Ranking the Top 10 NBA Point Guards for the 2025-26 Season

Positions in the NBA have never been more fluid. A player’s role is much easier to define than putting them into a specific position. Point guard is no exception, and while floor generals still exist, many of the NBA’s primary ball handlers don’t fit the traditional lead guard archetype. 

Point guard is easiest to categorize by looking at their role within the offense. There are scoring guards who play the one, of course, but a point guard is generally the player bringing the ball up the court and creating for others.

LeBron James, for instance, has been a point guard at times. Draymond Green, too, has played point guard when Steph Curry has been on the bench. Neither Green nor James feature here, but there’s bound to be some disagreement over who belongs in this group as we rank the ten best point guards heading into the upcoming season.

1. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Given that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander just won regular-season MVP and led the Thunder to the title in a campaign that drew resemblance to Michael Jordan, it might seem harsh that this even needed a second thought.

That speaks to how stacked point guard is at the moment. This list is laden with future Hall of Famers. 

Gilgeous-Alexander is brilliant; he’s a plus defender, a versatile scorer, and showed little sign of being distracted by the bright lights of the playoffs.

2. Luka Dončić

It might not be long before Luka Dončić is at the top of this list. Dončić didn’t quite take the Mavericks to the promised land, and he has frequently been criticized for his conditioning, but everything from this summer suggests he has finally got into proper shape. 

Averaging a 32-point triple-double is very much in play for the Slovenian. The Lakers are his team, and while his usage might not be quite as high as earlier in his career, he’s poised to put up some gaudy numbers if he can stay healthy.

3. Steph Curry

Curry is still going strong. Strong enough, in fact, for the Warriors to ditch their ill-advised ‘two timeline’ plan and bring in Jimmy Butler as Curry’s latest co-star. It didn’t reap the desired rewards, yet it illustrates the faith the Dubs have in Curry as he moves into his late-30s. 

A Second Team All-NBA spot was well-deserved last season. His shooting goes nuclear as often as it did in his peak years, and his energy to not stop moving off-ball doesn’t seem to be disappearing.

4. Cade Cunningham

Seventh in MVP voting and receiving an All-NBA nod last season, Cade Cunningham took a leap. He’s got the potential to take another one in 2025-26.

With his size, vision, rebounding, and scoring, there are elements of a poor man’s Dončić. The passing lends itself to a heliocentric offense, and the addition of shooting unlocked his scoring game. 

5. Jalen Brunson

Picking between Jalen Brunson and Cunningham was hard. Brunson has the longer track record of success, particularly in the playoffs, but Cunningham offers more as a playmaker and rebounder. 

Brunson has been one of the NBA’s greatest developmental tales in recent years. The way he’s brought the Knicks back to relevance forever cements his place in NBA history.

6. James Harden

If the top three are a long way clear of Cunningham and Brunson, the gap between Brunson and sixth place was even greater. Any of the remaining players could have landed in sixth, depending on how track record, shooting, playmaking, and defense were valued.

The playmaking of James Harden got the nod. Harden is a candidate to lead the league in assists every year and remains capable of massive regular-season numbers when his team needs him. 

7. Darius Garland

Overshadowed by Donovan Mitchell and dealing with an injury down the stretch last season, it feels like Darius Garland is too often an afterthought when looking at how the Cavs have turned their fortunes around. 

Garland has the skillset to average 10+ assists. He’s got a very tidy floater game, and can’t be given space beyond the arc, as his 39.3% three-point percentage since his rookie year indicates.

8. Jalen Suggs

Jalen Suggs is a different player-type compared to everyone else in this top 10. An elite defender with a much-improved outside shot, Suggs is far more of an off-ball player, and closer to being a shooting guard. 

Still, he guards opposing point guards and will be playing the one this year with Desmond Bane, Franz Wagner, and Paolo Banchero on the wing. Suggs’ impact as an on-ball defender cannot be underestimated.

9. Trae Young

We couldn’t complain if Trae Young was put sixth. His numbers are always impressive, and after leading the league in assists last season, he seems more willing to give up field goal attempts for the benefit of the team since Quin Snyder took over. 

The turnstile defense is a problem. It remains to be seen if Atlanta can overcome Young’s limitations on that end to be a viable contender, and it feels like he should be held partly responsible for the franchise’s disarray in recent years.

10. Ja Morant

Ja Morant didn’t look like the same player last year. He’s a far cry from the electric, dunk-on-anyone, scared-of-nobody guard we saw several years ago. Off-court problems have been frequent, and his body has struggled to ride out the bumps and strains of an 82-game season.

Memphis seemed to admit as much by trading away Bane. Morant still has box office nights in transition, but he’s at risk of being knocked off this list if he doesn’t bounce back from last season’s disappointment.

Want more Sandman? Come connect with us here at sandmansports.com/onestopshop