Wiz of Awes
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Washington Wizards: Where John Wall Ranks Among NBA’s Top Point Guards

By Blaise Malley

Feb 28, 2017; Washington, DC, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) dribbles the ball as Washington Wizards guard John Wall (2) defends in the third quarter at Verizon Center. The Wizards won 112-108. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 28, 2017; Washington, DC, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) dribbles the ball as Washington Wizards guard John Wall (2) defends in the third quarter at Verizon Center. The Wizards won 112-108. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mandatory Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports /

Mike Conley, Jr., Memphis Grizzlies

This past summer, Mike Conley got paid.

He signed a five year, $153 million contract, the most expensive in NBA history. Although he has not nearly performed like the best player in the NBA, Conley has been a solid return on investment for Memphis.

He is averaging a career-best 20 points per game, along with 3.6 rebounds and 6.3 assists. He is having his most productive season from beyond the 3-point line, and is scoring at a very efficient clip for a smaller guy.

Conley has always been a great defensive player as well. He has been consistently productive for a long period of time. While he will likely never move higher than the tenth best point guard or elevate himself to superstar status, he provides the Grizzlies with almost unparalleled all-around solidity and longevity. He will also lead his team to a sixth consecutive playoff berth.

Verdict: John Wall is a superstar, Mike Conley is not

Mandatory Credit: Craig Mitchelldyer-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Craig Mitchelldyer-USA TODAY Sports /

Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers

Damian Lillard can flat-out score. He has especially proved that in the month of March, in which he has averaged 31.1 points per game so far.

Scoring has never been the problem for Lillard, it has always been everything else. He is a subpar defender and sometimes has been criticized for shooting too much and not getting his teammates involved enough.

Before his post-all-star break uptick in production, he was struggling with efficiency. However, up until this season, Lillard’s teams almost always won.

Coming into the season, he was on the brink of breaking into the league’s top five point guards. However, the Trail Blazers terrible defense and lack of wins had people forgetting about the Weber State alum early in the season.

His post all-star break outburst reminds people of his offensive brilliance, but until he can grow more consistent and the Blazers improve on their 33-38 record, he’ll be stuck in the third tier.

Verdict: Lillard shoots better than Wall. Wall does almost everything else better. Wall’s improvement attacking the rim put him over the top.

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