Point guard position is taking on a more important role this season for NBA title contenders

Point guards come in different flavors.

Pass-first point guards. Score-first point guards. Pass-and-score point guards.

The point guard’s importance has never been understated, but this season in particular, players at that position will have a decided impact on the champion. That includes players who are on the court, a player who is not on the court and a player whose status with the team remains blurred by drama.

“Across the board as a fan of the NBA, it’s an awesome time,” said ESPN’s Mark Jackson who made a name for himself as a pass-first point guard.

► There are point guard who switched teams: Russell Westbrook to the Los Angeles Lakers, Kyle Lowry to Miami, Lonzo Ball to Chicago, Kemba Walker to New York, Dennis Schroder to Boston.

► Veterans point guards seeking a title: Utah’s Mike Conley, Phoenix’s Chris Paul, Brooklyn’s James Harden and Portland’s Damian Lillard.

► Young point guards trying to take the next step: Atlanta’s Trae Young, Dallas’ Luka Doncic, Memphis’ Ja Morant, Charlotte’s LaMelo Ball, Minnesota’s D’Angelo Russell and Cleveland’s Darius Garland.

► Point guards with cloudy futures: Philadelphia’s Ben Simmons and Brooklyn’s Kyrie Irving.

► And one transformative point guard looking for another title and MVP award: Golden State’s Stephen Curry.

To underscore the point guard’s importance, Milwaukee searched and searched until it found Jrue Holiday and look what happened. The Bucks won the title. When Phoenix acquired Paul, it went to the Finals for the first time in nearly three decades.

“There’s several really interesting point guard situations that will go a long way to determine the success of teams,” TNT’s Stan Van Gundy said, adding, “I don’t have the answer on any of them, and we won’t know until we get halfway through the season and see how some of these guys are…