76ers vs. MVP (1963-64), 12-time All-Star, 11-time All-NBA selection, Rookie of the Year (1960-61), Hall of Fame, Career stats He made everything go for those Lakers teams. 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. This is what I mean by ubiquity. Big Shot, is one of the finest point guard leaders in the NBA. Sometimes his teammates bailed him out; sometimes the shot just didnt go in. Neither of those is really a criticism of Parker, but its a reality. But it seems like Paul is nutmeggingand breaking opposing defenders ankles every game. He routinely gets blistered in isolation (.93 points per play), fails to close out well on shooters and lags when coming off of screens. Nash is a top-ten point guard without a question. Starter from the VCT lockin. He was born on March 23, 1973. Additionally, the 10-time All-Star and Hall of Famer was an impressive defensive player in his own right. There is no doubt about it: Steph Curry is the second-best in the top 10 point guards of all time. His MVP season, he had the second-best block total by a point guard in history (although John Wall exceeded that total last year.). Whether this is a result of his reputation being undeserved or him not putting forth the effort isnt hard to determine. 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. He does all those little things that dont show up in box scores. Sometimes, all that the on/off stats tell you is the difference between two players that play the same position. 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. In balance he was a plus, but his deficiencies cant be ignored. After watching Paul play defense for a while, what stands out over everything else is that he just never stops movingliterally. Dennis Johnson. He is so athletic and so strong for his size that hes been able to get away without learning lessons he should have. He gets crossed over pretty easily, and not just by the Associations elite point guards. The other metrics help alleviate the extremes because they also indicate what a players personal defense does. His shot-making and defense made him a top-tier point guard throughout his career. Archibald, who was just 61 tall, was able to consistently sink the ball despite his diminutive stature. Players Stats: 15.2 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 5.4 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.2 BPG, Honors: 2003-2004 Finals MVP, 5x All-Star, 3x All-NBA Selection, 2x All-Defensive Team Selection. But Gary Payton did as a member of the Seattle Supersonics. Thats rarely going to be because of a mental error, though. Jeremy Lin is not one of the faster point guards in the NBA, and hes not particularly quick either. Kawhi Leonard 11. Ben Wallace 12. Marcus Smart. Pauls been an All-Defensive Team selection nine times, being selected to the 1st team seven times and the 2nd team twice. Russell is regarded as one of the best point guard finishers of all time. I actually looked for him to do it and couldnt find it. -- 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. When they do, he gets tangled up pretty badly; it happens so rarely, though, youd think he had eyes in the back of his head. You cant build a house first, and then pour the foundation underneath it. On Wednesday, we will have the top 10 shooting guards of all time, followed by small forwards, power forwards and centers. Were shooters able to shoot over them? Since its neither, he gets an even score. It is really hard to say anything about Lowrys help defense. 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. Theres nothing wrong with knowing when you need it. Several sites track this, each in its slightly unique way, depending on its formula to calculate possessions. For the purpose of this study, 82games was used because the net defensive rating was also easily available and it made for consistency. 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. At 63, with a wingspan of almost 68, he has decent size. Thats the advantage of the scouting portion. For that reason, subjective analysis was also included. His Synergy numbers compared to some of his team numbers validate that. Eventually, you need to form an opinion about why not just know what. There is no doubt that Stephen Curry inherited his incredible shooting ability from his father, Dell, who was a successful NBA marksman himself, but the younger Curry's game is more diverse than Dell's. He always seems to know exactly where everyone is. He always picks up on the switch. Defense is one of the more oft-overlooked aspects of basketball because it isnt as pretty as what happens on the offensive end. Players Stats: 16.5 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 6.7 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.2 BPG. He was transcendent. His contributions won him a spot on the NBA All-Time 50th Anniversary Team. Fairly straightforward, this takes into account height, length and strength. Lets see who has made it to the top 10 best point guards of all time. 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 addition, Cousy, dubbed "The Houdini of the Hardwood," led the NBA in assists for 8 straight seasons, creating a whole new blend of ball-handling and passing skills for the league. Previously, Id had the impression that Rondo was beaten more often than he actually is and that Kevin Garnett just constantly bailed him out, which made his numbers look better than they are. Los Angeles Lakers (1979-91, 1995-96), Honors Knight gets almost no help whatsoever from help defense. That would make sense, but there are two reasons to choose the unconventional scale. Only two other players besides Moncrief have won the NBAs defensive player of the year award twice. 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. During each of his five NBA championship rings, he was one of the finest players in the league. 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. Here are the answers to some questions readers are likely to have. Players Stats: 18.5 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 9.5 APG, 2.2 SPG, 0.1 BPG, Honors: 10x All-Stars, 8x All-NBA Selection, 2005-2006 Rookie of the Year, 9x All-Defensive Team Selection. He has a high basketball IQ, and he has that veteran savvy thing going for him, too. During the 1960-1961 season, the then-32-year-old Cousy racked up 6.3 DWS, the most in his career. Big O is widely regarded as one of the best offensive point guards of all time. 18.4 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 7.5APG, .375 FG%, The player Over the last decade, the best point guards such as Stephen Curry, Damian Lillard, Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook, and others have dominated the position. At the very least, he could stab those quick hands of his at some more balls and disrupt the dribble from behind. The former professional basketball player was born on March 26, 1962, and is regarded as one of the best passing point guards. Oscar Robertson 3. His 47.4 DWS is 54th overall, good for an average of 2.963 DWS per season, slightly edging Wade. Along with leadership and a general basketball acumen, ball-handling is a skill of great importance to a point guard. -- Adande, The only players in NBA history with more games with 20 points and 10 assists are Oscar Robertson and Magic Johnson. 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. Johnson is widely recognized as one of the all-time great point guards, particularly for his defense. He applies his energy smartly. Nash is the answer. The scouting score was then combined with the WAM score to produce WAMS, with the scouting counting as one-third of the final score. My guess is that it has something to do with that. While he does benefit from help defense, its not as often as you might think. He gambles too much, and that often gets him caught out of the play. Hakeem Olajuwon 2. Hall of Famer was an impressive defensive player in his own right, Latest Jonathan Isaac injury may signal end of his Magic career, Seven Cubs pitchers combine for spring no-hitter vs. Padres, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones comments on Tony Pollard rumor, Ben Simmons suffers back injury while rehabilitating, Insider: It's Packers, Jets 'or bust' for Aaron Rodgers, QB Anthony Richardson doesn't understand his 'project' label, Vikings HC reveals 'crazy' thoughts about star WR, XFL player released for giving another team plays from own playbook. Kyrie Irving is unquestionably one of the greatest point guards of all time. However, the other side of the ball cant be overlooked because as the saying goes: defense wins championships.. This is where everything focuses on Westbrook. So I saddled up my workhorse, Synergy, and watched an hour or two of each of the top 15 WAM scores playing defense. Each fails to realize that they are all right, and that the real answer is in the combination of what they all experienced. Kevin Durant, Jayson Tatum top NBA quotes of the week. Most players will take a little on-court breather now and then. 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. 1987 Lakers are often seen as one of the greatest teams ever. Last season, when Rose was healthy early on, they gave up the thirdmost, 16.3 points. Williams tends to play defense, but he only seems to do the minimum. Curry has won three NBA championships and cemented his status as the finest shooter in NBA history since becoming a superstar and two-time MVP. There arent a lot of players that could lock down Michael Jordan, the greatest player of all time. Since I always get asked "Where's ___________?" Hes so undersized, youd think he was just some regular guy. 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. He arguably makes more plays on his feet, both offensively and defensively, than anyone else. Opponents dont have much success getting around him. 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. 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 . When it comes to intangibles, Chris Paul is the elite point guard in the league. 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. The true driving force of his partnership with Karl Malone. On the flip side, Westbrook's 4.13 turnovers per game average is the highest all-time, with Johnson (3. . Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 13. Do the likes of Magic Johnson and Stephen Curry rise to the top of the point guard rankings, or is it possible for someone with undeniable natural skill like Penny Hardaway to crack the elite group? If you dont want to consider them, then dont. 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. Right now, Westbrook's 11.2 assists and 47.5% assist rate leads the league this season. Stockton is one of the greatest assist players in NBA history, if not the greatest. Nevertheless, its just as important. Players Stats: 18.4 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 7.5 APG, 0.0 SPG, 0.0 BPG, Honors: 1956-1957 MVP, 13x All-Star, 12x All-NBA Selection, Hall of Famer. 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. Of course having book smarts doesnt preclude you from knowing what youre doing on the court either. 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. If someone goes past him, hell usually just wave goodbye. Pass-first points of the past have given way to dynamic creators who can score as well as set up teammates. His record and effect on the game, particularly offensively, are legendary, and its easy to see why. 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. He was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, on February 7, 1974, to a Welsh mother, Jean, and an English father, John. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position. Needless to say, you dont see a lot of LeBron-Jamesian-chase-down blocks from Conley. Similarly, while each of the advanced and/or traditional metrics has value, each also misses something. He also only has a 65 wingspan, which is short of the other bigger point guards, but what he has, he uses well. Bill Russell 3. He also has such superior court awareness that most picks dont catch him squarely, and he just glides over them. Hed also be more willing to provide it. Bledsoe is not a great help defender, in spite of boasting a -4.9 net defensive rating. He closed out on jump-shooters half-heartedly, which is bad enough, but when you combine that with the way he played pick-and-roll plays, it was even worse. He had unusual strength for his size, quick feet, elite hands, and timing to help him hold down opponents one-on-one and rack up steals. With his record of successes and pioneering point guard talents, Magic is at the top of the list. They tried just as hard as the valedictorian, but all they got were Bs. -- Adande, Teams One of the most innovative offensive players, San Antonio Spurs legend Manu Ginobili was a very unique player. 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. Penny Hardaway was well recognized for his relationship with Shaquille ONeal when he was only a kid. Some players defined their positions. Whenever anyone imagines a point guard, chances are theyre thinking of Utah Jazz legend John Stockton. The other thing thats surprising about Rondo with his size is how well he fights over picks. Hes pouring out effort every minute hes on the court. 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. The values for the various metrics which comprised the WAM score and scouting scores are also available on each slide. The greatest point guard in NBA history. 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. Honors: 7x All-Star, 3x All-NBA Selection, 1966-1967 Rookie of the Year, 1967-1968 Scoring Champion, Hall of Famer. Boston Celtics (1950-1963), Cincinnati Royals (1969-70), Honors He compensates for his diminutive size by fighting hard and using that aforementioned quickness. -- 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. This implies that the point guard serves as an extension of their coach on the court, and he or she is accountable for making the right plays every night. Players Stats: 24.0 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 6.5 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.3 BPG, Honors: 5x All-Stars, 4x All-NBA Selection, 2012-2013 Rookie of the Year. One of basketballs most dynamic and versatile point guards in the modern era. Bledsoe runs through his rotations, but he rounds them off or overruns them. The average score by point guards was 16.1. Jordans inclusion as the best defensive shooting guard isnt surprising considering his relentless attitude to winning. The corresponding WAM or WAMS scores indicate how many points a group of like-skilled players on the court would theoretically give up in 100 possessions. -- Adams, He could hurt defenses in so many ways: Controlling tempo was one, and he was a hell of a defender, too. 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. Hes 63 with a 68 wingspan and an 83 standing reach. Jrue Holiday is making . -- Kevin Pelton, Teams 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. In case you missed it, Jason Kidd was tops on our point guard list with 75.1 defensive win shares, good for 11th all-time. To create All-Time #NBArank, we put together a ballot with the 150 greatest players ever. He is in charge of getting the ball into the hands of the shooters. Chris Paul is widely considered to be one of the best point guards of the 2010s. -- Haberstroh, Teams 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 is suitable at keeping most players out on the perimeter, but against elite point guards he has more problems. We ranked the best point guards, determining the list with the help of B-R's position splits. 18.7 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 9.9 APG, 2.3 SPG, The player Only two NBA championships would make him the second-best player in NBA history. Even players like Derek Fisher will hang him up and then hit him with the step-back. Dennis Johnson. Many times, the point guard is referred to by announcers, as a "coach on the floor" or a "floor general". The Cleveland Cavaliers relied heavily on Kyrie Irving to take and hit huge shots, even when he was partnered with LeBron James. He could be better than he is, but its hard to blame only him. For a position that was highly valued at the time, he brought a lot of sparkle, style, scoring, and domination to the court. Two-time All-Defensive First Team Four-time All-Star Before having his career derailed by drug use, Micheal Ray Richardson was one of the league's most feared defensive point. In terms of career statistics and postseason accomplishments, he ranks as the NBAs fourth-best point guard of all time. Please check your email for a confirmation. Whether you like him or not (and I personally dont), you have to respect that he plays the game as hard as it can be played. Its amusing that some people say Rose doesnt apply himself on defense. Lillard has been one of the NBA's most dangerous scorers, capable of striking shots from anywhere on the floor. While most of these stats are adjusted for minutes, the problem surfaces that bench players, playing fewer minutes, can appear to be better than they are. He plays longer than he actually is. Steve Nash 7. He doesnt cheat in either direction, though. However, the other side of the ball cant be overlooked because as the saying goes: defense wins championships.. Gary Payton is one of the best ever. 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. Ergo, a negative number is a positive thing, and a positive number is a negative thing. In order to answer that, we introduce Weighted Averaged Metrics (WAM) and WAM with Scouting (WAMS), a pair of advanced defensive metrics which combine other stats and metrics, weight them so that each represents an equal relative value, and then use them all to derive a final score. Lennys passing and leadership on the floor were solid, but he also had a few great scoring years on the court. He cant be faulted for not being taller or longer, but he could use the length he has better. When he was off the ball, it was spectacular. He has 12 All-Star selections, 10 All-NBA selections, nine All-Defensive Team selections, and a second-place MVP finish in his third season at 22. At 5ft 3in (1.60m) the shortest player in NBA history, Muggsy Bogues enjoyed 889 games in a 14-year career as a point guard. 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One way of offsetting the problems of defensive rating is looking at on/off stats, meaning how many points does the defense give up while a player is on the court versus when he is off the court? The most pure and one of the best point guards and playmakers in NBA History is John Stockton. -- Peterson, He's one of only a few players in history who has been deemed too good for the sport's own good. Its like someone took a normal-sized person and stretched out the arms and hands to make him. Bledsoes defensive numbers would be far worse if he werent getting helped out by Odom all the time. Congratulations, Brian Roberts! Two-time MVP (2004-05, 2005-06), eight-time All-Star, seven-time All-NBA selection, Career stats He does those things; he just doesnt do them very hard. 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. WAM is the foundation, and WAMS is the house. -- Doolittle, Cousy was an And-1 mix tape in black-and-white. Over the next four weeks, well unveil the rankings for the other four positions. FOXSports.com - Best all-time point guards at the Wayback Machine (archived July 12, 2005), accessed 2008-02-09 This page was last edited on 1 March 2023, at 17:58 . 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. 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. But he jogs when he should run, is lackadaisical closing out shooters and goes through the motions when running through his rotations. Because Derrick Rose was the NBAs youngest MVP in 2009, its unfortunate that the guy isnt higher on this list. Although Stockton accumulated numerous All-NBA nods, he only made the All-Defensive Second Team five times. 12.6 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 8.7 APG, 1.9 SPG, The player -- Micah Adams, No one was more dynamic, or magical, with the ball in the open court than Earvin Johnson. Do they get their hands up and use their length? 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. Its more than that. Damian Lillard's nuclear 71-point explosion Sunday night was jaw-dropping and somehow not all that surprising. His low foul rate of 4.5 percent is another indication that hes adept at getting into position quickly. 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. 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. Although both Kidd and Paul were more accurate shooters, his passing range was broader than any of them. 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. However, when the game is on the line, he makes the right decision. On those, there is no link available. Golden State Warriors (2009-present), Honors 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. 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. He yields a whopping 41.5 three-point percentage on the spot-up, which is just not good. -- Adams, The fashion forerunner to Russell Westbrook. For all the hammering Im doing on Chalmers, it remains true that the Heat are better with him on the court than off of it, but its questionable if thats because hes on it. But will he listen enough to a player he was just playing against to make that shift? Also with both, theyve shown more success utilizing their physical attributes on the offensive end than the defensive end. He uses his feet and body well, steering his man into the help defense when he knows hes not able to keep up. 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. Do players go under picks when they should go over them? 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. DWS are how many wins a player produces based on his defensive ability. 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. He weighs in at only 175 pounds. His issues related to intelligence, detailed later, compound this problem. Then, when players pull up and shoot, he doesnt use his length to close and get a hand in the face of the shooter. Another major evaluation factor is the assist-to-turnover ratio, which reflects the decision-making skills of the player. Passing skills, ball handling, and court vision are crucial. The classic definition of a point guard, orchestrating offense and shooting when necessary. 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.