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NBA: Ranking The League’s Top 10 Point Guards In 2016-17

By Gerald Bourguet

May 26, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) is defended by Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) in the fourth quarter in game five of the Western conference finals of the NBA Playoffs at Oracle Arena. The Warriors won 120-111. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
May 26, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) is defended by Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) in the fourth quarter in game five of the Western conference finals of the NBA Playoffs at Oracle Arena. The Warriors won 120-111. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oct 21, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard Kemba Walker (15) looks on during the first quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports /

10. Kemba Walker

2015-16 Stats:  20.9 PPG, 5.2 APG, 4.4 RPG, 1.6 SPG, .427/.371/.847 shooting, 20.8 PER

First, a couple of notes about our closest cuts:

  • Mike Conley, the league’s perennial, “most underrated point guard,” just earned the largest contract in NBA history, missed 26 games due to injury last year and is now 29 years old. He’s properly rated at this point, and it keeps him out of these top 10 projections.
  • Reggie Jackson would make a case for this list, but he’s out injured to start the season and will miss significant time.
  • Second-year stud D’Angelo Russell is going to put up big numbers on a bad team just like his Phoenix Suns buddy Devin Booker, but Book makes his respective top 10 thanks to a thinner collection of shooting guards. Russell doesn’t get that same benefit at the 1.

As for Kemba Walker, he’s coming off a career-best 21-5-4 stat line, he improved his three-point efficiency — one of the bigger flaws in his game — and he overcame his size disadvantage at 6’1″ to emerge as an All-Star caliber point guard in the East.

He didn’t get the nod, but with Jeremy Lin, Courtney Lee and Al Jefferson all gone, the pressure is on Walker to spread the floor, run the offense with Nicolas Batum and put up solid scoring numbers.

Related Story: Ranking The Top 10 NBA Small Forwards In 2016-17

His 17 points on 5-of-15 shooting in Charlotte’s season debut weren’t spectacular, but he also put up eight assists and went 3-for-7 from long range in a blowout win.

The Charlotte Hornets might take a step back this year, but if Steve Clifford and company manage to stave off regression in 2016-17, it’ll be for two reasons: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist‘s return, and the 26-year-old Walker building on his career year.