Now that the 2022-23 NBA regular season is a wrap, it’s time for us at Complex to sit back, reflect, recap the year that was, and do what we always do: write up a ranking list that’ll have you cussing at your computer screen. We’ve already been doing this for the best teams, week in and week out, so it’s only fitting to list the top position players for the league’s 77th season. Today, we focus on the guards of The Association. Many names and stats had to be sifted through, like De’Aaron Fox and his league-leading 194 clutch points, which earned him the inaugural Clutch Player of the Year Award. Or Jalen Brunson’s 24-point season average being the most for a point guard in New York Knicks history. Or how James Harden’s 21 dimes against the Los Angeles Clippers propelled him to the assists per game title and tied a Philadelphia 76ers’ record.
You know, stuff like that.
None of them made this list, by the way. That’s how hard narrowing this to five was. Honorable mentions go to Devin Booker, who averaged 27.8 points on 49.4 percent shooting (both career highs), but injuries resulted in the least played games in his eight-year career (53). Trae Young was second in assists but had the worst percentage from the field (42.9) since his rookie campaign and led the league in turnovers. And if Ja Morant weren’t channeling his inner NBA YoungBoy in a nudie bar and being such a distraction off the court, he probably would’ve cracked this list.
But these star players did.