Were shooters able to shoot over them? 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. Parker has a hefty 1.05 points per play against defending the jumper, even though he typically gets there and challenges shots. Many times, the point guard is referred to by announcers, as a "coach on the floor" or a "floor general". If theres a weakness, though, its that when he comes up against the elite offensive point guards, he will get beaten in isolation. Notable point guards of the WNBA include five-time champion Sue Bird, her Olympic teammate Diana Taurasi (the only two basketball players of either gender to earn five Olympic gold medals for basketball[1]) and Courtney Vandersloot. He uses his speed well, as long as hes engaged in the game. It just feels like there should be another notch where pride kicks in, he gets passionateor even angryand he hits another level. He gets easily overpowered when bigger point guards post him up. Although Wilkens is best known as a head coach, he was once an outstanding athlete. 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: he averaged 18.4 points, 7.5 assists and 5.2 rebounds per game. He bulls through picks well and is not afraid to go over them. He was an All-Star every year of his career and led the Lakers to nine NBA Finals appearances. Oscar Robertson was one of the NBA's greatest players in history. Rondo may not be big, but he doesnt know that. Do they get their hands up and use their length? 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. His score represents the average of trying hard and not trying at all once the ball gets past him. For his time with the Phoenix Suns, Johnson is most known for his role alongside Charles Barkley. Gary Payton is one of the best ever. 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. That concludes the WAP portion of our programming schedule. He also only has a 65 wingspan, which is short of the other bigger point guards, but what he has, he uses well. His record and effect on the game, particularly offensively, are legendary, and its easy to see why. Its interesting that when he plays against elite point guards, or when he plays angrily, he plays much more of a physical game. To create All-Time #NBArank, we put together a ballot with the 150 greatest players ever. On the other hand, hes not tremendously athletic. Humility can often be a sign of intelligence at work, and it is with Hinrich. 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. Triple Double and for good reason: hes fourth all-time in triple-doubles with 107. In balance he was a plus, but his deficiencies cant be ignored. 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. Exceptions were made for Derrick Rose, Danny Granger, Andrew Bynum and Kevin Love because they have all been All-Star players, and all are still, at least by age, in their prime. The biggest reason appears to be a fundamental one. On those, there is no link available. He had the best peak for any point guard in NBA history, hands down. Some would look at Conleys frontcourt and assumenot entirely incorrectlythat having Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol to back him up pads his stats. The only time hell go under a pick is when hes supposed to. Mike Conley is exceptionally quick, virtually teleporting himself from one part of the court to another at times. Widely known as one of the best, if not the best, point guards of all time, Chris Pauls offensive exploits are well-documented. Oscar Robertson 3. He could create at an elite level while also scoring off the dribble from the midrange. Furthermore, he is a legend for the Phoenix Suns and one of the teams finest players. Let's see who has made it to the top 10 best point guards of all time. The true driving force of his partnership with Karl Malone. Aware of his predilections, theyll pass the ball out to the perimeter, and simultaneous to the ball-handler catching it, theyll set a pick on Westbrook. Rondo consistently applies every bit of effort in him on the defensive end. During each of his five NBA championship rings, he was one of the finest players in the league. 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. He applies every bit of failing athleticism he has all the time. Greg Monroe has talent on the offensive side of the ball but not a whole lot on the defensive side. 13.1 PPG, 10.5 APG, 2.2 SPG, .384 3P%, The player After the opponent scores, it is typically the point guard who brings the ball down the court to begin an offensive play. Lets see who has made it to the top 10 best point guards of all time. In his 20 seasons, Bryant averaged 2.5 DWS and 1.4 steals per year. Perhaps the most unstoppable offensive player in NBA history, Jordan decimated and demoralized his foes on the defensive end. Johnson had a knack for scoring against everyone and racked up impressive numbers throughout the course of his career. Yet somehow he manages to compensate and do a reasonably fair job of defending, even in isolation. Jrue Holiday is making . He is not a guy you would single out as an NBA player in a crowded room. Conley correctly identified the defender who was out of position, showing intelligence, but stupidly ignored that his man had the ball and an accurate jump shot. -- Doolittle, Perhaps someday Paul will reach the conference finals and we can focus more on his incredible accomplishments as a scorer, distributor and defender and less on his teams' inability to turn them into deep playoff runs. 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He also used his incredible basketball IQ to steal the ball and defend at a high level. His most notable awards include five NBA championships, three Finals MVPs, three MVPs, nine All-NBA First Team selections, and 12 All-Star appearances. Ergo, a negative number is a positive thing, and a positive number is a negative thing. He is in charge of getting the ball into the hands of the shooters. He is tremendous at using that muscle to his advantage, too. Starter from the VCT lockin. Kirk Hinrich wasnt the fastest player in the NBA when he came out of college. 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. Another major evaluation factor is the assist-to-turnover ratio, which reflects the decision-making skills of the player. Johnsons style of play made him especially successful since he was noted for tip-ins and post play around the rim. He was born on March 23, 1973. Hes able to use that size advantage by being physical, playing close and aggressive, often forcing shooters into shots they arent comfortable taking. He just cant do anything about it. -- Haberstroh, Teams In the past, this was particularly true, as several point guards such as Lenny Wilkens served their teams as player coaches. He defends pick-and-rolls exceptionally well because hes able to shake off picks without much trouble, even pushing around stronger players like Carlos Boozer or Robin Lopez at times. He has no All-Defensive team accolades, because those werent introduced until the 1968-1969 season. Normally this would be a list of FAQs, but no one has ever asked any questions (since no one has ever seen it). On the other, he so rarely allows his opponent to get past him that he doesnt need to rely on it either. An adamant multi-disciplinary journalist, Brian possesses the instincts that are comfortably intrigued by covering and writing the details as minor as the size of Kawhi Leonards hands and as significant as the Trends to watch out for in 2022. Although Stockton accumulated numerous All-NBA nods, he only made the All-Defensive 2nd Team five times. 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. Some players with tremendous athleticism just dont apply it on both ends of the court. Dennis Johnson. He secures first place in the top 10 NBA point guards of all time. -- Adams, The fashion forerunner to Russell Westbrook. Teams Even when he gets switched up on opposing shooting guards trying to post him up, he does a solid job. When he tries, Lowry can be a solid defensive player, but that whole when he tries qualifier is pretty significant. Does he know when to go over the pick, and when to go under it? Thats the advantage of the scouting portion. That earned him the nickname Mr. He leaves talented shooters alone to go double-team bad shooters. Rose had it all, including speed, explosiveness, and the ability to score when it mattered most. Phoenix Suns (1996-98, 2004-12), Dallas Mavericks (1998-2004), Los Angeles Lakers (2012-15), Honors But his lack of any vertical leap kills him on the jump shot. 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. Norris Coles individual numbers are all better than Chalmers, but he gets docked with lower team numbers. Perhaps it was the fact that the Philadelphia 76ers were having a disappointing season without their newly acquired star, Andrew Bynum. The house would collapse. He is suitable at keeping most players out on the perimeter, but against elite point guards he has more problems. As a result, the picks work extremely well. His contributions won him a spot on the NBA All-Time 50th Anniversary Team. Parker applies himself defensively in bursts, and this appears to be by design. He just doesnt have the length to effectively guard against them. Is that because Chalmers is a better team defender or is it because Cole isnt on the court with James as much? 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. He thinks hes the biggest man on the court. That had the effect of distorting Pauls on/off numbers. -- Micah Adams, No one was more dynamic, or magical, with the ball in the open court than Earvin Johnson. The reason teams run so much pick-and-roll is that it works. Sometimes hell even rush to defend the wrong guy while his man is draining a wide-open three. It doesnt help to be fast if you dont use it, so Bledsoes score here is lower than you might expect. Broadly speaking, over 7,000 pieces of data on 226 players, in 16 different categories, were compiled into a database. While he does benefit from help defense, its not as often as you might think. 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! He doesnt use his size exceptionally badly or incredibly well, though. While Rose was fairly criticized for not playing hard defensively prior to Thibodeau, that criticism is no longer accurate. But will he listen enough to a player he was just playing against to make that shift? Its difficult to have a perfect rating system thats entirely objective, and even more difficult to have a realistic one that is purely subjective. 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. And I never saw him go in the wrong direction, not once. Cousy, in many respects, was the Celtics spirit at the moment. Fairly straightforward, this takes into account height, length and strength. -- Haberstroh, Honors Its amusing that some people say Rose doesnt apply himself on defense. Several sites track this, each in its slightly unique way, depending on its formula to calculate possessions. Perhaps if hes in shoes and standing on a milk crate filled with milk, thats true. Jed Jacobsohn/AP Images. Apart from that, he seems to do what hes supposed to be doing when hes away from the ball. He cant be faulted for not being taller or longer, but he could use the length he has better. 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. Not Paul. Jacks presence on a team is one of those things. When people think of NBA point guards, he set the mold. When we watch basketball, we get general impressions of defense, but the storyline is whats happening with the ball. Considering his challenges with speed, he did reasonably well with the pick-and-roll, again because of his size and strength to fight through picks. (Note: Players chosen only if they have played as a shooting guard for most, if not all, of their career.). We ranked the best point guards, determining the list with the help of B-R's position splits. Congratulations, Brian Roberts! The ripple effect of that was that every single Bull had a worse defensive rating with Boozer than when playing with Gibson. 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. His net defensive rating of minus-7.7, combined with his lack of a defensively-solid backup big, is a strong indication of his value as a help defender. It is really hard to say anything about Lowrys help defense. He falls into his rotations smoothly. Even though hes been injured a lot, Paul is averaging over two steals a game for his 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. Jumping ability, body control and agility were all considered as well. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 13. Of course, sometimes his opponent scored, too. He literally may be the least athletic guard in the Association. 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. Why not a normal scale of one to 10? 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. Notably, several modern point guards have used a successful style of post play, a tactic usually practiced by much larger centers and forwards. He arguably makes more plays on his feet, both offensively and defensively, than anyone else. Kyrie Irving is unquestionably one of the greatest point guards of all time. Their primary job is to facilitate scoring opportunities for their team, or sometimes for themselves. -- Adande, Nash is the only player in history to go 50-40-90 while averaging 10 assists per game. They average the number of points a player gives up when he is the initial defender, and this is represented by defensive points per play. Does he make stupid fouls or smart fouls? Conley is inconsistent in how he applies effort on the court. You're the worst defensive point guard in the NBA!!! Adapting your system to every opponent and knowing their nuances is understandable. Thats a strong indication that Rose was not relying on help defense because that same help was there for C.J. 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 Hes one of the slower point guards in the league now, but in spite of that, hes almost ubiquitous at times. Triple Double was so far ahead of his time in terms of size, speed, strength and stats. The scouting score was then combined with the WAM score to produce WAMS, with the scouting counting as one-third of the final score. As a rookie, Bill Russell relied on Cousy to lead the league in assists, and he won the MVP Award for his efforts. A point guard specializes in certain skills, like other player positions in basketball. -- Brad Doolittle, Robertson's averaging a triple-double in 1961-62 is probably overrated because it was a product of the fast-paced play in the 1960s, but his role in the Milwaukee Bucks' early '70s championship run is probably underrated. Follow Sports Brief on Twitter for more trending and breaking news! He doesnt have overwhelming effort that blows you away, but he has earnest effort. With both, its the combination of their size and speed that makes them so phenomenal. Bucks: Start time, where to watch, what's the latest, Rockets vs. Spurs: Start time, where to watch, what's the latest, Hawks vs. Heat: Start time, where to watch, what's the latest, Pistons vs. Cavaliers: Start time, where to watch, what's the latest, Raptors vs. Wizards: Start time, where to watch, what's the latest, Russell Westbrook still wants Sixth Man of Year award from time with Lakers, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Whenever anyone imagines a point guard, chances are theyre thinking of Utah Jazz legend John Stockton. WAM is purely objective. By: HoopsHype. Hall of Famer was an impressive defensive player in his own right. He may be the finest defensive guard ever because of his awareness and abilities on the defensive end. He still struggles against the spot-up, though, because of issues that will be addressed later. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position. The Clippers were 10 points better with Lamar Odom on the court than DeAndre Jordan according to NBA.com/STATS. That would make sense, but there are two reasons to choose the unconventional scale. Hes not going to get beaten back, and he doesnt give up in transition. And his athleticism gives him a leg up, which helps him dominate. James Harden's age: stats, contract, family, dating, net worth in 2022 and more. That earned him the nickname Mr. He wont even try and fight over a pick if he gets caught in one, but just quits on the play. You just dont see him make the wrong plays. When hes not getting wrapped up, he plays the pick-and-roll well. In his heyday, Parker could score 25 points a night and seldom made poor choices with the ball. Whatever else you want to say about Brandon Knight, just dont say he never tries. 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. He and Chris Paul are the contenders for smartest defensive point guard in the game today. 8. 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? Thats 20th all-time, with Kidd being the only other guard above him. Sounds great, right? Closing out on jumpers is an issue, especially when coming off screens, where he yields a 46.7 shooting percentage from the three-point line. 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. However, he tends to play soft at times against the pick-and-roll, tending to rely on his quickness when he could muscle through a pick quicker. For many of these metrics, sample size becomes crucial. He might have Silly Putty for a father. 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. Each touches a different part of the elephant, one an ear, another the torso and so on. There are some serious contenders in Steve Nash and Walter Frazier, so hell have to settle for fourth place in the race. He gives up too much space and still gets beaten. Of course having book smarts doesnt preclude you from knowing what youre doing on the court either. This proves problematic, especially in isolation, where Williams usually just backs up. 21.6 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 6.9 APG, .441 3P%, We counted down the greatest players in NBA history. The greatest point guard in NBA history. When the pick gets set, he just hurls into it and uses the momentum of the bounce to send him in the right direction. -- Adams, He could hurt defenses in so many ways: Controlling tempo was one, and he was a hell of a defender, too. 19.2 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 9.3 APG, 1.9 SPG, The player Having said that, he does play team defense, too, and he is part of the team. 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. That all-around game made Kidd one of the league's top point guards for nearly 20 years. Per NBA.com/STATS, the Clippers were almost 10 points per 100 possessions better defensively while Lamar Odom was on the court instead of DeAndre Jordan, yet Paul was on the court three times as much with Jordan as Odom. Mentally subtract them from the rankings if you feel they shouldn'tbe included. He stands third among the top 10 point guards of all time. Adande, Brad Doolittle, Tom Haberstroh and Kevin Pelton are NBA writers for ESPN.com. 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. 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. This score is to help alleviate that. Even players like Derek Fisher will hang him up and then hit him with the step-back. He might not be the fastest guy in the world, but that doesnt keep him from trying to be. Despite the fact that hes just 35, he has a limited amount of time left. It doesnt seem that it would be that impressive if found it. Nate Archibald 14. His net defensive rating is fairly close to even, and slightly above average for point guards. A lot has been made of how an explosive offense is the way to captivate fans. He has become one of the hardest working point guards in the league on both ends. Per Synergy, he forces turnovers 18.5 percent of the time, and he does so barely giving up any points. Dikembe Mutombo 7. Steph's ball-handling abilities make him a lethal ball-handler, as he can shake a defender at any time. Went from dominating games strictly with his passing to making the fifth-most 3-pointers in NBA history. Kevin Durant, surprisingly, also bails out his co-star a lot. 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. He simply doesnt have the same ability as the elite point guards to get up in the air, and that hinders his ability to defend the jump shot. Having above-average size (height, muscle) is considered advantageous, although size is secondary to situational awareness, speed, quickness, and ball handling skills. In terms of career statistics and postseason accomplishments, he ranks as the NBAs fourth-best point guard of all time. 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. Top 20 best defensive midfielders in the world today: who are they? Because he is the one who touches the basketball first on every possession, the NBAs point guard has long been considered its most vital position. He seems to get frustrated easily. His huge hands allowed him to pass as effectively with one hand as most could with two. He never stops moving. In his 20 seasons, Bryant. To say he gets pushed around would be generous. On defense, the point guard is tasked with making the opposing point guard as ineffective as possible. During the 1960-1961 season, the then-32-year-old Cousy racked up 6.3 DWS, the most in his career. Closing out on shooters, hell go sailing past them. Players Stats: 23.5 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 6.6 APG, 1.7 SPG, 0.2 BPG, Honors: 2x MVP, 6x All-Star, 6x All-NBA Selection, 2015-2016 Scoring Champion. He has been improving in that regard, but its taken a while, and there are still some maddening things. Chalmers is 62 and 190 pounds, which is about average size for a point guard. During the 1960-1961 season, the then-32-year-old Cousy racked up 6.3 DWS, the most in his career. 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. 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. His issues related to intelligence, detailed later, compound this problem. For a position that was highly valued at the time, he brought a lot of sparkle, style, scoring, and domination to the court. 14.3 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 8.5 APG, .428 3P%, The player I doubt its much beyond his height. The average score by point guards was 16.1. Ben Wallace 12. His high rebound rate, while partly indicative of his speed is also a result of positioning, which relates to his IQ. Hinrich has a bit more going for him in terms of size. In the 13 seasons in which he played more than 60 games, mostly with the Chicago Bulls, the 1988 Defensive Player of the Year was a nine-time All-Defensive Team selection all first-team honors and a three-time steals champion.