In the MVP vote for the 1967-1968 season, he finished second behind the unstoppable Wilt Chamberlain. The problem is he doesnt use that height or strength as well as youd like to see. He benefits tremendously from help defense as previously mentioned, but that doesnt mean he doesnt also provide help defense. Pun intended. His defensive usage was the highest of any player with at least 1,200 minutes. Per Synergy, he forces turnovers 18.5 percent of the time, and he does so barely giving up any points. Even when he gets switched up on opposing shooting guards trying to post him up, he does a solid job. The bulk of his thefts came by stealing the dribble, not by shooting the passing lanes. 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. -- Peterson. Here are the answers to some questions readers are likely to have. 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. Since the first time a professional basketball player dribbled a ball, weve seen some of the greatest point guards in history. While Rose is slightly faster, Westbrook is slightly bigger. 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. However, the other side of the ball cant be overlooked because as the saying goes: defense wins championships.. As a Golden State Warrior and Miami Heat legend, Tim Hardaway may have the best crossover in basketball history. But his lack of any vertical leap kills him on the jump shot. Then again, the limited number of plays may be, in part, due to the fact that hes so hard to post up. But mostly he plays smartly with an occasional brain fart. Los Angeles Lakers (1979-91, 1995-96), Honors 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. 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. David Robinson 6. Think: Dennis Rodman. "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. -- Adande, Teams Watching specifically for this, I found only three instances in 50 plays where Garnett bailed out Rondo on isolation plays, a rate which is lower than most point guards receiving help.
NRG VS KOI Highlights. Starter from the VCT lockin. #VCTLOCKIN # Its not uncommon to see him challenge shots with both feet on the floor. He was second among point guards in defensive rebounds per 36 minutes. 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. One of the most famous point guards of all time, Jason Kidd, could make a dazzling pass or a simple play with the finest in the game while also adoring to hightail it in transition to wear opponents down. The explosiveness and rim-running ability of Damian Lillard extend beyond his ability to shoot the ball from a distance. -- Adams, Honors Watching video on Lin gave me one impression that stood out above everything else: his awareness of where he was on the court and where he needed to be. He was an unstoppable offensive force who could score from anywhere on the court and in any way he wanted. His lateral quickness is below-average, and his straightaway speed isnt much either. Thats when you see him start to do things like not close out on shooters, merely waving his hand in the air instead. And, there are also times when he does the bailing out. What color was his tie? He was the primary defender on 1,127 plays last year in all, surpassed only by Stephen Curry among point guards.
Why John Stockton is the greatest NBA point guard of all-time - The Roar (Most defenders let the opponent by more than half the time. They say that defense is mostly about effort. His on-court coaching and leadership is probably the biggest reason the Clippers had the eighth most-efficient defense in the NBA last year. However, who are the all-time top point guards? -- Adams, He could hurt defenses in so many ways: Controlling tempo was one, and he was a hell of a defender, too. 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. He also only has a 65 wingspan, which is short of the other bigger point guards, but what he has, he uses well. A decade of playing and a plethora of injuries havent helped him get any faster. 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. He gambles too much, and that often gets him caught out of the play. Perhaps if hes in shoes and standing on a milk crate filled with milk, thats true. 10-time All-Star, 11-time All-NBA selection, five-time All-D selection, Hall of Fame, Career stats Holiday knows what to do, but he doesnt always do it. Its difficult to have a perfect rating system thats entirely objective, and even more difficult to have a realistic one that is purely subjective. Chris Paul 13. -- Kevin Pelton, NBA Insider, May be the strongest point guard ever and consistently made everyone around him better. Defensively, Stockton had 3,265 steals the most all time during his 19-year career, helping him get 64.9 DWS. The point guard (PG), also called the one or the point, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball game. In his heyday, Parker could score 25 points a night and seldom made poor choices with the ball. Apart from that, he seems to do what hes supposed to be doing when hes away from the ball. Though he had a relatively short career he only played 13 seasons his 50.4 DWS is 44th overall. His score represents the average of trying hard and not trying at all once the ball gets past him. John Stockton 6. While he is frequently noted for his ability to see the court and make the right play on offense, he doesnt get the same recognition on the defensive end. Rajon Rondo is probably the most athletic player in the league who plays most of his game below the rim.
Top 15 Greatest Point Guards In NBA History - TheSportster Additionally, Stockton was a fantastic shooter and defender, almost possessing no weaknesses on the floor at all. Top 20 best defensive midfielders in the world today: who are they? He lifted the Lakers, and transition basketball, to ethereal levels. Overall, hes ninth in steals with 2,207, and Drexlers 49.9 DWS is good for 45th all-time. When we watch basketball, we get general impressions of defense, but the storyline is whats happening with the ball. Mr. Among the greatest point guards of all time, Tiny is among the finest ever. While he does benefit from help defense, its not as often as you might think. He wont even try and fight over a pick if he gets caught in one, but just quits on the play. There are some disadvantages to this style of play. Below is a list of the 25 Best point guards of the NBA. Opponents dont have much success getting around him. Rondo may not be big, but he doesnt know that. His lateral quickness is exceptional, making it hard for people to get around him, and thats a big part of why he is tied with Derrick Rose for the fewest points per play among qualified point guards. Great size made him impossible for most. Players Stats: 24.0 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 6.5 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.3 BPG, Honors: 5x All-Stars, 4x All-NBA Selection, 2012-2013 Rookie of the Year. Still, a first-rate point guard should also have a reasonably effective jump shot. Magic Johnson. When hes coming off screens, hes especially horrible, giving up 1.15 points per play. Thats 20th all-time, with Kidd being the only other guard above him. One of the best -- and quickest -- lob passers the game has ever seen. Hes a key component in Tom Thibodeaus defense, and frankly, with Thibs, you just dont stay on the court if youre not putting in the effort on the defensive end. The perimeter player gets rewarded statistically for what the center did, even though he actually played shoddy defense. As a result, hes been a member of the All-Defensive 1st Team four times and a member of the All-Defensive 2nd Team five times. Hes controlled in how he plays hard. Chris is also a leader on the defensive end of the court, having been named to nine All-Defensive Teams. In case you missed it, Jason Kidd was tops on the list with 75.1 DWS, good for 11th all-time. Not everything about a players value can be seen even through advanced stats, or even while hes on the court. Each of these has its own value, and those specifics will be discussed more on the next slide. When he lets it go, though, it seems calculated. During each of his five NBA championship rings, he was one of the finest players in the league. During the 1960-1961 season, the then-32-year-old Cousy racked up 6.3 DWS, the most in his career. -- Adande, He led the NBA in assists nine straight seasons from 1987 to 1996. 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. This is also from the various sources we have used. It is startling to see the regularity with which opponents blow past Deron Williams. Dont be surprised to see him as a head coach someday. Later in his career, he even improved as an outside shooter, which contributed significantly to his longevity. He applies every bit of failing athleticism he has all the time. 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. He bulls through picks well and is not afraid to go over them. When he went up and challenged DeAndre Jordan, and then got blown up, the entire basketball world acted like theyd just seen the greatest basketball play ever. Only two NBA championships would make him the second-best player in NBA history. 6 (1957, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963), Career stats While that is by design, he shouldnt get the same credit as players who bring their full attention the entire time theyre on the court.
The Best NBA Point Guards Of All Time - The Delite Top 10 Point Guards of All Time Best NBA Point Guards, NBA and other Best Basketball Leagues in the World, Facebook and Twitter takedown hackers targeting Ukraine political figures and military officials via fake accounts, Britney Spears called out Fans that She felt Sick to her stomach after Family plans Intervention, Stephen tWitch Boss passed away intestate, wife Allison Holker has filed Estate Control. Who's the best offensive point guard of all time? Kevin Durant, Jayson Tatum top NBA quotes of the week. Russell is regarded as one of the best point guard finishers of all time. Furthermore, he is a legend for the Phoenix Suns and one of the teams finest players. He probably can even tell you where the hot dog vendor and mascot are. Point guards must be able to maintain possession of the ball in crowded spaces and in traffic and be able to advance the ball quickly. Eventually, you need to form an opinion about why not just know what. It seems so much of Conley is either there or not there; you get it or you dont get it. Westbrooks Synergy numbers on the pick-and-roll (.75) and isolation (.7) suggest hes better than he actually is. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position. Players Stats: 18.8 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 5.6 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.3 BPG, Honors: 2010-2011 MVP, 3x All-Star, 1x All-NBA Selection, 2008-2009 Rookie of the Year. -- Adams, An early ballhandling wizard, he was a point guard who was a focal point at a time when the game was dominated by big men. It would be beneficial for Westbrook to even things out and play at a consistent level throughout the game. Hes like a runner trying to run a mile by alternating between walking and sprinting 100 yards at a time. Moncrief is well known for his defensive prowess. And when hes on the bench, Eric Bledsoe, who is a 15th on this list, was with Odom. Like last time . The Glove was a nine-time All-Defensive Team selection, making the First Team all nine times. It doesnt seem that it would be that impressive if found it. James Harden's age: stats, contract, family, dating, net worth in 2022. Meanwhile, another player has his numbers go up because he is capable. Second, having a five-point range on a 22-point scale prevents any one statistic from overly dominating the others. Then our ESPN expert panel voted on thousands of head-to-head matchups, with voting based on both peak performance and career value. Rose had it all, including speed, explosiveness, and the ability to score when it mattered most. It is the same with his mental engagement in the game. -- Pelton. The same applies to any decent basketball argument (or any other kind, for that matter). Other point guards who have been named NBA MVP include Bob Cousy, Oscar Robertson, Allen Iverson, Derrick Rose, and Russell Westbrook, and two-time winners Steve Nash and Stephen Curry. Then, after a single down year, he had y straight years of 2 steals per . Most of those come for one of two reasons: Either he bites on the fake and is too slow to recover, or the shooter shoots over him and he doesnt have the ups to challenge it. Johnsons style of play made him especially successful since he was noted for tip-ins and post play around the rim. Hes fearless, and no matter how large the big setting the pick is, he wont back down. The other metrics help alleviate the extremes because they also indicate what a players personal defense does. Meanwhile, we are presenting the top 10 by position. Even players like Derek Fisher will hang him up and then hit him with the step-back. If a player tends to be the helper, he gets a better score. Players Stats: 13.1 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 10.5 APG, 2.2 SPG, 0.2 BPG, Honors: 10x All-Star, 11x All-NBA Selection, 5x All-Defensive Team Selection, Hall of Famer. Other stats were determined by using my trusty sidekick, MS Excel, loaded up with standard stats available on most websites. Lets say a perimeter defender gets beaten and then his center blocks the shot. Teams 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. 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 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. The strength of this is that it shows what the other player does offensively. When going against point guards who have a respectable jump shot, that becomes problematic. He has become one of the hardest working point guards in the league on both ends. While hes able to keep himself from getting pushed around when point guards, or even shooting guards, try and post up on him, hes not able to dig through picks the way the other three are. Two-time MVP (2004-05, 2005-06), eight-time All-Star, seven-time All-NBA selection, Career stats It also helps him to have the second-most defensive plays per 36 minutes of any of the point guards on this list. When it comes to intangibles, Chris Paul is the elite point guard in the league. Because of his combination of length, speed and jumping ability, Rose has become an excellent team defender against the jump shot. There are few players on this list who can match his incredible scoring, rebounding, and playmaking prowess. Though he had a relatively short career he only played 13 seasons his 50.4 DWS is 44th overall. He can be stagnant when his man doesnt have the ball. Does he know when to go over the pick, and when to go under it? If Williams had more pride in his defense, he would actually ask for, and depend on, help more than he does. 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. In the past, this was particularly true, as several point guards such as Lenny Wilkens served their teams as player coaches. This is especially true when closing out on defenders. -- Doolittle, The great Knicks ball-movement offense started with him. The defensive stats arent a good way to determine the totality of defense, but they are a factor and shouldnt be ignored. 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. He uses his feet and body well, steering his man into the help defense when he knows hes not able to keep up. 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 weakness is that it also includes some of what the other player does defensively, (e.g.. blocks, steals, and defensive rebounds). 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. On the positive side, Rose does a decent job of understanding his role in a complex system. Robertson's offensive ability transformed the point guard stereotype from a passer and floor general to a scorer and offensive weapon. Dallas Mavericks (1994-96, 2008-12), Phoenix Suns (1996-2001), New Jersey Nets (2001-08), New York Knicks (2012-13), Honors Then there was that kid who just read the assignment on the bus and got straight As.
Averaging 1.5 steals per game, Wade could block transition shots as well with the best of them. 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. When the team is winning or the game is close, he puts in real effort, but if they are down, he shows noticeably less energy. -- Pelton, No player his size, 6-foot-3, has ever bent defenses to his will as Curry does. 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. He uses his speed well, as long as hes engaged in the game. Allen Iverson 11. 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. -- Adams, Combined savvy with underrated strength. The point guard was always capable of scoring the ball at the . The seven-time All-Star was one of the best two-way guards of his time, and his performance in Game 7 of the 1970 NBA FInals remains one for the ages. Hes one of the slower point guards in the league now, but in spite of that, hes almost ubiquitous at times. Even when in position, he wont jump to challenge a shot. He has a high basketball IQ, and he has that veteran savvy thing going for him, too. He averages 1.8 steals per game. He has no All-Defensive team accolades, because those werent introduced until the 1968-1969 season. His shot-making and defense made him a top-tier point guard throughout his career. If youre not interested in that, feel free to skip ahead. 12.6 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 8.7 APG, 1.9 SPG, The player The greater problem is how easily he gets disrupted on pick-and-roll defense. When he needs to button down, he does, but he also tends to take off the middle of games, relying heavily on the help defense. Most players will take a little on-court breather now and then. He never stops moving. If he's not on the slide and he played 1,200 minutes, he should be on this list somewhere. 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. Not only is Damian Lillard one of the most exciting players in the game today, he makes a strong case as one of the best point guards in NBA history. Thats a pretty large difference, and it shows he is at his best when he can utilize his quickness, while at his worst when he has to use his strength. When the game is on the line, you like to see players find fifth, but Lin never does. I actually looked for him to do it and couldnt find it.
The Greatest Defensive PG's in NBA History! - ranker.com For each player, I watched between one and two hours of footage of defense, taking account of specific things and grading them in five different areas. He and Chris Paul are the contenders for smartest defensive point guard in the game today. Hell get to the corners to challenge threes; hell pick off passes; hell get rebounds; hell get some chase-down blocks. If the team gives up more points while hes on the court, thats bad. 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. 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. The players listed below are our picks for the best point guards in NBA history. One aspect of Roses year-long absence that gets lost is how much the team suffered defensively without him. Pauls been an All-Defensive Team selection nine times, being selected to the 1st team seven times and the 2nd team twice. If he wins an NBA championship, Chris Paul, the current number one point guard, will rise even higher on this ranking. Coaches are responsible for developing young players, and it would have been fun to watch him grow under Doc Rivers. Hes 63 with a 68 wingspan and an 83 standing reach.