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

Kyrie Irving, Cleveland Cavaliers

Kyrie Irving is a great offensive player. He is among the premier isolation players in the NBA and can always be counted on to hit the biggest shots.

On the other side of the ball, however, Irving is among the worst in defensive metrics. Although Irving’s numbers are not as high as some of the other members on this list, it is partly because he isn’t required to carry an offense like the rest of them.

LeBron James’ presence also takes some of the pressure off of Irving. Irving was a great performer in the finals last year for the champion Cavaliers, but his ability to score is not enough to surpass some of his more well-rounded peers.

Verdict: For the purposes of this article, Irving is essentially a better version of Lillard. He can hit more shots than Wall, but doesn’t compare as a defender or creator.

Kyle Lowry, Toronto Raptors

Before his wrist injury, Kyle Lowry was having a fantastic season.

Lowry was scoring at an extremely efficient rate, and was leading a Raptors offense that was firing on all cylinders early in the season. Lowry is an extremely dependable player, who was putting up almost 23 points and 7 assists per game before the all-star break.

He can score in various ways, which includes ranking fourth in the NBA in three pointers made per game, and shooting over 51% on two point field goals. Lowry is also a more than serviceable presence on defense.

Lowry does most things well on the basketball court, but he lacks the elite athleticism of a Wall or Russell Westbrook that would allow him to take over games.

Verdict: Lowry is solid and an underrated player. Wall just has an explosiveness that Lowry doesn’t. Wall with the slight edge.