- Stephen Curry, Luka Doncic, and Damian Lillard are the three best point guards in the NBA right now
- Stephen Curry is the only point guard of these three to lead their team to the NBA playoffs in 2022-23
- Luka Doncic and Damian Lillard each averaged over 30.0 points per game in 2022-23
Over the last few months, we have introduced a formula to you that has helped us decide some of the greatest debates within NBA circles. We used it to determine who the greatest player in NBA history is, to determine the best player at every position from point guard to center in NBA history, and most recently, to determine who the GOAT of the Portland Trail Blazers franchise is. Now, we decided to use this same formula to settle one of the great debates in today’s game. Who is the best point guard in the NBA right now?
The debate rages on between three of the greatest point guards in the NBA today. Stephen Curry, the game’s greatest shooter and a four-time NBA champion, Luka Doncic, one of the best all-around talents to ever grace the court, and Damian Lillard, the NBA’s biggest offseason trade piece, headed to Milwaukee in this summer’s biggest blockbuster. Today’s comparison will come with a little twist as well.Â
Instead of taking a look at the entirety of their careers, we wish to focus on their games as they stand heading into 2023-24. Instead of stats and accolades, we will be using several different attributes to settle this debate. Everything that matters on the court will be debated and a single winner will be determined in the end. Just like before, we will do this using our points system to come up with a total score in the end to declare a winner.
Now, it is time to get one with the comparison and make a decision on who is the best point guard in the NBA right now.
Scoring
1. Luka Doncic – 3 Points
2. Stephen Curry – 2 Points
3. Damian Lillard – 1 Point
When it comes to scoring, all three of these point guards are among the elite not only at their position but in the NBA overall. In 2022-23, Luka Doncic finished second in the NBA in scoring with 32.4 points per game on 49.6% shooting overall and 34.2% from three. While his overall shooting percentage was a new career-high, his three-point shooting percentage dipped to the lowest it has been since 2020. Still, Luka dominated from the mid-range and got to the rim at will using his size and skill to get around defenders with ease, making him the better all-around scorer of the three.
With that being said, this category is extremely close considering how deadly Stephen Curry and Damian Lillard have been from beyond the arc. In 2022-23, Stephen Curry averaged 29.4 points per game on 49.3% shooting overall and 42.7% shooting from beyond the arc. While his 29.4 points per game is third among these players, his range and the attention he draws as an offensive player make him the second-best scorer on this list. His movement without the ball and the creative ways he finds to get to the rim are also factors in this decision.
This leads us to Damian Lillard finishing out this category and receiving one point. Yes, Lillard averaged a career-high 32.2 points per game in 2022-23. He was also the least efficient in doing so, shooting just 46.3% from the field while taking over 20.0 attempts per game for the first time in his career. Honestly, when it comes to scoring, just roll the dice with these three. They are hands down the best at their position, but we feel this order is the correct one for the present day.
Shooting
1. Stephen Curry – 3 Points
2. Damian Lillard – 2 Points
3. Luka Doncic – 1 Point
Luka Doncic going up against the two greatest point guards to ever shoot the basketball sets him up for failure in this category. As long as Stephen Curry is an active NBA player on the court, he will win this category with ease whether it is by position or not. Curry is the greatest shooter that has ever lived and it has been that way for years now. In 2022-23, Curry attempted 11.4 threes per game and knocked down 42.7% of them in 56 games played. Efficiency, volume, and range give Curry this category and three points handily.
Damian Lillard is the second-greatest point guard shooter in NBA history and the gap between him and Curry only continues to widen. That is just how astonishing Curry has continued to be over the years. Lillard has been magnificent as well with a career 37.2% field goal percentage from three. In 2022-23, Lillard averaged 32.2 points per game while attempting 11.3 threes per game and knocking them down at 37.1%. His elite stretch of play before the All-Star break was highlighted by his lights-out work from beyond the arc which landed him two points in this category.
Of course, Luka Doncic brings up the rear on this front as the worst shooter out of the three. Although he is not shy with his attempts, shooting 8.2 per game in 2022-23, Doncic shoots less than 34.0% from three for his career which just doesn’t measure up against Curry and Lillard. Doncic has never been a 40.0% shooter from three and in 2022-23, he shot just 34.2% from downtown.
Athleticism
1. Stephen Curry – 3 Points
2. Damian Lillard – 2 Points
3. Luka Doncic – 1 Point
Athleticism and these three point guards do not exactly go hand-in-hand. I have to give this category to Stephen Curry simply for all of the work he does on the court without the ball in his hands. As he operates in constant motion, it has been estimated that Curry runs at least seven miles on a consistent basis per game played. If that isn’t a true testament to his athleticism, then I don’t know what is.
When it comes to Damian Lillard and Luka Doncic, they do hold one thing over Curry in this category. They are both capable of coming down the lane and throwing it down for a dunk on any possession. However, those are rare occurrences and not something that happens on a regular basis. Doncic is widely known for his lack of athleticism and is arguably one of the best least athletic players ever. Lillard’s off-ball movement is far less than that of Curry’s prompting the order you see above.
Defense
1. Luka Doncic – 3 Points
2. Stephen Curry – 2 Points
3. Damian Lillard – 1 Point
Just as was the case with athleticism, defense and the NBA’s best point guards in 2023 are not normally in the same conversation. Of these three, I tend to go with the larger player who is adept at being the better rebounder and able to use his weight to prevent players from gaining position on him within the three-point line. Luka Doncic is easily the best rebounder of these three players and the largest one as well, which gives him the edge in this category by a slim margin.
The even greater debate was about who was going to come in second. Both Curry and Lillard are net negatives on defense and are hardly known as defensive stoppers at any point in their careers. In order to make this decision, I decided to go with Curry over Lillard for his faster lateral movement on that side of the ball as well as the fact he is the only one among any of these three players to ever win a steals title or average 2.0 steals per game in a single season.
It’s safe to say that among point guards, I am not looking to any of these three for a critical stop late in close games.
Handles
1. Stephen Curry – 3 Points
2. Luka Doncic – 2 Points
3. Damian Lillard – 1 Point
Unlike the last two categories, ball-handling is a category that all three of these players excel at. More than the other two, Stephen Curry is a wizard with the ball in his hands almost as much as he is without it. There have been countless times when Curry worked himself out of double or even triple-teams with his control and creativity with the ball. The quick release of his shot from anywhere makes him all that more dangerous with his handles as well.
Luka Doncic gets the second-place spot here for handles despite the slow pace in which he picks apart defenses. Doncic is so methodical with the ball that opponents know what he is about to do and still cannot stop or slow him down. Whether it be his movement with a purpose heading toward the paint or his ability to control the game out of the pick-and-roll, I would take Luka Doncic’s handles in a close decision over Lillard.
This isn’t to say that Lillard isn’t an incredible ball-handler because he absolutely is. I see far more movement from Lillard laterally with his handles than I do with the purpose of attacking the rim. For that reason, he falls just slightly behind Doncic and gains just one point for this category.
Clutch
1. Damian Lillard – 3 Points
2. Luka Doncic – 2 Points
3. Stephen Curry – 1 Point
The NBA defines clutch scoring as what a player does within the last five minutes of a game that happens to be within five points. Of these three players, I have not seen anyone take over games late the way Damian Lillard does. I may be living slightly in the past here but Damian Lillard has some of the most iconic buzzer-beating shots in NBA playoff history. From his series-winning shot against Houston in 2014 or his 37-footer against Oklahoma City in 2019, Lillard has delivered in his fair share of big moments. Since entering the NBA in 2012, he has 25 game-tying or game-winning shots on record which is more than any other player in the NBA.
I know what you must be thinking. How can a four-time NBA champion be considered less clutch than two players who have never won one? In shots to take the lead during the NBA playoffs in games under 50 seconds, Curry shoots an abysmal 0-12 in his career. He is also 12-41 (29.3%) from three in the time that the NBA defines as clutch during the NBA playoffs. Those numbers cannot allow a player to be considered more clutch than players who take over games the way Lillard and Doncic do when they matter most.
As for Doncic, his lack of time in the NBA definitely hurt his case here but one does not earn the name Luka Magic out of nowhere. On numerous occasions over the last five seasons, Doncic has delivered as both a scorer and playmaker in clutch time during the regular season and playoffs when it matters most. As angering as this may be for some to hear, he is slightly more clutch than Curry right now in the present moment.
Leadership
1. Stephen Curry – 3 Points
2. Damian Lillard – 2 Points
3. Luka Doncic – 1 Point
I have always been confused about the exact science behind measuring leadership from players when we have little to no clue what goes on in a locker room. As far as gauging it between these three, I have to go with the player who led his team to four NBA championships in eight seasons as the clear winner of the category. Leadership can clearly be measured by results and how valuable one is to their franchise. I would say above the other two, Curry is the clear-cut choice for three points in this category.
When it comes to the other two, I would have to say that leadership isn’t exactly their strong suit. I give the slight edge to Lillard once again for his loyalty to the Portland Trail Blazers for 11 seasons and his guidance in helping the team develop their new players along the way. As for Doncic, there is a lot of maturity that needs to come to light if he is going to be considered a true leader someday. Sure, Lillard requested out after 11 seasons of giving his all to a team that rarely had his back aside from financial commitment. That is what I would call leading by example in its purest form.
Basketball IQ
1. Luka Doncic – 3 Points
2. Stephen Curry – 2 Points
3. Damian Lillard – 1 Point
Another tough trait to understand and measure statically is basketball IQ. If any player has demonstrated a high basketball IQ from all facets of the game in the current day and age, it is Luka Doncic. As a matter of fact, I would say Doncic’s IQ is 80 percent of his game at the moment as a scorer, playmaker, and passer. He knows the exact moments he needs to push the pace, slow it down, attack the rim, create his own shot, or create for his teammates. Saying Doncic has a higher IQ than the likes of Stephen Curry is not an easy conclusion to come to, though.
That is because Curry has mastered a system that has made him a four-time NBA champion, two-time MVP, and a Finals MVP. Particularly, his off-ball movement is the perfect display of his IQ on the court. He understands the spots he needs to be in for his teammates to find him and knows when and where to use his screens to his advantage. His understanding of the game on a team level is nearly unmatched and a big reason why he and the Warriors have been so successful over the last decade.
Does Damian Lillard’s ranking at third in this category make him a dumb basketball player? Absolutely not. Lillard is far from it but his lack of involvement in his teammates, or trust if you wish to put it that way is what makes him last on this list. He is still a highly intelligent basketball player and can tear apart defenses with the best of them. Compared to Doncic and Curry, however, it doesn’t even compare.
Impact
1. Stephen Curry – 3 Points
2. Luka Doncic – 2 Points
3. Damian Lillard – 1 Point
Impact is not only one of the more measurable categories on our list, but it is also one of the most important. When it comes to impact, Stephen Curry takes this category with ease. Nothing is more evident of this than the 2020 and 2022 seasons. In an injury-riddled season for Curry in 2020, the Warriors ended up as one of the worst teams in the NBA and missed the NBA playoffs. Two seasons later, they were NBA champions with Curry leading the way. The Warriors’ offense is simply nothing without Curry and they are the furthest thing from championship contenders. On the contrary, they always have a chance when he is healthy.
The Dallas Mavericks’ supporting cast around Luka Doncic has been historically bad over the last four seasons. Within that time, Luka Doncic has led them to three playoff appearances, including a berth in the Western Conference Finals. Without him, the Mavericks have the worst offensive and defensive rating in the entire NBA. Their overall record during that time with Luka is 32 games over .500. Without him, they are nine games under .500.
With Damian Lillard, it is hard to judge the impact he has had on the Portland Trail Blazers. We have seen Lillard perform with a decent supporting cast and lead his team to Conference Finals appearances. We have also seen him have career seasons and Portland finish with a lottery pick in the NBA Draft. I am not saying Lillard doesn’t have a positive impact because he does. Once again, it does not measure up to that of Curry and Doncic.
Efficiency
1. Stephen Curry – 3 Points
2. Luka Doncic – 2 Points
3. Damian Lillard – 1 Point
Efficiency is another category that goes to Stephen Curry with relative ease. Although his career PER is a touch lower than Luka Doncic at 23.8, he is the only consistent 50/40/90 shooting threat among these three players. Curry’s volume and efficiency as a three-point shooter is something the likes of which we have never seen and are likely to not see again in our lifetime. I cannot simply go off PER when an offensive threat like Stephen Curry exists.
The race for second place in this category is much closer than either of these other players challenging for Curry’s top spot. Sure, Damian Lillard is an amazing shooter but his efficiency does not come close to Curry’s in that regard. Doncic is a worse shooter than either one of these players but his game within the three-point line as a scorer and playmaker is second to none.
At this point, I had to turn to old reliable and the PER stat which Luka Doncic leads over Damian Lillard 25.8 to 22.5. Doncic has already had two seasons in his career in which his PER reached levels of over 27.0. Lillard does not even have one season of such a rating in his 11-year career. In this case between two great players, Doncic takes home the edge and two points over Damian Lillard.
Stephen Curry Is The Best Point Guard In The NBA Right Now
1. Stephen Curry – 25 Points (6 Categories Won)
2. Luka Doncic – 20 Points (3 Categories Won)
3. Damian Lillard – 15 Points (1 Category Won)
With the formula we have introduced here today, it is still clear that Stephen Curry is the best point guard in the NBA right now just as we said in our point guard rankings for the 2023-24 season. Curry is second to none with his six categories won, especially when it comes to his shooting, efficiency, leadership, and impact. Curry is not yet ready to give up his crown as the NBA’s best point guard just yet and we wouldn’t expect anything else from the second-greatest point guard in NBA history.
As for the race between Luka Doncic and Damian Lillard, this cements what most of us have been thinking for the last two seasons at least. Not only has Doncic surpassed Lillard at this current moment, but he is also closing the gap between him and Curry slowly but surely. Doncic’s scoring and defensive ability between these three players are superior qualities while he has some work to do on the efficiency and leadership fronts. Meanwhile, this conversation could completely change if Lillard wins a championship in 2023-24 in his first season with the Milwaukee Bucks. Regardless, I do not see this debate ending anytime soon as we continue on with one of the greatest eras for point guards in NBA history.
