He sometimes gets tangled up and left hopelessly out of the play. Does he pick up his man when switched? He has the most assists and steals of any player in NBA history and is a master of the pick & roll. Johnson had a knack for scoring against everyone and racked up impressive numbers throughout the course of his career. Refusing to back down because youre afraid of being put on a poster is a good thing, not a bad thing. Rob Peterson is an NBA editor for ESPN.com. Players like Rose, Russell Westbrook and Kyrie Irving consistently cross him over and get past him. Players Stats: 15.2 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 5.0 APG, 1.6 SPG, 0.4 BPG, Honors: 4x All-Star, 3x All-NBA Selection. Jordans inclusion as the best defensive shooting guard isnt surprising considering his relentless attitude to winning. The debate over whether it should have been a flagrant is mootclearly that got into James head because he was talking about it after the game. -- Pelton, Perhaps the most incredible part of the Big O's triple-double season is that he finished third in MVP voting (behind winner Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain, who averaged 50.4 PPG). If you are a basketball freak, you might be interested in knowing about NBA and other Best Basketball Leagues in the World. Its what separates him from being a valuable, slightly overrated defender, and an elite defender. Hes fearless, and no matter how large the big setting the pick is, he wont back down. 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. He was an unstoppable offensive force who could score from anywhere on the court and in any way he wanted. Walt Frazier 10. Whatever it was, Holiday was just not bringing effort on the defensive end last year. Brandon Knight has exceptional speed and quickness. He is in charge of getting the ball into the hands of the shooters. 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. Thanks for signing up. He bulls through picks well and is not afraid to go over them. He does those things; he just doesnt do them very hard. 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. Finally, both are improving on the defensive side of the ball. 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 manages to defend the pick-and-roll reasonably well by doing something I can only call bouncing over picks. Big O is widely regarded as one of the best offensive point guards of all time. Sometimes, all that the on/off stats tell you is the difference between two players that play the same position. Jacks presence on a team is one of those things. He appears to communicate the wisdom hes accrued to his teammates. The problem is that sometimes players are so inept, they skew the stats of other players. 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. Defensive rebounds are generally undervalued, although its also true that all defensive rebounds arent the same. For a player who lacks lateral quickness and a player that has been in the league as long as he has, you would think Williams would have learned to do a better job of steering opponents into the help defense. He presses hard as long as the opponent is in front of him, but will frequently give up on the play once the defender is past him. 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. As a result, hes been a member of the All-Defensive 1st Team four times and a member of the All-Defensive 2nd Team five times. One of the most recognisable players in NBA history, Walt Frazier is a deserving candidate for the Basketball Hall of Fame. Micah Adams is the lead NBA research specialist for ESPN Stats and Info. The point guard is positioned on the perimeter of the play, so as to have the best view of the action. Perhaps next year the Raptors will see better times, and well see less of that kind of behavior, but its a harmful habit to have picked up. Its probably no coincidence that Stephen Currys defense took a giant step forward this season playing alongside Jack, and you might see a similar progression from Kyrie Irving next year. The average score by point guards was 16.1. ALL-TIME #NBARANK, 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11-15 | 16-20 | 21-25, The player In all, Wade was a three-time All-Defensive Team selection (all on the 2nd team), his 1620 steals rank 31st all-time and hes had six seasons where he ranked top-20 in steals per game. Golden State Warriors (2009-present), Honors 13.1 PPG, 10.5 APG, 2.2 SPG, .384 3P%, The player Top 20 best defensive midfielders in the world today: who are they? The other metrics help alleviate the extremes because they also indicate what a players personal defense does. Hell get to the corners to challenge threes; hell pick off passes; hell get rebounds; hell get some chase-down blocks. Derrick Rose 15. They are available for those who want to know where they fit, and it doesn'thurt anyone to include them. In essence, hes athletic enough to do a respectable job of what hes asked to do. 'Whatever seed we are, we're ready': Is there room for Cleveland among the East elite? He was transcendent. He secures first place in the top 10 NBA point guards of all time. Penny Hardaway was well recognized for his relationship with Shaquille ONeal when he was only a kid. 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. There are some serious contenders in Steve Nash and Walter Frazier, so hell have to settle for fourth place in the race. Lowry just seems to be lost on defense much of the time. He gambles too much, and that often gets him caught out of the play. He and Chris Paul are the contenders for smartest defensive point guard in the game today. Mamelodi Sundowns coach Rhulani Mokwena denies outrageous Egypt claims, Brooklyn Nets comeback from 28 down to stun Boston Celtics, Alex Iwobi: Nigerian star set for possible exit at English Premier League club Everton, Premier League player caught inhaling laughing gas after a night out, Real Madrid identify Premier League star as 'Plan B' if Bellingham deal fails, Top 15 most handsome football players in the world in 2023. During the 1960-1961 season, the then-32-year-old Cousy racked up 6.3 DWS, the most in his career. 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. Rose had it all, including speed, explosiveness, and the ability to score when it mattered most. As a result, he has received numerous awards, including the 'NBA Most Valuable Player' (MVP) award and the "PAC Player of the Year." On the other hand, you cant deny what happened, regardless of how much you watch. One of the greatest rebounding guards of all time. They were combined and adjusted to cover a range roughly between 18 and 22. As the primary decision-maker for a team, a point guard's passing ability determines how well a point guard is able to put their decision into play. 43 views, 0 likes, 0 loves, 0 comments, 0 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from BabyYo: NRG VS KOI Highlights. Dallas Mavericks (1994-96, 2008-12), Phoenix Suns (1996-2001), New Jersey Nets (2001-08), New York Knicks (2012-13), Honors 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. As a rookie, Bill Russell relied on Cousy to lead the league in assists, and he won the MVP Award for his efforts. 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. Oscar Robertson 3. He gets caught thinking, and while he makes the right decision, its a split second too late. Defense is one of the more oft-overlooked aspects of basketball because it isnt as pretty as what happens on the offensive end. 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. Follow Sports Brief on Twitter for more trending and breaking news! Jeremy Lin is not one of the faster point guards in the NBA, and hes not particularly quick either. Mr. Although Wade had an accomplished resume, if he had played one more season, he wouldve easily overtaken the next player on the list. He lacks the strength to effectively go over screens consistently, so he has to go under them. In terms of point guards, Magic is the finest there has ever been. -- 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. Kawhi Leonard 11. Bledsoe is not a great help defender, in spite of boasting a -4.9 net defensive rating. Watching him rotate was watching perfection. Russell Westbrook and Derrick Rose are the two most physically gifted point guards of their generation, and, as a result, are constantly going to be compared to one another. -- Adande, Teams The values for the various metrics which comprised the WAM score and scouting scores are also available on each slide. He could launch it from 30 feet or more with ease. Hes a key component in Tom Thibodeaus defense, and frankly, with Thibs, you just dont stay on the court if youre not putting in the effort on the defensive end. Jack gets beat and bailed out frequently by his teammates. 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. But will he listen enough to a player he was just playing against to make that shift? Congratulations, Brian Roberts! Rondo consistently applies every bit of effort in him on the defensive end. On the other, he so rarely allows his opponent to get past him that he doesnt need to rely on it either. To create All-Time #NBArank, we put together a ballot with the 150 greatest players ever. Hell go flying outside the play, right as his man catches the ball, and then hell not only have to make up that ground, but hell also have to fight through the pick. When it comes to intangibles, Chris Paul is the elite point guard in the league. Not everything about a players value can be seen even through advanced stats, or even while hes on the court. Stockton embodied a true point guard - an extension of the coach that ran the team's offense seamlessly. He picked up a complicated system almost immediately, and the Bulls were consistently a better defense with Hinrich on the court, in large part because of how well he understood the system. Even though injuries caught up with him toward the end of his illustrious career, Bryant still battled as a defender when needed. Teams There are times where he makes a bone-headed gamble and loses, trying to get the extra steal, but thats about the only flaw there is with him mentally. He might have Silly Putty for a father. -- Adams, For nine consecutive years, Nash's teams led the NBA in offensive rating. A point guard specializes in certain skills, like other player positions in basketball. One conundrum has always been how to account for who is guarding the best player on the other team. This is to avoid confusion if you want to go to the original source.). Generally speaking, the point guard is the player in possession of the ball for the most time during a game and is responsible for maintaining possession of the ball for their team in the face of any pressure from the opponents. 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. Having above-average size (height, muscle) is considered advantageous, although size is secondary to situational awareness, speed, quickness, and ball handling skills. Damian Lillard's nuclear 71-point explosion Sunday night was jaw-dropping and somehow not all that surprising. Hakeem Olajuwon 2. The best way to track how effective a player is on the defensive end is by looking at their cumulative defensive win shares. It will be interesting to see how well he does with Larry Sanders behind him in Milwaukee. However, who are the all-time top point guards? David Robinson 6. His on-court coaching and leadership is probably the biggest reason the Clippers had the eighth most-efficient defense in the NBA last year. Getting paired with Tom Thibodeau has made it even better. I actually looked for him to do it and couldnt find it. Players Stats: 17.9 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 9.1 APG, 1.5 SPG, 0.2 BPG, Honors: 3x All-Star, 5x All-NBA Selection, 1988-1989 Most Improved Player. Neither of those is really a criticism of Parker, but its a reality. New York Knicks (1967-1977), Cleveland Cavaliers (1977-1980), Honors: You cant say that Westbrook doesnt try on defense, but you can say he doesnt show consistent effort on defense. Hes just over 60" without shoes but has a wingspan of 67.5. Only four players in the history of the combine are as short or shorter and have at least that kind of reach. Kirk Hinrich wasnt the fastest player in the NBA when he came out of college. 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. Because of his combination of length, speed and jumping ability, Rose has become an excellent team defender against the jump shot. 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. Gary Payton. The following are the five categories and what was considered for each of them: How fast players are from end to end is only a part of speed. Triple Double was so far ahead of his time in terms of size, speed, strength and stats. -- Adande, Nash is the only player in history to go 50-40-90 while averaging 10 assists per game. He doesnt play on the ball physically, utilizing that advantage. Isiah Thomas, born on April 30, 1961, and possibly the best player ever under 6-foot-1, combined talent with fierce competitiveness. His 47.4 DWS is 54th overall, good for an average of 2.963 DWS per season, slightly edging Wade. Thats the advantage of the scouting portion. None of them qualified based on the 1,200 minutes, so their stats from 2012 were used instead. 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. Allen Iverson 11. By taking the total number of plays and the total number of minutes (regular and postseason combined, because Synergy just throws it all together) we can determine how many times per 36 minutes a player was the initial defender on the play. In many cases, I looked at their combine results. Watching specifically for this, I found only three instances in 50 plays where Garnett bailed out Rondo on isolation plays, a rate which is lower than most point guards receiving help. 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. 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. Either way he chases the ball until he catches it. The Glove was a nine-time All-Defensive Team selection, making the First Team all nine times. -- Adams, The fashion forerunner to Russell Westbrook. 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. These point guard rankings will be the first of five articles. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google. Last season, when Rose was healthy early on, they gave up the thirdmost, 16.3 points. -- Adams, Combined savvy with underrated strength. His lateral quickness is below-average, and his straightaway speed isnt much either. His shot-making and defense made him a top-tier point guard throughout his career. Sometimes it doesnt. Additionally, the 10-time All-Star and Hall of Famer was an impressive defensive player in his own right. Think: Dennis Rodman. Dennis Rodman 4. 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. Johnson will go down as one of the top 25 all-time point guards because of his defensive presence. Hes one of the most prolific players in the game. Boston Celtics (1950-1963), Cincinnati Royals (1969-70), Honors Additionally, the 10-time All-Star and Hall of Famer was an impressive defensive player in his own right. Championships: 3. Sometimes hell even rush to defend the wrong guy while his man is draining a wide-open three. He weighs in at only 175 pounds. He merits a high score here. He was born on March 23, 1973. Mentally subtract them from the rankings if you feel they shouldn'tbe included. Do players go under picks when they should go over them? However, despite Chris Paul and Jason Kidds prominence, Steve Nash became a two-time MVP who had no weaknesses on the offensive end. Big Shot, is one of the finest point guard leaders in the NBA. He spends too much time getting back into the defensive play because he ran himself out of it. -- Doolittle, The great Knicks ball-movement offense started with him. The players are ranked according to their WAMS. If he's not on the slide and he played 1,200 minutes, he should be on this list somewhere. He has a high basketball IQ, and he has that veteran savvy thing going for him, too. On the one hand, he doesnt seem cogent enough of his surroundings most of the time to really offer any. It tracks the production of a players counterpart while he is on the court. It is really hard to say anything about Lowrys help defense. 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. His quick feet give him tremendous lateral movement. He is easily one of the physically weaker players in the league, even for his position. Damian Lillard (2013-Present) AP Images. Thats largely true. The weakness is that it also includes some of what the other player does defensively, (e.g.. blocks, steals, and defensive rebounds). Despite making it to the Western Conference Finals last season, he is yet to make an appearance in the NBA Finals. 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 . The point guard was always capable of scoring the ball at the . Anyways, we hope you enjoyed going through the rankings with Magic Johnson securing first place in the Top 10 NBA point guards of all time. If it gives up fewer points, thats good. When he gets it going, hes unstoppable. Simply put, defensive win shares (DWS) are defined by how many wins a player produces based on his defensive ability. Hes able to stay in front of all but the quickest point guards in the league. There is no doubt about it: Steph Curry is the second-best in the top 10 point guards of all time. I like to compare it to the relationship between a foundation and a house. Hes able to use that size advantage by being physical, playing close and aggressive, often forcing shooters into shots they arent comfortable taking. -- Doolittle, Cousy was an And-1 mix tape in black-and-white. Hes still learning to apply that tremendous athleticism on the defensive end of the court, though. Nevertheless, its just as important. On pick-and-rolls when hes not set, teams have learned to expect this. Its possible for Nash to be the whole offense and to shoot 50-40-90 from the field on a continuous basis. Chauncey Billups, or Mr. Marcus Smart. 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. How much a player understands his role in the defense is measured here. Williams needs to have a bit of a paradigm shift in the direction of team defense. On the other hand, hes not tremendously athletic. Players Stats: 16.3 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 6.7 APG, 1.8 SPG, 0.2 BPG, Honors: 9x All-Stars, 9x All-NBA Selection, 1990-1991 Rookie of the Year, 9x All-Defensive Team Selection, 1995-1996 Defensive Player of the Year, Hall of Famer. He is entirely too aggressive. He plays longer than he actually is. While the Clippers were better when Paul was on the bench, it wasnt because he was on the bench. On defense, the point guard is tasked with making the opposing point guard as ineffective as possible. In his book The Winner Within, Pat Riley described Magic as a club DJ. -- Peterson, He was the forerunner of Magic Johnson and LeBron James, and it's telling that both of those stars revere the Big O. The next three slides will tell how this particular sausage was made. 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. Holiday wouldnt just go under the pick; he would go too far under the pick. If he didnt retire at 34, its interesting to see where Cousy could have landed all-time as he averaged 3.8 DWS per season. 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. Jrue Holiday is not fast so much as he is quick. His lateral movement and reaction time are exceptional, and thats indicated by his isolation defense. Just telling your players to play harder and close out on threes isnt a real system. Coming off one of the best offensive seasons in NBA history, Curry takes the top spot on our list of the league's best point guards, followed closely by 22-year-old wunderkind Luka Doncic, who may . J.A. 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 didnt have an eye-popping number, but he was in the top 25 percent of players there. His net defensive rating is fairly close to even, and slightly above average for point guards. 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. That has more to do with the second-string frontcourt, led by Lamar Odom, backing him up than it does his team defense. Overall, hes ninth in steals with 2,207, and Drexlers 49.9 DWS is good for 45th all-time. Hes always looking where hes supposed to go, and moving in that direction, but he just takes his time getting there. Hall of Famer was an impressive defensive player in his own right. He has a barrel chest, broad shoulders and 20 pounds on most point guards, so he gives the appearance of dwarfing players that are technically as tall as he is. How they moved laterally, closed out on shooters, and recovered after getting beaten were also taken into account. He also uses his quick hands to steal the dribble, and he does so without taking risks. Lets say a perimeter defender gets beaten and then his center blocks the shot. -- Adande, He led the NBA in assists nine straight seasons from 1987 to 1996. Sixth-greatest point guard in basketball history. Greg Monroe has talent on the offensive side of the ball but not a whole lot on the defensive side. Were shooters able to shoot over them? He applies his energy smartly. He could play any spot on the court as well. West became synonymous with brilliant basketball during his 14-year playing career with the Los Angeles Lakers. Lowry looks around like he just woke up from a nap in a foreign city, and hes trying to figure out where hes supposed to be. Exciting feature: Check out news exactly for YOU find "Recommended for you" block and enjoy!

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