The 2010s were one of the best decades for NBA point guards. Stephen Curry, Russell Westbrook and Chris Paul are the top three point guards of this decade.
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The point guard position is one of the deepest in basketball history. At the root of every championship team for the past 75 years is a point guard who acts as a leader on and off the court. A point guard is the glue that holds a team together and controls the game enough to make a championship the ultimate reward. They are players who can be the leaders of the team, or lead by example while their teammates emulate.
Today, like we did in the 2000s, weāre ranking the 10 greatest point guards of the 2010s. This decade gave us some of the greatest point guards in NBA history who would leave an eternal mark on the game in the years that followed. These rankings will be based on statistics, honors, skills and leadership qualities. Keep in mind that when we ranked these 10 point guards we were talking from 2009-10 to 2018-19. The order of these rankings will be the only question our readers will have to answer, as the 10 players who represent this decadeās positions are indisputable.
These are the 10 greatest point guards of the 2010s.
10. Tony Parker
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2009-10 to 2018-19 Honors: 3-time All-Star, 3-time All-NBA
2009-10 to 2018-19 stats: 14.4 points, 2.3 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 0.7 steals, 0.1 blocks
As the 2000s ended and the 2010s began, Tony Parker was one of the best point guards in basketball. Heās the ideal floor general who has led the Spurs to three NBA championships with teammate Tim Duncan. Parker is a fearless attacker at the rim and an efficient mid-range shooter, and not just a decent passer. The 2010s were fruitful for Parker, who also enjoyed an incredible start to the decade.
From 2011-12 to 2013-14, Tony Parker was a three-time All-Star and a three-time All-NBA Second Team. During that span, Parker averaged 18.4 points and 7.0 assists per game for the Spurs on 50.1 percent shooting. Parker and the Spurs would go to back-to-back NBA Finals in 2013 and 2014, with a victory over the Miami Heat in 2014. In those NBA Finals, Parker led the Spurs in scoring with 18.0 points and 4.6 assists. Parker will retire after the 2018-19 season with the Charlotte Hornets after 17 seasons in San Antonio.
9. Rajon Rondo
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2009-10 to 2018-19 Honors: 4-time All-Star, 3-time All-Defensive, 1-time All-NBA
2009-10 to 2018-19 Stats: 10.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, 9.5 assists, 1.7 steals, 0.1 blocks
Rajon Rondo isnāt the type of point guard to light up the scoreboard with impressive shots or finishes at the rim, though he does have his moments. No, Rajon Rondo makes a living as one of the best pass-first passers in basketball and one of the most threatening defensive point guards in the NBA. Rondo embodies what it means to make his teammates better, constantly pushing the tempo and offense and breaking defenses.
From 2010 to 2013, Rondo started the decade as a 4-time All-Star. During that time, he was also named to the All-Defensive First Team twice and the All-NBA Third Team once. During that time, Rondo averaged 12.4 points, 10.8 assists and 2.1 steals as the Celtics chased another NBA title. The Celtics made the playoffs just three times during the Rondo era in the 2010s, as the team quickly shed its core of Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett. Rondo has led the decade in assists twice and steals once, and is easily one of the best positions of the decade.
8. Kyle Lowry
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2009-10 to 2018-19 Honors: 5 All-Stars, 1 All-NBA
2009-10 to 2018-19 stats: 15.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, 6.7 assists, 1.4 steals, 0.3 blocks
Before the 2010s, it was unknown whether Kyle Lowry had a future in the NBA. With the Grizzlies and Rockets coming off the bench, he didnāt get a real chance and averaged less than 10.0 points and 4.0 assists per game. As the 2010s began, he started getting more opportunities in Houston before landing in Toronto. With the help of the Raptors and DeMar DeRozan, Lowry developed into one of the best pint guards in basketball on one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference.
With the Raptors, Lowry led them to the playoffs every season from 2014 to 2020. Lowry was key to the teamās success and was a five-time All-Star from 2015-2019. During that stretch, Lowry averaged 18.3 points, 7.1 APG and 1.5 SPG while shooting 42.9 percent from the field. In 2019, Lowry helped the Raptors win their first NBA championship in team history. Kawhi Leonard is the star of the team, but Lowry is the leader that holds them together. He averaged 16.2 points, 7.2 assists and 1.7 steals in the series, helping them win the title.
7. John Wall
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2009-10 to 2018-19 Honors: 5 All-Stars, 1 All-NBA Team, 1 All-Defensive Team
2009-10 to 2018-19 stats: 19.0 points, 4.3 rebounds, 9.2 assists, 1.7 steals, 0.7 blocks
John Wall of the Washington Wizards was one of the most explosive and entertaining point guards of the 2010s. Wall is a quick and efficient point guard who can dominate as a scorer, passer or defender. Heās one of the best players in basketball, adept at breaking through turnovers with his quick hands and uncanny instincts. Wall never shied away from big moments and truly led by example on and off the field during his prime.
Wall was drafted in 2010 and started to have a huge impact on the game as soon as he got on the court. By 2014, Wall was an All-Star and one of the best two-way point guards in the league. Beginning in 2014, Wall made five straight All-Star games, averaging 19.9 points, 9.9 assists and 1.8 steals in those seasons. Wall led the lowly Wizards to the playoffs four times and made it past the first round twice in 2014 and 2017. Wall began to suffer from injuries in 2019, but his impact for the rest of the decade has not been forgotten.
6. Derrick Rose
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2009-10 to 2018-19 Honors: 1 MVP, 1 Rookie of the Year, 3 All-Stars, 1 All-NBA
2009-10 to 2018-19 stats: 19.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 0.7 steals, 0.4 blocks
In the early 2000s, Derrick Rose seemed to be becoming one of the greatest point guards in NBA history. Heās explosive, athletic, and so skilled that many of the NBAās top defenders donāt know what to do with him on that side of the ball. He was a natural leader who displayed unwavering determination at every moment in the face of adversity in his early years. That all changed on one fateful night in the 2012 playoffs when Rose tore his ACL against the 76ers.
After being selected with the No. 1 overall pick in 2008, Rose went on to win the Rookie of the Year award with 16.8 points and 6.3 assists. Rose had the best season of his career in 2011, when he was named MVP and led the Bulls to 62 wins despite the long absences of Joakim Noah and Carlos Boozer. Rose won the award with 25.0 PPG, 7.7 APG and 1.0 SPG per game. After tearing his ACL in the 2012 playoffs, Rose was never the same again, missing the explosiveness and athleticism that helped him reach his peak heights.
5. Damian Lillard
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2009-10 to 2018-19 Honors: 1 Rookie of the Year, 4 All-Stars, 4 All-NBA
2009-10 to 2018-19 stats: 23.5 points, 4.2 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 1.0 steals, 0.3 blocks
Over the past 11 seasons, NBA fans have watched Damian Lillard become one of the most fascinating point guards of all time. Lillard in his prime was quick and quick, with an unbelievably accurate ability to shoot shots and knock them down in crunch time. He has shown an innate ability to read defenses and has become one of the best playmakers of his era. An average guard, Lillard has exceeded expectations from the moment he made his NBA debut in 2012.
No one saw Damian Lillardās career when he was drafted No. 6 by the Trail Blazers in 2012. He played well, winning Rookie of the Year with 19.0 points and 6.5 assists per game. Lillard is a career 37.2 percent three-point shooter, eighth all-time in three-pointers made in just 11 seasons of his career. In his prime, he was a 30.0-point-per-game scorer and led Portland to the playoffs six times in the 2010s, including a trip to the Western Conference Finals in 2019.
4. Kyrie Irving
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2009-10 to 2018-19 Season Honors: 1 Rookie of the Year, 6 All-Stars, 1 All-Star Game MVP, 2 All-NBA Teams
2009-10 to 2018-19 stats: 22.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 1.3 steals, 0.3 blocks
Weāve all heard everything about Kyrie Irving before. He is one of the most skilled players on the basketball court, able to handle the ball quickly and destroy defenders with quick releases and accurate shots. Not to mention one of the best layup combinations in the NBA in his prime and now. One of the things weāve done too much as fans is judge his basketball career based on his point of view, which doesnāt do justice to what he meant to the game.
Kyrie entered the NBA as one of the most in-demand rookies in basketball. Irving won Rookie of the Year in his first season with the Cavaliers, averaging 18.5 points, 5.4 assists and 1.1 steals. In 2016, Irving and LeBron James led the Cavaliers to their first championship in team history. Irving was instrumental in locking down an epic comeback following a 3-1 loss to the 73-9 Warriors in the NBA Finals. He averaged 27.1 points, 3.9 assists and 2.1 steals in the series, and hit the game-winning shot in Game 7 as time went on. His impact on the game is undeniable and I say we learned how to separate his skills from his vision of the world.
3. Chris Paul
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2009-10 to 2018-19 Honors: 7 All-Stars, 1 All-Star Game MVP, 6 All-NBA Teams, 7 All-Defensive Teams
2009-10 to 2018-19 stats: 18.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, 9.6 assists, 2.1 steals, 0.2 blocks
Whenever Chris Paul is mentioned, the first reaction is to laugh at his playoff shortcomings and the fact that he still hasnāt won an NBA championship. In fact, Chris Paul is one of the best point guards in NBA history, having the best season in franchise history wherever he goes. One of the smartest point guards and one of the most relentless defenders of all time, Chris Paul seems somehow underrated over time. think about it. Even without an NBA title, heās good enough to be the third-best point guard of the decade.
Chris Paul began the 2010s as one of the best point guards in basketball. Over the next 10 years, he averaged over 2.0 SPG and produced some of the gameās best moments of the decade. Pau has led his team to the playoffs every season except 2010, and despite his lackluster performances, he was instrumental in getting the team there from the start. Paul has won 2 assists and 4 steals this decade. He finished in the top 10 in MVP voting six times and finished 3rd with the Clippers in the 2012 season.
2. Russell Westbrook
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2009-10 to 2018-19 Honors: 1 MVP, 8 All-Stars, 2 All-Star Game MVPs, 8 All-NBA selections
2009-10 to 2018-19 stats: 23.8 points, 7.3 rebounds, 8.7 assists, 1.8 steals, 0.3 blocks
I donāt care if you like hisā¦
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