He has trouble compensating for his lack of size when challenging jump shots. He finished the game with the most career postseason points and the highest average in a playoff series. With both, its the combination of their size and speed that makes them so phenomenal. The best way to track how effective a player is on the defensive end is by looking at their cumulative defensive win shares. Thats a difference of almost five points a game given up to point guards. Gary Payton 12. West became synonymous with brilliant basketball during his 14-year playing career with the Los Angeles Lakers. You can be the best shooter in the world, but you can't score if you don't get the ball. Paul, who was born on May 6, 1985, has long been regarded as one of the game's greatest point guards, a fact reinforced by his selection to the 75th Anniversary Team. [2], Learn how and when to remove this template message, National Basketball Association Most Valuable Player Award, "The Olympic history of UConn's Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi", "Top 10 point guards in the NBA right now", FOXSports.com - Best all-time point guards, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Point_guard&oldid=1142307492, This page was last edited on 1 March 2023, at 17:58. As previously discussed, it is true that purely objective analysis does not, and cannot, tell the whole story, especially when it comes to something as dynamic as defense. So I saddled up my workhorse, Synergy, and watched an hour or two of each of the top 15 WAM scores playing defense. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google. That can create an illusion of great defense where there is none. Stockton is one of the greatest assist players in NBA history, if not the greatest. Despite his little size, he made up for it offensively by being lightning fast and had the whole attacking package. If you want to get involved in the discussion or just follow along, #NBArank is the Twitter hashtag to use. Sometimes that happens, but not all that often. Magic had unparalleled vision; he could see players get open and deliver the ball before they even realized they were open. For that reason, subjective analysis was also included. He didnt have an eye-popping number, but he was in the top 25 percent of players there. Mario Chalmers lacks the speed and athleticism of most point guards in the league, and as a result, he usually gets the best seat in the arena to see various point guards blowing by on the way to the rim. Paul gets caught in a trap that WAM cant entirely avoid because it can only look at what happens, not why it happens. Rondos lack of a need for help defense allows Garnett to help more elsewhere. His issues related to intelligence, detailed later, compound this problem. Lennys passing and leadership on the floor were solid, but he also had a few great scoring years on the court. It would be beneficial for Westbrook to even things out and play at a consistent level throughout the game. Players Stats: 23.5 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 6.6 APG, 1.7 SPG, 0.2 BPG, Honors: 2x MVP, 6x All-Star, 6x All-NBA Selection, 2015-2016 Scoring Champion. He secures first place in the top 10 NBA point guards of all time. In his 20 seasons, Bryant. It tracks the production of a players counterpart while he is on the court. Penny is deserving of a much better ranking just because he is such a gifted one. 5 (1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988), Career stats I doubt its much beyond his height. Doc Rivers has had a lot of input into how Rondo plays the game. It doesnt help to be fast if you dont use it, so Bledsoes score here is lower than you might expect. Most players will take a little on-court breather now and then. In the NBA, Isiah Thomas is an amazing leader and is truly the most competitive force on the court that we have seen from a tiny guy. Congratulations, Brian Roberts! His lateral quickness is below-average, and his straightaway speed isnt much either. He also used his incredible basketball IQ to steal the ball and defend at a high level. He averaged 3.9 win shares per season, totaling 75.1 DWS at the end of his 19-year career, good for 11th all-time. Adapting your system to every opponent and knowing their nuances is understandable. Having said that, he does play team defense, too, and he is part of the team. 1987 Lakers are often seen as one of the greatest teams ever. New York Knicks (1967-1977), Cleveland Cavaliers (1977-1980), Honors: Johnsons style of play made him especially successful since he was noted for tip-ins and post play around the rim. Ergo, a negative number is a positive thing, and a positive number is a negative thing. Conley looked away from Billups and was pointing vehemently to Paul, trying to tell Allen to get over there and cover him. -- Peterson, Thomas' willingness to share the spotlight helped make the Bad Boy Pistons incredible, and he had a consistent ability to step up his game in the postseason during Detroit's title runs (and near miss in 1988). 8. He does get a bit of a bump here for his rebounding. Stephen Curry 4. Tim Duncan Dont be surprised to see him as a head coach someday. He doesnt cheat in either direction, though. Above all, the point guard must understand and accept their coach's game plan; in this way, the position can be compared to a quarterback in American football. Watching a thing, and watching for a thing, are different. The number in the parentheses indicates where they ranked in that category. He spent his entire NBA career (19842003) as a point guard for the Utah Jazz, and the team made the playoffs in each of his 19 seasons. The average score by point guards was 16.1. There is no doubt that Stephen Curry inherited his incredible shooting ability from his father, Dell, who was a successful NBA marksman himself, but the younger Curry's game is more diverse than Dell's. Hes not looking at the ball-handler's chest, which makes him susceptible to fakes, so when his opponent breaks, Rose is momentarily frozen. He presses hard as long as the opponent is in front of him, but will frequently give up on the play once the defender is past him. Los Angeles Lakers late legend Kobe Bryant is often considered the greatest Laker ever and with good reason: Bryant is first in many of the Lakers statistical categories. -- Peterson, A menace on both ends of the court, Frazier was at his best in the 1970 NBA Finals when tallied 36 points, 19 assists, 7 rebounds in a title-clinching Game 7. This could be something that Monty Williams, a coach with outstanding player development skills, can work on in New Orleans now that Holiday is with the Pelicans. The defensive stats arent a good way to determine the totality of defense, but they are a factor and shouldnt be ignored. As the primary decision-maker for a team, a point guard's passing ability determines how well a point guard is able to put their decision into play. He might physically play below the rim, but few can touch how he plays above the neck. Its amusing that some people say Rose doesnt apply himself on defense. In his book The Winner Within, Pat Riley described Magic as a club DJ. Averaging 1.5 steals per game, Wade could block transition shots as well with the best of them. Does he rotate on time? Wilt Chamberlain 14. If Westbrook could channel his energy in a consistent way, he would be an elite defender, but for now, hes just a solid defender whos kind of spazzy. -- Adande, He led the NBA in assists nine straight seasons from 1987 to 1996. The point guard (PG), also called the one or the point, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball game. The total numbers were then adjusted to arrive at a score ranging between 90 (best) and 110 (worst). The next three slides will tell how this particular sausage was made. You just dont see him make the wrong plays. Having said that, when hes playing off the ball, he knows where hes supposed to be, and hes usually there. When you look at his on/off numbers, you expect that hed be a solid help defender, but you dont see much evidence of that. Anyways, we hope you enjoyed going through the rankings with Magic Johnson securing first place in the Top 10 NBA point guards of all time. Neither of those is really a criticism of Parker, but its a reality. Isaiah Thomas 5. There's no way Stockton & Curry are better than Isiah. With his limited speed, he is always in full throttle and getting himself around the court, pestering whoever has the ball. Theres nothing wrong with knowing when you need it. 25. 11. 3. Players Stats: 20.3 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 6.0 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.2 BPG. When he tries, Lowry can be a solid defensive player, but that whole when he tries qualifier is pretty significant. The advantage of defensive rating is that it accounts for the things that dont show up in box scores. The disadvantage is that sometimes its not the player doing those things, and hes getting credit for someone elses great defense. Does he know when to go over the pick, and when to go under it? He also plays through to the end of the play when his man doesnt have the ball, which is not something you see all point guards do. Why did you choose such a weird number scale? He defends pick-and-rolls exceptionally well because hes able to shake off picks without much trouble, even pushing around stronger players like Carlos Boozer or Robin Lopez at times. These point guard rankings will be the first of five articles. Hell go flying outside the play, right as his man catches the ball, and then hell not only have to make up that ground, but hell also have to fight through the pick. However, a good jump shot and the ability to score off a drive to the basket are still valuable skills. He was also an outstanding playmaker and a solid scorer with a strong mid-range game. Some point guards are still given a great deal of leeway in the offense. Hes led the league in steals per game five times in the last six years. He uses quickness to capably guard the perimeter, but thats in large part because hes not always defending the elite point guards. With the increased emphasis on the deep three, point guards account for a large portion of the league's top scorers. Rose is arguably the most athletic point guard in the league, though Russell Westbrook could present a challenge. He just doesnt have the length to effectively guard against them. When we watch basketball, we get general impressions of defense, but the storyline is whats happening with the ball. In 2021, Paul became the first player in NBA history to score over 20,000 points and dish out over 10,000 assists before LeBron James followed suit later in 2022. Therefore, a lower score is superior. Sometimes he wont give that much effort, and then the next moment hell be trying too hard. Ranking 50 Greatest Point Guards in NBA History Photo Gallery | NBA.com Teams G League WNBA BAL NBA 2K NBA Store NBA League Pass Tickets Schedule Team News Gameday Youth Basketball Shop. Why not a normal scale of one to 10? While blocks and steals can be misleading when taken to exclusively represent defense, they are an aspect of it, so they shouldnt be discounted entirely. He doesnt have to race around to get in position because hes almost never out of position. Thats the difference between what I call work intelligence and natural intelligence. Some people just have to work to pick things up. Sometimes, all that the on/off stats tell you is the difference between two players that play the same position. Their primary job is to facilitate scoring opportunities for their team, or sometimes for themselves. There is no doubt about it: Steph Curry is the second-best in the top 10 point guards of all time. His on-court coaching and leadership is probably the biggest reason the Clippers had the eighth most-efficient defense in the NBA last year. He cant be faulted for not being taller or longer, but he could use the length he has better. Players Stats: 16.5 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 6.7 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.2 BPG. He spends too much time getting back into the defensive play because he ran himself out of it. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position. DJ, standing 6'4, started playing point for Boston in the second half of his basketball career and was often tasked with shutting down . As a result, opponents shot 42.9 percent from deep against him in the pick-and-roll. On Detroits 2004 NBA championship squad, he led the likes of Rip Hamilton, Ben Wallace and Rasheed Wallace to victory over the LA Lakers superteam. It also helps him to have the second-most defensive plays per 36 minutes of any of the point guards on this list. DWS are how many wins a player produces based on his defensive ability. As a rookie, Bill Russell relied on Cousy to lead the league in assists, and he won the MVP Award for his efforts. He has a barrel chest, broad shoulders and 20 pounds on most point guards, so he gives the appearance of dwarfing players that are technically as tall as he is. While Gregg Popovich and his brilliant system deserve a lot of the credit, Tony is a Finals MVP and is a multiple NBA champion who deserves to be recognised for his role in the legendary Spurs dynasty. -- Pelton, Today's children will ask, "Who was the Steph Curry before Steph Curry?" He tends to do the right thing, but then hell do something kind of stupid that makes you wonder what hes thinkingeven if what hes thinking is right. New Orleans Hornets (2005-11), Los Angeles Clippers, (2011-present), Honors Thats where we naturally focus our attention, so when it comes to things like help defense, we only notice if were looking for it, or if its extreme. Notably, several modern point guards have used a successful style of post play, a tactic usually practiced by much larger centers and forwards. That deceptive length helps him nab 2.5 steals per 36 minutes and grab a ridiculous number of rebounds for a person his height. Hes able to use that size advantage by being physical, playing close and aggressive, often forcing shooters into shots they arent comfortable taking. When he was off the ball, it was spectacular. They tried just as hard as the valedictorian, but all they got were Bs. See the criteria for scouting on the next slide. Does he make stupid fouls or smart fouls? Whether you like him or not (and I personally dont), you have to respect that he plays the game as hard as it can be played. Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. He closed out on jump-shooters half-heartedly, which is bad enough, but when you combine that with the way he played pick-and-roll plays, it was even worse. Jeremy Lin is not one of the faster point guards in the NBA, and hes not particularly quick either. Lillard has been one of the NBA's most dangerous scorers, capable of striking shots from anywhere on the floor. Players have a difficult time getting past him. Then there was that kid who just read the assignment on the bus and got straight As. Curry has developed into much more than a 3-point specialist. You dont get the sense in watching him that theres a point of pride in it.

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