At No. 11 among shooting guards, HoopsHype’s Frank Urbina is fairly bullish on where he projects rising Houston Rockets star Jalen Green to rank at his position during the NBA’s 2023-24 season.
On a list of point guards, however, Urbina isn’t quite as bullish on veteran backcourt mate Fred VanVleet, who joined the Rockets this offseason on a maximum-salaried contract for at least two years.
VanVleet checks in at No. 16 among point guards, just ahead of Cade Cunningham and Scoot Henderson but trailing Jrue Holiday, Darius Garland and Kyrie Irving.
Here’s the explanation:
After seven successful seasons with the Toronto Raptors, including one All-Star campaign and one championship earned, Fred VanVleet will suit up with the Houston Rockets for the first time in 2023-24 after securing a huge payday this past free agency. VanVleet put up solid numbers in 2022-23, but his efficiency was quite lacking, something that might not improve on a Rockets team in 2023-24 where he’ll have an even brighter green light.
What’s more, he’ll be getting paid like a top 15 player next campaign when his production does not match that level of pay. Regardless, VanVleet is one of the league’s most tenacious point guards, who plays with a lot of activity on both ends and who can put up big numbers consistently, so at least individually, he should have a solid 2023-24 campaign.
2023-24 salary: $40,806,300 (projected 14th overall)
We have ranked the Top 24 point guards for the 2023-24 season.
Russell Westbrook > D'Angelo Russell
Jamal Murray > LaMelo Ball
SGA > Damian Lillard
More 👇https://t.co/D0pWPEu83f
— HoopsHype (@hoopshype) July 29, 2023
It’s important to note, of course, that not all position groups are created equally. Point guard is a very strong position in the NBA, as evinced by Irving — a future Hall of Famer who remains very much in his prime — ranking only a few spots ahead of VanVleet. Thus, where VanVleet ranks among point guards isn’t an apples-to-apples comparison to Green among shooting guards.
Furthermore, it’s not as if the rebuilding Rockets signed VanVleet with immediate expectations of championship contention. The hope is VanVleet’s commitment to defense and his tough, hard-nosed approach will offer leadership and intangible benefits to help the development of Houston’s prospects at other positions.
The complete list of top 2023-24 point guards can be read here.
