Sixers: Ranking Tyrese Maxey and every starting point guard in the NBA
With the 2021-22 season approaching its midpoint, the NBA landscape is starting to take shape. The contenders look like contenders, and the pretenders aren’t terribly hard to point out. We have new All-Stars on the scene, old flames going cold, and every storyline in between. Despite the inherent weirdness brought on by the pandemic, we have been treated to an entertaining season of basketball, if not a very consistent one.
That being said, it’s time to revisit our position rankings for every starter league-wide. Rather than investigate Ben Simmons’ standing among the NBA’s point guards, however, we will take a look at Tyrese Maxey, who is all but officially the starting point guard of the future for the Sixers.
With that in mind, let’s get underway.
Detroit Pistons. Killian Hayes. 30. player. 64. . PG
Ranking NBA starting point guards — 30. Killian Hayes, Pistons
The Pistons have several intriguing young players on the roster. There have been sizable bumps in the road, but the flashes — as a playmaker and a defender — are more than enough to sustain optimism around the former No. 7 pick. Hayes is far from a consistently successful starter, but he’s not a total bust yet.
27. . PG. New York Knicks. Alec Burks. 29. player
Ranking NBA starting point guards — 29. Alec Burks, Knicks
You could just as easily slide Kemba Walker into this slot (or maybe it’ll end up being Immanuel Quickley), but Alec Burks has started the most games of any Knicks “point guard” and, prior to his recent knee injury, Walker’s production was starting to tail off. Burks is a sufficient rotation guard and a genuinely electric on-ball scorer from time to time. But he’s not really the ideal starting point guard, and New York’s lack of a formidable backcourt is its biggest weakness by far.
Houston Rockets. Kevin Porter Jr.. 28. player. 169. . PG
Ranking NBA starting point guards — 28. Kevin Porter Jr., Rockets
Kevin Porter Jr. has documented issues with his temperament in the locker room, and Houston’s rebuild is just getting started. There is reason for concern. That said, there are nights where Porter looks like a lottery pick, and those nights are enough to sustain his mythic status in the Rockets fanbase. He dropped 50 at one point last season, and his silk-smooth handles provide the foundation for a dangerous isolation scorer. He has the tools to be really good. It’s a matter of if, not can.