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Rajon Rondo trade brings another star to the Western Conference point guard thunderdome

Some of the best point guards in the game are in the Western Conference. Let's take a look at how Rondo changes the landscape

By AllThatAmar
Harry How/Getty Images

The Western Conference is the Thunderdome for point guards. Yes, John Wall, Derrick Rose, Deron Williams, Kyrie Irving, and Kyle Lowry are in the East. But that's just six players. The West is a challenge for any one guard, on any given night. Behold!

Team W L % Point Guards G MPG PPG RPG APG A:TO SPG BPG BARPS /min
1 GSW 21 3 87.50% Stephen Curry Shaun Livingston 48 25.60 14.69 3.65 5.17 2.19 1.33 0.21 25.04 0.978
2 MEM 21 4 84.00% Mike Conley Beno Udrih 49 25.82 12.43 2.29 5.00 2.85 0.86 0.08 20.65 0.800
3 HOU 19 5 79.17% Patrick Beverley Isaiah Canaan 27 26.30 10.70 3.44 2.26 1.69 1.11 0.15 17.67 0.672
4 POR 20 6 76.92% Damian Lillard Steve Blake 52 28.40 12.71 3.63 3.29 1.74 1.04 0.12 20.79 0.732
5 LAC 18 7 72.00% Chris Paul Jordan Farmar 48 25.10 11.44 2.92 5.92 3.74 1.25 0.17 21.69 0.864
6 DAL 19 8 70.37% Rajon Rondo Devin Harris 47 27.91 8.70 4.60 7.19 3.25 1.36 0.17 22.02 0.789
7 SAS 17 9 65.38% Tony Parker Cory Joseph 43 26.67 12.21 2.42 3.84 2.23 0.63 0.16 19.26 0.722
8 NOP 12 12 50.00% Jrue Holiday Austin Rivers 48 28.13 11.48 2.60 4.71 3.48 0.96 0.38 20.13 0.716
9 PHX 13 14 48.15% Goran Dragic Eric Bledsoe 52 32.63 15.83 4.08 5.02 1.79 1.21 0.44 26.58 0.814
10 OKC 12 13 48.00% Russell Westbrook Reggie Jackson 36 29.72 17.94 4.58 5.58 2.07 1.11 0.06 29.28 0.985
11 SAC 11 14 44.00% Darren Collison Ramon Sessions 45 25.69 10.80 2.71 4.29 2.33 1.04 0.22 19.07 0.742
12 DEN 10 15 40.00% Ty Lawson Nate Robinson 45 25.96 10.58 2.24 6.51 3.37 1.00 0.04 20.38 0.785
13 LAL 8 17 32.00% Jeremy Lin Ronnie Price 49 24.49 7.24 2.18 4.18 2.38 1.14 0.22 14.98 0.612
14 UTA 7 19 26.92% Trey Burke Dante Exum 52 24.96 8.12 1.85 3.65 2.38 0.63 0.27 14.52 0.582
15 MIN 5 19 20.83% Ricky Rubio Zach LaVine 26 26.42 9.15 3.15 4.73 1.86 0.77 0.15 17.96 0.680

N.B. Stats are based off of 2014-15 season production, and it is the cumulative average for the two players listed.

If you look at the top teams in the West, many of them have a very solid point guard crew. The Rockets are the exception here, and they may feel the need to upgrade sooner, rather than later. The Spurs don't have their main back up, Patty Mills, back. But are still doing okay -- but 7th is not nearly as high as they'd want to be right now. The Pelicans have plenty of guards, so many that former PG Tyreke Evans is starting at SF. He's not listed here, as Austin Rivers is holding things down right now. The Suns go with a two headed monster, so they're both listed.

The three worst teams in the West, the Lakers, Jazz, and Timberwolves -- have the three worst guard pairs by the eye-ball test. Sure, Houston is worse, but their team is winning despite them. The Lakers are bereft of Steve Nash this season, and Rubio is injured right now too. As for the Jazz, well, their point guards are 22 and 19. It's a legit excuse right now.


Not this Thunderdome. Okay, but this one is pretty cool too.

For the young Jazz crew, they aren't coming up as the winner in the head to head matches too frequently. But if you are going to learn, learn from the best. And as a point guard, the bests are in the West.

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