View player profile, bio, stats, news and video highlights. 3 seed in the Western Conference, and they should be a lock to finish in the playoff field in the West. Power ranking Western Conference point men is a topic that is hotly debated, but weve got the answers for which have been the best in the 2016-17 season. The 2023 NBA All-Star Game will be held Sunday, February 19, in Salt Lake City. In Year 7, the young star guard will face loftier expectations than ever before, but if his season is anything like that playoff run, he'll only shine brighter as the stakes get higher. NBA Trade Machine; Draft; G League; World of Woj; Awards; NBA History . Sad. Harden came into this season in the shape of his life and has reaped the benefits. It's also worth mentioning three big names that do NOT appear below: Kyrie Irving, Ben Simmons and Jamal Murray. Brooks has Draymond Greens intensity, but he lacks the same nuanced versatility. Defensive lineups featuring Nowell are basically at a 4-on-5 disadvantage. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-USA TODAY Sports. And yet, Angeleno basketball fans must be at least a little bit worried that Westbrook hasn't learned from his previous failures. Smart's averages don't do justice to what he brings to the court. Paul played an instrumental role in Phoenix's unexpected run to the 2021 NBA Finals, averaging 19.2 points and 8.6 assists per game with 49.7/44.6/87.7 shooting splits in the playoffs. The 23-year-old has a crafty floater and finishing package, a quick trigger from the outside and elite court vision. The Spurs are showcasing the importance of Black culture in their community for the month of February. As well as hes played so far, we still havent seen Morant with his full complement of weapons. Emmanuel Mudiay, Denver Nuggets 13. The Western Conferenceis one of two conferencesthat make up the National Basketball Association(NBA), the other being the Eastern Conference. With Portland's title aspirations facing more pressure by the year, it will be interesting to see what he has in store entering a fresh start with a clean bill of healththis season. However, fans havent stopped voting for Curry for the 2023 NBA All-Star Game. How good does that Mills signing look now? Hayes is the Pistons' point guard on the depth chart, but Cade Cunningham will obviously be a huge part of the offense. As long as Lillard is in Portland, the Trail Blazers will be worth watching. He was one of the best finishers around the basket, shooting over 76 percenton shots within three feet of the rim. But, the Western Conference point guards are ridiculous. A youth movement has already begun with players like Devin Booker and Donovan Mitchell stating their case to be the best at the position, but what about players like Bradley Beal, Zach LaVine and CJ McCollum who have seen sustained success for years now? Four days later, a teenager told police Morant punched him repeatedly.. With high expectations set in Year 1 for Cunningham and Green, it was nearly impossible to place thefuture superstars. Fox jumped up to 25.2 points per game last season, a higher mark than LeBron James (25.0) and Kawhi Leonard (24.8). 2. The division consists of five teams: the Denver Nuggets, the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Portland Trail Blazers and the Utah Jazz.The Northwest Division is by far the most geographically expansive of the six divisions; the Nuggets, Trail . Updated: 2:18 PM CST January 5, 2023 MEMPHIS, Tenn. Grizzlies superstar point guard Ja Morant ranks third among all Western Conference guards in the NBA's first All-Star Game fan vote,. His defense improved and he notched a career-high in assists. The Los Angeles Clippers are currently the 6th seed in the Western Conference with a 33-31 record. Please check your email for a confirmation. Top NBA shooting guards for 2021-22: Ranking all 30 starters, Irving will not play or practice until he can participate full-time, Ranking the best NBA players entering the 2021-22 season, McCollum looms large in potential Ben Simmons trades. During that span, Lillard averaged 26.3 ppg and 7.0 apg, including a pair of 40-point nights in back-to-back games in October. 7. Grizzlies guard Ja Morant, Oklahoma Citys Shain Gilgeous-Alexander and Klay Thompson rounded out the top-five in the Western Conference backcourt. Woman granted diversion in crash that killed Mid-South pro basketball player Galen Young, Couple acquires hotel in Raleigh, continuing the history of Black hotel owners in Memphis, Strong storms likely this evening and again on Thursday night, Everything you need to know to prepare for severe weather, Morant, Grizzlies overpower Hornets for 4th straight win, Ja Morant gifts new Nike shoes to young Grizzlies fan, Morant has career-high 17 assists, Grizzlies rout Raptors. The 2023 All-Star Game is scheduled for Feb. 19 in Utah. However, the NBAs worst rotation players deserve to receive their dead flowers too. Until that changes, we don't know where or when Simmons suits up. The Phoenix Suns (33-29) visit the Charlotte Hornets (20-43) on Wednesday night! Jackson's explosion with the Clippers was. Health concerns aside he did get banged up towardthe end of the season the longtime floor general is coming off a season in which he earned his first career All-Star nod and thus shed the moniker of "best player never to make an All-Star team.". Michael C. Wright is a senior writer for NBA.com. MPG. With the Grizzlies chasing their quest of being the #1 team in the Western Conference, the availability of Morant will be extremely crucial. Download this stock image: Los Angeles Clippers guard Eric Gordon, center, looks to pass the ball as Denver Nuggets guards Chauncey Billups, left, and Arron Afflalo defend in the first quarter of an NBA basketball game in Denver on Saturday, April 3, 2010. Giannis Antetokounmpo leapfrog dunked over him. Sure, we can go back-and-forth about his role and talk about his playmaking and yada yada yada but don't lose sight of the forest though the trees: Harden scores at a higher volume and more efficiently than any guard in the league. (Note: This list does not include players like reigning Sixth Man of the Year Jordan Clarkson or sharpshooter Buddy Hield because they come off of the bench for their respective teams. He is followed by Zion Williamson in second place, while Jaylen Brown is third. This post originally appeared onWarriors Wire! MORE:Ranking the best NBA players entering the 2021-22 season. : https://t.co/30IBtt5FVg pic.twitter.com/oAUuXOWV7a, #NBAAllStar (@NBAAllStar) January 5, 2023. Despite turning 31, Lillard has continued to show no sign of slowing down, averaging 28.8 points, 4.2 rebounds and 7.5 assists per game last season, his scoring placing him amongst the top 5 in the league. TNTs Charles Barkley believes Gilgeous-Alexander should be an All-Star starter and hes probably correct in his assessment. Both conferences consist of 15 teams organized into three divisions. Now entering his 13th season and free of carrying the team while playing next to Kevin Durant, Harden could deliver his finest season yet which is so small feat given we're talking about a formerMVP and three-time scoring champ. Hyland might be the first player in years who couldnt fit in with Jokic since Jusuf Nurkic. Booker climbs to the top of this list following a breakout season that helped lead the Suns to their first NBA Finals appearance since 1993. (PER - PRL)] / 67). RPG. Green will be handed the keys to the Rockets offense immediately and will have the opportunity to put up monster numbers that could win him Rookie of the Year honors. Most players dont improve noticeably at the age of 31. They are expected to control the ball in games, managing the pace of the game and distributing the ball while in possession. Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers. The position seems to be on the rise, with exciting talents popping up every season at the position in the NBA. Selecting the All-Stars for the guard position in the West is often a tough task, and the 2022-23 season is no different. The Clippers playing at this level are real NBA title contenders. To qualify a player must play 70% of his team's games Thompson was by far the toughest to place on this list, because when fully healthy, he would come in much higher than seventh. L.A. Lakers point guard Russell Westbrook has had his fair share of critics throughout his career. In just his fifth season, Doncic is now tied with Dirk Nowitzki for the second-most 40-point outings in Mavs history (20), trailing only Mark Aguirre (22). Hes a serial offender perpetually walking the line between irritant and combatant. And since the Sacramento Kings point guard was passed over for the All-Star Game, it looks like he will remain underrated. Keep in mind that the starting groups for both conferences feature two guards and three frontcourt players, while the reserves are comprised of two guards, three frontcourt players and two wildcard selections. MORE:Ranking the best NBA players entering the 2021-22 season. The Western Conference has an unlimited amount of great players with the back-to-back MVP of the league in the west as well as LeBron James, and the 2022 NBA Finals MVP Steph Curry. MEMPHIS, Tenn. Grizzlies superstar point guard Ja Morant ranks third among all Western Conference guards in the NBA's first All-Star Game fan vote, released Thursday. Ty Lawson, PG, Denver Nuggets. FIFA World Cup - Best Goals from Every Angle, Draw for the FIFA Women's World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023, FOX SPORTS, SPEED, SPEED.COM & 2023 Fox Media LLC and Fox Sports Interactive Media, LLC. Take a closer look at how Luka Doncic has been dominating this season. Follow us onFacebookandTwitter! That'sthe difference between a top-10 offense and the worst offense in the NBA. With or without Kyrie Irving in the fold, Harden figured to have the ball in his hands more than anyone in Brooklyn. If Irving misses an extended period of time while navigating his decision on whether or not to comply with COVID vaccination mandates, chances are we'll see some version of the Harden that dropped 30 or more points in 32 consecutive games with the Rockets. The key for Booker is to stay consistent as he seeks greatness. Whether its effort, low basketball IQ, rigidness, or the passage of time, these Anti-All Stars, the All-Nosebleeds, All-Asteroid team, or whatever you prefer to refer to them is populated with the NBAs least popular players. He is also a reliable three-point threat, shooting 40.2% from downtown last season and 39.8% over his eight-year NBA career. Only Steph Curry and Luka Doncic have more votes than the Grizzlies point guard. But then again, most players arent Chris Paul. Curry may have the chance to shoot up this list if he is forced to replace some point guard production from the likely-absent Ben Simmons. His highest scoring game was a 22-point effort in Game 3. He earned his fifth-consecutive All-Star bid, was namedSecond Team All-Defense and helped lead the Warriors to their fifthNBA Finals in as many seasons. Team - Boston Celtics. In terms of performance, Tatum is currently averaging 24.9 points per game which is a career-high for him. That's NBA champion Jrue Holiday to you. Bryant was a stretchy big, who put up flashy numbers in Anthony Davis absence. Up until he was traded to Minnesota, Malik Beasley was a pinpoint triggerman. He averaged 25.6 ppg in the 2021 regular season, a figure that improved to 28.2 ppg in the NBA Finals. Prior to last season, many expected the Portland Trail Blazers to miss the playoffs and rebuild after losing four starters in the offseason. Every NBA player in the league, sortable by conference and position, and organized alphabetically for optimal searching. In 2018-19, the last season we saw Thompson, he averaged 21.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 40.2 percent from 3. He can't be his usual ball-dominant self on a team featuring LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Steph Curry is the best point guard in the Western Conference, and arguably in the NBA, ensuring his position at the top since his mid-twenties. So does this mean that 6'6 is a good height to play basketball? After sliding over to point guard last year in Brooklyn, does James Harden revert to piling up points at the two with Irving now sidelined indefinately? The Kings are clinging to the No. Devin Booker is the first player in Finals history to lose back-to-back games despite scoring 40+ points in both games. However, the NBA . NBA started tracking the data eight seasons ago (since 2013-14). Lowry and "Heat Culture." In a recent interview to GQ magazine, the Oklahoma City Thunder player called himself the Black Steve Nash. With 21 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 5.2 assists a game, Fox is not only one of the most special parts of his struggling Kings lineup, he's one of the most exciting young players on the entire west coast. In a new report that dropped on Wednesday, Morant is facing multiple allegations of violent behavior, according to Molly Hensley-Clancy of The Washington Post. Despite shooting 46 percent from 3-point range and 52.3 percent from the field since the calendar flipped to February, hes still making fewer than 30 percent of his triples a night, a precipitous drop from a year ago when he was a near-40 percent shooter from distance and had the NBAs lowest efficiency field goal percentage on unguarded jump shots through January. The arrival of Coach Mike DAntoni has helped elevate Hardens game to a new level. Suggs figures to be a major part of the Rookie of the Year discussion. Russell Westbrook improves every summer and comes back and plays basketball at a higher level every season. The next group of Bogdanovic, Sexton, Robinson, Brooks, Fournier and Hardaway represent six players who excel in their roles as certified starters, each bringing a specific skillset to their team. The 24-year-old averaged 25.6 points, 4.3 assists and4.2 rebounds per game during the regular season to help Phoenix snap a 10-year postseason drought, then in his inaugural playoff run, he elevated his game to another level. The Atlantic Division is one of the three divisions in the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He possesses one of the best three-point shooting percentages amongst NBA players, having recorded 39.1% of his attempted three-point attempts in those moments. Beasley has the worst clutch field goal percentage among 82 players with at least 25 attempts. Even without a scoring title, there is no denying the ease in which Beal scores the rock. Portland went all the way to the Western Conference finals, where they lost. 24. 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