If we don't draft a PG and don't land Harden, who do you want playing point guard next season?

Let's try not to turn this into another "argue about KPJ thread", shall we? Maybe if you're a fan of him as point guard, just say you like him in the role and let's move on? Just a thought.

Here are some possibilities that came to mind when I was thinking about this.

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In-house options:

Kevin Porter Jr. Having the best season of his career at 20 points per 36, 6 assists, and 5.6 rebounds, but an average-ish 56% TS% and a concerning 3.4 turnovers per game. Concerningly low defensive rating. Still doesn't seem like a point guard to me, but let's move on.

TyTy Washington Jr. Having a phenomenal season down with the Vipers, but hasn't shown much at the NBA level in very limited minutes. 12 points per 36, 4.1 assists, 3.7 rebounds, but he does take care of the ball, only turning it over 1.2 times per 36 minutes. Not ready to write him off, but he hasn't looked like a starting-caliber player so far.

Daishen Nix. Yeah, let's not.

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Here are some available free agents who caught my eye:

Fred VanVleet. Currently averaging 19.2 points per 36, 7 assists, 3.6 rebounds with just 2 turnovers. Below-average 54% TS%, however he does take care of the ball and is a pretty good distributor, and his defense is at least average for the position. Will probably cost quite a bit as one of the better players in a relatively thin free agent class.

D'Angelo Russell. An interesting option; currently averaging 19.8 points per 36, 6.9 assists, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.9 turnovers with a very good 60.3% TS%. Defensively, he has a bad reputation and the numbers don't look great, but I've seen some say he's a bit underrated. Younger than FVV and possibly less expensive, but LAL will probably try to bring him back?

Tre Jones. Jones is a restricted free agent and it might require an overpay to have a chance at prying him away from Popovich, depending on who they pick in the draft. He is averaging 15.6 points per 36, 7.9 assists, and 4.3 rebounds, with only 2 turnovers. He's a good playmaker and primary ballhandler--the downside is his 52.8% TS% and inability to shoot the 3. He is also reported to be a solid defender with some serious upside in that area (former ACC defensive player of the year). Unlike most of these guys, he is young (just turned 23) and could peak at the same time as our young prospects; if he develops as a shooter enough to space the floor and keep defenses honest, he could be a nice fit.

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A couple of possible trade targets

Tyus Jones. On an expiring contract next season playing behind Ja Morant, and one of the better backup point guards in the league. Averaging 15.4 points per 36, 7.6 assists, 3.7 rebounds, and only 1.4 turnovers on 54.4 TS%. Has developed into a good three point shooter the past couple of years and would help us on the perimeter. Depending on what Memphis wants back, he might be a good guy to pick up if the Rockets think they might like to give him an extension and there's some mutual interest on his part, since he's young enough to still be a good player three or four years from now. Even if they don't want to extend him, at least it would maintain our cap flexibility for 2024--as long as he doesn't cost too much in trade.

Kyle Lowry. If we want a veteran presence at the helm, I'd ask Miami about Lowry. He can still hoop a little bit, currently averaging 13 per 36, 5.8 assists, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.2 turnovers on 56% TS%. On a big expiring contract, so if we want to maintain cap flexibility for the 2024 offseason and add a great veteran presence to mentor the young kids, I'd love to have him back to close out his career with the organization where he first broke out as a starter.

 

Yeah, I really like the fit for either of the Jones brothers above, but especially Tyus. Both good playmaking point guards who keep the ball moving and play pesky defense. Tyus is the better player right now since he can actually shoot.

 

Not much--they're second in the west for a reason. But they are pretty set at the 1, 2, and 4/5 slots, and slightly weaker at the 3 with Dillon Brooks expiring. I would bet they ask for KJ Martin if they want anybody on our current roster (that we might be willing to part with)

Edit: "Draft Considerations" is also a really good player in any deal

 

One note about Tre Jones: Post-all star break he is shooting 39% from 3 (on only a couple attempts a game though). Possible the Spurs' coaching staff have already worked their development magic and he ends up already being a decent shooter next season.

 

Every single one of these guys plays better defense than KPJ and gets more assists and fewer turnovers per 36 minutes than KPJ (except Lowry on the assists, but he has low usage these days playing with Miami). But if you want to argue about KPJ as a point guard, DD, there are about 16 other threads that way -------->