In the first entry of this five-part miniseries, Rip City Project breaks down the top ten point guards in the NBA heading into the 2019-20 season.

In a league with talent at point guard deeper than any other position, breaking out as a genuine difference maker as a floor general can seem an impossible task. Fortunately, the Portland Trail Blazers aren’t a team hurting for point guard production.

In fact, most teams in the NBA have a high-end point guard on the roster or at the very least a promising prospect with the potential to become a star one day. For that reason, cracking the consensus top ten ranking as a point guard is a bigger accomplishment than it may first seem.

As for our ranking, we will attempting to effectively estimate which point guards will be among the best during the 2019-20 NBA season. We will be taking into account several factors including:

Standard and advanced statistics, including ESPN’s Real Plus-Minus Expected development in younger players Underlying circumstances with current team

Per ESPN, Real Plus-Minus is a statistic that analyzes a, “Player’s estimated on-court impact on team performance, measured in net point differential per 100 offensive and defensive possessions. RPM takes into account teammates, opponents and additional factors.”

Before we get into the top ten however, it’s worth taking a moment to recognize some very talented but not entirely proven guards making big strides in the league today.

Honorable Mentions: Jamal Murray, De’Aaron Fox, Trae Young

While each of these players are borderline stars in the league and good enough even to be the second best player on a championship contending team, another year under their belts is necessary to accurately judge this group. This just goes to show you that point guard is by far the deepest position in the league. There’s no shortage of talent here.

Without further ado, let’s roll right into the top ten.