The NBA is in the driest period of the calendar for them, as the draft and most offseason moves have already been made. All 30 teams will use the immediate future to rest and prepare for the start of the 2023-24 season.
This also gives experts a chance to reflect on the state of the league as rosters are mostly set. HoopsHype’s Frank Urbina decided to use the downtime to rank the 24 best point guards heading into next season.
The Oklahoma City Thunder had two entrants on the rankings. After a career season that saw him finish No. 5 in MVP voting, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander unsurprisingly was ranked the third-best point guard in the league.
His backcourt mate Josh Giddey also made the list, as he was ranked No. 19. The 20-year-old is set to start his third season after he averaged 16.6 points, 7.9 rebounds and 6.2 assists last year.
“A young and exciting point guard, Josh Giddey is already one of the best rebounders for his position in the league, averaging nearly eight boards nightly for his career thus far. He’s also a flashy playmaker, with a great knack for finding open teammates and a creative ability to get the ball where it needs to go. The one area in which he’s lacking is as a shooter, though he has shown some improvement in that facet, going from a paltry 26.3 three-point percentage as a rookie to 32.5 percent from deep as a second-year player in 2022-23. He also doesn’t have elite burst but makes up for it thanks to a crafty ball handle and good instincts for navigating picks.”
This is an endearing spot for Giddey, as it means the Thunder roster two of the best guards in the entire league. If he continues to improve at the rate he’s shown in his first two seasons, Giddey should be a mainstay when it comes to discussing some of the best point guards around the league for the foreseeable future.
The full 24-player ranking can be found here.
