While every single position and role in a basketball team is critical, it’s the point guard who arguably takes centre stage.
Make no mistake: the point guard is a team’s on-court general, playing a seminal role in controlling the ball and setting up offensive plays. On a fundamental level, the point guard’s role is to dominate possession and move their team up the court, while they must also guard against rapid counter attacks.
Ultimately, the point guard is one of the most rounded basketball players in any franchise. But who are likely to be the best-performing point guards in 2024/25, and what sets these players apart from their rivals?
3. Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors suffered a disappointing loss to Sacramento during the in-game Western Conference last season, ending Stephen Curry’s quest for a fifth NBA title. If the Warriors are to mount a successful playoff tilt in 2024/25, it will be the 36-year-old who once again makes the difference.
Curry remains the 30th highest-scoring player in NBA history, and the fifth-highest active scorer in the competition. In the 2023/24 season, he averaged 26.4 points-per-game (PPG) and 4.5 rebounds per game, so he’s showing no signs of slowing down even as he approached the final stages of his career.
In fact, he finished last season shooting 40 percent from three for their 13th time in 15 campaigns. He also made a league-high 357 three-pointers in 2023/24, reaffirming his status as one of the best offensive point guards in the league.
So, even as the Warriors struggled for consistency last season, Curry managed to be named in the All-Star team, while he was also given the ‘Clutch Player of the Year’ award after a series of crucial interventions for his team. We expect this trend to continue in 2024/25.
2. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder
The Oklahoma City Thunder enjoyed a stellar campaign in 2023/24, winning the Western Conference and falling just short of the NBA finals. They’re second favourites to win the title this season too, and you can access your choice of 1Win promo codes before betting on the Thunder in 2024/25.
At heart of the Thunder’s success is point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who enjoyed an excellent season from a personal perspective. He averaged 30.1 PPG in 2023/24, while also contributing 5.5 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game.
He executed 353 three-pointers too, only four fewer than the outstanding Curry. He also finished second in MVP voting for the season, behind the eventual winner Nikola Jokic.
He’ll be among the favourites to claim the MVP award next season too, especially as he was the only Thunder player to make the NBA All-Star team in 2023/24. Make no mistake: he’s the side’s key player and orchestrator, as borne out by the fact that he shot almost 54% from the field last season.
1. Luka Dončić
The Dallas Mavericks stunned both pundits and bookmakers alike last season, reaching the NBA finals for the first time since 2011 (before succumbing to the Boston Celtics).
This run would not have been possible were it not for the excellent Luka Dončić, however, who formed a deceptively solid partnership with Kyrie Irving and was a leading contender to win the season’s MVP award.
Dončić ultimately finished third in MVP voting in 2023/24, despite averaging a staggering 33.9 PPG and 9.2 rebounds. He also delivered 9.8 assists per game, highlighting him as one of the most effective and rounded players in the whole of the MBA.
Interestingly, there was little separating Dončić and Gilgeous-Alexander last season, although the former tended to perform better in the playoffs and clutch moments. This distinguishes the 25-year-old Slovenia as the best point guard in the league at the time of writing.
