Before the start of the 2016 season, Houston Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni decided to make his best player, James Harden, the primary ball handler or de facto point guard. D’Antoni called Harden’s new position “points guard” and while it was at first the decision was deemed revolutionary in hindsight it was obvious.
Two season’s later Cleveland experimented with multiple lineups that didn’t feature a point guard to allow Lebron James to play point forward, also known as a small forward who is the team’s primary ball handler.
If you look at the standings right now the NBA’s top three point guards play for three of the league’s four best teams: Kyrie Irving (Boston), Steph Curry (Golden State) and James Harden (Houston).