In the last four seasons, a center has won the NBA Most Valuable Player honor, with Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic winning thrice and Philadelphia 76ers’ Joel Embiid winning in 2023. Over 40% of the all-time MVP honors are clinched by the NBA centers, while former Oklahoma City Thunder star Russell Westbrook was the last point guard to become the MVP in the 2016-17 season.
Earvin “Magic” Johnson has the most NBA MVP honors among the point guards, with three awards in 1987, 1989, and 1990. Former Phoenix Suns star Steve Nash follows the Los Angeles Lakers legend with two MVP awards in 2005 and 2006. Stephen Curry (2), the four-time NBA champion with the Golden State Warriors, is the active point guard with the most MVP honors.
Apart from Johnson, Nash, Curry, and Westbrook, Bob Cousy, Oscar Robertson, and Derrick Rose are the only point guards to be named the NBA MVP. In the 2023-24 season, many point guards were impressive with their high-scoring or playmaking skills. Here are the top 5 NBA point guards who can become an MVP contender in the upcoming season.
Stephen Curry
In the 2014-15 season, Curry won his first NBA MVP award, and the Golden State Warriors won their first NBA title in 40 years. The Warriors dominated the NBA next season to register the best single-season NBA record. They went 73-9 in the regular season, and Curry won his second consecutive MVP honor.
However, the 10-time NBA All-Star failed to win the MVP award despite leading the Warriors to their seventh title in 2022. In the NBA Finals, Curry’s Warriors defeated the Boston Celtics, and the 36-year-old guard was named the Finals MVP for the first time in his career. In the 2023-24 season, Steph Curry averaged 26.4 points on 47.3% FG, 4.5 rebounds, and 5.1 assists in 74 games.
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Without Klay Thompson, the Warriors will rely on Stephen Curry to keep them a championship-winning contender. After missing the playoffs last season, the Dubs hope to regain their title contender status in the 2024-25 season.
Luka Doncic
Dallas Mavericks star guard Luka Doncic has been an impressive scorer in the NBA. His playmaking and basketball IQ have impressed many experts and fans. The 25-year-old Doncic was picked third overall by the Atlanta Hawks in the 2018 NBA Draft and traded to the Dallas Mavericks.
However, Luka is yet to win a championship, leading the Mavericks to four playoffs with an NBA Finals exit last season. Doncic has played six seasons in the NBA and is currently the highest-scoring active player in a single game with 73 points. Last season, the 6’7” Slovenian guard recorded a career-high average of points, assists, steals, and field goal percentage.
He averaged 33.9 points per game on 48.7% shooting from the field, winning the scoring champion award. In addition to his high scoring, Doncic made 9.2 rebounds, 9.8 assists (career high), and 1.4 steals (joint career high) per game.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
One of the biggest debates from the last season involved Oklahoma City Thunder star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic won his third NBA MVP award last season, which left many fans furious as they wanted the Thunder guard to win the honor.
In the NBA 2023-24 season, Gilgeous-Alexander ranked second with 2,254 points and tied for second with a career-best two steals per game. Shai averaged 30.1 points (third in the league) on 53.5% shooting from the field, 5.5 rebounds, and 6.2 assists in 75 games.
Shai helped the Thunder finish at the top of the Western Conference standings last season with a 57-25 record and become the third-leading team in the NBA in average points per game. Despite his tremendous performance, Oklahoma City suffered a disappointing semifinal exit against the Mavericks, and Shai even missed the Paris Olympics 2024 selection.
Kyrie Irving
The 2016 NBA champion Kyrie Irving has significantly impacted the Dallas Mavericks in his first full season. Last season, he played 58 games, his most appearances in a regular season since the 2018-19 season with the Boston Celtics. Kyrie averaged 25.6 points on 49.7% shooting, five rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game.
His decent performance in the 2023-24 season helped the Mavericks finish fifth in the Western Conference standings with a 50-32 record. With a 12-5 run in the playoffs, the Mavs reached the 2024 NBA Finals, where they suffered a 4-1 defeat against the Boston Celtics. With the addition of Klay Thompson, Dallas will look to win their first championship since the 2010-11 season.
Tyrese Haliburton
Tyrese Haliburton, the Sacramento Kings’ 12th overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, joined the Indiana Pacers in 2022. In his second season at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Haliburton led the Pacers to their first playoff series win in a decade. Indiana defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 4-2, followed by their 4-3 win against the New York Knicks in the Eastern Semifinals.
Although the Boston Celtics swept the Pacers in four games in the Conference Finals, Haliburton’s spectacular run garnered attention. He averaged 20.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, a career-high and league-best 10.9 assists, and 1.2 steals per game. He even helped the Pacers reach the inaugural In-Season Tournament final, which they lost against LeBron James’ Los Angeles Lakers.
Apart from them, Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns, Sacramento Kings guard De’Aaron Fox, Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young, and Philadelphia 76ers’ Tyrese Maxey are the other point guards who could be a serious threat to their opposition in the NBA 2024-25 season. The 79th NBA season will begin on October 22 with a game between the Boston Celtics and the New York Knicks at the TD Garden.
