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. Blake Griffin was 21st out of 47 power forwards, and Jordan was 23rd out of 38 centers. Jason Kidd 9. Therefore, a lower score is superior. He does add a lot, but its not frenetic, its just frantic. Congratulations, Brian Roberts! He plays longer than he actually is. Among the greatest point guards of all time, Tiny is among the finest ever. How hard do they fight through them? Adande, His Game 6 in the 1980 Finals, while jumping center as a 20-year-old rookie, has to be on the Mt. Robertson's offensive ability transformed the point guard stereotype from a passer and floor general to a scorer and offensive weapon. Hes so undersized, youd think he was just some regular guy. Watching a thing, and watching for a thing, are different. The best shooter ever not just in terms of accuracy but also in creatively getting looks with but a sliver's opening and with unlimited range. Averaging 1.5 steals per game, Wade could block transition shots as well with the best of them. But thats why we do the research. The NBA is a point guard's paradise these days, so let's start All-Time #NBArank with our pantheon points. 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. Parker has a hefty 1.05 points per play against defending the jumper, even though he typically gets there and challenges shots. Frequently, teams would set the screen, and the point guard would just step behind the three-point line while Holiday was still underneath it (often all the way into the center of the lane) and drain wide-open treys. Its no surprise that the best point guards in the NBA have more than just the ability to pass the basketball. Aside from his offensive prowess, Johnson had the ability to hit for power and lead the offense at a high level. 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. It will be interesting to see if his new coach, Jason Kidd, can help him to work on this, as Kidd was a terrific help defender. 19.5 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 11.2 APG, .520 FG%, The player 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. Im cheating a little here. There is no doubt about it: Steph Curry is the second-best in the top 10 point guards of all time. In recent years, the sport's shift from a fundamental style of play to a more athletic, scoring-oriented game resulted in the proliferation of so-called combo guards at the point guard position. When he gets it going, hes unstoppable. -- Pelton, Today's children will ask, "Who was the Steph Curry before Steph Curry?" If it gives up fewer points, thats good. Take, for example, Carlos Boozer in 2012. His net defensive rating of 4.2 is an indication of both a lack of his helping and asking for help. When it comes to intangibles, Chris Paul is the elite point guard in the league. Many consider Bob Cousy to be a passionate athlete who was the first All-Star and dominating player for the Boston Celtics squad that included legends like Bill Russell and Kevin Collier. Despite making it to the Western Conference Finals last season, he is yet to make an appearance in the NBA Finals. He arguably makes more plays on his feet, both offensively and defensively, than anyone else. You cant say that Westbrook doesnt try on defense, but you can say he doesnt show consistent effort on defense. 18.4 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 7.5APG, .375 FG%, The player 3. Mentally subtract them from the rankings if you feel they shouldn'tbe included. Adande, Brad Doolittle, Tom Haberstroh and Kevin Pelton are NBA writers for ESPN.com. Have a look! He is so athletic and so strong for his size that hes been able to get away without learning lessons he should have. Because they each feel a different thing, an argument arises as to who is right. 10-time All-Star, 11-time All-NBA selection, five-time All-D selection, Hall of Fame, Career stats This is especially true when closing out on defenders. It doesnt help to be fast if you dont use it, so Bledsoes score here is lower than you might expect. -- Micah Adams, No one was more dynamic, or magical, with the ball in the open court than Earvin Johnson. Oscar Robertson was one of the NBA's greatest players in history. That earned him the nickname Mr. Even the fastest point guards tend to get bottled up. Their primary job is to facilitate scoring opportunities for their team, or sometimes for themselves. It is akin to the blind men and the elephant in the Indian fable adapted to a poem by John Godfrey Saxe. Does he know when to help and not to help? The other thing thats surprising about Rondo with his size is how well he fights over picks. However, he doesnt appear to have the same strength they do. Michael Jordan 10. 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. He uses his speed well, as long as hes engaged in the game. Over the last decade, the best point guards such as Stephen Curry, Damian Lillard, Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook, and others have dominated the position. When he applies it, he does so effectively, especially in isolation and the pick-and-roll. Its possible for Nash to be the whole offense and to shoot 50-40-90 from the field on a continuous basis. Williams tends to play defense, but he only seems to do the minimum. Jed Jacobsohn/AP Images. Sometimes hell even rush to defend the wrong guy while his man is draining a wide-open three. That concludes the WAP portion of our programming schedule. One of the greatest point guards ever, Jason Kidd could make the flashy pass or the simple play with the best of them while also loving to hightail it in transition to wear opponents down in. Each touches a different part of the elephant, one an ear, another the torso and so on. 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. 8. He gets crossed over pretty easily, and not just by the Associations elite point guards. Bob Cousy Bettman/Getty Images. A 12-time All-Defensive Team selection, a nine-time 1st team All-Defense and three-time 2nd team All-Defense, Bryant's 50.6 DWS ranks him 43rd overall. -- 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). 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. Somehow, he seems to be able to get his hands in the way of a lot of shots and passes that should be out of reach. On pick-and-rolls when hes not set, teams have learned to expect this. Nash's sideways speed and power will be non-existent at some age, allowing for constant dribble. He lifted the Lakers, and transition basketball, to ethereal levels. For this reason, a point guard is usually, but not always, more skilled and focused on passing than shooting. He does a poor job of defending the spot-up, surrendering 1.07 points per play. 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. To create All-Time #NBArank, we put together a ballot with the 150 greatest players ever. The house would collapse. He secures first place in the top 10 NBA point guards of all time. If youre a fan of the TV show Suits, you might agree that Harvey Specter dresses well. Big O is widely regarded as one of the best offensive point guards of all time. 1987 Lakers are often seen as one of the greatest teams ever. Along with leadership and a general basketball acumen, ball-handling is a skill of great importance to a point guard. In terms of career statistics and postseason accomplishments, he ranks as the NBAs fourth-best point guard of all time. And his athleticism gives him a leg up, which helps him dominate. In fact, Rondo gives more help than he getscontrary to my previous opinion. 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. The Big O's best statistical season came in 1961-62, when he averaged a triple-double for the entire season, a feat that has never been duplicated. Moncrief is well known for his defensive prowess. Chalmers is 62 and 190 pounds, which is about average size for a point guard. 2. 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. I like to compare it to the relationship between a foundation and a house. First, a range of 18 to 22 makes it easier to arrive at the eventual score of 100the baseline everything was weighted to. Rose had it all, including speed, explosiveness, and the ability to score when it mattered most. His high rebound rate, while partly indicative of his speed is also a result of positioning, which relates to his IQ. Closing out on shooters, hell go sailing past them. When he was off the ball, it was spectacular. It would be beneficial for Westbrook to even things out and play at a consistent level throughout the game. Archibald was the first player in league history to lead the league in both points scored and assists, making him a one-man offense. 5-on-5: Will Curry pass Magic as best PG ever? Therefore, its a Theoretically Asked Questions, or TAQ. Paul gets caught in a trap that WAM cant entirely avoid because it can only look at what happens, not why it happens. Refusing to back down because youre afraid of being put on a poster is a good thing, not a bad thing. On the one hand, he doesnt seem cogent enough of his surroundings most of the time to really offer any. He doesnt have overwhelming effort that blows you away, but he has earnest effort. None of them qualified based on the 1,200 minutes, so their stats from 2012 were used instead. The second-highest regulation scoring output of the 3-point era was the culmination . In fact, hes probably as adept as anyone at this, and his Synergy numbers, .68 points per play against the pick-and-roll, certainly back it up. 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. However, the other side of the ball cant be overlooked because as the saying goes: defense wins championships.. One of basketballs most dynamic and versatile point guards in the modern era. Robertson amassed 26,710 points and 9,887 assists during his 14-year NBA career with the Cincinnati Royals and Milwaukee Bucks. Lin is 63 and 200 pounds, which is decent size for a point guard, in the neighborhood of Derrick Rose, Deron Williams and Russell Westbrook. On top of that, when Parkers man slips past him, he has one of the best defenders in the history of the universe, Tim Duncan, to help him out. Theres nothing wrong with knowing when you need it. Hes still learning to apply that tremendous athleticism on the defensive end of the court, though. But will he listen enough to a player he was just playing against to make that shift? Went from dominating games strictly with his passing to making the fifth-most 3-pointers in NBA history. He has decent size for a point guard, at 63 but he doesnt have much of a vertical: 28.5.. 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. Oscar Robertson 3. Watson, Kirk Hinrich and Nate Robinson. That has more to do with the second-string frontcourt, led by Lamar Odom, backing him up than it does his team defense. But only once did he actually truly defend the play. On the other hand, he was frequently bailing out whoever was playing shooting guard on numerous occasions. 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. WAM is purely objective. Not to mention that he is an elite finisher around the rim, shooting 61.5 per cent on 5-foot attempts. Therefore, with a few exceptions, players were only considered if they played at least 1,200 minutes last season (which comes out to around 30 percent of possible minutes). Always free! He stands third among the top 10 point guards of all time. Apart from that, he seems to do what hes supposed to be doing when hes away from the ball. "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. He has been improving in that regard, but its taken a while, and there are still some maddening things. He uses quickness to capably guard the perimeter, but thats in large part because hes not always defending the elite point guards. A point guard primarily defends on the perimeter, just as they primarily play on the perimeter on offense. Even though he was 38 years old when he won his first NBA championship with the Mavericks, he had two trips to the NBA Finals with the Nets. Many remember Ginobili for his offense, but he was also a capable defender. His length is better; he has a 65.75 wingspan. Stats dont make a good argument, they make a good foundation for a good argument. Dallas Mavericks (1994-96, 2008-12), Phoenix Suns (1996-2001), New Jersey Nets (2001-08), New York Knicks (2012-13), Honors Kyrie Irving is unquestionably one of the greatest point guards of all time. In fact, a player may have great individual numbers precisely because he is actually detrimental to his team. That makes sense since Parker has assumed the primary responsibility on offense and theres no reason to wear himself out playing defense. Gary Payton was born on July 23, 1968, and is widely regarded as one of the best defensive point guards of all time. Sportbrief has published an article about James Harden's age: stats, contract, family, dating, net worth in 2022 and more. However his brilliant and consistent team defense team keeps passing lanes secure and helps prevent a lot of plays from developing the way they normally would. He may be the finest defensive guard ever because of his awareness and abilities on the defensive end. Meanwhile, another player has his numbers go up because he is capable. It looked like teams designed plays counting on him being lazy. Despite his little size, he made up for it offensively by being lightning fast and had the whole attacking package. When we watch basketball, we get general impressions of defense, but the storyline is whats happening with the ball. He cant be faulted for not being taller or longer, but he could use the length he has better. Surely the most underappreciated great player in NBA history because he was quietly dependable rather than flashy and never broke through on the biggest stage. -- Peterson, He's one of only a few players in history who has been deemed too good for the sport's own good. 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. And when hes on the bench, Eric Bledsoe, who is a 15th on this list, was with Odom. They tried just as hard as the valedictorian, but all they got were Bs. For this reason, a small penalty was exacted for every minute under 30 minutes, and a small bonus was provided over 30 minutes. I actually looked for him to do it and couldnt find it. Danny Green and Kawhi Leonard, two of the better perimeter defenders in the league, often take up the responsibility for guarding the best point guards. When people think of NBA point guards, he set the mold. The best way to track how effective a player is on the defensive end is by looking at their cumulative defensive win shares. He can be stagnant when his man doesnt have the ball. It is a testament to Jarrett Jack that he makes this list. A point guard will often use their ability to score in order to augment their effectiveness as a decision-maker and playmaker. The Glove is hands down the best defender a the point guard position. His 48.8 DWS is 48th all-time and the fourth most by a point guard. And, there are also times when he does the bailing out. 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. 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. Two NBA titles and a Finals MVP award make him one of the all-time great point guards because of his ability to score from mid-range and his propensity to attack and finish at the rim. Its more than that. Players Stats: 25.7 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 9.5 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.1 BPG, Honors: 1963-1964 MVP, 12x All-Star, 11x All-NBA Selection, 1960-1961 Rookie of the Year, Hall of Famer. 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. Players like Rose, Russell Westbrook and Kyrie Irving consistently cross him over and get past him. -- Doolittle, The great Knicks ball-movement offense started with him. He yields a whopping 41.5 three-point percentage on the spot-up, which is just not good. Bledsoe runs through his rotations, but he rounds them off or overruns them. That deceptive length helps him nab 2.5 steals per 36 minutes and grab a ridiculous number of rebounds for a person his height. But his lack of any vertical leap kills him on the jump shot. Rob Peterson is an NBA editor for ESPN.com. The Clippers never quite seemed to have a true defensive identity, even if they were improved. Marcus Smart. Defensive rebounds are generally undervalued, although its also true that all defensive rebounds arent the same. He is easily one of the physically weaker players in the league, even for his position. His ability to score and create plays made him an NBA superstar. Despite the fact that he was unable to win an NBA championship, his charisma and dribbling prowess will never be forgotten. 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. -- Kevin Pelton, NBA Insider, May be the strongest point guard ever and consistently made everyone around him better. He also uses that length to be one of the best shot-blocking point guards in the league. Lillard, on the other hand, is generally able to get things going from the perimeter anytime he wants. Over the next four weeks, well unveil the rankings for the other four positions. 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. 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. His shot-making and defense made him a top-tier point guard throughout his career. 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 His Synergy numbers compared to some of his team numbers validate that. 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. Six blind men all go to see an elephant which they'venever encountered before. Top 20 best defensive midfielders in the world today: who are they? ESPN ranked the Top 10 PGs of all time & they have @iamisiahthomas ranked 5th. On and off the court, Dave Bing was an excellent high-scoring NBA point guard who achieved greatness. Some would look at Conleys frontcourt and assumenot entirely incorrectlythat having Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol to back him up pads his stats. You're the worst defensive point guard in the NBA!!! Probably no point guard in the league does a better job of recovering defensively than Rose does. The "Big O" was capable of doing it all. One aspect of Roses year-long absence that gets lost is how much the team suffered defensively without him. Players Stats: 16.5 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 6.7 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.2 BPG. That all-around game made Kidd one of the league's top point guards for nearly 20 years. Thats helped him amass 47.3 DWS, 56th overall. Parker applies himself defensively in bursts, and this appears to be by design. 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. He bulls through picks well and is not afraid to go over them. 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). 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. Photos: Top 10 NBA Point Guards Of All Time. This is not so common anymore, as most coaches are now solely specialized in coaching and are non-players. His MVP season, he had the second-best block total by a point guard in history (although John Wall exceeded that total last year.). 76ers vs. Not everything about a players value can be seen even through advanced stats, or even while hes on the court. 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. West became synonymous with brilliant basketball during his 14-year playing career with the Los Angeles Lakers. Johnson will go down as one of the top 25 all-time point guards because of his defensive presence. Defense is one of the more oft-overlooked aspects of basketball because it isnt as pretty as what happens on the offensive end. He also has such superior court awareness that most picks dont catch him squarely, and he just glides over them. He doesnt just bring effort to every game; he brings it in all the right ways. Kirk Hinrich wasnt the fastest player in the NBA when he came out of college. He applies himself and stays committed, but when hes beaten on a play, hell relax waiting for his bigs to pick up the slack. His huge hands allowed him to pass as effectively with one hand as most could with two. Follow Sports Brief on Twitter for more trending and breaking news! Its amusing that some people say Rose doesnt apply himself on defense. Eventually, you need to form an opinion about why not just know what. One conundrum has always been how to account for who is guarding the best player on the other team. Great size made him impossible for most. 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. Penny, a taller point guard, was an excellent dribbler and a great passer. Although Wilkens is best known as a head coach, he was once an outstanding athlete. The undisputed first great point guard, Cousy remains the only guard in NBA history to be named First-Team All-NBA in 10 straight seasons. Hes like a runner trying to run a mile by alternating between walking and sprinting 100 yards at a time. There are some disadvantages to this style of play. Even when in position, he wont jump to challenge a shot. What color was his tie? Jordan also had two seasons (86-87 and 87-88) where he was in the top-20 in blocks per game and seven seasons in the top-20 in defensive rating. He does all those little things that dont show up in box scores. He just cant do anything about it. 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. Second, having a five-point range on a 22-point scale prevents any one statistic from overly dominating the others. Thats rarely going to be because of a mental error, though. 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). For example, the Spurs absolutely ate him alive in the playoffs with Tony Parker, who averaged 24.5 points for the series. Additionally, Stockton was a fantastic shooter and defender, almost possessing no weaknesses on the floor at all. Stockton embodied a true point guard - an extension of the coach that ran the teams offense seamlessly. A point guard should always look out for teammates and be able to pass well. According to Hoops Stats, in his MVP season, the Bulls gave up the fewest points to opposing point guards. 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. Exploiting the fact that the opposing point guard is often an undersized player with limited strength, several modern point guards have developed games close to the basket that include being able to utilize the drop step, spin move, and fade away jump shot. But it seems like Paul is nutmeggingand breaking opposing defenders ankles every game. But Gary Payton did as a member of the Seattle Supersonics. Nash was never known as a strong defender, but he was capable of bothering opposing point guards to some extent. The Cleveland Cavaliers relied heavily on Kyrie Irving to take and hit huge shots, even when he was partnered with LeBron James. As a Golden State Warrior and Miami Heat legend, Tim Hardaway may have the best crossover in basketball history. The Cleveland Cavaliers 2016 championship run would not have been possible without Kyrie Irving, who is a two-time NBA champion. Rondos lack of a need for help defense allows Garnett to help more elsewhere. 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. He has a real grasp of the game, and he helps convey that to his teammates. WAM is the foundation, and WAMS is the house. His quick feet give him tremendous lateral movement. Overall, he is more of a gives-help defender than a needs-help defender. 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. Average players struggled, though. 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. Hes always looking where hes supposed to go, and moving in that direction, but he just takes his time getting there. In his first season, he specialized in defense and could stop almost every point guard in the league on a regular basis. Do players go under picks when they should go over them? He was the primary defender on 1,127 plays last year in all, surpassed only by Stephen Curry among point guards. Watching Parker play defense for a while, particularly zooming in on the pick-and-roll plays, his impressive court awareness stands out. In balance he was a plus, but his deficiencies cant be ignored. -- Peterson. Dr. A's weekly risers and fallers: Jeremy Sochan, Christian Wood make the list, NBA Power Rankings: Kevin Durant's return could rock the West, What NBA Finals runs from LeBron, Giannis can teach Jayson Tatum, They said it! Its why Williams gives up .92 points per play in isolation, one of the worst averages among point guards. You can look at why things happen and offset the misleading things.
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