Top 15 Greatest Point Guards In NBA History - TheSportster Over the last decade, the best point guards such as Stephen Curry, Damian Lillard, Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook, and others have dominated the position. Watching a thing, and watching for a thing, are different. He yields a whopping 41.5 three-point percentage on the spot-up, which is just not good. Two-time All-Defensive First Team Four-time All-Star Before having his career derailed by drug use, Micheal Ray Richardson was one of the league's most feared defensive point. But hes slightly built, and that raises some issues, especially when hes caught a fraction of a second behind a play. The five-time All-Star and four-time All-NBA selection has averaged more than 24 points per game since being drafted by the Portland Trail Blazers in 2012. This is to avoid confusion if you want to go to the original source.). Coaches are responsible for developing young players, and it would have been fun to watch him grow under Doc Rivers. Even the fastest point guards tend to get bottled up. As a rookie, Bill Russell relied on Cousy to lead the league in assists, and he won the MVP Award for his efforts. However, the other side of the ball cant be overlooked because as the saying goes: defense wins championships.. He thinks hes the biggest man on the court. It also helps him to have the second-most defensive plays per 36 minutes of any of the point guards on this list. He also only has a 65 wingspan, which is short of the other bigger point guards, but what he has, he uses well. He normally makes the right play, even if he doesnt always do it well. He manages to defend the pick-and-roll reasonably well by doing something I can only call bouncing over picks. 19.5 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 11.2 APG, .520 FG%, The player But thats why we do the research. He gambles too much, and that often gets him caught out of the play. Averaging 1.5 steals per game, Wade could block transition shots as well with the best of them. Interpreted as: best defensive rating with a minimum of 10000 minutes played point guards in NBA history. He does such a good job of it while the ball is in front of him, theres no reason he couldnt do it after the ball-handler gets past him. The bulk of his thefts came by stealing the dribble, not by shooting the passing lanes. At 63, with a wingspan of almost 68, he has decent size. Being big and strong doesnt mean players automatically got higher scores, though. Only two NBA championships would make him the second-best player in NBA history. Im cheating a little here. He is entirely too aggressive. Among the greatest point guards of all time, Tiny is among the finest ever. When he was at his peak, Rose was one of the greatest point guards of all time, and he merits a spot in the top 15. Point guards are expected to be vocal floor leaders. That makes sense since Parker has assumed the primary responsibility on offense and theres no reason to wear himself out playing defense. The other metrics help alleviate the extremes because they also indicate what a players personal defense does. He is in charge of getting the ball into the hands of the shooters. As a result, hes been a member of the All-Defensive First Team four times and a member of the All-Defensive Second Team five times. NRG VS KOI Highlights. Starter from the VCT lockin. #VCTLOCKIN # Now hes in Phoenix, and well see how both he and Jeff Hornacek develop in their new roles. Lennys passing and leadership on the floor were solid, but he also had a few great scoring years on the court. Even point guards who are not given this much freedom, however, are still extensions of their coach on the floor and must display good leadership skills. With his limited speed, he is always in full throttle and getting himself around the court, pestering whoever has the ball. If you are a basketball freak, you might be interested in knowing about NBA and other Best Basketball Leagues in the World. You can find him juggling the ball every Sunday on the field, with FIFA on his PlayStation as the night drill. Big Shot, is one of the finest point guard leaders in the NBA. He has a real grasp of the game, and he helps convey that to his teammates. And, there are also times when he does the bailing out. If you want the perfect picture of what Hinrich brings to the defensive end of the court, think of him tackling the runaway freight train, otherwise known as LeBron James, in the game which stopped the Miami Heats streak. Johnson had a knack for scoring against everyone and racked up impressive numbers throughout the course of his career. Its because Griffin and Jordan were on the bench next to him. Dennis Johnson. Rondo likes to do this chest bump thing where he meets the opponent past the half-court line and just bumps his chest into him repeatedly. It would be beneficial for Westbrook to even things out and play at a consistent level throughout the game. Nash is the answer. Jordans inclusion as the best defensive shooting guard isnt surprising considering his relentless attitude to winning. -- Adams, The fashion forerunner to Russell Westbrook. Bledsoe just doesnt bring much energy to the defensive side of the court, which is a shame, because if he did, hed be a ball hawk. Normally this would be a list of FAQs, but no one has ever asked any questions (since no one has ever seen it). Thats a strong indication that Rose was not relying on help defense because that same help was there for C.J. Even players like Derek Fisher will hang him up and then hit him with the step-back. Whatever else you want to say about Brandon Knight, just dont say he never tries. Several sites track this, each in its slightly unique way, depending on its formula to calculate possessions. Players Stats: 18.9 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 6.1 APG, 1.9 SPG, 0.2 BPG, Honors: 7x All-Stars, 6x All-NBA Selection, 7x All-Defensive Team Selection, Hall of Famer. He doesnt use the shortest angles when running under picks, but he takes path of least resistance instead. Although Wade had an accomplished resume, if he had played one more season, he wouldve easily overtaken the next player on the list. The values for the various metrics which comprised the WAM score and scouting scores are also available on each slide. Tim Duncan He gets a ton of help from his teammates and isnt asked to give a lot back. Went from dominating games strictly with his passing to making the fifth-most 3-pointers in NBA history. Players Stats: 23.2 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 8.3 APG, 1.8 SPG, 0.3 BPG, Honors: 2016-2017 MVP, 9x All-Star, 8x All-NBA Selection, 2x Scoring Champion. If Williams had more pride in his defense, he would actually ask for, and depend on, help more than he does. -- Haberstroh, Teams If he didnt retire at 34, its interesting to see where Cousy could have landed all-time as he averaged 3.8 DWS per season. Ranking the best point guards of all time and selecting the top 10 point guards of all time are two of the most difficult things to do. Meanwhile, another player has his numbers go up because he is capable. Top 16 Point Guards Of All-Time: Where Steph Curry Ranks? - ClutchPoints He leaves talented shooters alone to go double-team bad shooters. This is especially true when closing out on defenders. Injuries robbed Rose of the opportunity to become one of the games top five point guards. Sometimes that happens, but not all that often. Who are the best defensive point guards in the NBA, and how are they determined? The "Big O" was capable of doing it all. He had the second-best defensive rating in the NBA. The greatest point guard in NBA history. Aside from the centre, having the best point guard is critical to improving your game because every play starts with him. Even though he normally does, he shouldnt have to and wouldnt if he were playing smarter. 19.2 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 9.3 APG, 1.9 SPG, The player Hes listed at 62 which seems about right, and hes broad-shouldered and strong for his height, but he also seems to have shorter limbs, although I cant find his wingspan listed on Draft Express. Hes 63 with a 68 wingspan and an 83 standing reach. If hes on the court, hes moving at full speed. For example, in the clutch, with the Rockets engaged in a playoff run, the team locked up in a tight battle with the San Antonio Spurs and the score close with less than five minutes remaining, Lin consistently showed the same 90 percent effort he always shows. On the other hand, you cant deny what happened, regardless of how much you watch. The Miami HEATs best player in franchise history, Dwyane Wade was an offensive maestro. Getting paired with Tom Thibodeau has made it even better. Jeremy Lin is not one of the faster point guards in the NBA, and hes not particularly quick either. He literally may be the least athletic guard in the Association. Point guard from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States of America 3 Jason Kidd Point guard from California, United States of America 4 Walt Frazier Point guard from Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America 5 Dennis Johnson 6 Fat Lever Point guard and Shooting guard from Pine Bluff, Arkansas load more Even though hes been injured a lot, Paul is averaging over two steals a game for his career. Each fails to realize that they are all right, and that the real answer is in the combination of what they all experienced. On the other hand, he was frequently bailing out whoever was playing shooting guard on numerous occasions. For a position that was highly valued at the time, he brought a lot of sparkle, style, scoring, and domination to the court. With both, its the combination of their size and speed that makes them so phenomenal. Lillard, on the other hand, is generally able to get things going from the perimeter anytime he wants. When he does, he gets put off and his effort isnt there anymore. -- Peterson, Teams Please check your email for a confirmation. He was also an outstanding playmaker and a solid scorer with a strong mid-range game. Parker has a hefty 1.05 points per play against defending the jumper, even though he typically gets there and challenges shots. NBA All-Time Player Rankings: Top 10 Point Guards You can be the best shooter in the world, but you can't score if you don't get the ball. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position. To read more, go here! Jerry West, one of the greatest point guards in NBA history, combines a lethal jump shot, tenacious defence, obsessive perfectionism, unwavering confidence, and an unwavering will to win. He secures first place in the top 10 NBA point guards of all time. 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. Let me remind everyone, young and old, I played against @iamisiahthomas when he was hurt & hobbling on one leg and @iamisiahthomas still scored 25 points in one quarter in the NBA Finals! Point guard - Wikipedia Hell overshoot passing lanes, gambling for the steal. He also defends well against post-up plays, yielding just .54 points per play, although thats on an admittedly small 17-play sample size. Occasionally hell chase the play after hes been beaten, but not always. That concludes the WAP portion of our programming schedule. Stockton was a member of two gold medal teams and twice reached the NBA finals during his remarkable career. The game has been graced by several incredible players whose names live on even after they retire. 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. In the NBA, point guards generally range from 6ft 1in (1.85m) to 6ft 4in (1.93m) whereas in the WNBA, point guards are usually 5ft 9in (1.75m) or shorter. A defensive point guard will also pressure opponents in passing lanes in an attempt to generate steals and scoring opportunities for their own team. You can almost rate Chalmers improving basketball intelligence by how many times per game he gets yelled at by his superstar teammates. Even so, combo guards still require above-average passing skill, but not as much as possessed by "pure" point guards (which is what those in the traditional mold of a point guard are referred to). A point guard that has enough ball-handling skill and quickness to be able to drive to the basket in a half-court set is also very valuable and considered by some to be a must for a successful offense. Between his height, lack of real effort on closing out and taking too long to figure out where hes supposed to be (if he ever figures it out all), he becomes the perfect storm for easy pickins. That can create an illusion of great defense where there is none. Lowry just seems to be lost on defense much of the time. 10-time All-Star, six-time All-NBA selection, nine-time All-D selection, co-Rookie of the Year (1994-95), Career stats Aware of his predilections, theyll pass the ball out to the perimeter, and simultaneous to the ball-handler catching it, theyll set a pick on Westbrook. Teams To absolutely nobodys surprise, Michael Jordan is the best defensive shooting guard in NBA history. Rondo may not be big, but he doesnt know that. He gets caught thinking, and while he makes the right decision, its a split second too late. He also uses that length to be one of the best shot-blocking point guards in the league. You just dont see him make the wrong plays. Michael Jordan 10. Whats remarkable is how quickly he gets to the shooter and gets a hand in his face, even if its all the way to the corner three and the shooter is setting when Rose takes off. All rights reserved. Whatever it was, Holiday was just not bringing effort on the defensive end last year. Six blind men all go to see an elephant which they'venever encountered before. The only thing keeping Thomas off this list is his brief career by star standards. The players are ranked according to their WAMS. He just cant do anything about it. These point guard rankings will be the first of five articles. Thats because they can spend all their energy quickly, while starters have to pace themselves. Needless to say, you dont see a lot of LeBron-Jamesian-chase-down blocks from Conley. 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. 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. All-Time #NBArank: Top 10 point guards ever, 'Not going out this way': Nets, down 28, stun C's, Kerr touts 5-0 homestand: Dubs 'turned a corner', KD: Mavs tilt, Kyrie meeting 'just another game', Owner: Snyder, Fields will bring Hawks success, Isaac has surgery on adductor, done for season, Clips' Powell out at least a week to treat shoulder, LeBron to have tendon injury checked in 3 weeks. For the purpose of this study, 82games was used because the net defensive rating was also easily available and it made for consistency. You dont get the sense in watching him that theres a point of pride in it. Hes a learning player, and his extensive time sitting last year may have helped his grasp of defense as well as offense. Magic had unparalleled vision; he could see players get open and deliver the ball before they even realized they were open. Jason Kidd was the definition of a jack-of-all-trades point guard: he could pass, score and grab rebounds. It will be interesting to see how well he does with Larry Sanders behind him in Milwaukee. 1. Russell is regarded as one of the best point guard finishers of all time. When he does do it, he does it half-heartedly. Once he had the ball on the fastbreak, The Flash was gone. The best way to track how effective a player is on the defensive end is by looking at their cumulative defensive win shares. Wayne Gretzky on the court, Nash could hurt opponents by getting rid of the ball quickly or by holding on to it for so long that the defense finally made a mistake. Closing out on shooters, hell go sailing past them. There are some disadvantages to this style of play. Thats largely true. The five best defensive centers of all time - Sportsnaut Some would look at Conleys frontcourt and assumenot entirely incorrectlythat having Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol to back him up pads his stats. The NBA's best European guard, Tony Parker, monopolised opposing backcourt players with speed and agility, a tight crossover, and a gorgeous tear-drop floater in the lane. Wilt Chamberlain 14. Johnson is widely recognized as one of the all-time great point guards, particularly for his defense. Parker applies himself defensively in bursts, and this appears to be by design. (Most defenders let the opponent by more than half the time. He may be the finest defensive guard ever because of his awareness and abilities on the defensive end. As a result, he has received numerous awards, including the 'NBA Most Valuable Player' (MVP) award and the "PAC Player of the Year." This is where everything focuses on Westbrook. The Top 100 will begin to roll out next week. Just telling your players to play harder and close out on threes isnt a real system. The Glove was a nine-time All-Defensive Team selection, making the 1st team all nine times. Its like hes just punching the clock and collecting his wages. But it seems like Paul is nutmeggingand breaking opposing defenders ankles every game. If he's not on the slide and he played 1,200 minutes, he should be on this list somewhere. He did it not once, not twice, but three times. Chris Paul 13. Players have a difficult time getting past him. Parker is a seasoned point guard who plays the game like a pro. Holiday has ample size for a point guard, standing a shade over 64 in shoes, and weighing in at 205 pounds. When it came to size, the main flaw in his game was that he was very fast and explosive with his handles. In balance he was a plus, but his deficiencies cant be ignored. These combo point guards can surprise defenses. Blake Griffin was 21st out of 47 power forwards, and Jordan was 23rd out of 38 centers. The Greatest Defensive PG's in NBA History! - ranker.com In the last entry, we focused on the five best defensive NBA point guards of all time, but now, we turn to the five best defensive shooting guards in NBA history. Damian Lillard (2013-Present) AP Images. He tends to be beaten off the dribble more often than he should be, considering his physical advantages, but he also uses his physical ability to recover when he is beaten. A defensive point guard will also pressure opponents in passing lanes in an attempt to generate steals and scoring opportunities for their own team. Furthermore, he is a legend for the Phoenix Suns and one of the teams finest players. He tends to rely on his speed to compensate for his lack of mass. -- Adande, The only players in NBA history with more games with 20 points and 10 assists are Oscar Robertson and Magic Johnson. Per NBA.com/STATS, the Clippers were almost 10 points per 100 possessions better defensively while Lamar Odom was on the court instead of DeAndre Jordan, yet Paul was on the court three times as much with Jordan as Odom. Who's the best offensive point guard of all time? He might physically play below the rim, but few can touch how he plays above the neck. In addition, Cousy, dubbed "The Houdini of the Hardwood," led the NBA in assists for 8 straight seasons, creating a whole new blend of ball-handling and passing skills for the league. Hes pouring out effort every minute hes on the court. Ben Wallace 12. But mostly he plays smartly with an occasional brain fart. He applies his energy smartly. DWS are how many wins a player produces based on his defensive ability. The five best defensive point guards of all time Jarrod Castillo Dec 16, 2019; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Chris Paul (3) directs his team during a play against the. Do players go under picks when they should go over them? Interpreted as: best point guard defensive rating with a minimum of 2000 minutes played per 82 team games 2022 He may get beaten occasionally, and he might get outmuscled more frequently, but he never gets outhustled. He probably can even tell you where the hot dog vendor and mascot are. Williams needs to do a better job of forcing opponents out of the middle and into the strong side of his defense, but he tends to fall straight back instead, letting them into the lane, which allows for easy scores. Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. The reason teams run so much pick-and-roll is that it works. That all-around game made Kidd one of the league's top point guards for nearly 20 years. In the MVP vote for the 1967-1968 season, he finished second behind the unstoppable Wilt Chamberlain. Does he know when to help and not to help? There are some serious contenders in Steve Nash and Walter Frazier, so hell have to settle for fourth place in the race. Top 50 Point Guards of All-Time: Magic, The Big O and Curry top the List He doesnt try to make great plays, but he tries not to make mistakes, which is maybe what he should be concentrating on. If you want to get involved in the discussion or just follow along, #NBArank is the Twitter hashtag to use. His career averages of 27 PPG, 6.0 RPG, and 7.0 APG were arguably the best ever put up by a point guard when he retired in 1974. Chris Paul is widely considered to be one of the best point guards of the 2010s. A point guard specializes in certain skills, like other player positions in basketball. Top NBA point guards for 2022-23: Ranking all 30 starters | Sporting News TMGNNS LEBRON Sun, 4:30p DEN CLE 2/23, 4:00p BOS IND 2/23, 4:00p DET ORL 2/23, 4:00p MEM PHI 2/23, 4:30p NOP TOR. Sometimes that works, such as his quick darts under picks. He affected the paradigm for overseas guards trying to break into the NBA. One of the most recognisable players in NBA history, Walt Frazier is a deserving candidate for the Basketball Hall of Fame. Thats 20th all-time, with Kidd being the only other guard above him. Take, for example, Carlos Boozer in 2012. His offensive style has been revamped to incorporate a powerful mid-range jumper along with some range as well. Seriously, you should hear Mark Jackson rave about him. ALL-TIME #NBARANK, 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11-15 | 16-20 | 21-25, The player The only time hell go under a pick is when hes supposed to. An All-Star in every full season that he played for the Boston Celtics, six-time NBA champion Bob Cousy was an all-around player. In fact, hes a bit of a bull on the court and tries to intimidate his counterpart. Emailed daily. Hes one of the slower point guards in the league now, but in spite of that, hes almost ubiquitous at times. Two-time MVP (2004-05, 2005-06), eight-time All-Star, seven-time All-NBA selection, Career stats He can be stagnant when his man doesnt have the ball. WAMS includes scouting. [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. He owes his charitable demeanour to a group of elementary school parents. Some will just hang around waiting for the play to end, but Jack keeps track of his man and also helps if its needed. -- Adande, He led the NBA in assists nine straight seasons from 1987 to 1996. Smart people recognize their limitations. For this reason, a small penalty was exacted for every minute under 30 minutes, and a small bonus was provided over 30 minutes. By combining them, we can get a better picture of the whole elephant of a players defense. There's no way Stockton & Curry are better than Isiah. To create All-Time #NBArank, we put together a ballot with the 150 greatest players ever. In his 20 seasons, Bryant. The only thing is that the Bulls actually gave up 8.6 more points while he was on the court. Watching Parker play defense for a while, particularly zooming in on the pick-and-roll plays, his impressive court awareness stands out. They must also be able to adapt to what the defense is allowing and must control the pace of the game. Big O is widely regarded as one of the best offensive point guards of all time. While Rose was fairly criticized for not playing hard defensively prior to Thibodeau, that criticism is no longer accurate. 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. He plays way too far off the ball, supposedly so he wont get beaten, but since he perpetually gets beaten like a drum anyway, why not play closer up so he can at least do a better job of defending the jump shot? He has above-average size and strength, but he doesnt play like it. Ergo, a negative number is a positive thing, and a positive number is a negative thing. These were calculated using the raw stats available on any site carrying basic stats. Knight doesnt always recognize the help situations, but when he does, he is usually effective.
