Washington Wizards All-Star John Wall is experiencing a career year. Here’s a ranking, comparing him to every elite point guard in the NBA.
Before this season started, there was a clear hierarchy among point guards in the NBA.
The top three were Russell Westbrook, Chris Paul and Stephen Curry (note: this was before Houston Rockets star James Harden transitioned to the one.) Those three could each represent a completely different style of play at that spot, and could be organized in any way with little argument.
After that was a mix of four other point guards who were similarly difficult to rank. These were the likes of John Wall, Kyrie Irving, Kyle Lowry and Damian Lillard. These are four great players, but each of them had a significant flaw that was holding them back from the truly elite status.
Then came the tier of guards who had potential but hadn’t quite become stars yet. Think of guys like Kemba Walker, Isaiah Thomas and Mike Conley. Things have changed drastically since then.
Alongside Harden’s move the the other guard spot, there have been other movements.
Curry and Paul have taken a small step back from last season. Wall, Thomas, Walker and Conley are experiencing career years. Lillard’s team has struggled to collect wins.
Wall, especially, has taken big strides forward this season. His jump shot, especially from mid-range, has gotten better. However, he is playing more efficiently, with a higher proportion of his field goal attempts coming closer to the rim.
His assists numbers are at a career-high and he has been more consistently locked in on the less glamorous side of the ball.
On top of that, his Washington Wizards have shaken off a 2-8 start to go 40-20 in their last 60 games to move into the Eastern Conference’s third seed.
Wall has also helped craft career years out of a large number of teammates in Washington.
With all these shifts within the point guard landscape, where does Wall now rank? I will rank the other ten best point guards in the NBA and see whether or not Wall has surpassed them.