NBA Today: 5 shortest players in the league right now 

Tracing back to the roots of vintage basketball, the game has always favoured the big men. Ever since the successful careers of Muggsy Bogues at 5 ft 3” and Spud Webb at 5 ft 7” (also known as the Speed Demons), we have often come across modern NBA talents who have transcended the need for tall frames across the league. Time and again, Basketball has proven to be a sport for everyone, no matter their height.

Following popular opinion, 6-feet is considered 'tall' around the world but is short enough to be placed on this list. As the average player’s height is predicted to go higher with time in the basketball world, let's take a look at a bunch of skilful personnel who were not blessed with NBA-standard heights, to begin with.

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#5 Kyle Lowry (6-foot-0 / 1.83m)

Even though his hard-nosed defence and the title of being one of the better rebounding point guards (his 5.6 rebounds per game during the 2017-18 season was a career-high) in the NBA not suggesting it, the 32-year-old stands at 6-foot-flat. He is the quintessential small-sized player possessing the skillset to lead a 13-season long successful career.

While his scoring numbers dropped from 22.4 points to 16.2 points per game (in 2017-18), followed by 14.2 ppg this past season, Kyle Lowry is still highly capable of performing at a high level - as was made clear by his stellar support to Kawhi Leonard in his title quest this year.

Despite all the lows and highs that his Raptors organisation have seen in the recent and distant past, Lowry has been the sole franchise cornerstone who has stood past it all - and still continues to do so with superhuman grit and passion for the game.

#4 JJ Barea (6-foot-0 / 1.83m)

It is indeed a laudable feat to enter the NBA undrafted and with subpar height, and still end up with a respectable career spanning for more than a decade. J.J. Barea is an unparalleled success story of the league which includes 10 non-consecutive seasons with the Dallas franchise and a championship in 2011.

Mentoring the 2017 lottery pick in Dennis Smith Jr. all along, Barea made some major splashes coming off the bench for the Mavericks and averaged 11 points and 5.6 assists per game this past season.

According to ClutchPoints,

Barea has averaged 9.0 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 3.9 assists in 19.7 minutes per game and 802 appearances in his 13-year NBA career while shooting 42.4% from the field, 35.1% from 3-point range, and 79.2% from the free throw line.

Just recently, Barea, the 35-year-old fixture of Puerto Rico’s national team, opted out of the FIBA WC to focus on rehabbing his achilles.

#3 D.J. Augustin (6-foot-0 / 1.83m)

Amongst all starting point guards, only Stephen Curry clocked in a better 3-point percentage than DJ Augustin during the 2018-19 campaign. The Magic floor general was picked 9th overall in the 2008 draft and have since played for eight teams for a career that’s lasted 10 seasons and still counting.

To be just 6-foot tall and still garner serious attention from the NBA scouts requires elite-level playmaking and that's what the 31-year-old brings to the table. The current Magic floor general sports career averages of 9.6 points and 3.8 assists, with an impressive career shooting conversion rate of 41 per cent.

According to NBA.com,

Augustin was the only true point guard who started in at least 80 games and committed fewer than 130 total turnovers this past season.

Having lasted a decade in the ever-so competitive league is an achievement in itself but DJ has shown repeatedly that he deserved every bit of it.

#2 Chris Paul (6-foot-0 / 1.83m)

Despite standing an even 6-feet-tall, Chris Paul ruled the point guard position for several years. Starting off with 'Rookie of the Year' honours in 2006, CP3 never looked back. Till this date, he has added to his resume privilieges of being a 9-time All-Star, 7-time NBA All-Defensive First Team (2009, 2012–2017), 4-time All-NBA First Team (2008, 2012–2014) as well as the All-Star Game MVP (2013).

His initial stints with the then-New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets followed by the Los Angeles Clippers is when he developed into something special.

Hosting career averages of 18.5 points and 9.7 assists per game on 46% shooting, Paul has cemented his legacy amongst the select group of elite NBA point guards, with a career that has lasted 13 seasons so far with more to come hopefully.

It'll be interesting to see how he fits into the newest OKC threads during the upcoming season.

#1 Isaiah Thomas (5-foot-9 / 1.75m)

Isaiah Thomas has been ignored and belittled his entire life. But right when he was getting into some serious groove in a Celtics uniform, fate had other plans. From being a near-29-ppg scorer for the Boston Celtics to a backup in Denver averaging just 15 minutes per game, Isaiah has seen his fair share of ups and downs.

Being the only active NBA player standing at less than 6-feet, Thomas has repeatedly been overlooked and forgotten despite being a 2-time All-Star and almost leading the Celtics to a title single-handedly in 2017.

He scored a career-low 8 points per game during the 2018-19 season and was merely a part-time facilitator for the West's second-string team. On a positive note, the 29-year-old boasts career averages of 18.6 points and 5.1 assists as he currently plays behind Jamal Murray and Gary Harris for the Denver Nuggets