Average players struggled, though. Stockton embodied a true point guard - an extension of the coach that ran the team's offense seamlessly. He has trouble compensating for his lack of size when challenging jump shots. Even when in position, he wont jump to challenge a shot. Its not uncommon to see him challenge shots with both feet on the floor. There are times where he makes a bone-headed gamble and loses, trying to get the extra steal, but thats about the only flaw there is with him mentally. Either way he chases the ball until he catches it. 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. The NBA is flush with dominant point guards. Conley looked away from Billups and was pointing vehemently to Paul, trying to tell Allen to get over there and cover him. Since its neither, he gets an even score. Does he make stupid fouls or smart fouls? However, he doesnt appear to have the same strength they do. Let's see who has made it to the top 10 best point guards of all time. Lennys passing and leadership on the floor were solid, but he also had a few great scoring years on the court. 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. He is not a guy you would single out as an NBA player in a crowded room. -- Adande, Nash is the only player in history to go 50-40-90 while averaging 10 assists per game. He doesnt help much, but he doesnt get a lot of help either, so its a bit of a wash. To his credit, he has the best WAM score of any point guard without a great defensive center to back him up. That earned him the nickname Mr. Also with both, theyve shown more success utilizing their physical attributes on the offensive end than the defensive end. Triple Double and for good reason: hes fourth all-time in triple-doubles with 107. Aside from his offensive prowess, Johnson had the ability to hit for power and lead the offense at a high level. From there, hes playing catch up. Sometimes that happens, but not all that often. In his 16-year career, Wade averaged 2.961 DWS per year and his 47.38 DWS is good for 55th overall. The point guard (PG), also called the one or the point, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball game. But hes just not very strong. 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. Watching him rotate was watching perfection. 43 views, 0 likes, 0 loves, 0 comments, 0 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from BabyYo: NRG VS KOI Highlights. On the other hand, he was frequently bailing out whoever was playing shooting guard on numerous occasions. Think: Dennis Rodman. His MVP season, he had the second-best block total by a point guard in history (although John Wall exceeded that total last year.). 5-on-5: Will Curry pass Magic as best PG ever? During the 1960-1961 season, the then-32-year-old Cousy racked up 6.3 DWS, the most in his career. That has more to do with the second-string frontcourt, led by Lamar Odom, backing him up than it does his team defense. In many cases, I looked at their combine results. Additionally, Stockton was a fantastic shooter and defender, almost possessing no weaknesses on the floor at all. He has above-average size and strength, but he doesnt play like it. While he recovers most of the time, its worth asking why he gets beaten. Whatever else you want to say about Brandon Knight, just dont say he never tries. Hes not going to get beaten back, and he doesnt give up in transition. #VCTLOCKIN #Valorant #valorantagents #valorantgaming. Its interesting that when he plays against elite point guards, or when he plays angrily, he plays much more of a physical game. He has a high basketball IQ, and he has that veteran savvy thing going for him, too. Hakeem Olajuwon 2. He doesnt use his size exceptionally badly or incredibly well, though. Dennis Rodman 4. Scoring point guards typically look to score first, thus preventing teammates from getting the ball. The effect was that the Bulls' starters all looked inferior to their backups. Speed is important; a speedy point guard is better able to create separation and space off the dribble, giving themselves room to work. Additionally, the 10-time All-Star and Hall of Famer was an impressive defensive player in his own right. What are you crying about lmfao 03 Mar 2023 00:55:09 In his single season with the Wizards, the former NBA MVP averaged a triple-double (again), and he was a big reason why Washington made the playoffs after a rough start to the season. He was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, on February 7, 1974, to a Welsh mother, Jean, and an English father, John. Knight gets almost no help whatsoever from help defense. As Kyrie Irving showed in the decisive Game 7 versus the Warriors when he beat Stephen Curry to the game-winning jumper, Kyrie Irving is also one of the finest guards in NBA history, and he possesses some of the best hands of all time. Alex Caruso. No question hell be inducted into the Hall of Fame, and hes one of the greatest rim-attacking players in NBA history. Great size made him impossible for most. Rondos lack of a need for help defense allows Garnett to help more elsewhere. He has no All-Defensive team accolades, because those werent introduced until the 1968-1969 season. But his lack of any vertical leap kills him on the jump shot. He did it not once, not twice, but three times. Broadly speaking, over 7,000 pieces of data on 226 players, in 16 different categories, were compiled into a database. He doesnt just bring effort to every game; he brings it in all the right ways. Whatever it was, Holiday was just not bringing effort on the defensive end last year. Many times, the point guard is referred to by announcers, as a "coach on the floor" or a "floor general". He does an air-tight job of keeping players out of the perimeter. Nowadays, the point guard is expected to do more than simply run plays; he or she must also be the teams offensive leader by putting up big numbers every night! Each touches a different part of the elephant, one an ear, another the torso and so on. 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. -- Peterson, Teams Over 90 percent of the time, the ball-handler gets by him. 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. The Glove was a nine-time All-Defensive Team selection, making the 1st team all nine times. For this reason, a point guard is usually, but not always, more skilled and focused on passing than shooting. 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. For the purpose of this study, 82games was used because the net defensive rating was also easily available and it made for consistency. On the other hand, you cant deny what happened, regardless of how much you watch. The Cleveland Cavaliers 2016 championship run would not have been possible without Kyrie Irving, who is a two-time NBA champion. -- Haberstroh, Honors 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. Even the fastest point guards tend to get bottled up. It is the same with his mental engagement in the game. His score would be much worse if it werent for help defense from Chris Bosh, LeBron James and Chris Andersen frequently coming to his aid. 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. Johnson is widely recognized as one of the all-time great point guards, particularly for his defense. Paradoxically tough on the court and flashy off of it, Frazier epitomized the '70s-era backcourt style in which roles were less defined. He doesnt have to race around to get in position because hes almost never out of position. With the increased emphasis on the deep three, point guards account for a large portion of the league's top scorers. I counted off over 20 plays, specifically watching to see if Chalmers would stop the ball-handler, and he only did once. Hes one of the slower point guards in the league now, but in spite of that, hes almost ubiquitous at times. Always free! Its difficult to have a perfect rating system thats entirely objective, and even more difficult to have a realistic one that is purely subjective. The strength of this is that it shows what the other player does offensively. Also, he was disliked for flopping feigning a foul to get the ball back, yet he proved to be a key ingredient to the Spurs championship-winning formula. That deceptive length helps him nab 2.5 steals per 36 minutes and grab a ridiculous number of rebounds for a person his height. Sometimes even when hes being smart, he gets a little dumb. James is well-known for his incredible skill and ability to score big points, which frequently help his team win crucial games. Players Stats: 15.6 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 3.6 APG, 1.2 SPG, 0.3 BPG, Honors: 5x All-Star, 5x All-NBA Selection, 2x Defensive Player of the Year, 5x All-Defensive Selection, Hall of Famer. 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. He gives up too much space and still gets beaten. Oscar is the first triple-double king and is one of the greatest NBA players of all time, no matter what position he is playing. 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? It probably tells the accurate story here. On the other hand, hes not tremendously athletic. 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. Hed also be more willing to provide it. To create All-Time #NBArank, we put together a ballot with the 150 greatest players ever. 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. The values for the various metrics which comprised the WAM score and scouting scores are also available on each slide. "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. One conundrum has always been how to account for who is guarding the best player on the other team. He is a natural playmaker with excellent point guard abilities, creating the ideal point guard prototype. Yet somehow he manages to compensate and do a reasonably fair job of defending, even in isolation. He made everything go for those Lakers teams. 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. 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. One of the great conundrums in rating defense is that teammates factor into it. For many of these metrics, sample size becomes crucial. Best Defenders in NBA History: Top 50 Best Defensive Players By Clark Boinis | Jul 12, 2021, 4:05pm 1. Bing, despite having one of his eyes injured, was an attacking force to be reckoned with. The only point guard to win Defensive Player of the Year, Payton was a defensive nightmare and he never had a DWS lower than 1.2 during his 17-year career. Meanwhile, we are presenting the top 10 by position. Players Stats: 18.8 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 7.4 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.1 BPG, Honors: 6x All-Star, 5x All-NBA Selection, 1972-1973 Scoring Champion, Hall of Famer. He might not be the fastest guy in the world, but that doesnt keep him from trying to be. He was an unstoppable offensive force who could score from anywhere on the court and in any way he wanted. But what kind of suit was he wearing on the last episode? He yields a whopping 41.5 three-point percentage on the spot-up, which is just not good. The result is our all-time NBA Top 100. Gary Payton 12. And when hes on the bench, Eric Bledsoe, who is a 15th on this list, was with Odom. He seems to get frustrated easily. Moncrief is well known for his defensive prowess. The debate over whether it should have been a flagrant is mootclearly that got into James head because he was talking about it after the game. He doesnt cheat in either direction, though. He gambles too much, and that often gets him caught out of the play. Lowry looks around like he just woke up from a nap in a foreign city, and hes trying to figure out where hes supposed to be. A point guard often controls the offense and they also control who gets the ball and who doesn't, as this type of controlling style of play is necessary to control the tempo of a game. Its probably no coincidence that Stephen Currys defense took a giant step forward this season playing alongside Jack, and you might see a similar progression from Kyrie Irving next year. Even players like Derek Fisher will hang him up and then hit him with the step-back. After watching Paul play defense for a while, what stands out over everything else is that he just never stops movingliterally. Hes led the league in steals per game five times in the last six years. Hes still learning to apply that tremendous athleticism on the defensive end of the court, though. He doesnt make stupid mistakes, but he doesnt anticipate plays either. Scouting isnt the same as just watching games. Hell frequent the area at the top of the key, just above the free-throw line, and when a shooter starts to shoot, hell close out quickly to challenge the shot, regardless of where it is coming from. At 6-foot-1, he's the shortest NBA Finals MVP in league history, a reflection of his unique ability to dominate at the point guard position. In fact, no drafted guard has ever measured a worse sprint, vertical and agility test. The point guard is positioned on the perimeter of the play, so as to have the best view of the action. Players Stats: 14.1 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 5.0 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.6 BPG, Honors: 1978-1979 Finals MVP, 5x All-Star, 9x All-Defense Selection, 2x All-NBA Team Selection, Hall of Famer. He has a real grasp of the game, and he helps convey that to his teammates. Thats a strong indication that Rose was not relying on help defense because that same help was there for C.J. During the 1960-1961 season, the then-32-year-old Cousy racked up 6.3 DWS, the most in his career. The relative value between players was not affected; they were merely weighted so that the metrics could be combined without any one metric dominating the others. You cant build a house first, and then pour the foundation underneath it. His defensive usage was the highest of any player with at least 1,200 minutes. In the MVP vote for the 1967-1968 season, he finished second behind the unstoppable Wilt Chamberlain. -- 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. Defensively, Stockton had 3,265 steals the most all time during his 19-year career, helping him get 64.9 DWS. While no one always guards the best player, some players are much more likely to be guarding the other teams elite players, which makes them appear weaker defensively. The total numbers were then adjusted to arrive at a score ranging between 90 (best) and 110 (worst). This is also manifested in his spot-up defense. He just doesnt have the length to effectively guard against them. Emailed daily. Another major evaluation factor is the assist-to-turnover ratio, which reflects the decision-making skills of the player. Thats just simply not true, and any amount of watching him play will verify that. Tony Parker is one of the fastest players in the league if youre going by pure speed. Sometimes his teammates bailed him out; sometimes the shot just didnt go in. Having said that, when hes playing off the ball, he knows where hes supposed to be, and hes usually there. By NBA standards, he jumps like an elephant and runs like a turtle (and not one of those fast turtles youve heard tell of eithera slow turtle). Of course, sometimes his opponent scored, too. 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! Lets say a perimeter defender gets beaten and then his center blocks the shot. On pick-and-rolls when hes not set, teams have learned to expect this. He doesnt use the shortest angles when running under picks, but he takes path of least resistance instead. He still struggles against the spot-up, though, because of issues that will be addressed later. Johnson will go down as one of the top 25 all-time point guards because of his defensive presence. A point guard specializes in certain skills, like other player positions in basketball. When the pick gets set, he just hurls into it and uses the momentum of the bounce to send him in the right direction. At 61 and 171 pounds, Rondo is pretty small by NBA standards, but he plays much tougher than his size. That makes sense since Parker has assumed the primary responsibility on offense and theres no reason to wear himself out playing defense. We have listed down 25 of the finest point guards, so lets see who makes it to the top 10 point guards of all time. Magic Johnson 2. All rights reserved. Point guards are expected to run the team's offense by controlling the ball and making sure that it gets to the right player at the right time. When he tries, Lowry can be a solid defensive player, but that whole when he tries qualifier is pretty significant. Nixon played 6 seasons with the Lakers, making the All-Star Teams in 1982 and 1982 when he posted 17.6 PPG and 17.2 PPG respectively. 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. If Williams had more pride in his defense, he would actually ask for, and depend on, help more than he does. Im cheating a little here. You never have to question his effort or commitment. Interpreted as: best point guard defensive rating with a minimum of 2000 minutes played per 82 team games 2022 The only thing keeping Thomas off this list is his brief career by star standards. That Paul was able to keep the Clippers on track through much of the season with the ever-changing defensive schemes the team had is pretty miraculous. He does add a lot, but its not frenetic, its just frantic. Perhaps he just grew weary of Doug Collins' act. Westbrooks Synergy numbers on the pick-and-roll (.75) and isolation (.7) suggest hes better than he actually is. Perhaps it was the fact that the Philadelphia 76ers were having a disappointing season without their newly acquired star, Andrew Bynum. It is a testament to Jarrett Jack that he makes this list. 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. 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. It is one thing to be able to recognize the player that is in a tactically advantageous position, but it is another thing entirely to be able to deliver the ball to that player. Hinrich always had a high basketball IQ. 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.
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