Any team sport on the planet has a role specifically for playmaking. These players serve as the on-court general, the coach on the floor, the initiator of their team’s offense. American football has its quarterbacks, soccer has its attacking midfielders, and so on. Basketball’s supposed counterpart, meanwhile, is its point guards. That’s why this post is dedicated to the top playmakers in the NBA today.

Changes in the game, however, ensured that it’s not as black and white as one player having one position while holding down sole playmaking duties. The game has been innovated to be more positionless, and as such, players have been trained to be more versatile.

Thus, ranking the greatest playmakers in the NBA today isn’t a case of simply ranking the best point guards in the league. Loads of players who have been labeled as point guards have score-first mentalities or are simply spot-up shooters who don’t facilitate their team’s offense. Inversely, there are elite-level facilitators and playmakers who have gone beyond their perceived position and subsequent roles for their teams.

For this piece, we have ranked the five greatest playmakers in the NBA today, regardless of position. We have taken into account their assist numbers, usage rate, and other pertinent statistics, the eye test, and team success. The list naturally considers each players’ current ability, as opposed to every player’s prime.

With that out of the way, let’s get into the league’s greatest facilitators in the NBA today.

Honorable Mentions: Luka Dončić, Kyle Lowry, Draymond Green, DeMar DeRozan, Ricky Rubio

5) Trae Young

Going into the league, Trae Young was compared to Stephen Curry, thanks to his similar skillset containing deep, off-the-dribble, quick-release threes-pointers. This comparison has indeed been accurate in that regard. However, Young has separated himself from being Curry 2.0 with his amazing playmaking ability.

Young is certainly a better playmaker today than Curry was at his age. The latter wasn’t starting All-Star Games at that age, either. The Atlanta Hawk is having a tremendous career as a playmaker so far, averaging 8.7 assists across 3 seasons; Young is averaging more than 9 dimes for the past 2.

With his combination of scoring and playmaking ability, Ice Trae is surely a lock to be one of the best players of this decade. Unfortunately, even after a promising offseason, his Atlanta Hawks are still outside the Eastern Conference Playoffs picture.

4) Nikola Jokic

The greatest passing big man in the history of the NBA.

Nikola Jokić is a brilliant post player, has a decent outside shot, and has a unique off-foot jumper for clutch situations. His playmaking, however, is still his most renowned attribute. Jokić’s behind-the-back, no-look passes went viral just a couple of years ago, and he has steadily improved as a playmaker since then.

The Denver Nuggets have a plethora of gunners surrounding Jokić; he has the likes of Michael Porter Jr., Jamal Murray, and Gary Harris, to whom he can fling the ball at a moment’s notice. Jokić will be sure to give them the most high-value shots with his height, vision, and high basketball IQ.

The Joker has been averaging 7 assists since his breakout 2017-18 season while averaging almost 9 this time ’round. The 2x All-Star is on course to have his best playmaking season, as well as his best overall individual season, so far. His Nuggets, however, are languishing at the bottom of the West’s Playoff spots after a 3rd-seed finish just a season ago.

3) James Harden

James Harden is most well-known for his outrageous scoring outbursts, his patented Eurostep, and controversial step-back jumpers. However, his scoring feats have taken away some well-deserved attention from his world-class playmaking.

Under former head coach Mike D’Antoni, Harden has been the offense of the Houston Rockets for a numerable stretch of years. The Beard’s usage rate skyrocketed under D’Antoni, leading the league in this statistic in 2017 and 2018. He was the team’s point and shooting guard, rolled into one generational talent.

It was also under D’Antoni that Harden averaged double-digits in assists for the first time in his career. He dished out 11.3 dimes a game in the 2016-17 season to win his first assists title.

Houston’s famed offense could not be possible without Harden’s playmaking. The Rocket’s game revolved around maximum spacing, and it was up to the Beard to find the open man every single offensive possession, whether he be at the 3-point line or the dunker’s spot.

Only now is Harden’s talents at playing point being recognized. Since joining the Brooklyn Nets and committing himself to be the outright point guard and the third option, he has been averaging almost 12 assists a game. This season looks to be Harden’s best one in terms of playmaking; his Brooklyn Nets are also on course to have the best offense in modern NBA history, with an offensive rating of almost 123 since the Beard’s arrival.

2) Chris Paul

One does not simply inherit the “Point God” moniker without being a historically good offensive facilitator.

Chris Paul has been known as the modern NBA’s Point God, and it’s not hard to see why. The veteran point guard is averaging 9.4 assists for his career, and his playmaking ability has shown little-to-no signs of decline. Barring his lone season with the Oklahoma City Thunder as the team’s number one option, he has not averaged less than 7.9 points since his rookie year. He’s also averaged double-digits in assists 4 times in his career, winning the assists title 4 times.

Beyond this, however, Paul always seems to make his teams better. It wasn’t too long ago when he led the then-New Orleans Hornets to a franchise-best 2nd seed, or when he formed Lob City with Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan in the Los Angeles Clippers. He was also James Harden’s best partner-in-crime with the Houston Rockets, helping The Beard to a WCF Game 7 berth after a franchise-best 65-17 regular-season record. His stint with the Oklahoma City Thunder came afterward, wherein he led his unlikely group of players to a postseason run after ESPN touted them to have a 0.2% chance of making it to the Playoffs. Paul is now leading the Phoenix Suns to a Playoff berth after 10 years out of the postseason.

CP3 is undoubtedly the best “true point guard” of his generation. It’s a massive shame that he is yet to get a ring or even an NBA Finals appearance to show for it.

1) LeBron James

The King takes the top spot.

LeBron James has always been a point guard in a small forward’s body. His vision and remarkable basketball I.Q. have allowed him to be such for his entire career. This fact would not be more obvious than in his later years, with him showing off less of his speed and athleticism, and more of his facilitating.

This is also quite obvious when looking at the point guards that he has played with. Kyrie Irving, being a great playmaker himself, is better known for his scoring ability. Players like Mo Williams and Mario Chalmers, meanwhile, turned into low-usage catch-and-shoot players after crossing the halfway line during their respective tenures with James. Wherever James goes, he becomes the offense.

Last season (LeBron’s 17th year in the league, lest you forget), he averaged a career-high 10.2 assists to lead the NBA as the only player to average double digits in dimes. He has also averaged more than 9 assists in his last 5 seasons.

There’s just something terrifying about someone who attracts the defense so much while being to pass at an elite level. James’ teammates usually get the best open looks of their careers while on the court with him, and it’s no mystery why. All these combined make an extremely strong case for The King to be the greatest playmaker in the NBA today.