You can almost rate Chalmers improving basketball intelligence by how many times per game he gets yelled at by his superstar teammates. He lifted the Lakers, and transition basketball, to ethereal levels. Because Derrick Rose was the NBAs youngest MVP in 2009, its unfortunate that the guy isnt higher on this list. When defending the isolation play, he gives up a nauseating .94 points per play, a strong indication of that. Rose had it all, including speed, explosiveness, and the ability to score when it mattered most. He was a 13-time NBA All-Star during the early half of the Celtics dynasty, winning six NBA championships during his 13-year tenure with the team. There was always that kid in high school or college who tried so hard to get decent grades. But hes just not very strong. Mike Conley is exceptionally quick, virtually teleporting himself from one part of the court to another at times. Who's the best offensive point guard of all time? "The Logo" Jerry West was an NBA Champion, a 14 time All-Star, ten time All-NBA First team selection, four time All-Defensive team selection, NBA scoring champion and an NBA assist leader. While he was doing that, Billups, who actually had the ball the whole time, just stepped back behind the three-point line and drained the three. He might have Silly Putty for a father. Players Stats: 19.2 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 9.3 APG, 1.9 SPG, 0.3 BPG, Honors: 1989-1990 Finals MVP, 12x All-Star, 5x All-NBA Selection, Hall of Famer. When they do, he gets tangled up pretty badly; it happens so rarely, though, youd think he had eyes in the back of his head. Defensively, Stockton had 3,265 steals the most all time during his 19-year. Robertson amassed 26,710 points and 9,887 assists during his 14-year NBA career with the Cincinnati Royals and Milwaukee Bucks. Michael Cooper was a great defensive guard, evident when he won the Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY) award in 1987, and James Worthy is a top-ten Small Forward of all-time and was one of the . One conundrum has always been how to account for who is guarding the best player on the other team. Not Paul. He could create at an elite level while also scoring off the dribble from the midrange. Stephen Curry 4. He routinely gets blistered in isolation (.93 points per play), fails to close out well on shooters and lags when coming off of screens. He has trouble compensating for his lack of size when challenging jump shots. Even when he has to go under the pick, which is most of the time, hes so fast that hes able to close the distance before the ball-handler has time to do something with it. Still, a first-rate point guard should also have a reasonably effective jump shot. However, despite Chris Paul and Jason Kidds prominence, Steve Nash became a two-time MVP who had no weaknesses on the offensive end. He led the NBA in scoring in only his second season, 1967-68, with 27.1 points per game. 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. -- Haberstroh, Honors Ultimately, Johnson's unselfishness earned him the title of greatest point guard of all time. Watson, Kirk Hinrich and Nate Robinson. He doesnt disrupt team defense with unnecessary gambles. 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. But Gary Payton did as a member of the Seattle Supersonics. Its safe to say that Kidd is one of the greatest guards to ever play on the basketball floor. Hell overshoot passing lanes, gambling for the steal. Even though injuries caught up with him toward the end of his illustrious career, Bryant still battled as a defender when needed. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 13. We compiled a list of the top 15 point guards of all time using wholly subjective metrics from the list of active players and a few other legends. Micah Adams is the lead NBA research specialist for ESPN Stats and Info. The effect was that the Bulls' starters all looked inferior to their backups. Additionally, the 10-time All-Star and Hall of Famer was an impressive defensive player in his own right. 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. That would make sense, but there are two reasons to choose the unconventional scale. He also is tougher than most point guards to post up. He could play any spot on the court as well. If the team gives up more points while hes on the court, thats bad. Starter from the VCT lockin. Perhaps next year the Raptors will see better times, and well see less of that kind of behavior, but its a harmful habit to have picked up. FOXSports.com - Best all-time point guards at the Wayback Machine (archived July 12, 2005), accessed 2008-02-09 This page was last edited on 1 March 2023, at 17:58 . Chauncey Billups, or Mr. For each of the following metrics, click on the subhead to be taken to the source website for more details. He also has such superior court awareness that most picks dont catch him squarely, and he just glides over them. On the other hand, no matter how solid the foundation is, you cant move into it. He uses his feet and body well, steering his man into the help defense when he knows hes not able to keep up. If it tends to fall in the middle, he gets a 20. Please check your email for a confirmation. Tim Duncan The best way to track how effective a player is on the defensive end is by looking at their cumulative defensive win shares. At the point guard position, point guard Damian Lillard is one of the games most talented shooters and scorers. Overall, he is more of a gives-help defender than a needs-help defender. In his 16-year career, Wade averaged 2.961 DWS per year and his 47.38 DWS is good for 55th overall. -- Adams, Honors As a Golden State Warrior and Miami Heat legend, Tim Hardaway may have the best crossover in basketball history. In terms of point guards, Magic is the finest there has ever been. As previously stated, he gets the help from Green and Leonard to guard the top point guards. When you combine that with his 40-inch vertical, you have a player that gets higher (139 inches) than any point guard in the leagueeven Russell Westbrook. The true driving force of his partnership with Karl Malone. Honors: 1978-1979 Finals MVP, 5x All-Star, 9x All-Defense Selection, 2x All-NBA Team Selection, Hall of Famer. Kyle Lowry has exceptional speed and athleticism. Perhaps the best word to describe his defense is lollygaggy.. To absolutely nobodys surprise, Michael Jordan is the best defensive shooting guard in NBA history. Bing, despite having one of his eyes injured, was an attacking force to be reckoned with. John Stockton 6. Only two other players besides Moncrief have won the NBAs defensive player of the year award twice. The game has been graced by several incredible players whose names live on even after they retire. -- Tom Haberstroh, NBA writer, No guard in NBA history pulled down more rebounds than Kidd, who finished with more career rebounds than Willis Reed and Alonzo Mourning, among others. A defensive point guard will also pressure opponents in passing lanes in an attempt to generate steals and scoring opportunities for their own team. Emailed daily. -- Adande, Possessed incredible court vision and creativity, all while orchestrating the frenetic game pace of his era. According to Hoops Stats, in his MVP season, the Bulls gave up the fewest points to opposing point guards. Some point guards are still given a great deal of leeway in the offense. 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. His quickness and slim frame allow him to slip through gaps in the defence and create more opportunities for himself. Since I always get asked "Where's ___________?" The strength of this is that it shows what the other player does offensively. For his time with the Phoenix Suns, Johnson is most known for his role alongside Charles Barkley. Hes not just ordinary quick, either; hes pesky-quick, with fast hands that dart in and take the ball out of the ball-handler's dribble with alarming frequency. Teams Some would argue that just because he went to Harvard, it doesnt mean he has a high basketball IQ, or that book intelligence isnt the same thing. Thats largely true. While hes not going to get a lot of those at his size, regardless of what he does, he could probably do more to try and recover. He gambles too much, and that often gets him caught out of the play. Each touches a different part of the elephant, one an ear, another the torso and so on. He made everything go for those Lakers teams. While he recovers most of the time, its worth asking why he gets beaten. Stats dont tell the whole story and our eyes often only confirm what we already know. That concludes the WAP portion of our programming schedule. Pun intended. While most of these stats are adjusted for minutes, the problem surfaces that bench players, playing fewer minutes, can appear to be better than they are. Robertson's offensive ability transformed the point guard stereotype from a passer and floor general to a scorer and offensive weapon. This score is to help alleviate that. On Wednesday, we will have the top 10 shooting guards of all time, followed by small forwards, power forwards and centers. Players like Rose, Russell Westbrook and Kyrie Irving consistently cross him over and get past him. Players Stats: 17.9 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 9.1 APG, 1.5 SPG, 0.2 BPG, Honors: 3x All-Star, 5x All-NBA Selection, 1988-1989 Most Improved Player. As a result, hes 17th all-time with 1944 and had six seasons in the top-20 in steals. His lateral quickness is below-average, and his straightaway speed isnt much either. Yet somehow he manages to compensate and do a reasonably fair job of defending, even in isolation. The problem is that sometimes players are so inept, they skew the stats of other players. -- Adande, Teams 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. It would be beneficial for Westbrook to even things out and play at a consistent level throughout the game. When it comes to intangibles, Chris Paul is the elite point guard in the league. Total Defensive Plays per 36 Minutes, or TDP/36 is simply the total number of defensive rebounds, steals and blocks a player accrues every 36 minutes. With the increased emphasis on the deep three, point guards account for a large portion of the league's top scorers. This is what I mean by ubiquity. From there, hes playing catch up. Then, when players pull up and shoot, he doesnt use his length to close and get a hand in the face of the shooter. Think: Dennis Rodman. After years of being sidelined by ailments, the grandeur that should have been his was snatched from him. (Most defenders let the opponent by more than half the time. Speaking about hard-nosed defense-first converted shooting guards, here is one more name to the list: Dennis Johnson, one of the all-time great Celtics and at the same time one of the most underrated players in the history of the NBA. After the All-Star break, when Rose hardly played, that number fell to 17.8 and the Bulls dropped to ninth. 1. Six blind men all go to see an elephant which they'venever encountered before. The best way to track how effective a player is on the defensive end is by looking at their cumulative defensive win shares. This is a necessity because of the point guard's many leadership obligations. However, he doesnt appear to have the same strength they do. Russ is already on the verge of breaking into the top five of all time, but its going to be a challenge. 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. Three-time MVP (1986-87, 1988-89, 1989-90), three-time Finals MVP, 12-time All-Star, 10-time All-NBA selection, Hall of Fame, Championships MVP (2014-15), two-time All-Star, two-time All-NBA selection, Career stats He has above-average size and strength, but he doesnt play like it. 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. That being said, Joakim Noah was frequently required to bail him out of trouble. He merits a high score here. Lets say a perimeter defender gets beaten and then his center blocks the shot. Thats a strong indication that Rose was not relying on help defense because that same help was there for C.J. While his pick-and-roll stats, according to Synergy, are excellent, at .68 points per play, half the time he seems to get bailed out by his frontcourt. Adapting your system to every opponent and knowing their nuances is understandable. Follow Sports Brief on Twitter for more trending and breaking news! There are some disadvantages to this style of play. One of the best -- and quickest -- lob passers the game has ever seen. His low foul rate of 4.5 percent is another indication that hes adept at getting into position quickly. 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. An indication of this is the fact that hes had only nine dunks in his career, the last of which was over seven years ago. WAMS includes scouting. Its why Williams gives up .92 points per play in isolation, one of the worst averages among point guards. Curry has won three NBA championships and cemented his status as the finest shooter in NBA history since becoming a superstar and two-time MVP. This typically involves setting up plays on the court, getting the ball to the teammate in the best position to score, and controlling the tempo of the game. You also can follow along @ESPNNBA and on Facebook. They work harder, and they get things eventually, but not quite as well. The defensive stats arent a good way to determine the totality of defense, but they are a factor and shouldnt be ignored. The only thing keeping Thomas off this list is his brief career by star standards. For many of these metrics, sample size becomes crucial. 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. The official cause of death of Flashdance singer Irene Cara has been determined. Players Stats: 16.5 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 6.7 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.2 BPG. 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. Lin is a mixed bag when it comes to help defense. -- Peterson, Teams 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 just doesnt have the length to effectively guard against them. A point guard will often use their ability to score in order to augment their effectiveness as a decision-maker and playmaker. The greater problem is how easily he gets disrupted on pick-and-roll defense. Pauls been an All-Defensive Team selection nine times, being selected to the First Team seven times and the Second Team twice. Holiday knows what to do, but he doesnt always do it. This proves problematic, especially in isolation, where Williams usually just backs up. And his athleticism gives him a leg up, which helps him dominate. In nine seasons with the Detroit Pistons, plus two with the Washington Bullets and one with the Boston Celtics, Bing gathered 18,327 points in 901 competitions (20.3 ppg). 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. Hes the closest thing in the world to Kevin Garnetts Mini-Me. Bucks: Start time, where to watch, what's the latest, Rockets vs. Spurs: Start time, where to watch, what's the latest, Hawks vs. Heat: Start time, where to watch, what's the latest, Pistons vs. Cavaliers: Start time, where to watch, what's the latest, Raptors vs. Wizards: Start time, where to watch, what's the latest, Russell Westbrook still wants Sixth Man of Year award from time with Lakers, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. 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. This is one of those cases where scouting helps. When he was off the ball, it was spectacular. (I know, but it is a part of defense these days.) Thats pretty much what you see with Conley. 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. His high rebound rate, while partly indicative of his speed is also a result of positioning, which relates to his IQ. Rob Peterson is an NBA editor for ESPN.com. Chalmers will fail at things, but not because he isnt trying. 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. Later in his career, he even improved as an outside shooter, which contributed significantly to his longevity. Top 50 Point Guards of All-Time: Magic, The Big O and Curry top the List By Jeff McDaniel | Jul 16, 2020, 5:35pm 1. Thats when you see him start to do things like not close out on shooters, merely waving his hand in the air instead. Wilt Chamberlain 14. Gary Payton was born on July 23, 1968, and is widely regarded as one of the best defensive point guards of all time. Michael Jordan 10. He has two ways of guarding the isopray for help or flop. He gets a higher score here than he technically deserves because he tries so hard. The greatest point guard in NBA history. He is tremendous at using that muscle to his advantage, too. Magic had unparalleled vision; he could see players get open and deliver the ball before they even realized they were open. A point guard specializes in certain skills, like other player positions in basketball. Watching Parker play defense for a while, particularly zooming in on the pick-and-roll plays, his impressive court awareness stands out. 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. While Rose is slightly faster, Westbrook is slightly bigger. Chris Paul is widely considered to be one of the best point guards of the 2010s. He yields a whopping 41.5 three-point percentage on the spot-up, which is just not good. Some players defined their positions. Over the last decade, the best point guards such as Stephen Curry, Damian Lillard, Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook, and others have dominated the position. He seems to get frustrated easily. This article first appeared on Sportsnaut and was syndicated with permission. He uses his speed well, as long as hes engaged in the game. He would find a way to beat his opponents, mentally and physically, and without his defensive tenacity, he wouldnt be considered the greatest of all-time. 18.9 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 6.1 APG, .490 FG%, The player Players Stats: 15.2 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 5.4 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.2 BPG, Honors: 2003-2004 Finals MVP, 5x All-Star, 3x All-NBA Selection, 2x All-Defensive Team Selection. All pre-draft measurements were obtained from the database hosted on Draft Express. -- Doolittle, Perhaps someday Paul will reach the conference finals and we can focus more on his incredible accomplishments as a scorer, distributor and defender and less on his teams' inability to turn them into deep playoff runs. Bledsoe spent the majority of his time with Odom, while Chris Paul spent the majority of his time with Jordan, which confuses the on/off ratings. After all, as his name implies, Billups was known for taking and making huge shots in order to help his team win. Only two NBA championships would make him the second-best player in NBA history. He just doesnt have the physical tools to play at an elite level. Players Stats: 15.2 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 5.0 APG, 1.6 SPG, 0.4 BPG, Honors: 4x All-Star, 3x All-NBA Selection. Its possible for Nash to be the whole offense and to shoot 50-40-90 from the field on a continuous basis. The more often he is the primary defender, the more likely he is to be responsible for guarding the player who is getting the most plays offensively. A defensive point guard will try to accomplish this with constant pressure on the ball, making it difficult to maintain possession. 6 (1957, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963), Career stats He also shows poor awareness at times, getting surprised by picks as if the setter had just popped up from out of the floor like a Whac-A-Mole. Holiday has ample size for a point guard, standing a shade over 64 in shoes, and weighing in at 205 pounds. Does he pick up his man when switched? When he gets it going, hes unstoppable. 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). Perhaps if hes in shoes and standing on a milk crate filled with milk, thats true. One of basketballs most dynamic and versatile point guards in the modern era. He applies every bit of failing athleticism he has all the time. Magic Johnson 2. Alex Caruso. Lowry is neither big nor strong, and he does little with what size he has. The result is our all-time NBA Top 100. -- Kevin Pelton, Teams Jason Kidd was the definition of a jack-of-all-trades point guard: he could pass, score and grab rebounds. Jrue Holiday is not fast so much as he is quick. His lateral movement and reaction time are exceptional, and thats indicated by his isolation defense. Always free! The point guard (PG), also called the one or the point, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball game. You never have to question his effort or commitment. Conley also has crazy hops, measuring a 40.5-inch vertical at the combine, and he is one of the quickest point guards in the league. He tends to use that speed and athleticism well when hes in position, too. Still, hes one of the best point guards of all time, and his stats show that hes a deserved All-Star. He had the second-best defensive rating in the NBA. -- Adams, Combined savvy with underrated strength. He does add a lot, but its not frenetic, its just frantic. Scroll below to see where Stephen Curry ranks among the best point guards in the NBA. How much a player understands his role in the defense is measured here. He never leaves his man to help a defender that doesnt need help, but he always seems to be there when help is needed. I suspect that some of this might be by design, as Holiday bore a leading part of the burden on both ends of the court for his team, so its understandable to a point, but not to the extent I saw. Mr. For example, the Spurs absolutely ate him alive in the playoffs with Tony Parker, who averaged 24.5 points for the series. Parker has a hefty 1.05 points per play against defending the jumper, even though he typically gets there and challenges shots.
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