Best ‘Young’ Point Guards in the NBA Right Now — Includes Elfrid Payton?

These are confusing times — having watched a majority of Knicks games since 1973, and being a big fan of penetrating, distributing point guards — I feel Elfrid Payton played great ball this year — and in games where he was healthy, played some of the best point guard the Knicks have seen in Years. Like 20 years.

Payton One of Best Knick Point Guards in 20 Years?

That’s not saying much — the Knicks have had 2 good point guards in the last 20 years — Jason Kidd for that one year when he was age 35, and Raymond Felton for that one year with Amar’e Stoudemire, before Felton gained weight in year 2.

Payton at times played Electric basketball — penetrating, orchestrating, passing, scoring, defending, stealing the ball — producing near triple doubles and making the Knicks look like a much better team when he was on the court.

Payton is “Backup Point Guard on Good Team”?

Many Knick fans however — SMASH back: “He’s a backup point guard on a good team” is the cry. We’ll take a look at that question later in this article.

My List of Top ‘Young’ Point Guards to Build With

There are only a few ‘young’ or ‘coming into their own’ (aka 25 to 27-yr old) point guards that I would rate higher than Elfrid Payton if I were building a team to win the next 5 years. So here is my list:

  1. Luka Doncic (not really a point guard but all-time great point forward)
  2. Trae Young (is spectacular at scoring and passing but his Defense is bad and if the refs didn’t have his back, he wouldn’t be nearly as effective.)
  3. Ben Simmons — somehow missed him 1st time we published this article; added him (although he can’t hit the 3 which some feel is mandatory)
  4. De’Aaron Fox
  5. Ja Morant
  6. Lonzo Ball — reminds me of Jason Kidd
  7. Elfrid Payton — offers height (6’3) & Defense that some others here don’t
  8. D’Angelo Russell — not flashy, but effective. Makes a ton of $ though
  9. Malcolm Brogdon — I really haven’t seen enough of Brogdon, but everyone says he’s good.
  10. Jamal Murray — is he really a scoring point guard who distributes?
  11. Collin Sexton — quick but a poor defender
  12. Devonte’ Graham — added to this list after @NickOfComedy pointed out he should be here

Defending that List

So let’s take a look at that list — and how I formed it. First let’s take a look at Elfrid Payton.

Coronavirus caused a 60 game season, and Payton missed most of November and December with the hamstring injury — but in the 36 games he started, he was terrific. A terrific starting point guard.

Trivia question posted on MSG during a game in February, 2020.

Payton Excels at 5 of 7 Point Guard Categories

Point guards are supposed to:

  1. orchestrate,
  2. penetrate,
  3. pass,
  4. hit the floater,
  5. hit free throws,
  6. hit the 3, and
  7. play great Defense.

Payton does 5 of those 7 things at an elite level.

Payton’s weaknesses: his 3-pt shooting (.203) was terrible, and his free throw shooting (.570) was horrible. The 3-pt shooting is something he has to work on. He shot .743 from the free throw line last year so hopefully his .570 was a one-year event.

What About Ntilikina

Which of course brings up the question — What about Frank Ntilikina? I didn’t include Ntilikina on my list because I haven’t viewed him as a starting point guard through his first 3 years in the NBA. Only late in the 2019-20 campaign did he FINALLY start penetrating, and orchestrating, and taking command. He spent the majority of his first 2.5 years in the NBA coming up the court, handing the ball to the shooting guard, and standing off to the side.

But he is only 21 years old still, and what he was doing late in the season — starting to penetrate when he saw an opening, and orchestrating — gives hope for the future. He’s a player that the Knicks should not trade. He looks not quick enough to ever be a point guard who can create his own openings — but he looks like he could become a ‘heady’ point guard.

Best Current Point Guards in NBA

Let’s get back to the question — if Payton is really a “backup point guard on a good team”. Who are these 10 or so other point guards that Payton would be backup to? Here is a list of top current point guards in the NBA — from Bleacher Report on Oct 14, 2019:

  1. Stephen Curry
  2. Damian Lillard
  3. Kyrie Irving — coming off injury; destroyed last two clubhouses he was with
  4. Russell Westbrook — will be 32 years old in 2020-21
  5. Ben Simmons
  6. Kemba Walker
  7. De’Aaron Fox
  8. Chris Paul — will be 35 years old in 2020-21
  9. Mike Conley — will be 33 years old in 2020-21
  10. Kyle Lowry — will be 34 years old in 2020-21
  11. Jamal Murray — is Murray a pure point? Or is he a scoring guard who can pass?
  12. Trae Young — phenomenal scorer & passer, but very small & a liability on Defense
  13. Malcolm Brogdon
  14. Eric Bledsoe  — is Bledsoe a pure point? Or is he a scoring guard who can pass?
  15. Lou Williams — will be 34 years old in 2020-21

According to NBA.com on Dec 9, 2019:

  1. Luka Doncic — not a point guard; a point forward (and all-time great caliber player)
  2. Trae Young — phenomenal scorer & passer, but very small & a liability on Defense
  3. Damian Lillard
  4. Spencer Dinwiddie — not a point guard; a scoring guard
  5. Kemba Walker
  6. Ben Simmons
  7. Russell Westbrook — will be 32 years old in 2020-21
  8. Jamal Murray — is Murray a pure point? Or is he a scoring guard who can pass?
  9. Ja Morant
  10. Chris Paul — will be 35 years old in 2020-21
  11. Malcolm Brogdon

 Can Elfrid Payton Crack that List?

I’d rather have Payton than any point guard above who is age 32 or older — point guards are typically at the back end of their bell curve at that age. The Knicks aren’t looking to ‘win now’ — you want a point guard who can lead this team for the next 5 years. And I’d rather have Payton than anyone above who is not a ‘pure’ point guard.

Elfrid Payton just turned 26 years old towards the end of the 2019-20 season. He is at the age when many NBA elite point guards come into their own — see Kyle Lowry. Elfrid Payton was a lottery pick (#10 in the 2014 draft), and highly regarded by Knicks GM Scott Perry.

Best Young Point Guards in NBA

From NBA 2k20:

  1. De’Aaron Fox
  2. Trae Young
  3. Jamal Murray
  4. Fred VanVleet
  5. Ja Morant
  6. Lonzo Ball

So there are those same names again — except now introducing Fred VanVleet and Lonzo Ball. Knick fans are ecstatic about VanVleet who is a free agent this summer. But he’ll be expensive. And is he that good or does he look good in the Toronto system?

Lonzo Ball looked better and better last year.

Ja Morant is terrific — but ps, Elfrid Payton played Morant evenly in two head-to-head matchups in the 2nd half of the season.

List of All Starting NBA Point Guards

And what about D’Angelo Russell — not on any list above? Who is missing? Let’s take a look at the starting point guard for every NBA team:

  1. Toronto: Kyle Lowry (6’0, age 33, 19.7 ppg, 7.7 apg, 41%, 35% from 3, .861 ft%)
  2. Boston: Kemba Walker (6’0, age 29, 21.2 7.7, 42%, 37% from 3, .867 ft%)
  3. Philly: Ben Simmons (6’10, age 23, 16.7, 8.2, 58%, 33% from 3, .627 ft%)
  4. Brooklyn: Kyrie Irving (6’2, age 27, 27.4, 6.4, 48%, 39% from 3, .922 ft%)
  5. NY: Elfrid Payton (6’10, age 23, 15.4, 8.2, 58%, 33% from 3, .627 ft%)
  6. Milwaukee: Eric Bledsoe (6’1, age 30, 15.4, 5.4, 48%, 34% from 3, .813 ft%)
  7. Indiana: Malcolm Brogdon (6’5, age 27, 16.3, 7.1, 44%, 31% from 3, .895 ft%)
  8. Chicago: Tomas Satoransky (6’7, age 28, 9.9, 5.4, 43%, 32% from 3, .876 ft%)
  9. Detroit: Derrick Rose (6’2, age 31, 18.1, 5.6, 49%, 31% from 3, .871 ft%)
  10. Cleveland: Collin Sexton (6’1, age 21, 20.8, 3.0, 47%, 38% from 3, .846 ft%)
  11. Miami: Goran Dragic (6’3, age 33, 16.1, 5.1, 44%, 38% from 3, .769 ft%)
  12. Orlando: Markelle Fultz (6’3, age 21, 12.1, 5.2, 47%, 25% from 3, .723 ft%)
  13. Washington: John Wall (6’4, age 29, 20.7, 8.7, 44%, 30% from 3, .697 ft%), Shabazz Napier (6’0, age 28, 10.3, 5.0, 41%, 32% from 3, .823 ft%)
  14. Charlotte: Terry Rozier (6’1, age 25, 18.0, 4.1, 42%, 40% from 3, .874 ft%), Devonte’ Graham 6’1, age 24, 18.2, 7.5, 38%, 37% from 3, .820)
  15. Atlanta: Trae Young (6’1, age 21, 29.6, 9.3, 44%, 36% from 3, .860 ft%)
  16. Denver: Jamal Murray (6’4, age 22, 13.8, 4.8, 45%, 35% from 3, .893 ft%)
  17. Utah: Mike Conley (6’1, age 32, 13.8, 4.3, 40%, 38% from 3, .795 ft%)
  18. Oklahoma: Chris Paul (6’1, age 34, 17.7, 6.8, 48%, 36% from 3, .900 ft%), Dennis Schroder (6’1, age 26, 19.0, 4.1, 47%, 38% from 3, .839 ft%)
  19. Portland: Damian Lillard (6’2, age 29, 28.9, 7.8, 46%, 39% from 3, .888 ft%)
  20. Minnesota: D’Angelo Russell (6’4, age 23, 23.1, 8.2, 43%, 37% from 3, .809 ft%)
  21. LA Lakers: Avery Bradley (6’3, age 29, 8.6, 1.3, 44%, 36% from 3, .833 ft%)
  22.  LA Clippers: Patrick Beverly (6’1, age 31, 7.9, 3.7, 43%, 38% from 3, .659 ft%), Reggie Jackson (6’3, age 29, 12.8, 4.4, 41%, 40% from 3, .814 ft%)
  23. Sacramento: De’Aaron Fox (6’3, age 22, 20.4, 6.8, 48%, 31% from 3, .703 ft%)
  24. Golden State: Stephen Curry (6’3, age 31, 27.3, 5.2, 47%, 44% from 3, .916 ft%)
  25. Phoenix: Ricky Rubio (6’3, age 29, 13.1, 8.9, 41%, 35% from 3, .853 ft%)
  26. Houston: Russell Westbrook (6’3, age 31, 27.5, 7.0, 47%, 25% from 3, .777 ft%)
  27. Dallas: Luka Doncic (6’7, age 20, 28.7, 8.7, 46%, 32% from 3, .752 ft%)
  28. Memphis: Ja Morant (6’3, age 20, 17.6, 6.9, 49%, 37% from 3, .770 ft%)
  29. New Orleans: Lonzo Ball (6’6, age 22, 12.4, 7.0, 41%, 38% from 3, .567 ft%), Jrue Holiday (6’3, age 29, 19.6, 6.9, 45%, 36% from 3, .700 ft%)
  30. San Antonio: Derrick White (6’4, age 25, 10.4, 3.4, 46%, 36% from 3, .857 ft%)

That’s the total current field, sans some good ‘back up’ point guards. like Devonte Graham of Charlotte, Fred VanVleet, Aaron Holiday of Indiana (6’0 tall), Jeff Teague, Ish Smith of Washington, and D.J. Augustin of Orlando.

The Wrap

The Knicks are a very young team who are poised to build a winning culture in the near term. Elfrid Payton is 26 years old and coming into his own as one of the top 10 young point guards in the NBA.

  • He can do 5 of the 7 things you want from your point guard, at a stellar level — especially the orchestration, penetration, passing, scoring and DEFENSE — quick feet, stays in front of his man, and picks up lots of steals.

In my opinion Payton is a starting NBA point guard on any team — good or bad. You can plug Payton in as a starter for the Los Angeles Clippers or the Lakers or the Houston Rockets or the Milwaukee Bucks or most good NBA teams.

The Knicks would be hard pressed to find a better ‘starting point guard’ in the NBA today. Payton makes $8 million for next year; I hope the Knicks keep him.

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