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With exactly 4 weeks left for the NBA season to commence, we at Sportskeeda sat down to hash out a consensus list of the top 10 floor generals in the league today. As is the case with any discussion revolving around sports, there were a lot of disagreements between the panelists lumped in with the universally agreed themes.
Ultimately, we settled on the following top 10 list based on expected impact of the finalized players purely next season. Obviously, we tried to factor in their play in the last couple of seasons in order to provide us pointers for the next season, but we're valuing future production above everything else in this discussion.
The list goes like this:
#10 Kemba Walker
It is a matter of great misfortune for basketball fans like you and me that the Hornets have been unable to surround their All Star point guard with a squad capable of making the playoffs even in a historically weak Eastern Conference.
Over the past 3 seasons, Walker's improved shooting has really opened up the rest of his offensive game for him. A Rondo type who shot very little from range early on his career, Walker has come a long way from averaging 30.5% on 3.4 attempts during his rookie season to now taking over 7 attempts per game from downtown on nearly 40% conversion.
His handles are right up there with the likes of Steph, CP3 and Kyrie - make no mistake about it. He is just about one of the most irreplaceable players in the league based on on/off net rating stats.
#9 Mike Conley
Perhaps the most underrated player in the league, a new basketball fan could be forgiven for mistaking him for J Cole at first sight. Just like J Cole's verses, however, Conley's all-round point guard play is up there with the most recognized faces of the league.
Over the years, Conley has matured into a true star, and the perfect point guard for the Grizzlies from the Grit n Grind years. The first player to sign a max 5-year deal under the new CBA in 2016, questions raised about whether he'd live up to his salary were quickly put to paid in 2016-17, when he led the Grizzlies along with Marc Gasol to a credible 7th place finish in a tough Western Conference playoff race.
A knee injury ruled him out from nearly all of 2017-18, but all reports point to him making a comeback at close to his best. More people are going to sit up and take notice of Conley this year, irrespective of whether the Grizzlies make the playoffs this year or not.
#8 Kyle Lowry
Kyle Lowry's trade to the Raptors ranks among the most lopsided deals of this decade, pretty easily. In 6 seasons north of the American border, Lowry has averaged 17.8 points, 6.8 assists, 4.9 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game, consistently earning All Star game selections and leading the Raptors to a couple of 50-win seasons and a #1 seed in 2017-18.
Lowry's main offensive prowess lies in shooting elite percentages from range. His shooting ability causes defenses to deform in much the same way as Curry does, opening things up for players around him. At 6'0", Lowry is also one of the best defensive point guards in the game, and can guard players much bigger than him on switches pretty effectively.
Currently signed to the franchise for 2 more seasons, Lowry will be looking to join forces with Kawhi in leading the Raptors to their first Finals appearance this season.
#7 Ben Simmons
The #1 pick from the 2016 NBA draft wasted no time in making his impact felt across the league in his rookie season, after redshirting his first contract year due to injury. Simmons, at 6'11" and the size to guard centers, has the foot speed to keep up with point guards and is actually a player who can guard 1-5, unlike some hyped up superstars who can only handles centers on switches.
Simmons' ability to read the game, find a pass and dissect a defensive scheme are truly second to no one right now. He is a walking mismatch who makes and receives the most passes per game in the league, and it's his presence that allows the Sixers and coach Brett Brown to employ a highly effective ball-sharing offense in which everybody eats.
A clear snub for the All Star Game last year, expect him to reach All-NBA levels of excellence before long. Maybe even this year, if his mid-range workouts from the summer are any indication. Simmons truly is just a jumpshot away from terrorizing every team in the league.
#6 Damian Lillard
A lean, mean scoring machine at his best, Damian Lillard is one of the most lethal volume scorers in the league today. Not only is he elite at bombing away from downtown (career 38% 3-point shooter), his quick first step, sizeable hops and mid-range prowess make him one of the most complete scorers in the game today.
Not only is Dame a proven volume scorer, he's also a proven playoff performer (even if last year's playoff performances were rather disappointing for a player of his caliber). His consistent production in the second half of last season was the major reason why the Blazers were able to snag the 3rd seed after being rooted to the 6th-8th spots at the start of the season.
His prime still lies ahead of him. Unfortunately for him, the Blazers front office lost a lot of cap room to role players who were given too much money on contracts too long for players of their caliber, and is now atoning for its miscalculations the hard way.
#5 John Wall
A pissed-off John Wall is really a sight to behold, especially on the fast break. If you don't believe me, ask the '16-17 Atlanta Hawks what transpired on this specific play even if they did end up winning the game.
John Wall is the fastest player in the league (Westbrook might have a couple of things to say about it, but he's lost some of his straight line speed from 6-7 years ago) today, and mentally he's faster than just about everyone there is. A pick-and-roll ballhandler par excellence, Wall is the best combination of size, athleticism, passing and defense at the point position.
If only he had a consistent 3-point shot, he'd be challenging for #1 on this list.
#4 Kyrie Irving
After missing the end of last season due to a knee infection that forced him to go for the clean-up surgery that he'd planned for the offseason, reports from people who saw him compete at open runs in Florida say that Kyrie is back and as good as ever.
This can't be a good sign for the rest of the Eastern Conference, which is as wide open as ever after LeBron James' decision to move to archrivals Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference. Irving posted some of his best career per-minute numbers last season with the Celtics, who should, in all probability, be better this season if Irving and Hayward are available for the full season.
Uncle Drew's highlights from a single game are often as good as other players' season mixtapes. Make of him what you will, but Kyrie is a straight-up killer on the basketball court. And he has the ring to show for it.
#3 Chris Paul
The Point God, contrary to the air everyone has generated around his newly signed supermax contract, is currently playing as well as ever, even if it doesn't show up on his box score stats. Indeed, rarely, if ever, have we seen two Hall of Fame facilitators mesh as well as CP3 and Harden have in the one season that they've played together in H-Town.
CP3 balled so hard in the Western Conference playoffs last season that every single basketball fan felt terrible about his hamstring tear in Game 5 of the Conference Finals - an injury that potentially prevented him from making his first bow in the NBA Finals against LeBron James.
Despite having lost the athleticism he had in his first 3 campaigns, Paul has been a model point guard for the modern NBA while retaining an age-old style of point guard play. His passes, crossovers and nutmeg moves are still giving defenders nightmares across the league.
#2 Russell Westbrook
The Brody is primed for another humongous season this time around, as the Thunder front office managed to add talent, trim the fat and reduce their luxury tax bill with a series of shrewd moves that have put them in a better position this season than they were in, last year.
Despite a chance that he'll miss the first couple of games of the season, the Brody is still going to have his hat in the MVP contender bag if the Thunder manage to win 50+ games and he racks up his third straight season with a triple-double average.
Neither scenario is too unrealistic, considering that the Thunder now have a functional bench, a young power forward-center who signed a new deal and the likes of Paul George and Steven Adams to pick up the slack when he's not around on the offensive end.
#1 Stephen Curry
Since Kevin Durant's free agency signing with the Warriors, however, basketball fans around the world have been essentially robbed of the opportunity to watch the unanimous MVP version of his game, which might have led them to believe that he is on the wane if they weren't watching the games.
The 2-time MVP is at the peak of his powers currently, as evidenced by his career-high true shooting percentage of 67.5% through 50-odd regular season games in 2017-18. If this singular stat isn't enough to convince you, here's another: Curry's offensive rating of 120.6 is the highest of his career. It's better than the 118.1 he achieved in 2016-17 or the 116.7 he achieved in his 2015-16 season.
Expect him to be a fringe MVP contender this season. Fringe only because of the presence of another MVP on his team.
