While a gang of NBA fans have shifted their belief of sharp-shooting Stephen Curry or bully Russell Westbrook as the ‘new’ best point guard in the association, developers of EA’s latest basketball video game in NBA Live 16 still hold true to the idea that Clippers point guard Chris Paul remains atop his peers in the as they’ve rewarded the 8-time All-Star with the highest rating for his position (via Steve Noah, owner of Operation Sports).
Top 6 PG’s in NBA Live 16 - CP3 (95) Westbrook (94) Curry (94) Kyrie (90) Wall (90) Lillard (90)
— Steve Noah (@Steve_OS) September 8, 2015
Here is a snapshot of Paul in NBA Live ’16 rocking the Clippers’ newest jersey as well as what the game makers had to say about CP3.
"Lob City is led by one of the best playmakers in the NBA and his ratings show it. CP3 has the top passer rating in the game, coming in with a 96 Pass Accuracy and 94 Court Vision. His handles? Ridiculous, with a 92 Dribble. Don’t forget about his deadly long-range ability: It’s a 93."
The debate on who the best point guard in the NBA will never be one to cease as the top three candidates all have the resume and on-court production to make a claim for the spot. My belief? The top spot is owed to either Curry or Paul, as Curry’s past season is one of the best we’ve seen from a point guard since … Paul’s MVP-worthy season back in 2008-09, when the then-New Orleans Hornet averaged 22.8 points on 50% shooting, 11.0 assists, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.8 steals while posting a PER of 30.0 (the highest PER ever by a point guard) For Westbrook, my reason for not including him the ‘should be top point guard’ debate is because of his floor and how much his style of play won’t mesh with Kevin Durant; its all semantics as those three as the clear three best points in the league. Coming into video game season, I believed Paul would be ranked second behind Curry who’s fresh off a season where he was crowned MVP and NBA champion — maybe the folks over at 2K Sports will do so.
For the rest of the top-6 point guard rankings, I agree with John Wall being fourth and Kyrie Irving being fifth (Curry-CP3-Russ-Wall-Kyrie, in whatever order you choose to place them, are my top-5), but not with Damian Lillard‘s placement. Since his rookie season, I’ve long believed Lillard to be an overrated player, with more of an emphasis on the perception about his abilities rather than the abilities themselves, and with his inability to defend at a level above terrible, docks him big. Instead of Lillard, someone like Memphis’ Mike Conley, Miami’s Goran Dragic, or Toronto’s Kyle Lowry could’ve been given the 6th spot instead.
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With Paul ranked at a 95, it’ll be interesting to 1) see who’s rated above him and 2) see where Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan are ranked. In regards to those above him, my guess would be the consensus top-3 players in basketball in LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Anthony Davis; due to Durant’s recent injury complications, it wouldn’t shock me if Davis enters as the no.2 player behind LBJ. With Griffin and DJ, I expect Blake to have a 90s rating after strong postseason outing (25.5 points, 12.7 rebounds, 6.1 assists in 14 games); and DJ, I expect him to be overrated, which isn’t a bad thing but yeah.
I didn’t enjoy NBA Live 15 much but with improve graphics and gameplay I’ll surely give ’16 a go when it releases on September 29.