The 2026-27 regular season starts in a couple of months. All 30 NBA teams will soon prepare for the new campaign. It's time to look around the Western Conference as this year will surely be another jam-packed race among several teams.
Over the next few days, Thunder Wire
will rank the 15 West starters among the five positions. Let's look at the 15 best starting point guards in the Western Conference.The Oklahoma City Thunder are led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who has won back-to-back MVP trophies. The walking 30-point machine has been viewed as one of the NBA's best players for a while now. He's safely one of the era-defining faces of the 2020s.
Here are the rankings for each West starting point guard:
1. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder
2025-26 stats: 31.1 PPG, 6.6 APG, 4.3 RPG,
55.3% shooting, 38.6% 3-point shooting in 68 games
This is a no-brainer. Gilgeous-Alexander is the back-to-back MVP winner. The second time around, he won the prestigious award in a more convincing fashion. He's averaged 30-plus points for consecutive seasons. All on superb efficiency, too. You could make a sound argument that he's the best player in the world — and has been for the last couple of years. His resume is already an all-timer. He already has a championship ring in hand with room to get more. The 28-year-old has accomplished about everything you can do as an NBA superstar. Now, it's about stacking up your case as an all-time great. The Thunder will enter the upcoming year as a co-title favorite.
2. Luka Doncic, Lakers
2025-26 stats: 33.5 PPG, 8.3 APG, 7.7 RPG, 47.6% shooting, 36.6% 3-point shooting in 64 games
Doncic remains one of the NBA's best players. That's been the case since he first set foot. When healthy, he's always in the MVP conversation. This past year, a hamstring strain turned out to be a season-ender as he failed to play in the NBA playoffs. Still, the Lakers have a bonafide NBA superstar on their hands. He won the scoring title with an eye-popping 33-plus point average. He completely stuffed the stat sheet as a one-man offense. Even though his claim for best player in the league has weakened with a bare trophy shelf, his domination is too much to ignore.
3. Anthony Edwards, Timberwolves
2025-26 stats: 28.8 PPG, 3.7 APG, 5.0 RPG, 48.9% shooting, 39.9% 3-point shooting in 61 games
Edwards continues to be electric. He's a box-office attraction. Comfortably in the conversation for one of the brightest stars, the perennial All-NBA member continues to take leaps in his game. He flirted with being a 30-point scorer for the first time this past season. That's what happens when you mix generational athleticism and speed with high-volume outside shooting. Those two variables give him one of the flashiest bags in the sport. The Timberwolves have been a wildcard contender for the last few seasons. He's the main reason for that. Considering the runway he has, don't think we're too far off from him being a legitimate MVP contender.
4. Stephen Curry, Warriors
2025-26 stats: 26.6 PPG, 4.7 APG, 3.6 RPG, 46.8% shooting, 39.3% 3-point shooting in 43 games
In the twilight stage of his legendary career, Curry has shown he can still put up a fight. The 38-year-old was a 27-point scorer. He remains the game's best outside shooter with an eye-popping 40% clip on 11-plus attempts. Aside from LeBron James, he's the face of the NBA's 2010s and its latest dynasty. But what about right now in 2026? Alas, Father Time catches up to us all. He only played in 43 games this past season. The Warriors are a bunch of has-beens clinging to relevancy. There's no debate that he should have another epic year as an All-NBA talent. But you have to wonder what the point is as Golden State becomes cynical about its bleak future.
5. Devin Booker, Suns
2025-26 stats: 26.1 PPG, 6.0 APG, 3.9 RPG, 45.6% shooting, 33.0% 3-point shooting in 64 games
One of the more underrated players of his era, Booker has shown to be one of the top scorers. He led the Suns to one of their more enjoyable years in recent memory. He averaged a clean 26 points — which is even more impressive considering his outside jumper had a cold year. Without any real championship hopes, the 29-year-old hopes to add more to his case as the greatest Suns player in franchise history. He's well on his way to owning most of the career records with such a lengthy track. As long as Phoenix is cool with being competitive, it should have another similar year. Even if his game starts to take a slight downward trend as the mileage on his legs adds up.
6. Jamal Murray, Nuggets
2025-26 stats: 25.4 PPG, 7.1 APG, 4.4 RPG, 48.3% shooting, 43.5% 3-point shooting in 75 games
More now than ever, the Nuggets will depend on Murray to be an All-Star-esque talent. As Denver lost even more depth this offseason, it'll overly-rely on him to be Nikola Jokic's Robin. Perhaps to a detriment. He's fresh off a career season where he averaged a career-best 25 points and seven assists. That helped him become a first-time All-Star — removing him from the dishonor of being the best player ever not to participate in the weekend festivities. Even with a disastrous team run, he had a stellar season. They likely breathed a huge sigh of relief as things looked bleak for him for a while. He should have another 20-point scoring year.
7. De'Aaron Fox, Spurs
2025-26 stats: 18.6 PPG, 6.2 APG, 3.8 RPG, 48.6% shooting, 33.2% 3-point shooting in 72 games
Struggling at the absolute worst time ever, Fox's reputation took a nosedive. Once viewed as a complementary piece to the Spurs' quick ascension, he became a scapegoat after his poor NBA Finals. San Antonio faces an interesting dilemma. Stay with Fox as his salary is about to balloon or give Dylan Harper the keys to the offense? For next season, it looks like they're sticking with the former. But the latter will always remain an option until it inevitably happens. That said, the 28-year-old has proven to be a steady hand. His Flash-like speed may no longer be there, but he remains one of the more potent guys at his position.
8. Kyrie Irving, Mavericks
2025-26 stats: N/A
Taking a long-term approach, Irving sat out the entire 2025-26 season with a torn ACL. The Mavericks are banking on the year-plus rehab to help him bounce back. The 34-year-old is now grey in the whiskers, but I think it's a safe bet that he returns to playing near his usual level. Dallas won't rely on him to put up All-Star numbers. Instead, they just need him to be a complementary 20-point scorer alongside Cooper Flagg. Thankfully, returning from serious knee injuries largely occurs without a hitch nowadays. One of the greatest guards of the modern NBA is hoping he still has plenty of seasons left of high-quality basketball as an offensive mastermind.
9. Ja Morant, Trail Blazers
2025-26 stats: 19.5 PPG, 8.1 APG, 3.3 RPG, 41.0% shooting, 23.5% 3-point shooting in 20 games
As the last remaining relic, the Grizzlies finally flipped the page to a new era. Morant was unceremoniously traded to the Trail Blazers this offseason. He hopes a change of scenery can rebuild his value across the league. The 27-year-old is a personified example of how the NBA is a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately industry. It wasn't that long ago that he was viewed as an NBA superstar — knocking on the door of being an MVP candidate. Fast forward a few years, and off-court problems paired with injuries have completely halted any momentum he had. He only played 20 games this past season. His numbers across the board dipped. Once a high-flying athlete, his hops haven't been the same in a minute. Let's see if Portland can help him rediscover his love for basketball.
10. Fred VanVleet, Rockets
2025-26 stats: N/A
As the season progressed, VanVleet's absence clouded over Houston. To the point that it was undeniable. Once the Rockets were bounced in their Round 1 series loss, they desperately looked forward to a year with him back. The 32-year-old missed the entire 2025-26 season with a torn ACL. He sustained the season-ending injury last offseason. Even though he hinted at a late-stage comeback, that was never a realistic option. Now, the Rockets hope VanVleet can make things easier for their halfcourt offense. He'll have to prove that his knee injury didn't zap him of his talent, but he's ideally a perfect key to unlock their offense. He can score the ball and is a high-volume outside shooter.
11. Keyonte George, Jazz
2025-26 stats: 23.6 PPG, 6.1 APG, 3.7 RPG, 45.6% shooting, 37.1% 3-point shooting in 54 games
On the tanking Jazz, everything came together for George. The game slowed down. Like Quicksilver, basketball's fast-paced nature was no longer a challenge. He had your classic Year 3 breakout. Even if Utah bottomed out in the NBA standings en route to the No. 2 overall pick. The 22-year-old smashed his previous career-best by being a 23-point scorer. Not only did his outside jumper get upgraded a couple of levels, but he finally figured out the secretive fourth level of scoring at the free-throw line. Utah has been stuck in the mud for most of the decade. But now, its become the average NBA nerds' favorite pet cat.
12. Darius Garland, Clippers
2025-26 stats: 18.8 PPG, 6.7 APG, 2.4 RPG, 46.0% shooting, 39.6% 3-point shooting in 45 games
At a new NBA home, Garland returned to his All-Star roots. He played closer to his optimal level on the Clippers than when he was on the Cavaliers. Remains to be seen if his long-term home is in LA, but this upcoming year should clear that question. The 26-year-old has dealt with a couple of injury-prone years. It seems like his toe just won't properly heal. As minute as that sounds, you need that lower extremity for reasons beyond basketball. Because Cleveland is in constant win-now mode, he wasn't afforded patience. He was shipped to the Clippers in their blockbuster deal to land James Harden. Now, out West, it'll be interesting what he does this upcoming year. The talent is there. It's about playing up to par consistently and putting up numbers.
13. Dejounte Murray, Pelicans
2025-26 stats: 16.7 PPG, 6.4 APG, 5.4 RPG, 48.4% shooting, 30.6% 3-point shooting in 14 games
After returning from a torn Achilles tendon, Murray showed little rust. The 29-year-old played with a vengeance. He showed the rest of the NBA — albeit in probably the worst situation — that he can still show out. It wasn't that long when he was one of the more underrated two-way players. His offense catapulted unexpectedly. But his pesky defense was always sharp. Now, the Pelicans will see if he can return to being one of the more underrated players in the league. If not, New Orleans could seamlessly hand the keys over to lottery-talent Jeremiah Fears. Even if there's a rough learning curve accompanied by that move.
14. Darius Acuff Jr., Kings
2025-26 stats: N/A
Expect a lot of buckets and shot attempts. In his brief time in Summer League, Acuff Jr. showed how unfazed he is of mistakes. He's willing to swim in them as long as his on-ball thirst is quenched. The Kings should welcome that with open arms. The 19-year-old represents a new era in Sacramento. He's the exact type of young talent that rewards the die-hard fans for tuning in late in a losing season. The 2026 NBA draft No. 7 pick will have plenty of runway to learn on the job. This upcoming year is all about his development.
15. Scotty Pippen Jr., Grizzlies
2025-26 stats: 11.4 PPG, 4.7 APG, 2.2 RPG, 44.8% shooting, 31.3% 3-point shooting in 10 games
Well, I guess we go with Pippen Jr. here. He missed the first three-plus months with toe surgery. He then returned in Feb. 2026. But it didn't take long for him to get another toe surgery. This time, a season-ender. He's been a nice developmental story as he went from an undrafted two-way player to a rotation player. But make no sense — he's not an NBA-quality starter. Not if you're trying to win, at least. Memphis' backcourt depth chart is intentionally putrid. Maybe Ty Jerome will eventually usurp Pippen Jr. But for now, let's go with him as the starter.
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Ranking Western Conference point guards: Where does Shai Gilgeous-Alexander land?
