Sometimes hell even rush to defend the wrong guy while his man is draining a wide-open three. Rob Peterson is an NBA editor for ESPN.com. 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. 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. But Gary Payton did as a member of the Seattle Supersonics. Stephen Curry 4. His huge hands allowed him to pass as effectively with one hand as most could with two. He has no All-Defensive team accolades, because those werent introduced until the 1968-1969 season. ALL-TIME #NBARANK, 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11-15 | 16-20 | 21-25, The player The seven-time All-Star was one of the best two-way guards of his time, and his performance in Game 7 of the 1970 NBA FInals remains one for the ages. Smart people recognize their limitations. Jeremy Lin is not one of the faster point guards in the NBA, and hes not particularly quick either. Exciting feature: Check out news exactly for YOU find "Recommended for you" block and enjoy! Perhaps he just grew weary of Doug Collins' act. The average score by point guards was 16.1. Bledsoe runs through his rotations, but he rounds them off or overruns them. Defensive Points per Play Synergy tracks every play of every game of the season and, when possible (as it is not always possible), they assign an. 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. 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. Second, having a five-point range on a 22-point scale prevents any one statistic from overly dominating the others. Paul, who was born on May 6, 1985, has long been regarded as one of the game's greatest point guards, a fact reinforced by his selection to the 75th Anniversary Team. 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. For a position that was highly valued at the time, he brought a lot of sparkle, style, scoring, and domination to the court. Jumping ability, body control and agility were all considered as well. The only time hell go under a pick is when hes supposed to. He also only has a 65 wingspan, which is short of the other bigger point guards, but what he has, he uses well. -- Adams, Thomas was as tough as they come, could score with the best of them (such a sweet stroke) and, make no mistake, was the baddest of the Bad Boys. 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. When Gibson played with the starters, the Bulls gave up 10 fewer points per 100 possessions. He gets a ton of help from his teammates and isnt asked to give a lot back. His Synergy numbers tell the story. In fact, no drafted guard has ever measured a worse sprint, vertical and agility test. 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 weighs in at only 175 pounds. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 13. Lets see who has made it to the top 10 best point guards of all time. I considered both their actual measurables and how well they used them. Nash's sideways speed and power will be non-existent at some age, allowing for constant dribble. He keeps track of his man when holding back in the lane to cut off passing lanes. 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. This score is to help alleviate that. Let me remind everyone, young and old, I played against @iamisiahthomas when he was hurt & hobbling on one leg and @iamisiahthomas still scored 25 points in one quarter in the NBA Finals! None of them qualified based on the 1,200 minutes, so their stats from 2012 were used instead. For this reason, a small penalty was exacted for every minute under 30 minutes, and a small bonus was provided over 30 minutes. Teams 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. That had the effect of distorting Pauls on/off numbers. 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. The NBA is flush with dominant point guards. 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. His issues related to intelligence, detailed later, compound this problem. Some players with tremendous athleticism just dont apply it on both ends of the court. In fact, Rondo gives more help than he getscontrary to my previous opinion. Lets say a perimeter defender gets beaten and then his center blocks the shot. It will be interesting to see how well he does with Larry Sanders behind him in Milwaukee. He tends to be beaten off the dribble more often than he should be, considering his physical advantages, but he also uses his physical ability to recover when he is beaten. On the other hand, no matter how solid the foundation is, you cant move into it. He owes his charitable demeanour to a group of elementary school parents. Even his athletic scores dont indicate greatness. They say that defense is mostly about effort. His Synergy numbers compared to some of his team numbers validate that. The problem is that sometimes players are so inept, they skew the stats of other players. By NBA standards, he jumps like an elephant and runs like a turtle (and not one of those fast turtles youve heard tell of eithera slow turtle). As a result, opponents shot 42.9 percent from deep against him in the pick-and-roll. He needs more of the former and less of the latter. 19.5 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 11.2 APG, .520 FG%, The player Perhaps the most unstoppable offensive player in NBA history, Jordan decimated and demoralized his foes on the defensive end. It is the same with his mental engagement in the game. Overall, he is more of a gives-help defender than a needs-help defender. MVP (1956-57), 13-time All-Star, 12-time All-NBA selection, Hall of Fame, Championships After watching Paul play defense for a while, what stands out over everything else is that he just never stops movingliterally. It is really hard to say anything about Lowrys help defense. The house would collapse. 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. That makes sense since Parker has assumed the primary responsibility on offense and theres no reason to wear himself out playing defense. He is in charge of getting the ball into the hands of the shooters. -- Adande, Possessed incredible court vision and creativity, all while orchestrating the frenetic game pace of his era. Hes the closest thing in the world to Kevin Garnetts Mini-Me. While it does keep the opponent in front of him, it defeats the purpose if the opponent is still getting to the basket. His wingspan isnt much better at just 64. 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. Chris Paul 13. As a rookie, Bill Russell relied on Cousy to lead the league in assists, and he won the MVP Award for his efforts. Strictly speaking, he should have a score closer to 20, but because of all the help he is in the locker room and practice, he gets a little leeway. He is going to get beaten, without question. As a result, he rarely gets tangled up with the pick-setter. The .72 points per play he gives up in isolation is elite-level defense. These combo point guards can surprise defenses. At 63, with a wingspan of almost 68, he has decent size. 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. Still, a first-rate point guard should also have a reasonably effective jump shot. Penny, a taller point guard, was an excellent dribbler and a great passer. Conley is inconsistent in how he applies effort on the court. Having said that, he does play team defense, too, and he is part of the team. He works well within a system where there are no real defensive weaknesses. His contributions won him a spot on the NBA All-Time 50th Anniversary Team. Players Stats: 17.7 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 8.2 APG, 1.6 SPG, 0.1 BPG, Honors: 5x All-Star, 5x All-NBA Selection. Mr. The official cause of death of Flashdance singer Irene Cara has been determined. -- Pelton, Today's children will ask, "Who was the Steph Curry before Steph Curry?" Thats rarely going to be because of a mental error, though. 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. Last season, when Rose was healthy early on, they gave up the thirdmost, 16.3 points. For his career, Jordan averaged 2.3 steals (third all-time) and 4.2 DWS per year. Since the first time a professional basketball player dribbled a ball, weve seen some of the greatest point guards in history. Norris Coles individual numbers are all better than Chalmers, but he gets docked with lower team numbers. -- Pelton. This is not so common anymore, as most coaches are now solely specialized in coaching and are non-players. Whenever anyone imagines a point guard, chances are theyre thinking of Utah Jazz legend John Stockton. Dubs' Curry (leg) could return as soon as Sun. He had absolutely no help backing him up, and that inflates his objective numbers. Del Negro just worried about the matchup without ever developing a true defensive system or identity with the Clippers. In fact, hes a bit of a bull on the court and tries to intimidate his counterpart. He does all those little things that dont show up in box scores. Each of these has its own value, and those specifics will be discussed more on the next slide. When people think of NBA point guards, he set the mold. A lot has been made of how an explosive offense is the way to captivate fans. -- Doolittle, The great Knicks ball-movement offense started with him. Normally this would be a list of FAQs, but no one has ever asked any questions (since no one has ever seen 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. -- Haberstroh, Honors James Harden's age: stats, contract, family, dating, net worth in 2022 and more. Archibald, who was just 61 tall, was able to consistently sink the ball despite his diminutive stature. [2], Learn how and when to remove this template message, National Basketball Association Most Valuable Player Award, "The Olympic history of UConn's Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi", "Top 10 point guards in the NBA right now", FOXSports.com - Best all-time point guards, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Point_guard&oldid=1142307492, This page was last edited on 1 March 2023, at 17:58. There was always that kid in high school or college who tried so hard to get decent grades. Lin plays with consistent effort on defense, but hes stuck in fourth gear. His net defensive rating of 4.2 is an indication of both a lack of his helping and asking for help. While Rose is slightly faster, Westbrook is slightly bigger. Robertson amassed 26,710 points and 9,887 assists during his 14-year NBA career with the Cincinnati Royals and Milwaukee Bucks. 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. Who's the best offensive point guard of all time? Nash is the answer. Yet somehow he manages to compensate and do a reasonably fair job of defending, even in isolation. He leaves talented shooters alone to go double-team bad shooters. Bledsoes defensive numbers would be far worse if he werent getting helped out by Odom all the time. 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. Why not a normal scale of one to 10? With both, its the combination of their size and speed that makes them so phenomenal. During the 1960-1961 season, the then-32-year-old Cousy racked up 6.3 DWS, the most in his career. Players have a difficult time getting past him. -- Peterson, Teams However, the other side of the ball cant be overlooked because as the saying goes: defense wins championships.. If you are a basketball freak, you might be interested in knowing about NBA and other Best Basketball Leagues in the World. 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. 25.7 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 9.5 APG, .485 FG%, The player Sometimes his teammates bailed him out; sometimes the shot just didnt go in. If the team gives up more points while hes on the court, thats bad. Think: Dennis Rodman. 2. The list of the best defensive NBA point guards for 2022-23 starts off with two of the elite perimeter defenders overall. To create All-Time #NBArank, we put together a ballot with the 150 greatest players ever. 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. Jason Kidd was the definition of a jack-of-all-trades point guard: he could pass, score and grab rebounds. Born on July 15, 1990, Damian is an American professional basketball player for the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association. The only thing keeping Thomas off this list is his brief career by star standards. On pick-and-rolls when hes not set, teams have learned to expect this. Dennis Johnson. Its like hes just punching the clock and collecting his wages. He has a high basketball IQ, and he has that veteran savvy thing going for him, too. Nevertheless, its just as important. Chris Paul had the awkward situation this year of being smarter than his head coach, Vinny Del Negro. Young players who are relatively short are now developing the scoring aspects of their skill-sets, whereas previously these players would find it difficult to enter the NBA without true point guard skills. He had the best peak for any point guard in NBA history, hands down. -- Adande, The best two-way small player in league history, Paul embodies the era in which he plays by running the pick-and-roll as well as anyone has ever run it. The weakness is that it also includes some of what the other player does defensively, (e.g.. blocks, steals, and defensive rebounds). Its what separates him from being a valuable, slightly overrated defender, and an elite defender. Lennys passing and leadership on the floor were solid, but he also had a few great scoring years on the court. ESPN ranked the Top 10 PGs of all time & they have @iamisiahthomas ranked 5th. 1. On Wednesday, we will have the top 10 shooting guards of all time, followed by small forwards, power forwards and centers. A defensive point guard will try to accomplish this with constant pressure on the ball, making it difficult to maintain possession. DJ, standing 6'4, started playing point for Boston in the second half of his basketball career and was often tasked with shutting down . Somehow, he seems to be able to get his hands in the way of a lot of shots and passes that should be out of reach. During each of his five NBA championship rings, he was one of the finest players in the league. Hes one of the slower point guards in the league now, but in spite of that, hes almost ubiquitous at times. 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 not a guy you would single out as an NBA player in a crowded room. His low foul rate of 4.5 percent is another indication that hes adept at getting into position quickly. It doesnt help to be fast if you dont use it, so Bledsoes score here is lower than you might expect. Hes one of the most prolific players in the game. Rondo consistently applies every bit of effort in him on the defensive end. Its possible for Nash to be the whole offense and to shoot 50-40-90 from the field on a continuous basis. Whether this is a result of his reputation being undeserved or him not putting forth the effort isnt hard to determine. A point guard primarily defends on the perimeter, just as they primarily play on the perimeter on offense. Thanks for signing up. -- Peterson, He's one of only a few players in history who has been deemed too good for the sport's own good. But hes slightly built, and that raises some issues, especially when hes caught a fraction of a second behind a play. Conley looked away from Billups and was pointing vehemently to Paul, trying to tell Allen to get over there and cover him. He uses his feet and body well, steering his man into the help defense when he knows hes not able to keep up. 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. 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. I doubt its much beyond his height. He tends to do the right thing, but then hell do something kind of stupid that makes you wonder what hes thinkingeven if what hes thinking is right. It doesnt seem that it would be that impressive if found it. Best Point Guard Defensive Rating 2022 | StatMuse Luka Doncic had the lowest defensive rating by a point guard in 2021-22, with a 106.5 rating. He was a giant of a guard, but he had all the necessary talents, including the ability to dribble and pass. Frequently, teams would set the screen, and the point guard would just step behind the three-point line while Holiday was still underneath it (often all the way into the center of the lane) and drain wide-open treys. If Williams had more pride in his defense, he would actually ask for, and depend on, help more than he does. Hes still learning to apply that tremendous athleticism on the defensive end of the court, though. Hell get to the corners to challenge threes; hell pick off passes; hell get rebounds; hell get some chase-down blocks. 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.
