Jeremy Lin: Where Does Prodigal Son Rank Among NBA's Best Point Guards?

Jeremy Lin's explosion for the New York Knicks has many wondering about where he ranks among starting point guards in the NBA for the 2011-12 regular season.

He's going to need to keep up his performance for a much longer stretch to be considered among the elite, and even then, Lin will have considerable work to do if he wants to be one of the best in the game.

There is an unbelievable amount of talent at the position, which highlights just how important point guard play has become.

Breaking down all of the starters into six tiers, some might be surprised to see where Lin is listed.

Tier 1

Chris Paul, Los Angeles Clippers

Steve Nash, Phoenix Suns

Deron Williams, New Jersey Nets

Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder

Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls

There were a lot of people who believed Chris Paul's days as a top point guard in this league had ended prior to his trade to the Clippers, but he's proving that's far from the case.

These guys set the tone when it comes to playing at the point guard in today's NBA.

Tier 2

Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors

Kyle Lowry, Houston Rockets

John Wall, Washington Wizards

Rajon Rondo, Boston Celtics

Tony Parker, San Antonio Spurs

Although there is a great deal of talent listed here, it would be awfully difficult to replace one of the guys listed in the first tier with anyone on this slide.

There are a litany of teams who would love to have any of these guys as its starter, and it speaks to how impressive the play has been at the position in recent seasons.

Tier 3

Mike Conley, Memphis Grizzlies

Ty Lawson, Denver Nuggets

Brandon Jennings, Milwaukee Bucks

Tyreke Evans, Sacramento Kings

Jrue Holiday, Philadelphia 76ers

Those listed here are all vastly underappreciated for what they do on a consistent basis, but each has things that they could improve upon to take the next step.

All five starters have a definitive ability to move up the ladder in the foreseeable future, although it would take some falloff near the top in order to have that happen.

Tier 4

Ricky Rubio, Minnesota Timberwolves

Jeremy Lin, New York Knicks

Kyrie Irving, Cleveland Cavaliers

Jeff Teague, Atlanta Hawks

Jose Calderon, Toronto Raptors

As clearly evidenced by the group of players here, the league is blessed with some significant talent at point guard and the position has an immensely promising future.

Here is where New York's darling Jeremy Lin checks in, as there is just no way he can go any higher with less than a 10-game sample size at this time.

Tier 5

Jarrett Jack, New Orleans Hornets

Raymond Felton, Portland Trail Blazers

Jason Kidd, Dallas Mavericks

D.J. Augustin, Charlotte Bobcats

Darren Collison, Indiana Pacers

It's sad to see Kidd this far back in the pack considering the career he's had, but at age 38, Kidd is averaging just 4.7 points and 5.3 assists while shooting below 35 percent from the floor.

Similarly to Kidd, the others listed here all struggle with their shot from the floor, and none of them would be referred to as a consistent source of assists.

Tier 6

Derek Fisher, Los Angeles Lakers

Jameer Nelson, Orlando Magic

Brandon Knight, Detroit Pistons

Devin Harris, Utah Jazz

Mario Chalmers, Miami Heat

This is going to make Lakers fans sad, but it highlights just how brutal the production from a declining Derek Fisher has been.

The final tier is completely devoid of talent, but it's severely lacking when juxtaposed to the five which precede it.