The highlights are compelling, and so are the numbers. When trying to solve a riddle like "Who's the NBA's best point guard?" we use the data, and what our eyes tell us. But who better to educate us on that subject than the people forced to compete and strategize against those men every night?

We asked 25 NBA folks -- a combination of executives, coaches and players -- to rank the point guards in the NBA from 1 to 30. The results of that poll are below, along with a sampling of thoughts from those who answered our survey:

The top tier

The top tier of our survey included no fewer than eight 2015 NBA All-Stars, with Russell Westbrook edging Stephen Curry at the top of the list. Once an NBA question mark, Mike Conley had a solid showing in our survey, beating out the likes of Kyle Lowry and Tony Parker among those we polled.

1. Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder (732 points, 13 first-place votes)

"He might be an alien. I've never seen anyone like him before. His athleticism and antics are off the charts." -- NBA executive

2. Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors (727 points, 9 first-place votes)