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Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball. Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

Ranking LaMelo Ball among NBA point guards entering 2025-26

Originally posted on Charlotte Hornets on SI
By Colin Keane | Last updated Sep 20, 2025 12:30 PM ET

Charlotte Hornets point guard LaMelo Ball is a polarizing player among fans and analysts. Melo’s offensive talent is undeniable, and he’s one of the best first-round picks Charlotte has made in the last decade.

Even so, most people want to see more from LaMelo, especially defensively, and everyone seems to disagree about his ceiling.

One way to evaluate LaMelo is to compare him to his peers. The NBA is full of elite point guards, and while Melo has the potential to break into the top-10 tier of that group, his troublesome durability has prevented it.

That being said, LaMelo has shown enough in his career thus far to deserve a very respectable ranking among other NBA point guards. Below is a tentative list of the best PGs in the league, ending with Melo.

But first, a disclaimer or two. For this list, we’re excluding guys who are currently out with injuries requiring a long-term recovery: Kyrie Irving, Tyrese Haliburton, Damian Lillard, and Dejounte Murray.

It’s also worth noting that classifying the point guard position can sometimes be a slippery slope in the modern NBA.

Donovan Mitchell would obviously appear high on this list if classified as a point guard (which he can be classified as), but he’s classified here as a shooting guard, especially as he’s currently playing alongside Darius Garland on the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Since the purpose of this list is to acknowledge where LaMelo stands among other point guards, not a ton of details or notes are included for all of the other guys ranked, although there are some explanations given in places where the ranking could be seen as highly arguable.

Ranking LaMelo Ball among other NBA point guards

1. Luka Doncic

Putting Luka over SGA will anger Thunder fans, and obviously, Shai has a strong argument for being in the top spot as the reigning NBA MVP and recently crowned NBA champion.

At the same time, Luka’s argument for the top spot probably isn’t appreciated enough outside of Dallas. This is a guy who’s already finished in the top three in MVP voting three times.

He also led the Mavs to the Finals at a younger age than SGA led OKC to the Finals. Yes, SGA actually won a title, but it’s not hard to argue that his supporting cast was far superior to anything Luka has had in his career.

The drama around Luka for the past year has distracted many people from the fact that he’s the best offensive guard in the world, and he’s done a ton of winning (including the postseason) already in his career.

2. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
3. Stephen Curry

If you think Curry is too high on this list, you’re forgetting that when he needs to flip the switch, Steph is still one of the best players in the world.

As he ages, Curry is getting smarter about conserving himself throughout the season. We don’t see elite Curry every night anymore, but that doesn’t mean he can’t reach the highest level when it matters most.

He hasn’t fallen off yet to the point that he can be any lower than No. 3 on this list, nor have any of the guys below him done enough to deserve a spot above the GOAT shooter.

4. Cade Cunningham
5. Jalen Brunson

Any Knicks fan who sees this will cry out in despair, but Brunson’s foul-baiting reached an intolerable and dishonorable level last season.

While he’s tough as nails and a pure winner, Brunson has become more and more unwatchable recently, and competitively-speaking, it seems like he’s already reached his peak, which isn’t good enough to propel an NBA team to the Finals as its best player.

All of the guys above Brunson on this list can do that (Cunningham just needs more time).

6. Tyrese Maxey
7. Derrick White

White is one of the most underrated players in not just the NBA, but in all of sports. He doesn’t have the offensive talent of a guy like Trae Young, but he’s an excellent shooter, and defensively, he’s simply one of the best basketball players alive.

Add in the rebounding, shot-blocking, and winning intangibles, and D-White is easily a top-10 point guard in the league, deserving of a higher ranking than some of his flashier, but less effective peers.

8. Trae Young
9. Ja Morant

Ja has the potential to climb back up this list if he can stay healthy. There was a point before the injuries and suspensions when he was flirting with something in the realm of a No. 3 ranking among NBA point guards.

10. Darius Garland
11. Jamal Murray
12. De’Aaron Fox
13. LaMelo Ball

If Melo can become more durable, there’s no reason why he can’t climb above guys like Fox, Murray, Garland, and even Trae Young.

The next steps for him are staying healthy (getting stronger will help), improving defensively, and just in general becoming more of a winning point guard, which means making the simple play and taking care of the basketball. More efficiency from three (and better shot selection) wouldn’t hurt, either.

The next 3 (in no order) ... James Harden, Andrew Nembhard, Collin Sexton

Harden is obviously on the decline, but he deserves mention among these players pretty much as long as he’s in the league. Nembhard could leapfrog a few of these names in 2025-26, especially with Haliburton out. Sexton is another guy who is a special talent on the right night, but it’s still unclear what his role will be in Charlotte.