averaged 15.9 ppg, 8.1 rpg and 7.7 apg, proof that he is one of the best rebounding guards in the league.
Ben Simmons 4th quarter this series:
Game 1: 2-2 FG
Game 2: 0-0 FG
Game 3: 1-1 FG
Game 4: 0-0 FG
Game 5: 0-0 FG
Game 6: 0-0 FG
Game 7: 0-0 FG
(Submitted by @isaacvibehrs)
But Simmons needs to get his shooting woes sorted. Not only is that at the crux of his current situation with Philadelphia, but it is getting in the way of him fulfilling his potential. The fact that he has made only five triples as a point guard in the modern NBA is quite shocking. But considering that he has even experienced a drop-off in his mid-range shooting (between 16 feet and the three-point line) going 12-of-30 in his rookie season to just one-of-two in 2020-21, it places him in a rather dire situation. He simply must get better.