Ranking the 10 best point guards of the 2023–24 NBA season

6. Damian Lillard

When the Milwaukee Bucks first acquired Damian Lillard this past offseason, they did so expecting to receive one of the best point guards, not only in the league today but in NBA history. Through the first quarter of the season, there have been more growing pains than expected, but Lillard is still among the NBA elite.

Averaging 25.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 6.8 assists, Lillard is still operating above his career averages in all of those statistical measuring sticks. Similar to both Ball and Young, efficiency is an area of opportunity for the future Hall of Famer.

Through 18 games this season, Lillard is shooting 42.9 percent from the field and just 33.6 percent from three. Much of this can likely be attributed to Lillard attempting to find his flow with his new squad. It's no minor shakeup when a team sees a literal changing of the point guard, especially when functionally they are so different, as is the scenario Lillard found himself in with the Bucks as opposed to the Blazers.

With expectations higher than perhaps he has seen in his career, Lillard came to Milwaukee trying to strike a balance alongside former MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo as the co-stars of the Bucks. Giannis and Dame seem to be figuring that out as the season progresses, as seen by their recent statistical upticks.

Looking at Lillard, over his last five games, he has boosted his points per game average to 27.4 and his assists to 9.0. His field goal percentage in that time is up to 46.8, and even though his three-point efficiency is still below expectations (36.8 percent), that too should round into shape as the season progresses. With a bit more time, Lillard will surely find himself back among the top five point guards in the league.