Best NBA Point Guard Seasons of the 2010s (2024)

In many ways, the 2010s was the decade of the point guard. The position won four of the decade’s 10 MVP awards as the often smallest players on the court ushered in and reaped the benefits of the three-point revolution.

Fresh off the mid-2000s MVP seasons of pull-up shooting assassin Steve Nash, the best mid-range shooter the league had ever seen entered the league.

These point guards redefined NBA spacing with their three-point mastery, stretching out pick-and-roll coverages to the max and forcing the most extended rotations defenses ever had to make.

That increased spacing led to more open driving lanes and vulnerable interior defenses, allowing the game’s speediest players to impose their will as interior scorers and downhill playmakers.

At the point guard position, the 2010s witnessed a never-before-seen depth of talent; perhaps the game’s most skilled players of all time; the rise and demise of the culture-setting high-flyers; and the arrival of arguably the NBA 's best player yet.

Among the unforgettable point guard seasons of the 2010s, these are the five highest peaks during the decade.

To highlight different players, rather than multiple seasons from one or two of them, only the best 2010s season by each point guard was eligible for this list.

5 2010-11 Derrick Rose – Chicago Bulls

The youngest MVP in NBA history

The 2010s began with the meteoric rise of Derrick Rose .

Drafted with the first overall pick in 2008, it took just three seasons for the Chicago native to hoist the MVP trophy in his home city.

As the youngest MVP in league history, Rose carried the offensive load for the Chicago Bulls . Slotting in as the lone playmaker in a defensively-slanted rotation, his downhill potency served as the life of their offensive attack. He elevated Chicago to the NBA’s best record with the league’s best defense behind him.

With a lightning-quick first step, explosive burst and a deep bag of finishes, Rose did most of his work on the interior; over 60 percent of his shot attempts came at the rim or in the short mid-range area. He ranked second among all point guards in shots taken at the rim in the regular season.

Not only did he finish drives with sleek layups and flashy dunks, but also with an array of floaters and by getting to the free throw line. Further, after drawing help defenders with his blow-by drives, Rose facilitated for his teammates at an elite level all year.

Chicago’s offense scored 11 more points per 100 possessions with the MVP on the court as opposed to on the bench.

Throughout the regular season and first two rounds of the playoffs, Rose was an unstoppable offensive dynamo, fueling the Bulls to the Eastern Conference Finals and contributing to their league-best defense.

However, his excellence ran a bit short with an NBA Finals trip on the line, as he struggled to make shots from the field in Chicago’s five-game series loss to the Miami Heat .

Still, Rose’s MVP season is remembered as an iconic and all-time great peak at the point guard position.

4 2009-10 Steve Nash – Phoenix Suns

A 35-year-old Nash retained an all-time great offensive impact

The top point guard of the 2000s, Steve Nash entered the 2010s with one last season of all-time excellent offensive output.

Overshadowed by his MVP seasons of years past, the Canadian still succeeded in all the areas he had earlier in his prime. He led the league in assists per game for the fourth time in his career while quarterbacking the league’s best offense for the eighth time in nine years, this time under first-year head coach Alvin Gentry.

At the turn of the decade, Nash was still the ultimate embodiment of efficiency. He placed in at least the 96th percentile of all point guards in scoring efficiency at the rim, from mid-range, from three, and the free-throw line while self-creating a league-high 89 percent of his field goal attempts.

As the league’s most efficient self-creator and dynamic passer, Nash supercharged the Phoenix Suns ’ elite offense to the third seed in the Western Conference. He continued his stellar play throughout the postseason, but Phoenix’s subpar team defense, which Nash was a big part of, couldn’t do enough to overcome the defending champion L.A. Lakers in the Western Conference Finals.

Regardless, Nash started the 2010s with one of the decade’s very best point guard seasons at the back end of one of the most outstanding primes the position has ever seen.

3 2016-17 Russell Westbrook – Oklahoma City Thunder

In record-breaking fashion, the 28-year-old Westbrook earned MVP status

After Kevin Durant left the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2016 offseason, Russell Westbrook put the franchise on his shoulders, shattering records left and right to drag the depleted squad to the postseason.

The MVP season is most remembered for its triple-doubles; Westbrook broke Oscar Robertson’s 55-year-long single-season triple-double record with 42. He also became the first player to average a triple-double since Robertson did so in 1961-62.

Westbrook’s statistical dominance reflected the enormous responsibility he carried for the Thunder.

He posted the highest single-season usage rate and the third-highest single-season assist rate in NBA history while also winning the scoring title, leading all guards in rebounds and adding value defensively.

It wasn’t always pretty, but through relentless attacks to the rim and a constantly revving motor, Westbrook impacted the game in every possible way to will Oklahoma City to the sixth seed.

In the playoffs, Westbrook couldn’t lead the Thunder past the Houston Rockets in the first round but didn’t go down without a fight.

Disregarding efficiency, Westbrook leveled up his volume to even greater heights, shooting over 30 shots and 14 free throws per game in a five-game series loss.

The result was an even gaudier set of statistical averages than Westbrook recorded in the regular season, a fitting end to one of the greatest carry jobs from any point guard ever.

2 2014-15 Chris Paul – Los Angeles Clippers

At the peak of his powers, Paul orchestrated the game unlike anybody else

The league’s best point guard during much of the early 2010s, Chris Paul didn’t have his best individual season until his reign at the top ended.

In 2014-15, as the leader of the third-seeded Los Angeles Clippers , Paul was more effective than ever before. He registered his most efficient scoring season while leading the NBA in assists and earning a nod on the All-Defensive First Team.

As an offensive engine, Paul orchestrated the league’s best offense through mid-range, where he had one of the most proficient scoring seasons ever.

A lofty 59 percent of his field goal attempts came from that area, where he knocked down shots at a 51 percent clip.

Both of these marks placed in the 97th percentile among point guards.

Much of this damage was done in the pick-and-roll, where the former Rookie of the Year was more surgical than perhaps any player in the game. Both his assist rate and his turnover rate placed him in at least the 94th percentile at his position, reflecting unparalleled production as a playmaker.

What set Paul apart beyond his all-time great offensive impact were his defensive chops.

He was a disruptive presence on the perimeter and held his own as a point-of-attack defender. He carried his two-way dominance into the playoffs, where he had the most significant moment of his career as he sank a series-winning jumper over San Antonio Spurs legend Tim Duncan in Game 7 of the first round.

Dealing with injury issues, Paul couldn’t quite lead the Clippers past the Rockets in the second round, but still, his 2014-15 campaign represents one of the highest peaks a point guard has ever reached.

1 2016-17 Stephen Curry – Golden State Warriors

28-year-old Curry had his most flawless season to date

In 2014-15, despite Paul’s success, Stephen Curry was the player who recorded the then-best point guard season of the decade with an MVP and a championship ring.

He one-upped this season by winning the only unanimous MVP award in NBA history in 2015-16, as the Golden State Warriors set the all-time regular season win record.

Then, in 2016-17, Curry had his best season yet, with flawless play as the catalyst for arguably the greatest single-season team ever.

While Curry’s regular season was quieter than his prior two, he led the way as Golden State won a league-best 67 games and then followed it up with his best postseason to date. He played flawless basketball in every series as the Warriors lost just one game on their path to a title.

The two-time MVP’s arguably greatest-ever offensive impact shined brighter than it ever had before, as he not only destroyed defenses with his untouchable three-point mastery but also through scorching proficiency from mid-range and as a playmaker with and without the ball.

In addition to averaging just under seven assists per game, Curry created ample opportunities for teammates through his constant off-ball movement. He sent defenses into disarray by darting around screens, setting them himself and cutting to the basket with fervor, for they had to guard both the threat of the ball handler and the best off-ball scorer to play the game.

Curry would eventually rise to even greater heights in the early 2020s, but first, he defined 2010s basketball, leading the three-point revolution and some of the best teams in NBA history.

It was during this decade that he established himself as arguably the league’s best point guard ever, with no better individual season than 2016-17.