1987 Lakers are often seen as one of the greatest teams ever. Gary Payton 12. Although both Kidd and Paul were more accurate shooters, his passing range was broader than any of them. 50 Greatest Point Guards In NBA History - msn.com Lets see who has made it to the top 10 best point guards of all time. 18.7 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 9.9 APG, 2.3 SPG, The player 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. No one was a better passer than him. 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. But he jogs when he should run, is lackadaisical closing out shooters and goes through the motions when running through his rotations. Most players will take a little on-court breather now and then. He has the speed to get there, but not the length to disrupt the shot once he does. Triple Double was so far ahead of his time in terms of size, speed, strength and stats. David Robinson 6. Exciting feature: Check out news exactly for YOU find "Recommended for you" block and enjoy! It was just his second season when he led the league in scoring with an average of 27.1 points per game, despite some serious injury setbacks. 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. 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 game has been graced by several incredible players whose names live on even after they retire. 76ers vs. Defense is one of the more oft-overlooked aspects of basketball because it isnt as pretty as what happens on the offensive end. In terms of career statistics and postseason accomplishments, he ranks as the NBAs fourth-best point guard of all time. Scottie Pippen 5. For his time with the Phoenix Suns, Johnson is most known for his role alongside Charles Barkley. He spent his entire NBA career (19842003) as a point guard for the Utah Jazz, and the team made the playoffs in each of his 19 seasons. Whatever else you want to say about Brandon Knight, just dont say he never tries. Other point guards who have been named NBA MVP include Bob Cousy, Oscar Robertson, Allen Iverson, Derrick Rose, and Russell Westbrook, and two-time winners Steve Nash and Stephen Curry. He has become one of the hardest working point guards in the league on both ends. He doesnt put a lot of effort into chasing his man through screens. 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. Adapting your system to every opponent and knowing their nuances is understandable. Though he had a relatively short career he only played 13 seasons his 50.4 DWS is 44th overall. Best Defensive Rating Point Guards In NBA History | StatMuse 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. Point guards must be able to maintain possession of the ball in crowded spaces and in traffic and be able to advance the ball quickly. As a result, opponents shot 42.9 percent from deep against him in the pick-and-roll. As a result, he has received numerous awards, including the 'NBA Most Valuable Player' (MVP) award and the "PAC Player of the Year." When going against point guards who have a respectable jump shot, that becomes problematic. Defensively, Stockton had 3,265 steals the most all time during his 19-year career, helping him get 64.9 DWS. His low foul rate of 4.5 percent is another indication that hes adept at getting into position quickly. But it seems like Paul is nutmegging and breaking opposing defenders ankles every game. You can look at why things happen and offset the misleading things. Rondo consistently applies every bit of effort in him on the defensive end. Apart from that, he seems to do what hes supposed to be doing when hes away from the ball. When he was at his peak, Rose was one of the greatest point guards of all time, and he merits a spot in the top 15. He also only has a 65 wingspan, which is short of the other bigger point guards, but what he has, he uses well. Not Paul. All that was due to Bryant emulating Jordans relentless drive to win on both sides of the floor. -- 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. The reason teams run so much pick-and-roll is that it works. Each touches a different part of the elephant, one an ear, another the torso and so on. He doesnt disrupt team defense with unnecessary gambles. Of course, sometimes his opponent scored, too. Dennis Johnson. In many cases, I looked at their combine results. His most notable awards include five NBA championships, three Finals MVPs, three MVPs, nine All-NBA First Team selections, and 12 All-Star appearances. Some players with tremendous athleticism just dont apply it on both ends of the court. If it gives up fewer points, thats good. He was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, on February 7, 1974, to a Welsh mother, Jean, and an English father, John. He just doesnt have the physical tools to play at an elite level. Hall of Famer was an impressive defensive player in his own right. The only thing keeping Thomas off this list is his brief career by star standards. 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 was born on March 23, 1973. ALL-TIME #NBARANK, 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11-15 | 16-20 | 21-25, The player 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. That deceptive length helps him nab 2.5 steals per 36 minutes and grab a ridiculous number of rebounds for a person his height. Then, over 10,000 video clips were viewed and players were evaluated based on subjective criteria. A 12-time All-Defensive Team selection, a nine-time 1st team All-Defense and three-time 2nd team All-Defense, Bryants 50.6 DWS ranks him 43rd overall. To create All-Time #NBArank, we put together a ballot with the 150 greatest players ever. He had absolutely no help backing him up, and that inflates his objective numbers. 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. 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. 8. He is a natural playmaker with excellent point guard abilities, creating the ideal point guard prototype. When he tries, Lowry can be a solid defensive player, but that whole when he tries qualifier is pretty significant. His Synergy numbers compared to some of his team numbers validate that. Therefore, with a few exceptions, players were only considered if they played at least 1,200 minutes last season (which comes out to around 30 percent of possible minutes). Magic Johnson won the National Basketball Association Most Valuable Player Award three times in his career. 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. 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. 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. His foot speed is as good as anyone's in the league, and you cant measure that. Something was great about that play, but it was Knight showing the heart to challenge Jordan, not Jordan dunking on a man a foot shorter than himself. Players have a difficult time getting past him. John Stockton 6. He wont even try and fight over a pick if he gets caught in one, but just quits on the play. Eric Bledsoe has a reputation as being both quick and fast, even for a point guard, but he rarely shows it on defense. Nash is a top-ten point guard without a question. Hes able to stay in front of all but the quickest point guards in the league. 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. Many consider Bob Cousy to be a passionate athlete who was the first All-Star and dominating player for the Boston Celtics squad that included legends like Bill Russell and Kevin Collier. He gave up just .87 points defending the spot-up (making him one of the few players to defend the spot-up better than the iso). 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. Like last time, these shooting guards are ranked based on the cumulative defensive win shares (DWS). On the other, he so rarely allows his opponent to get past him that he doesnt need to rely on it either. He manages to defend the pick-and-roll reasonably well by doing something I can only call bouncing over picks. The players listed below are our picks for the best point guards in NBA history. 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. You need to build something on it. He just cant do anything about it. Therefore, its a Theoretically Asked Questions, or TAQ. 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. 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. Players Stats: 15.5 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 5.6 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.1 BPG, Honors: 2006-2007 Finals MVP, 6x All-Star, 4x All-NBA Selection. The NBA is a point guard's paradise these days, so let's start All-Time #NBArank with our pantheon points. Getting paired with Tom Thibodeau has made it even better. Magic Johnson. Hed also be more willing to provide it. He was a 13-time NBA All-Star during the early half of the Celtics dynasty, winning six NBA championships during his 13-year tenure with the team. Players Stats: 14.3 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 8.5 APG, 0.7 SPG, 0.1 BPG, Honors: 2x MVP, 8x All-Stars, 7x All-NBA Selection, Hall of Famer. Sometimes, thats just not enough, especially if hes left to guard in isolation, where hes horrid, giving up .92 points per play. Despite making it to the Western Conference Finals last season, he is yet to make an appearance in the NBA Finals. The five best defensive NBA shooting guards of all time Over the next four weeks, well unveil the rankings for the other four positions. But mostly he plays smartly with an occasional brain fart. 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. Its still possible for him to make another All-Star squad, and it seems like hes on the path to doing so. 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. His net defensive rating of 4.2 is an indication of both a lack of his helping and asking for help. 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. 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. You cant build a house first, and then pour the foundation underneath it. 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. To create All-Time #NBArank, we put together a ballot with the 150 greatest players ever. Averaging 1.5 steals per game, Wade could block transition shots as well with the best of them. He tends to rely on his speed to compensate for his lack of mass. Wilt Chamberlain 14. He seemed to keep ahead of the play, moving to the next rotation a fraction of a second before the play even developed in that direction. NBA History: Ranking the Greatest Guards Ever - Bleacher Report Hes fearless, and no matter how large the big setting the pick is, he wont back down. He uses his feet and body well, steering his man into the help defense when he knows hes not able to keep up. For example, there was a play in which he was switched up against the Clippers, and he was put on Chauncey Billups, while Tony Allen was on Chris Paul. Other stats were determined by using my trusty sidekick, MS Excel, loaded up with standard stats available on most websites. In fact, a player may have great individual numbers precisely because he is actually detrimental to his team. MVP (1963-64), 12-time All-Star, 11-time All-NBA selection, Rookie of the Year (1960-61), Hall of Fame, Career stats That would make sense, but there are two reasons to choose the unconventional scale. Starter from the VCT lockin. Even so, combo guards still require above-average passing skill, but not as much as possessed by "pure" point guards (which is what those in the traditional mold of a point guard are referred to). Its hard to notice his effort, though, because of the consistency with which he gets destroyed. Chris Paul had the awkward situation this year of being smarter than his head coach, Vinny Del Negro. The relative value between players was not affected; they were merely weighted so that the metrics could be combined without any one metric dominating the others. He still struggles against the spot-up, though, because of issues that will be addressed later. Cincinnati Royals (1960-70), Milwaukee Bucks (1970-74), Honors 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. What color was his tie? The strength of this is that it shows what the other player does offensively. The next three slides will tell how this particular sausage was made. Ranking 50 Greatest Point Guards in NBA History Even players like Derek Fisher will hang him up and then hit him with the step-back. For Rose, his biggest issues on both sides of the ball have to do with fundamentals and understanding. 'Whatever seed we are, we're ready': Is there room for Cleveland among the East elite? 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. On the flip side, Westbrook's 4.13 turnovers per game average is the highest all-time, with Johnson (3. . While he does benefit from help defense, its not as often as you might think. Johnson had a knack for scoring against everyone and racked up impressive numbers throughout the course of his career. Best Defenders in NBA History: Top 50 Best Defensive Players By Clark Boinis | Jul 12, 2021, 4:05pm 1. Jordans inclusion as the best defensive shooting guard isnt surprising considering his relentless attitude to winning. -- 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. But, there is one only shooting guard that leapfrogged over all others. Thats a strong indication that Rose was not relying on help defense because that same help was there for C.J.