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Guards have become crucial components of NBA teams, so having a quality combo guard who can do it all is an added advantage. A combo guard needs to have the scoring ability of a shooting guard, also provide playmaking and share ball-handling responsibilities like a point guard.
A good combo guard can go for 35 points in one game, turn it around and add ten assists in the next. With the NBA transitioning into positionless basketball, more teams are finding more use for players who fit into the combo guard mold.
On that note, here is a look at the three best young combo guards in the NBA at the moment
#3 Jamal Murray, Denver Nuggets, 24
Jamal Murray became a household name, thanks to his two 50-point performances in the first round of the NBA bubble. Murray has improved just about every season since being drafted by the Denver Nuggets in the 2016 NBA Draft. Last season he was on course for a career year before he tore his ACL.
He has averaged 16.3 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.8 assists during his career. Last season. he averaged 21.2 points, four rebounds, and 4.8 assists. His improved numbers were because he was having a career year in shooting; he shot 48% from the field and 41% from the three. If it wasn’t for his late-season injury, Murray would have been higher on this list.
Murray has been considered as a combo guard because he isn’t the primary ball-handler or facilitator in his team. Nuggets center and last season's MVP Nikola Jokic runs the offense in Denver, and leads the team in assists. Murray often plays off-ball when Jokic is on the floor, but the former leads the offense when Jokic goes to the bench.
Also Read: Who is Jamal Murray’s Girlfriend, Harper Hempel?
#2 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder, 23
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has become one of the most promising young guards in the NBA. Even though he is the primary ball-handler for the Oklahoma City Thunder, it is more because the Thunder have no other option. With the Thunder drafting a true point guard in Josh Giddy, Gilgeous-Alexander could be used more like a combo guard again.
For his career, Gilgeous-Alexander averages 16.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.8 assists. In the last two seasons, he has done it all for the Thunder. In the 2019-20 campaign, he registered 19 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists.
He played as a true combo guard that season, starting alongside future Hall of Fame point guard Chris Paul. Last season the Thunder didn’t have a true point guard, but Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 23.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.9 assists.
The 6' 6" Gilgeous-Alexander has the perfect body for a combo guard, allowing him to do anything for his team. He is a guard of the future, and players like him, Tyler Herro and LaMelo Ball will likely become a lot more common.
#1 Collin Sexton, Cleveland Cavaliers, 22
Collin Sexton is one of the most underaged young guards in the NBA, and is one of the league's best offensive young combo guards.
Outside of his rookie year, Sexton has averaged over 20 points in his two other campaigns. His career averages are 20.2 points, three rebounds and 3.3 assists.
Sexton was drafted eighth overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2018 NBA Draft, and has played well.
However, the Cavaliers decided to draft another combo guard in Darius Garland as fifth overall in the next draft. Since then, Garland has taken more of the point guard duties, with Sexton becoming more of a scorer than facilitator. That worked out fine for Sexton last season, as he averaged 24.3 points and 4.4 assists, while shooting at 48% from the field and 47% from the three.
At the moment, Sexton has not agreed a deal with the Cavaliers. He could be useful for another team If he is either traded or leaves in free agency.
