Ranking: The Top 30 point guards for the 2024-25 season (2024)

2023-24 stats: 33.9 ppg, 9.8 apg, 9.2 rpg, 1.4 spg, 48.7% FG%, 38.2% 3P% in 70 games
2024-25 earnings: $43,031,940 (projected 17th overall in salary)

Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic checks in at No. 1 in our point-guard rankings, an easy decision considering the season he just had and the career’s worth of evidence we have on him.

Doncic ended up third in the 2023-24 MVP vote, the highest finish of his career, after leading the league in scoring at 33.9 points per game to go with 9.2 rebounds, 9.8 assists and 1.4 steals per contest. He did that on 48.7 percent shooting from the floor and 38.2 percent accuracy from three, the latter being a career-best rate for him.

Doncic finished second league-wide in BPM and VORP and, post-trade deadline, had Dallas looking like a full-blown contender. That wound up being true, too, as Doncic led the Mavericks all the way to the NBA Finals through a crowded and tough Western Conference.

All in all, the 25-year-old continues to somehow improve year over year, an even more impressive feat considering he’s coming off of five straight 1st Team All-NBA nods.

For the record, the only players to make 1st Team All-NBA five years in a row since the year 2000 are Doncic,Lebron James,Shaquille O’Neal,Kobe Bryant,Tim Duncan, Giannis Antetokounmpo,Kevin Durant andDwight Howard, putting Doncic is some very prestigious company. Out of that group, only Doncic and Howard have not or did not win MVP, and Howard made 1st Team All-NBA so many times in part due to how weak the center position was in the NBA at the time, so Doncic doing it in this loaded era and while so young is all the more notable.

It would not be surprising in the least to see Doncic win the first MVP award of his career now that he has the right supporting cast around him.

For the latest Luka Doncic news, rumors and salary info, click here.

2023-24 stats: 30.1 ppg, 6.2 apg, 5.5 rpg, 2.0 spg, 53.5% FG%, 35.3% 3P% in 75 games
2024-25 earnings: $35,859,950 (projected 33rd overall in salary)

Doncic finished third in the MVP vote last season, as stated above. The player who finished second in that very same vote? That was Canadian superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who just had the best season of his career, putting up 30.1 points per game along with 5.5 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 2.0 steals per contest on absurdly efficient 53.5 percent shooting from the floor.

Gilgeous-Alexander has become one of the toughest players to guard in the NBA (former Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart actually believes he’s tougher to defend than Doncic)…

Theo Pinson: "Deeper bag… Luka [Doncic] or Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander]?"

Marcus Smart: "Shai is tough… He ain't chilling no more… He really ain't chilling no more. Imma give it to Shai on this one."

(via "Run Your Race", @TidalLeague)pic.twitter.com/U4KWysEy8O

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) July 18, 2024

…and that’s due to his midrange shot-making prowess, his impossible-to-predict moves, his shiftiness and his ability to draw fouls. He draws some ire from fans for that last thing but it’s impossible to deny how effective the Oklahoma City Thunder star is at getting to the foul line and scoring easy points that way.

Gilgeous-Alexander finished second league-wide in WS/48 last season and with the way his game has progressed over recent seasons – and with how talented this current Thunder team is – he’s another player who could very well be in line for his first career MVP award in 2024-25.

For the latest Shai Gilgeous-Alexander news, rumors and salary info, click here.

2023-24 stats: 28.7 ppg, 6.7 apg, 3.6 rpg, 0.9 spg, 47.9% FG%, 40.1% 3P% in 77 games
2024-25 earnings: $24,960,001 (projected 65th overall in salary)

New York Knicks star point guard Jalen Brunson had already shown signs of being a great player in 2022-23. In 2023-24, however, the two-time national champion at Villanova proved that he’s unquestionably an elite one, finishing Top 5 in the MVP vote, leading the Knicks to the second round of the playoffs and earning 2nd Team All-NBA honors.

There may still be some discourse on whether or not Brunson can be the best player on a championship team, but considering his selflessness in taking less money now to sign an extension in New York, which will help the Knicks keep contending in the East for years to come, Brunson might be able to shut that talk down and prove it without a doubt in the coming seasons.

Brunson’s strong 2023-24 regular season and his even more impressive playoff run, in which he averaged 32.4 points and 7.5 assists over 13 games, has us thinking big things for soon-to-be-28-year-old in 2024-25.

For the latest Jalen Brunson news, rumors and salary info, click here.

2023-24 stats: 20.1 ppg, 10.9 apg, 3.9 rpg, 1.2 spg, 47.7% FG%, 36.4% 3P% in 69 games
2024-25 earnings: $42,176,400 (projected 21st overall in salary)

The league leader in assists per game last season at 10.9 nightly dimes to go with 20.1 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.2 steals, Indiana Pacers floor general Tyrese Haliburton looks like the best pure passing lead guard in the NBA right now.

He’s also more than capable of scoring 20-plus points on any given night, as was the case in 2023-24 even with Haliburton having an uncharacteristically poor season shooting from beyond the arc. Over Haliburton’s first three seasons, he shot 40.8 percent from three, even despite his funky-looking jumper. In 2023-24, that mark dropped down to 36.4 percent, which could very well have been injury-related.

Even with the mediocre deep shooting marks, Haliburton helped lead Indiana back to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2013-14, an incredibly impressive feat for the former Iowa State standout. Haliburton might not quite be in that MVP tier but we fully expect him to have another All-NBA-level campaign in 2024-25.

For the latest Tyrese Haliburton news, rumors and salary info, click here.

2023-24 stats: 26.4 ppg, 5.1 apg, 4.5 rpg, 0.7 spg, 45.0% FG%, 40.8% 3P% in 74 games
2024-25 earnings: $55,761,216 (projected 1st overall in salary)

This may seem like a bit of a low ranking for superstar point guard Stephen Curry. After all, he’s coming off 3rd Team All-NBA honors, just won Clutch Player of the Year, was an All-Star and put up over 26 points and five assists per contest on 40.8 percent shooting from three.

But despite his impressive production, the Golden State Warriors missed the playoffs for the second time in the last four seasons. Plus, Curry’s next season will be his age-36 campaign, so if we project a slight drop-off for the former two-time league MVP and progression from other promising young point guards like Haliburton and Brunson, Curry’s place on this ranking starts to make more sense.

Even so, we expect Curry to remain among the elite of the position in 2024-25 and challenge for All-NBA honors once more. We just think that the next campaign might be a bit of a passing-of-the-guard season in the point-guard hierarchy in the NBA.

For the latest Stephen Curry news, rumors and salary info, click here.

2023-24 stats: 25.9 ppg, 6.2 apg, 3.7 rpg, 1.0 spg, 45.0% FG%, 37.3% 3P% in 70 games
2024-25 earnings: $35,147,000 (projected 36th overall in salary)

The reigning Most Improved Player, Philadelphia 76ers lead guard Tyrese Maxey just missed out on All-NBA honors in 2023-24 despite averaging 25.9 points, 6.2 assists and 1.0 steals per game on 45.0 percent shooting.

Maxey ranked as roughly a Top 35 player in the league last season according to VORP and BPM, helping the Philadelphia 76ers finish the season 47-35 despite being without then-reigning MVP Joel Embiid for much of the campaign.

With Maxey still just 23 years old and coming off the first All-Star nod of his career, his lofty place in this ranking is based in part on projection by us, as we fully believe he’ll take another leap in 2024-25 thanks to his elite quickness, ability to get buckets off the dribble and nail shots from deep beyond the arc.

For the latest Tyrese Maxey news, rumors and salary info, click here.

2023-24 stats: 25.1 ppg, 8.1 apg, 5.6 rpg, 0.8 spg, 47.1% FG%, 27.5% 3P% in 9 games
2024-25 earnings: $36,725,670 (projected 27th overall in salary)

After missing basically all of 2023-24 due to suspension and then injury, stock in two-time All-Star Ja Morant couldn’t be much lower heading into 2024-25. Even so, we believe he’ll remain one of the best point guards in the league once he gets back out there next season, as Morant is just so explosive and energetic he’ll still be borderline unguardable once he gets back out there for the Memphis Grizzlies.

In his last fully healthy season, the Murray State product averaged 26.2 points on 46.6 percent shooting to go with 5.9 rebounds, 8.1 assists and 1.1 steals per game. Morant didn’t get All-NBA honors in 2022-23 but he was an All-Star, and we think he’ll get right back to that borderline All-NBA level in 2024-25.

For the latest Ja Morant news, rumors and salary info, click here.

2023-24 stats: 24.3 ppg, 7.0 apg, 4.4 rpg, 1.0 spg, 42.4% FG%, 35.4% 3P% in 73 games
2024-25 earnings: $48,787,676 (projected 12th overall in salary)

2022-23 was a year of change for Damian Lillard, who had to acclimate to not just being on a team other than the Portland Trail Blazers for the first time in his career, but also had to do so for a Milwaukee Bucks squad in which he wasn’t the team’s best player. Lillard hasn’t been a team’s second-best player since early on in his career when he’d play some Robin to LaMarcus Aldridge’s Batman and even then, Aldridge wasn’t as ball-dominant – or as good – as former league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo is.

As such, Lillard struggled to an extent, posting the third-worst VORP and BPM of his career while averaging 24.3 points and 7.0 assists on 42.4 percent shooting from the floor. It speaks to how brilliant Lillard has been in his career that those numbers are seen as a drop-off in play for him. What was concerning was seeing Lillard’s three-point percentage falter to 35.4 percent from the floor last season, also the third-worst mark of his career.

Regardless, we expect Lillard’s three-point accuracy to return to more normal rates next season (he’s at 37.1 percent for his career), which will help him return to previous borderline All-NBA levels. Further buoying our belief in a Lillard bounce-back is the fact that he shot 67.7 percent from within three of the basket in 2023-24, the highest mark of his career and one indicative that he’s still got something left in the tank athletically.

For the latest Damian Lillard news, rumors and salary info, click here.

2023-24 stats: 26.6 ppg, 5.6 apg, 4.6 rpg, 2.0 spg, 46.5% FG%, 36.9% 3P% in 74 games
2024-25 earnings: $34,848,340 (projected 38th overall in salary)

Sacramento Kings point guardDe’Aaron Fox had a good season in 2023-24, upping his scoring average from 25.0 points to 26.6 points per game to go with 5.6 assists and a league-leading 2.0 steals per contest on 36.9 percent shooting from three – the highest mark of his career in a season where he shot more than three triples nightly.

His VORP and BPM likewise improved this season but with how loaded the guard position is in the NBA, especially in the Western Conference, Fox was snubbed from any accolades in 2023-24. The one slightly disappointing part is that his for Fox is that his improved production didn’t lead to the team success many had hoped, as the Kings went a somewhat disappointing 46-36 on the year.

Regardless, Fox remains one of the top point guards in the NBA, a lightning-quick attacker with much-improved off-the-dribble scoring chops as a shooter, and we expect another explosive year out of the former Kentucky Wildcat in 2024-25.

For the latest De’Aaron Fox news, rumors and salary info, click here.

2023-24 stats: 25.7 ppg, 10.8 apg, 2.8 rpg, 1.3 spg, 43.0% FG%, 37.3% 3P% in 54 games
2024-25 earnings: $43,031,940 (projected 17th overall in salary)

One of just two players in league history to lead the NBA in total points and in total assists in the same season, which happened back in 2021-22, Atlanta Hawks lead guard Trae Young remains extremely productive, putting up over 25 points and 10 assists per game this season, a campaign in which he was named an All-Star for the third time in his career.

But the Hawks haven’t won over 43 games since 2015-16 (they were on pace to in 2020-21 but that was the post-COVID shortened season), with things really bottoming out last year as Atlanta went 36-46 and missed out on the playoffs. Maybe things will be better now that Young’s backcourt mate Dejounte Murray was traded but truth be told, the soon-to-be-26-year-old’s stock is pretty low right now. (That was reportedly reflected with his trade market this summer, too.)

Young may be a great player on offense – a huge scorer with excellent playmaking abilities – but he’s just not that efficient with his buckets, shooting 43.6 percent from the floor for his career and 35.5 percent from three, and his defense is next to non-existent.

Right now, it looks like it would take some very impressive roster-building for the Hawks to be able to build a contender around Young, with Atlanta’s 2020-21 march to the Eastern Conference Finals – led by Young – looking more and more like an aberration.

Regardless, his production is impossible to ignore so even with all that said, we still believe Young to be roughly a Top 10 point guard in the NBA today.

For the latest Trae Young news, rumors and salary info, click here.

2023-24 stats: 25.6 ppg, 5.2 apg, 5.0 rpg, 1.3 spg, 49.7% FG%, 41.1% 3P% in 58 games
2024-25 earnings: $41,000,000 (projected 24th overall in salary)

It may be surprising to see 2016 NBA champion Kyrie Irving rank this low among the top point guards in the league, especially after his recent playoff run in which he helped guide the Dallas Mavericks to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2010-11.

His 2024 Finals performance left something to be desired but prior to the championship series, Irving was fantastic, averaging 22.8 points, 5.2 assists and 1.2 steals on 48.5 percent shooting, 42.1 percent from beyond the arc, over 17 games.

Irving would rank him higher on talent alone or based on recent playoff performance, but his body of work in the regular season usually falls a bit short. Irving has only made one All-NBA Team since 2019, a 3rd team appearance in 2021, three full seasons ago now.

Irving’s play itself is impressive in the regular season, as the former No. 1 overall pick has averaged 26.6 points and 5.4 assists on 49.0 percent shooting over the past three seasons combined, he just misses a lot of time, with Irving failing to play more than 60 regular-season games since 2018-19.

For the latest Kyrie Irving news, rumors and salary info, click here.

2023-24 stats: 21.2 ppg, 6.5 apg, 4.1 rpg, 1.0 spg, 48.1% FG%, 42.5% 3P% in 59 games
2024-25 earnings: $36,016,200 (projected 31st overall in salary)

For the first time in his career, Playoff Murray did not make an appearance in 2023-24, as Denver Nuggets bucket-getterJamal Murray struggled in the postseason, averaging 20.6 points on 40.2 percent shooting – just 31.5 percent from three – for easily the worst playoff showing of his career. With the Nuggets taking another step back talent-wise again this offseason, now is the time for Murray to become a full-blown star in the regular season.

We think he has a chance to do it, as the Canadian point guard is a very talented scorer who can hit shots from all over the floor and even finish around the basket thanks to his underrated athleticism.

Murray is just too talented to have no All-Star and no All-NBA appearances in his career, so 2024-25 is really the time the former Wildcat has to take his game to another level.

For the latest Jamal Murray news, rumors and salary info, click here.

2023-24 stats: 22.7 ppg, 7.5 apg, 4.3 rpg, 0.9 spg, 44.9% FG%, 35.5% 3P% in 62 games
2024-25 earnings: $13,940,809 (projected 118th overall in salary)

Rewarded with an All-Star salary before coming close to becoming one,Cade Cunningham will be given every chance to shine on a Detroit Pistons team that will be focused only on developing young talent this season (and for the foreseeable future).

The good news for Pistons fans is that the former No. 1 overall pick has improved every year he’s been in the NBA, peaking so far in 2023-24 at 22.7 points and 7.6 assists per game on 44.9 percent shooting and 35.5 percent shooting from three. Cunningham ranked roughly as a Top 100 player in the NBA according to BPM and VORP.

The 22-year-old still has all the tools that made him so enticing as a draft prospect – great size for a guard, three-level scoring, good playmaking vision and the ability to hit tough shots – he just has to learn to put it all together on a more consistent and efficient basis before he can take the next step up the point guard hierarchy.

For the latest Cade Cunningham news, rumors and salary info, click here.

2023-24 stats: 23.9 ppg, 8.0 apg, 5.1 rpg, 1.8 spg, 43.3% FG%, 35.5% 3P% in 22 games
2024-25 earnings: $35,147,000 (projected 36th overall in salary)

Charlotte Hornets starLaMelo Ball was a tricky player to rank for this exercise as he’s a bit of a wild card – he’s great when he plays but he misses a lot of time due to injury and his team success, even when he’s playing, is quite lacking.

Ball has played in just 58 games over the past two seasons combined and has played more than 51 games in a full season just once in his four-year career.

When Ball was out there in 2023-24, he was impressive once again, averaging 23.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, 8.0 assists and 1.8 steals per game on 43.3 percent shooting, making him one of five players to put up a 23/5/8 stat line last season along with the likes of Doncic, Morant, LeBron James andNikola Jokic.

That’s a pretty notable list of names Ball found himself alongside last season with his averages.

It’s mostly just health missing from Ball’s game, as the bombastic scorer and visionary playmaker looks like a perennial All-Star when he is on the floor for Charlotte.

For the latest LaMelo Ball news, rumors and salary info, click here.

2023-24 stats: 16.6 ppg, 8.5 apg, 5.1 rpg, 1.1 spg, 42.8% FG%, 38.1% 3P% in 72 games
2024-25 earnings: $33,653,846 (projected 43rd overall in salary)

Can James Harden be the one to carry a team on his shoulders? Most certainly not. And if he’s your No. 2, you’re probably not a legit championship contender… which pretty much defines the 2024-25 Los Angeles Clippers.

Regardless, withPaul George now a member of the Philadelphia 76ers, Harden will get a chance to be the more ball-dominant player he was prior to his Clippers stint.

We got a glimpse of that in the 2024 playoffs whenKawhi Leonard was out with injury. Harden responded in the Clippers’ first-round playoff defeat by putting up 21.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 8.0 assists on 44.9/38.3/90.6 percent shooting splits. He just lacked consistency, having a 33-point and 28-point performance in the first-round series but also having a seven-point, 2-for-12 showing in Game 5 and a five-for-16 Game 6, which saw the Clippers get eliminated by Dallas after a 114-101 defeat.

Harden can still put up good numbers (though he’s no longer the scorer he was in his prime, as he has clearly lost a step athletically), but it’s just starting to look quite doubtful that that’ll lead to much playoff success at this point in his career.

For the latest James Harden news, rumors and salary info, click here.

2023-24 stats: 15.2 ppg, 5.2 apg, 4.2 rpg, 1.0 spg, 46.1% FG%, 39.6% 3P% in 73 games
2024-25 earnings: $20,071,429 (projected 82nd overall in salary)

A fringe All-Star caliber type who excels in his role, Boston Celtics point guard Derrick White is a low-maintenance player who competes hard on both ends and helps his team win in ways not shown on the stat sheet.

White moves the ball well, is never stagnant and won’t take bad shots, which helps him fit in perfectly with star-studded teams like the Celtics. That ability to be an elite role player even earned White a spot on the loaded 2024 USA Basketball team, no small accomplishment when you see just how stacked that roster was with future first-ballot Hall-of-Famers.

White is also an elite guard defender with good quickness laterally, great toughness and ridiculous shot-blocking chops that have helped turn him into the best shot-blocking guard the NBA has seen since a prime Dwyane Wade.

White ranked as nearly a Top 20 player in the NBA for 2023-24 according to VORP and BPM, and when you look back at the impact he made for what was an excellent Celtics team that season, it’s easy to see why. We expect more big things out of White in 2024-25.

For the latest Derrick White news, rumors and salary info, click here.

2023-24 stats: 18.0 ppg, 6.5 apg, 2.7 rpg, 1.3 spg, 44.6% FG%, 37.1% 3P% in 57 games
2024-25 earnings: $36,725,670 (projected 27th overall in salary)

We had one-time All-Star Darius Garland projected as high as No. 12 ahead of the 2022-23 season but things have not panned out like he might have hoped lately, not with Donovan Mitchell really having his way with the team. There was even talk of Garland asking for a trade out of Cleveland this summer if Mitchell got extended (which he did), though things have been quiet on that front for a while.

Either way, Garland has seen a drop-off in impact and production since Mitchell’s arrival, at one time looking like a future multi-time All-Star but now looking more just like a very good starter-level player.

What’s particularly concerning is that Garland had a very poor playoff run for Cleveland in 2023-24 even despite the team getting to the second round of the potseason, averaging just 15.7 points and 5.8 assists on 42.7 percent shooting over 12 games, including single-game performances that saw him post plus/minuses of -17, -22 and -27.

All in all, Garland still has loads of talent as a slippery scorer with good shooting touch from the outside and solid playmaking chops, he just might be hindered for the foreseeable future by playing alongside the ball-dominant Mitchell.

For the latest Darius Garland news, rumors and salary info, click here.

2023-24 stats: 12.5 ppg, 4.8 apg, 5.4 rpg, 0.9 spg, 48.0% FG%, 42.9% 3P% in 69 games
2024-25 earnings: $30,000,000 (projected 49th overall in salary)

The Celtics were so great in 2023-24 in large part thanks to having not just one excellent role-playing two-way point guard on the roster in White, but a second even more proven one inJrue Holiday, who’s also so good in his role that he likewise earned a Team USA spot in the summer of 2024.

Despite now being 34, Holiday remains one of the best defensive guards in the NBA while still being a capable scorer and playmaker when called upon. He’s even got an adept off-the-ball slashing game perfect for a team as loaded as Boston’s, as well as spot-up shooting prowess from beyond the arc.

Holiday, a two-time All-Star, might not be able to reach that All-Star level again while with the Celtics – and we only say that due to how unselfish he is that he won’t score enough to get consideration for the distinction – but in his role, he’s without a doubt a star, a player who only cares about winning and has the talent on both ends to make a huge nightly impact towards that happening.

For the latest Jrue Holiday news, rumors and salary info, click here.

2023-24 stats: 22.5 ppg, 6.4 apg, 5.3 rpg, 1.4 spg, 45.9% FG%, 36.3% 3P% in 78 games
2024-25 earnings: $29,283,801 (projected 52nd overall in salary)

The New Orleans Pelicans swung a big move this summer in trading for one-time All-StarDejounte Murray, a point guard with two-way prowess who can rebound at a very high level for his position and who is very adept at picking up steals and defending one-on-one.

Murray proved not to be all that great of a fit alongside Trae Young but there’s no question he remains a high-level player. In games that Young missed in 2023-24, Murray was monstrous, averaging 25.1 points, 5.8 rebounds and 9.1 assists in 28 such games on 44.3 percent shooting.

Obviously, it’ll be tough for Murray to replicate those exact numbers playing on a far more talented Pelicans team this upcoming season, hence why he’s not sitting a bit higher up these rankings, but overall, his fit should be much better in New Orleans where he’ll be tasked with scoring late in clutch games, something he’s proven to excel at, as well as defending, rebounding and getting out in transition alongside the explosive Zion Williamson.

For the latest Dejounte Murray news, rumors and salary info, click here.

2023-24 stats: 17.4 ppg, 8.1 apg, 3.8 rpg, 1.4 spg, 41.6% FG%, 38.7% 3P% in 73 games
2024-25 earnings: $42,846,615 (projected 20th overall in salary)

The tough-nosedFred VanVleet rounds out the Top 20 of our list after a solid debut season with the Houston Rockets in which he put up over 17 points and eight assists per game on nearly 39 percent shooting from three.

VanVleet has one All-Star appearance under his belt and remains just 30 years old so his earning the honor again in the future is not totally impossible, especially if the Rockets hit on draft picks and start to win more in the regular season, but it will be far more difficult now that he’s playing in the Western Conference.

Regardless, the beauty of a player like VanVleet is that he doesn’t care about personal accolades but rather winning, playing with great effort on both ends of the floor and providing great leadership for a young Rockets team.

We don’t necessarily expect a huge elevation in individual production out of VanVleet in 2024-25 but we do think he’ll continue to make a great impact as a leader in Houston, particularly as the young squad continues to mature. Don’t get us wrong, though, VanVleet can still get buckets, create for teammates and rack up steals and deflections, so he’s far from being just a leader for the team – he can still put up impressive numbers, too.

For the latest Fred VanVleet news, rumors and salary info, click here.

2023-24 stats: 19.1 ppg, 5.1 apg, 4.5 rpg, 0.7 spg, 44.7% FG%, 37.6% 3P% in 79 games
2024-25 earnings: $12,000,000 (projected 140th overall in salary)

There were some questions about Chicago Bulls guardCoby White’s ceiling in the NBA and whether or not he had reached it already heading into last season before the former UNC standout had a breakout campaign, averaging a career-high 19.1 points, 4.5 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game on 44.7 percent shooting from the floor and placing second in the Most Improved Player Vote.

2024-25 will be about White maintaining that level of play or improving upon it to prove he’s a legitimately good starter-level point guard in the NBA.

With so much quickness, off-the-dribble scoring prowess and such solid rebounding and playmaking, we think White will – at the very least – be able to hover around the production he posted last season, which would be huge in comparison to the slow start he got off to in his career.

For the latest Coby White news, rumors and salary info, click here.

2023-24 stats: 12.3 ppg, 4.8 apg, 6.4 rpg, 0.6 spg, 47.5% FG%, 33.7% 3P% in 80 games
2024-25 earnings: $8,352,367 (projected 187th overall in salary)

While White will need to maintain his breakout-season-level form, his new backcourt mateJosh Giddey will need to bounce back from arguably his worst pro season, one that saw him lose a ton of playing time in the postseason due to ineffectiveness.

Now playing for the Bulls, Giddey will be faced with less pressure as Chicago is nowhere near as close to contention as the Thunder were, nor will he have to share so much of the ball now that he’s no longer sharing a backcourt with an MVP candidate like Gilgeous-Alexander. Perhaps that will help the Australian ball-handler regain the form he had from earlier in his career when he looked like he might have an All-Star ceiling.

That may seem like a stretch now but in his age-20 campaign, Giddey did average 16.6 points, 7.9 rebounds and 6.2 assists on 48.2 percent shooting. Maybe one can blame today’s high-scoring era of basketball for this – and it feels borderline blasphemous to even point out – but… only LeBron James, Magic Johnson and Luka Doncic averaged 16/7/6 in their age-20 seasons like Giddey did in 2022-23.

So although he took a lot of heat for his play in 2023-24, Giddey is a very unique player with impressive upside, and the still-21-year-old has plenty of time to bounce back from his third-season slump.

For the latest Josh Giddey news, rumors and salary info, click here.

2023-24 stats: 18.0 ppg, 6.3 apg, 3.1 rpg, 0.9 spg, 45.6% FG%, 41.5% 3P% in 76 games
2024-25 earnings: $18,692,307 (projected 92nd overall in salary)

Los Angeles Lakers point guard D’Angelo Russell is a divisive player, as he catches a lot more flak than maybe he deserves to considering that he posts good numbers and is clearly a skilled point guard with flair.

The problem is, he’s not all that reliable when it matters most, which is come playoff time. 2023-24 was no different, as Russell averaged just 14.2 points and 4.2 assists on 38.4 percent shooting (31.8 percent from three) over five games in the Lakers’ first-round defeat to the Nuggets. That included a zero-point, zero-for-seven performance in Game 3 in what was a 112-105 defeat for L.A.

Russell might just simply be a player who raises a team’s floor but not necessarily its ceiling, which should continue to help the Lakers in 2024-25, at least in the regular season. However, if the team wants to make the most of James’ last few seasons in the NBA, Russell, who is entering a contract season, might need to be moved for players who can help Los Angeles’ championship potential.

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2023-24 stats: 17.0 ppg, 4.9 apg, 3.8 rpg, 0.7 spg, 43.4% FG%, 39.5% 3P% in 61 games
2024-25 earnings: $32,500,000 (projected 45th overall in salary)

When he was still with the Knicks, former Kentucky WildcatImmanuel Quickley was a player many believed could put up bigger numbers if he had a larger role on another team. And we got a glimpse of that in 2023-24 over 38 games once Quickley was moved to the Toronto Raptors, as the 25-year-old averaged 18.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 6.8 assists on 39.5 percent shooting from beyond the arc over that stretch

If Quickley is able to keep that up over the entirety of 2024-25, he might actually outpace this ranking. As is, he’s a solid starter thanks to his quickness, his crossover and his stop-on-a-dime, off-the-dribble shooting ability.

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2023-24 stats: 12.6 ppg, 2.7 apg, 3.1 rpg, 1.4 spg, 47.1% FG%, 39.7% 3P% in 75 games
2024-25 earnings: $9,188,385 (projected 174th overall in salary)

One of the main breakout players of 2023-24, Orlando Magic point guardJalen Suggs finally looked like the player many were expecting when was selected in the Top 5 of the 2021 draft, earning 2nd Team All-Defense honors while finishing eighth in Most Improved Player voting and 10th in the Defensive Player of the Year vote.

A dynamite defender thanks to his elite foot quickness and his great strength and tenacity, Suggs was able to perform well on and off the ball on offense, too, shooting a career-high 39.7 percent from three and getting some buckets slashing to the rim.

If Suggs is able to take another leap in 2024-25 to go withPaolo Banchero andFranz Wagner’s expected growth, the Magic might have something to say in the Eastern Conference come playoff time.

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2023-24 stats: 14.4 ppg, 4.3 apg, 2.6 rpg, 2.0 spg, 43.0% FG%, 31.3% 3P% in 20 games
2024-25 earnings: $20,210,285 (projected 85th overall in salary)

Two years removed from winning Defensive Player of the Year, Grizzlies point guardMarcus Smart has seen his stock fall a bit after 2023-24, a season that saw him get traded away from the Celtics – who won the title without him after various postseason failures in years prior (we’re not blaming Smart for those, just pointing it out) – and then play just 20 games last season due to a campaign-ending injury.

Smart performed pretty well when he was out there for Memphis but 2024-25 should be a much different campaign for both the Oklahoma State Cowboy and the Grizzlies, who should be fully healthy and present from the opening tip of the season.

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2023-24 stats: 11.4 ppg, 5.9 apg, 2.9 rpg, 1.2 spg, 45.7% FG%, 44.2% 3P% in 76 games
2024-25 earnings: $9,975,962 (projected 164th overall in salary)

Veteran floor generalMike Conley remained one of the better starting point guards in the NBA in 2023-24, playing an important role in helping the Minnesota Timberwolves reach the Western Conference Finals for the first time in 20 years as the team’s steadying presence in the backcourt, especially when things would get tight.

Conley was particularly effective in Minnesota’s upset series victory over Denver, averaging 11.0 points and 6.7 assists while, most importantly, shooting 44.8 percent from beyond the arc, to help the Timberwolves knock off the then-reigning champions.

Conley’s next season will be his age-37 campaign, so some drop-off is possible, but he didn’t really show much sign of that last season. Sure, he’s no longer the same level of player he was in his prime but he’s still a dependable starter. Not bad for the 10th-oldest player left in the NBA.

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2023-24 stats: 19.8 ppg, 5.6 apg, 4.0 rpg, 1.0 spg, 44.3% FG%, 36.3% 3P% in 61 games
2024-25 earnings: $24,924,126 (projected 66th overall in salary)

Former Louisville Cardinals starTerry Rozier started the season off extremely well, averaging 23.2 points and 6.6 assists on 45.9 percent shooting for the Hornets, even getting some shouts for All-Star consideration from media and fans.

His production naturally slipped a bit when he was traded midseason from Charlotte to the Miami Heat, however, which only makes sense since he was clearly the Hornets’ best player last season with Ball out injured. That was not the case in Miami, who don’t just have Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo in the starting lineupbut another high-volume shot-taker in Tyler Herro, meaning Rozier had to adjust before he was able to get it going.

Ultimately, Rozier wasn’t able to do that as a tricky neck injury caused him to miss the majority of the end of the season. 2024-25 should be a better season for the 2015 draft pick, who is reportedly healthy and fully ready to go. With an entire offseason plus part of 2023-24 to adjust to his new team, we should see better play out of Miami’s starting point guard this upcoming campaign.

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2023-24 stats: 14.0 ppg, 5.4 apg, 3.1 rpg, 0.8 spg, 38.5% FG%, 32.5% 3P% in 62 games
2024-25 earnings: $10,259,160 (projected 161st overall in salary)

For a minute, some question whether G League Ignite product Scoot Henderson should be considered the No. 1 pick in the Victor Wembanyama draft class, an idea which hasn’t aged all that well. There’s been a lot of water under the bridge since then and not in a good way for Henderson, who struggled mightily in his rookie season, shooting under 39 percent from the floor for the year and turning the ball over nearly three-and-one-half times per game.

That’s true for many young point guards, however, so the jury is still out for the young lead guard. We should see some growth out of the Portland Trail Blazers floor general next year, as he’s too athletic and strong to not be more effective of a scorer, at least closer to the basket.

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2023-24 stats: 9.2 ppg, 4.1 apg, 2.1 rpg, 0.9 spg, 49.8% FG%, 35.7% 3P% in 68 games
2024-25 earnings: $2,019,699 (projected 402nd overall in salary)

Pacers point guard Andrew Nembhard is versatile for the position, able to play on or off the ball for Indiana, an important skill to have considering he’s teammates with one of the best point guards in the league today.

Nembhard didn’t make a huge jump offensively from his rookie to sophom*ore season but he did show improvement, shooting nearly 50 percent from the floor and taking his three-point percentage from 35.0 percent to 35.7 percent.

Nembhard’s most interesting trait might be his defense as he plays hard on that end of the floor while providing some off-ball scoring for the Pacers.

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