People that just do their job dont usually pitch in and help their co-workers. Pauls been an All-Defensive Team selection nine times, being selected to the First Team seven times and the Second Team twice. Some of this is hard to know whether to ascribe to Bledsoe or to his former coach, Vinny Del Negro, who hones his X's and O's skills by playing tic-tac-toe online. Ranking 50 Greatest Point Guards in NBA History Photo Gallery | NBA.com Teams G League WNBA BAL NBA 2K NBA Store NBA League Pass Tickets Schedule Team News Gameday Youth Basketball Shop. 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. Many remember Ginobili for his offense, but he was also a capable defender. Stockton was a member of two gold medal teams and twice reached the NBA finals during his remarkable career. A point guard specializes in certain skills, like other player positions in basketball. Watching a thing, and watching for a thing, are different. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google. In case you missed it, Jason Kidd was tops on the list with 75.1 DWS, good for 11th all-time. 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. At the point guard position, point guard Damian Lillard is one of the games most talented shooters and scorers. Jason Kidd 9. For many of these metrics, sample size becomes crucial. He led the league in total steals this year and did so without playing a lot of gambling defense. The problem is that sometimes players are so inept, they skew the stats of other players. Is that because Chalmers is a better team defender or is it because Cole isnt on the court with James as much? WAMS includes scouting. Though he had a relatively short career he only played 13 seasons his 50.4 DWS is 44th overall. 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. 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. Don't get me wrong: Steph is still the league's best shooter. Let's see who has made it to the top 10 best point guards of all time. Either way he chases the ball until he catches it. Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. 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. To create All-Time #NBArank, we put together a ballot with the 150 greatest players ever. Back in the 80s and 90s as a member of the Portland Trail Blazers and Houston Rockets, Clyde The Glide Drexler and Michael Jordan constantly battled for the title of best shooting guard. In order to claim that title, both players had to play defense as well. He compensates for his diminutive size by fighting hard and using that aforementioned quickness. -- Adande, Possessed incredible court vision and creativity, all while orchestrating the frenetic game pace of his era. Point guard - Wikipedia 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 manages to defend the pick-and-roll reasonably well by doing something I can only call bouncing over picks. The best way to track how effective a player is on the defensive end is by looking at their cumulative defensive win shares. 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. What are you crying about lmfao 03 Mar 2023 00:55:09 Norris Coles individual numbers are all better than Chalmers, but he gets docked with lower team numbers. The result is our all-time NBA Top 100. Hes led the league in steals per game five times in the last six years. 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. Its amusing that some people say Rose doesnt apply himself on defense. Hes one of the slower point guards in the league now, but in spite of that, hes almost ubiquitous at times. When the pick gets set, he just hurls into it and uses the momentum of the bounce to send him in the right direction. 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. Coaches are responsible for developing young players, and it would have been fun to watch him grow under Doc Rivers. This is one of those cases where scouting helps. Pauls been an All-Defensive Team selection nine times, being selected to the 1st team seven times and the 2nd team twice. You can look at why things happen and offset the misleading things. I actually looked for him to do it and couldnt find it. Normally this would be a list of FAQs, but no one has ever asked any questions (since no one has ever seen it). For that reason, subjective analysis was also included. It is akin to the blind men and the elephant in the Indian fable adapted to a poem by John Godfrey Saxe. This article first appeared on Sportsnaut and was syndicated with permission. He lifted the Lakers, and transition basketball, to ethereal levels. But thats why we do the research. Isiah Thomas, born on April 30, 1961, and possibly the best player ever under 6-foot-1, combined talent with fierce competitiveness. All-Time #NBArank: Top 10 point guards ever, 'Not going out this way': Nets, down 28, stun C's, Kerr touts 5-0 homestand: Dubs 'turned a corner', KD: Mavs tilt, Kyrie meeting 'just another game', Owner: Snyder, Fields will bring Hawks success, Isaac has surgery on adductor, done for season, Clips' Powell out at least a week to treat shoulder, LeBron to have tendon injury checked in 3 weeks. The scouting score was then combined with the WAM score to produce WAMS, with the scouting counting as one-third of the final score. All rights reserved. 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). -- Micah Adams, No one was more dynamic, or magical, with the ball in the open court than Earvin Johnson. You dont get the sense in watching him that theres a point of pride in it. In the last entry, we focused on the five best defensive 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. Bledsoe is not a great help defender, in spite of boasting a -4.9 net defensive rating. Like last time, these shooting guards are ranked based on the cumulative defensive win shares (DWS). 25.7 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 9.5 APG, .485 FG%, The player 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. He does a capable job of knowing when to help and when to stay. He needs more of the former and less of the latter. Bob Cousy Bettman/Getty Images. His 48.8 DWS is 48th all-time and the fourth most by a point guard. His 47.4 DWS is 54th overall, good for an average of 2.963 DWS per season, slightly edging Wade. 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. (I know, but it is a part of defense these days.) He tends to rely on his speed to compensate for his lack of mass. The other thing thats surprising about Rondo with his size is how well he fights over picks. 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. Only two NBA championships would make him the second-best player in NBA history. If it tends to fall in the middle, he gets a 20. One of the great conundrums in rating defense is that teammates factor into it. For the purpose of this study, 82games was used because the net defensive rating was also easily available and it made for consistency. Best Defenders in NBA History: Top 50 Best Defensive Players By Clark Boinis | Jul 12, 2021, 4:05pm 1. Watching him rotate was watching perfection. He probably can even tell you where the hot dog vendor and mascot are. That makes him eligible for inclusion on this list of best point guards. Watts Van Lier Frazier Price Ward Bing White Buckner Walker Kidd Hollins Williams Cleamons Bibby Porter Buse Snow McMillan Tinsley Armstrong Knight Carter 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 97.4 97.6 98.1 99.6 99.9 100.4 100.9 101.1 101.5 101 . Rose is arguably the most athletic point guard in the league, though Russell Westbrook could present a challenge. 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. 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. Hell overshoot passing lanes, gambling for the steal. Parker has a hefty 1.05 points per play against defending the jumper, even though he typically gets there and challenges shots. 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. Having above-average size (height, muscle) is considered advantageous, although size is secondary to situational awareness, speed, quickness, and ball handling skills. Bledsoe just doesnt bring much energy to the defensive side of the court, which is a shame, because if he did, hed be a ball hawk. It seems to be down to less than once a game. Pass-first points of the past have given way to dynamic creators who can score as well as set up teammates. However, despite Chris Paul and Jason Kidds prominence, Steve Nash became a two-time MVP who had no weaknesses on the offensive end. Stockton was the. On the positive side, Rose does a decent job of understanding his role in a complex system. 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. Rose had it all, including speed, explosiveness, and the ability to score when it mattered most. 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. Damian Lillard (2013-Present) AP Images. Other individual metrics and team metrics thin out the impact of those factors. His defensive usage was the highest of any player with at least 1,200 minutes. Best Point Guard Defensive Rating 2022 | StatMuse OPER is the Opponents Player Efficiency Rating and has been tracked by 82games.com since 2008. He is suitable at keeping most players out on the perimeter, but against elite point guards he has more problems. Although Stockton accumulated numerous All-NBA nods, he only made the All-Defensive Second Team five times. His contributions won him a spot on the NBA All-Time 50th Anniversary Team. You can be the best shooter in the world, but you can't score if you don't get the ball. There are a number of different types of metrics available from various websites. Teams Therefore, a lower score is superior. While it does keep the opponent in front of him, it defeats the purpose if the opponent is still getting to the basket. Who's the best offensive point guard of all time? Thats just simply not true, and any amount of watching him play will verify that. -- Adams, For nine consecutive years, Nash's teams led the NBA in offensive rating. 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. Speed is important; a speedy point guard is better able to create separation and space off the dribble, giving themselves room to work. On the other hand, he was frequently bailing out whoever was playing shooting guard on numerous occasions. Defensively, Stockton had 3,265 steals the most all time during his 19-year career, helping him get 64.9 DWS. He was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, on February 7, 1974, to a Welsh mother, Jean, and an English father, John. Does he rotate on time? He never leaves his man to help a defender that doesnt need help, but he always seems to be there when help is needed. You need to build something on it. Thats rarely going to be because of a mental error, though. 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. During the 1960-1961 season, the then-32-year-old Cousy racked up 6.3 DWS, the most in his career. They were combined and adjusted to cover a range roughly between 18 and 22. Thats when you see him start to do things like not close out on shooters, merely waving his hand in the air instead. Hes the closest thing in the world to Kevin Garnetts Mini-Me. Although Jordan won that battle, theres nothing wrong with being named the third-best defensive player at his position and one of the best shooting guards of all time. After the All-Star break, when Rose hardly played, that number fell to 17.8 and the Bulls dropped to ninth. -- Pelton, No player his size, 6-foot-3, has ever bent defenses to his will as Curry does. The true driving force of his partnership with Karl Malone. He was also an outstanding playmaker and a solid scorer with a strong mid-range game. Holiday knows what to do, but he doesnt always do it. His quickness and slim frame allow him to slip through gaps in the defence and create more opportunities for himself. He is tremendous at using that muscle to his advantage, too. If he wins an NBA championship, Chris Paul, the current number one point guard, will rise even higher on this ranking. But he never does. 'Whatever seed we are, we're ready': Is there room for Cleveland among the East elite? Hes a learning player, and his extensive time sitting last year may have helped his grasp of defense as well as offense. -- Kevin Pelton, NBA Insider, May be the strongest point guard ever and consistently made everyone around him better. His career averages of 27 PPG, 6.0 RPG, and 7.0 APG were arguably the best ever put up by a point guard when he retired in 1974. Parker applies himself defensively in bursts, and this appears to be by design. Players have a difficult time getting past him. His huge hands allowed him to pass as effectively with one hand as most could with two. Bledsoe is a bit of a freak. During his career, he was selected to nine All-NBA Defensive Teams and five All-Star teams. He keeps track of his man when holding back in the lane to cut off passing lanes. With both, its the combination of their size and speed that makes them so phenomenal. 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. When people think of NBA point guards, he set the mold. When he gets it going, hes unstoppable. His most notable awards include five NBA championships, three Finals MVPs, three MVPs, nine All-NBA First Team selections, and 12 All-Star appearances. With his athleticism and speed, there is no way that Rose should get beaten off the dribble as often as he does. Thats pretty much what you see with Conley. Del Negro just worried about the matchup without ever developing a true defensive system or identity with the Clippers. 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. The reason teams run so much pick-and-roll is that it works. He is easily one of the physically weaker players in the league, even for his position. Even point guards who are not given this much freedom, however, are still extensions of their coach on the floor and must display good leadership skills. Championships: 3. Boston Celtics (1950-1963), Cincinnati Royals (1969-70), Honors Two-time MVP (2004-05, 2005-06), eight-time All-Star, seven-time All-NBA selection, Career stats However, hes not the slowest point guard in the league either, and when hes not biting on the crossovers, hes able to do a decent job of staying in front of most average point guards. Sometimes his teammates bailed him out; sometimes the shot just didnt go in. He doesnt disrupt team defense with unnecessary gambles. So the problem isnt a lack of speed; its a lack of applying it. Adande, Brad Doolittle, Tom Haberstroh and Kevin Pelton are NBA writers for ESPN.com. All pre-draft measurements were obtained from the database hosted on Draft Express. Hakeem Olajuwon 2. The official cause of death of Flashdance singer Irene Cara has been determined. In his rookie year, he was already averaging 2 steals per game with 0.2 blocks. Seriously, you should hear Mark Jackson rave about him. The facts need to come first. The same applies to any decent basketball argument (or any other kind, for that matter). Ergo, a negative number is a positive thing, and a positive number is a negative thing. He led the NBA in scoring in only his second season, 1967-68, with 27.1 points per game. Sometimes he wont give that much effort, and then the next moment hell be trying too hard. Honors: 6x All-Star, 2x All-NBA Selection, 2011-2012 Rookie of the Year, Players Stats: 22.4 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 5.7 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.4 BPG. Sometimes that works, such as his quick darts under picks. Among the greatest point guards of all time, Tiny is among the finest ever. More explosive and athletic point guards focus on scoring as opposed to play-making, forgoing assists and ball-movement, and often defense, for higher scoring numbers. He does add a lot, but its not frenetic, its just frantic. While the Clippers were better when Paul was on the bench, it wasnt because he was on the bench. His wingspan isnt much better at just 64. Williams tends to play defense, but he only seems to do the minimum. Although Wade had an accomplished resume, if he had played one more season, he wouldve easily overtaken the next player on the list. Gary Payton 12. As a result, he has received numerous awards, including the 'NBA Most Valuable Player' (MVP) award and the "PAC Player of the Year." 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. He may be the finest defensive guard ever because of his awareness and abilities on the defensive end. Defensively, Stockton had 3,265 steals the most all time during his 19-year. Over the last decade, the best point guards such as Stephen Curry, Damian Lillard, Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook, and others have dominated the position. Thats 20th all-time, with Kidd being the only other guard above him. You're the worst defensive point guard in the NBA!!! 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). Furthermore, he is a legend for the Phoenix Suns and one of the teams finest players. But his lack of any vertical leap kills him on the jump shot. He has become one of the hardest working point guards in the league on both ends. The number in the parentheses indicates where they ranked in that category. Do players go under picks when they should go over them? 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. Being big and strong doesnt mean players automatically got higher scores, though. First, a range of 18 to 22 makes it easier to arrive at the eventual score of 100the baseline everything was weighted to. In the late 1980s, he was the face of the Bad Boys Pistons, who defeated Jordan's Bulls three times in a row in the playoffs. Allen Iverson 11. A point guard should always look out for teammates and be able to pass well. These point guard rankings will be the first of five articles. Lowry just seems to be lost on defense much of the time. When it came to size, the main flaw in his game was that he was very fast and explosive with his handles. He cant be faulted for not being taller or longer, but he could use the length he has better. Who's the best defensive point guard of all time? - Quora LeBron James, the best player in the NBA, is also the league's best point guard. Archibald was the first player in league history to lead the league in both points scored and assists, making him a one-man offense. Jason Kidd was the definition of a jack-of-all-trades point guard: he could pass, score and grab rebounds. He only gave up .66 points per play in isolation, but he yielded .86 to the ball-handler on the pick-and-roll. He owes his charitable demeanour to a group of elementary school parents. WAM is purely objective. The values for the various metrics which comprised the WAM score and scouting scores are also available on each slide. -- Doolittle, Over the past season and a half, Curry has played point guard as well as anyone else in NBA history. He had the best peak for any point guard in NBA history, hands down. Offense is so much more than just scoring. Sometimes even when hes being smart, he gets a little dumb. 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. I doubt its much beyond his height. The point guard is positioned on the perimeter of the play, so as to have the best view of the action. James is well-known for his incredible skill and ability to score big points, which frequently help his team win crucial games. You can almost rate Chalmers improving basketball intelligence by how many times per game he gets yelled at by his superstar teammates. The Miami HEATs best player in franchise history, Dwyane Wade was an offensive maestro. 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. Another major evaluation factor is the assist-to-turnover ratio, which reflects the decision-making skills of the player. Having said that, he does play team defense, too, and he is part of the team. 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. Its interesting that when he plays against elite point guards, or when he plays angrily, he plays much more of a physical game. Dennis Rodman 4. Synergy tracks every play of every game of the season and, when possible (as it is not always possible), they assign an initial defender on a play. On the other hand, hes not tremendously athletic. Although Drexler never made an All-Defensive Team in his career, he did average two steals per game for his 15-year career. Coming over as a 25-year-old rookie, Ginobili only had two seasons where he had fewer than one steal per game and he averaged 1.3 steals for his career. Johnsons style of play made him especially successful since he was noted for tip-ins and post play around the rim. However, when he gets beaten,Serge Ibaka is a huge asset in help defense, altering the shots of many a shooter who has just blown past Westbrook. He could launch it from 30 feet or more with ease. You never have to question his effort or commitment. But it seems like Paul is nutmeggingand breaking opposing defenders ankles every game. Magic Johnson 2. Then, when players pull up and shoot, he doesnt use his length to close and get a hand in the face of the shooter. Big Shot, is one of the finest point guard leaders in the NBA. Just because someone gets past him doesnt mean theyre going to score. He and Chris Paul are the contenders for smartest defensive point guard in the game today. Sometimes that happens, but not all that often. 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. 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! Does he pick up his man when switched? Hes one of the most prolific players in the game. 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. Even players like Derek Fisher will hang him up and then hit him with the step-back. Simply put, defensive win shares (DWS) are defined by how many wins a player produces based on his defensive ability. 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. The Cleveland Cavaliers relied heavily on Kyrie Irving to take and hit huge shots, even when he was partnered with LeBron James. 1987 Lakers are often seen as one of the greatest teams ever. Ranked: Top 25 male fitness influencers to follow in 2023, Howe dodges row over Newcastle's Saudi ownership, Former Chelsea boss spotted in Munich with his new lover, Bam Adebayo makes bold claim about the last two DPOY awards, Gary Neville ignites debate after stating ideal price for holding midfielder, Huge Ballon dOr scandal as player claims his votes were changed to Lionel Messi. NBA top 15 point guard rankings for 2021-22: Stephen Curry sits at No Widely known as one of the best, if not the best, point guards of all time, Chris Pauls offensive exploits are well-documented. 21.6 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 6.9 APG, .441 3P%, We counted down the greatest players in NBA history. 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. Rajon Rondo is probably the most athletic player in the league who plays most of his game below the rim. But Gary Payton did as a member of the Seattle Supersonics. -- Adande, The only players in NBA history with more games with 20 points and 10 assists are Oscar Robertson and Magic Johnson. Stockton embodied a true point guard - an extension of the coach that ran the teams offense seamlessly. Its also a big part of why he has the most defensive plays per 36 minutes, using his quickness to get to those long rebounds. When we watch basketball, we get general impressions of defense, but the storyline is whats happening with the ball. 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 Johnson had a knack for scoring against everyone and racked up impressive numbers throughout the course of his career. But he jogs when he should run, is lackadaisical closing out shooters and goes through the motions when running through his rotations. He is in charge of getting the ball into the hands of the shooters. -- Peterson, A menace on both ends of the court, Frazier was at his best in the 1970 NBA Finals when tallied 36 points, 19 assists, 7 rebounds in a title-clinching Game 7. He is so athletic and so strong for his size that hes been able to get away without learning lessons he should have. He arguably powers through picks better than any point guard in the league. It is a testament to Jarrett Jack that he makes this list. While Gregg Popovich and his brilliant system deserve a lot of the credit, Tony is a Finals MVP and is a multiple NBA champion who deserves to be recognised for his role in the legendary Spurs dynasty. That helps him to dominate games defensively without having to leave the ground. He is a natural playmaker with excellent point guard abilities, creating the ideal point guard prototype. 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.