The point guard position is one of the deepest positions in all of basketball history. At the root of every championship team over the last 75 years has been a point guard who served as the leader both on and off the court. A point guard who was the glue that held their team together and controlled the game well enough for a championship to be the reward at the end of it all. They are the players who can be the vocal leaders of a team or lead by example with their play while their teammates follow suit.
Today, just as we did in the 2000s, we will rank the 10 greatest point guards of the 2010s. This decade gave us some of the greatest point guards in NBA history who left an everlasting imprint on the game for the rest of time. These rankings will be based on stats, accolades, skill, and leadership qualities. Remember, the time that we are speaking of when ranking these 10-point guards are from the 2009-10 season through the 2018-19 season. The order of these rankings will be the only question for our readers to answer, as the 10 players representing the position in the decade are indisputable.
These are the 10 greatest point guards of the 2010s.
10. Tony Parker
2009-10 to 2018-19 Accolades: 3x All-Star, 3x All-NBA Team Selection
2009-10 to 2018-19 Stats: 14.4 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 5.8 APG, 0.7 SPG, 0.1 BPG
As the 2000s ended and the 2010s began, Tony Parker was among one of the best point guards in basketball. He was the ideal floor general who had already led the Spurs to 3 NBA championships alongside teammate Tim Duncan. Parker was a fearless attacker of the basket as well as an efficient mid-range shooter and a more than decent distributor. The 2010s were fruitful for Parker as well, as he enjoyed an incredible stretch to start the decade.
From 2011-12 thru 2013-14, Tony Parker was selected to three All-Star Games as well three All-NBA Second Teams. Over that time, Parker averaged 18.4 PPG and 7.0 APG for the Spurs on 50.1% shooting. Parker and the Spurs would go to back-to-back NBA Finals in 2013 and 2014, coming out victorious in 2014 over the Miami Heat. In those NBA Finals, Parker led the Spurs in scoring with 18.0 PPG while dishing out 4.6 APG. Parker would retire following the 2018-19 season that he spent with the Charlotte Hornets after 17 seasons with San Antonio.
9. Rajon Rondo
2009-10 to 2018-19 Accolades: 4x All-Star, 3x All-Defensive Team Selection, 1x All-NBA Team Selection
2009-10 to 2018-19 Stats: 10.7 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 9.5 APG, 1.7 SPG, 0.1 BPG
Rajon Rondo was not the type of point guard to light up the scoreboard with his impressive shooting or finishes at the basket, although he did have his moments. No, Rajon Rondo made his living by being one of the best pass-first distributors in basketball, as well as one of the most menacing defensive point guards in the NBA. Rondo embodied what it meant to make his teammates better and constantly broke down defenses with his relentless pushing of the pace and attack.
Rondo began the decade as a 4-time All-Star from 2010 thru 2013. He was also named to two All-Defensive First Teams and one All-NBA Third Team during this time. In that span, Rondo averaged 12.4 PPG, 10.8 APG, and 2.1 SPG for the Celtics as they pursued another NBA championship. The Celtics reached the playoffs just three times during the Rondo era of the 2010s as the team soon moved on from the core of Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Kevin Garnett. Rondo would win two assists titles, and one steals title during the decade and is easily one of the best at the position for the decade.
8. Kyle Lowry
2009-10 to 2018-19 Accolades: 5x All-Star, 1x All-NBA Team Selection
2009-10 to 2018-19 Stats: 15.9 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 6.7 APG, 1.4 SPG, 0.3 BPG
Prior to the 2010s, it was unknown if Kyle Lowry had a future in the NBA. He hadn’t received an actual chance with the Grizzlies and Rockets coming off the bench and was producing less than 10.0 PPG and less than 4.0 APG. As the 2010s began, he began to get more of a chance with Houston before landing in Toronto. With Toronto and alongside DeMar DeRozan, Lowry flourished into one of the best pint guards in basketball on one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference.
With the Raptors, Lowry led them to the playoffs every season from 2014 thru 2020. Lowry was key to the success of the team and earned 5 All-Star appearances in a row from 2015 thru 2019. Over this span, Lowry averaged 18.3 PPG, 7.1 APG, and 1.5 SPG on 42.9% shooting. In 2019, Lowry helped lead the Raptors to their first NBA championship in franchise history. Kawhi Leonard was the star of the team, but Lowry was the leader that held them together. He averaged 16.2 PPG, 7.2 APG, and 1.7 SPG in the series to help them win the title.
7. John Wall
2009-10 to 2018-19 Accolades: 5x All-Star, 1x All-NBA Team Selection, 1x All-Defensive Team Selection
2009-10 to 2018-19 Stats: 19.0 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 9.2 APG, 1.7 SPG, 0.7 BPG
One of the most explosive and entertaining point guards of the 2010s was John Wall of the Washington Wizards. Wall was a speedy and efficient point guard who could dominate as a scorer, passer, or defender. He was one of the best in basketball at finishing fast breaks off of turnovers that he created with his quick hands and uncanny instincts. Wall never shied away from the big moment and truly led by example both on and off the court during his prime.
Drafted in 2010, Wall began to make an enormous impact on the game as soon as he made his debut. By 2014, Wall was an All-Star and one of the best two-way point guards in the entire league. From 2014, Wall earned five straight trips to the All-Star game averaging 19.9 PPG, 9.9 APG, and 1.8 SPG in those seasons. Wall led the lowly Wizards to 4 playoff trips, making it past the first round twice in 2014 and 2017. Injuries began to take hold of Wall by 2019, but the impact he made during the rest of the decade is not forgotten.
6. Derrick Rose
2009-10 to 2018-19 Accolades: 1x MVP, 1x Rookie Of The Year, 3x All-Star, 1x All-NBA Team Selection
2009-10 to 2018-19 Stats: 19.2 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 5.5 APG, 0.7 SPG, 0.4 BPG
During the early 2000s, it looked like Derrick Rose was on his way to becoming one of the greatest point guards in NBA history. He was explosive, athletic, and so skilled that many of the NBA’s top defenders had no idea what to do with him on that side of the ball. He was a natural-born leader who faced every moment of adversity with sheer determination during his early years. One fateful night during the 2012 playoffs, that all changed when Rose tore his ACL late in a game against the 76ers.
After being selected as the No. 1 overall pick in 2008, Rose went on to take Rookie of the Year honors with a tremendous season of 16.8 PPG and 6.3 APG. In 2011, Rose had the best individual season of his career as he was named MVP, leading the Bulls to 62 wins despite lengthy absences from Joakim Noah and Carlos Boozer. Rose averaged 25.0 PPG, 7.7 APG, and 1.0 SPG to claim the award. After tearing his ACL in the 2012 playoffs, Rose was never the same again, losing his explosiveness and athleticism that helped him reach the highest of heights.
5. Damian Lillard
2009-10 to 2018-19 Accolades: 1x Rookie Of The Year, 4x All-Star, 4x All-NBA Team Selection
2009-10 to 2018-19 Stats: 23.5 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 6.3 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.3 BPG
Over the past 11 seasons, NBA fans have watched Damian Lillard become one of the most fascinating point guards ever. Lillard was super quick and agile during his prime, with an unbelievable ability to shoot the long ball accurately and knock them down in clutch moments. He displays an innate ability to read defenses and has become one of the better playmakers of his time. As an average-sized guard, Lillard exceeded expectations from the moment he made his NBA debut in 2012.
No one saw the career that Damian Lillard had coming when he was drafted 6th overall by the Trail Blazers in 2012. He came out on fire, winning Rookie of the Year with 19.0 PPG and 6.5 APG. Lillard is a career 37.2% three-point shooter who ranks 8th all-time in 3-pointers made just 11 seasons into his career. At his peak, he was a 30.0 PPG scorer who led Portland to the playoffs 6 times during the 2010s which included a trip to the Western Conference Finals in 2019.
4. Kyrie Irving
2009-10 to 2018-19 Accolades: 1x Rookie Of The Year, 6x All-Star, 1x All-Star Game MVP, 2x All-NBA Team Selection
2009-10 to 2018-19 Stats: 22.2 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 5.7 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.3 BPG
We have heard it all before about Kyrie Irving. He is one of the most skilled players ever to hit the basketball court, able to control the ball on a string and devastate defenders with his quick release and accurate shooting. That goes without mentioning one of the more beautiful layup packages in the NBA during his prime and at the current moment. The one thing we as fans do too much of is judge his basketball career based on his views, which is unfair to what he has meant to the game.
Kyrie came into the NBA as one of the more sought-after prospects in basketball. Irving took home Rookie of the Year in his first season with the Cavaliers averaging 18.5 PPG, 5.4 APG, and 1.1 SPG. In 2016, alongside LeBron James, Irving led the Cavaliers to their first title in franchise history. After falling down 3-1 in the NBA Finals to the 73-9 Warriors, Irving played a huge part in sealing the epic comeback. He averaged 27.1 PPG, 3.9 APG, and 2.1 SPG in the series and hit the title-clinching shot in Game 7 as time ran down. His mark on the game is undeniable, and I say we learn how to separate his skill from his views on the world.
3. Chris Paul
2009-10 to 2018-19 Accolades: 7x All-Star, 1x All-Star Game MVP, 6x All-NBA Team Selection, 7x All-Defensive Team Selection
2009-10 to 2018-19 Stats: 18.1 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 9.6 APG, 2.1 SPG, 0.2 BPG
Whenever Chris Paul is brought up, the immediate reaction is to roast him for his playoff shortcoming and the fact that he still remains without an NBA championship. The fact is, Chris Paul is one of the better point guards in NBA history who delivers the best seasons in a team’s history, no matter where he goes. As one of the smartest point guards ever and one of the most relentless defenders, it seems Chris Paul has somehow become underrated as time goes on. Think about it. He is good enough to be the 3rd best point guard of the decade, even without an NBA championship.
Chris Paul began the 2010s as one of the consensus best point guards in basketball. Over the next 10 years, he would average over 2.0 SPG and deliver some of the game’s best moments in the decade. Pau led his teams to the playoffs every season aside from 2010 and, although he fell short, played a big part in getting them that far in the first place. Paul would win 2 assist titles, and 4 steals titles in the decade. He finished Top 10 in MVP voting 6 times and finished 3rd in the 2012 season with the Clippers.
2. Russell Westbrook
2009-10 to 2018-19 Accolades: 1x MVP, 8x All-Star, 2x All-Star Game MVP, 8x All-NBA Team Selection
2009-10 to 2018-19 Stats: 23.8 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 8.7 APG, 1.8 SPG, 0.3 BPG
I do not care if you like his playstyle or if you like him as a player, Russell Westbrook was the 2nd-best point guard of the 2010s by a landslide. Westbrook displayed the perfect combination of speed, strength, athleticism, and basketball IQ during the 2010s decade. He became one of the greatest players in Thunder history during the 2010s and also the first player to average a triple-double for an entire season since Oscar Robertson in the 1960s.
For the entirety of the decade, Westbrook stifled defenders with his fast-paced play and ability to finish transition buckets. In 2011, he became an All-Star for the first time and made 7 more teams by the end of the decade. In 2012, Westbrook helped lead the Thunder to the NBA Finals. In 2017, Westbrook became an MVP averaging 31.6 PPG, 10.7 RPG, and 10.4 APG, winning his 2nd scoring title of the decade. Oh yeah, and he would average a triple-double 2 more times with 2 more assists titles before the decade was finished. Russell Westbrook may be the Sixth Man of the Year in 2022-23, but he was an MVP and one of the best point guards of the 2010s as well.
1. Stephen Curry
2009-10 to 2018-19 Accolades: 2x MVP, 6x All-Star, 6x All-NBA Team Selection
2009-10 to 2018-19 Stats: 23.5 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 6.6 APG, 1.7 SPG, 0.2 BPG
Who else were you expecting to be the No. 1 point guard of the 2010s? Stephen Curry began the decade as a struggling point guard with the Warriors; he was effective but nowhere near the place he is today. By the time the decade was over, he would be one of the most influential players in NBA history. Curry changed the game with his incredible display of three-point shooting and unlimited range. He became the game’s greatest shooter whose movement without the ball became legendary, and he is still going.
In 2015, Curry took his game to another level, becoming a league MVP and leading the Warriors to their first NBA championship since 1975. The 2016 season would be a masterpiece, with Curry becoming the first unanimous MVP in NBA history. He won the scoring title and steals title, averaging 30.1 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 6.7 APG, and 2.1 SPG. The Warriors went 73-9 that season but fell in the NBA Finals to the Cavaliers. Curry and the Warriors would go on to win 2 more NBA championships in 3 more appearances from 2017 thru 1019, cementing Curry’s status as the greatest point guard of the decade by a landslide.
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