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. In his 20 seasons, Bryant averaged 2.5 DWS and 1.4 steals per year. They were combined and adjusted to cover a range roughly between 18 and 22. But Gary Payton did as a member of the Seattle Supersonics. A decade of playing and a plethora of injuries havent helped him get any faster. Nixon played 6 seasons with the Lakers, making the All-Star Teams in 1982 and 1982 when he posted 17.6 PPG and 17.2 PPG respectively. -- Adams, The fashion forerunner to Russell Westbrook. His issues related to intelligence, detailed later, compound this problem. Meanwhile, we are presenting the top 10 by position. Derrick Rose 15. -- Doolittle, Over the past season and a half, Curry has played point guard as well as anyone else in NBA history. All rights reserved. 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. Players Stats: 16.5 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 6.7 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.2 BPG. Gary Payton. Widely known as one of the best, if not the best, point guards of all time, Chris Pauls offensive exploits are well-documented. 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. Top 10 Point Guards of All Time Best NBA Point Guards, NBA and other Best Basketball Leagues in the World, Facebook and Twitter takedown hackers targeting Ukraine political figures and military officials via fake accounts, Britney Spears called out Fans that She felt Sick to her stomach after Family plans Intervention, Stephen tWitch Boss passed away intestate, wife Allison Holker has filed Estate Control. Despite the fact that he was unable to win an NBA championship, his charisma and dribbling prowess will never be forgotten. Coaches are responsible for developing young players, and it would have been fun to watch him grow under Doc Rivers. 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. You can look at why things happen and offset the misleading things. Each touches a different part of the elephant, one an ear, another the torso and so on. 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! Top 15 Greatest Point Guards In NBA History - TheSportster But his lack of any vertical leap kills him on the jump shot. 6 (1957, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963), Career stats When you combine that with his 40-inch vertical, you have a player that gets higher (139 inches) than any point guard in the leagueeven Russell Westbrook. It is one thing to be able to recognize the player that is in a tactically advantageous position, but it is another thing entirely to be able to deliver the ball to that player. He seems to get frustrated easily. Many times, the point guard is referred to by announcers, as a "coach on the floor" or a "floor general". Neither of those is really a criticism of Parker, but its a reality. If he wins an NBA championship, Chris Paul, the current number one point guard, will rise even higher on this ranking. He needs more of the former and less of the latter. 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. He had absolutely no help backing him up, and that inflates his objective numbers. He arguably powers through picks better than any point guard in the league. In many cases, I looked at their combine results. It doesnt seem that it would be that impressive if found it. The former professional basketball player was born on March 26, 1962, and is regarded as one of the best passing point guards. Over the next four weeks, well unveil the rankings for the other four positions. It is akin to the blind men and the elephant in the Indian fable adapted to a poem by John Godfrey Saxe. He has a high basketball IQ, and he has that veteran savvy thing going for him, too. He has a real grasp of the game, and he helps convey that to his teammates. Hes one of the most prolific players in the game. For that reason, subjective analysis was also included. To create All-Time #NBArank, we put together a ballot with the 150 greatest players ever. Eight-time All-Star, seven-time All-NBA selection, seven-time All-D selection, Rookie of the Year (2005-06), Career stats Thanks for signing up. That makes him eligible for inclusion on this list of best point guards. He also defends well against post-up plays, yielding just .54 points per play, although thats on an admittedly small 17-play sample size. 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. 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. His lateral quickness is exceptional, making it hard for people to get around him, and thats a big part of why he is tied with Derrick Rose for the fewest points per play among qualified point guards. Best Defensive Rating Point Guards In NBA History | StatMuse Chauncey Billups, or Mr. James Harden's age: stats, contract, family, dating, net worth in 2022 and more. Brandon Knight has exceptional speed and quickness. In fact, a player may have great individual numbers precisely because he is actually detrimental to his team. If Westbrook could channel his energy in a consistent way, he would be an elite defender, but for now, hes just a solid defender whos kind of spazzy. 11. 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. Getting paired with Tom Thibodeau has made it even better. The facts need to come first. 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. 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. Its like hes chosen the worst of both worlds. Dame is better than ever, but the Blazers are stuck in quicksand Later in his career, he even improved as an outside shooter, which contributed significantly to his longevity. 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). And when hes on the bench, Eric Bledsoe, who is a 15th on this list, was with Odom. He had the best peak for any point guard in NBA history, hands down. Russ is already on the verge of breaking into the top five of all time, but its going to be a challenge. Magic had unparalleled vision; he could see players get open and deliver the ball before they even realized they were open. Probably the most versatile point guard in NBA history, and perhaps a tad underrated given that the focus on his assists overshadowed how valuable his defense was. Watching him rotate was watching perfection. Chalmers is 62 and 190 pounds, which is about average size for a point guard. To create All-Time #NBArank, we put together a ballot with the 150 greatest players ever. Since its neither, he gets an even score. He never leaves his man to help a defender that doesnt need help, but he always seems to be there when help is needed. Born on July 15, 1990, Damian is an American professional basketball player for the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association. First, a range of 18 to 22 makes it easier to arrive at the eventual score of 100the baseline everything was weighted to. Top 20 best defensive midfielders in the world today: who are they? 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. His on-court coaching and leadership is probably the biggest reason the Clippers had the eighth most-efficient defense in the NBA last year. His foot speed is as good as anyone's in the league, and you cant measure that. -- 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. He has decent size for a point guard, at 63 but he doesnt have much of a vertical: 28.5.. Paradoxically tough on the court and flashy off of it, Frazier epitomized the '70s-era backcourt style in which roles were less defined. Hopefully he can break it. He has all the tools to be one: great reflexes and speed, and those long arms with big mitts on the end. 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. He and Chris Paul are the contenders for smartest defensive point guard in the game today. Penny, a taller point guard, was an excellent dribbler and a great passer. Top 16 Point Guards Of All-Time: Where Steph Curry Ranks? - ClutchPoints 10-time All-Star, 11-time All-NBA selection, five-time All-D selection, Hall of Fame, Career stats Tim Duncan Our booby prize winner is pictured above. You can almost rate Chalmers improving basketball intelligence by how many times per game he gets yelled at by his superstar teammates. It is the same with his mental engagement in the game. Bill Russell 3. 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 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 was also an outstanding playmaker and a solid scorer with a strong mid-range game. But it seems like Paul is nutmegging and breaking opposing defenders ankles every game. As previously discussed, it is true that purely objective analysis does not, and cannot, tell the whole story, especially when it comes to something as dynamic as defense. If youre a fan of the TV show Suits, you might agree that Harvey Specter dresses well. Hes only 63, which is relatively good size for a point guard, but he just seems bigger. Its still possible for him to make another All-Star squad, and it seems like hes on the path to doing so. 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. The point guard was always capable of scoring the ball at the . During his career, he was selected to nine All-NBA Defensive Teams and five All-Star teams. He has above-average size and strength, but he doesnt play like it. Gary Payton is one of the best ever. On the other hand, you cant deny what happened, regardless of how much you watch. All pre-draft measurements were obtained from the database hosted on Draft Express. 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. The foundation (the facts or stats) needs to be laid first, and then the house (opinions about how, or why, something is) is built on top of it. Hes a learning player, and his extensive time sitting last year may have helped his grasp of defense as well as offense. If it gives up fewer points, thats good. 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. During each of his five NBA championship rings, he was one of the finest players in the league. In fact, its probably the most important thing. The same applies to any decent basketball argument (or any other kind, for that matter). Defensively, Stockton had 3,265 steals the most all time during his 19-year career, helping him get 64.9 DWS. He has become one of the hardest working point guards in the league on both ends. 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. The weakness is that it also includes some of what the other player does defensively, (e.g.. blocks, steals, and defensive rebounds). The only time hell go under a pick is when hes supposed to. In all, Jordans 64.1 DWS rank him 21st all-time. 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. However, the other side of the ball cant be overlooked because as the saying goes: defense wins championships.. I like to compare it to the relationship between a foundation and a house. The true driving force of his partnership with Karl Malone. Bledsoe repeatedly got beatenmuch more frequently than Paulyet Odom consistently had his back, blocking or altering shots. He fights through picks, going over them when he can and under them when he cant. His wingspan isnt much better at just 64. His Synergy numbers compared to some of his team numbers validate that. My guess is that it has something to do with that. To create All-Time #NBArank, we put together a ballot with the 150 greatest players ever. Marcus Smart. Hes incredibly focused while on the court, but hes always working things out in his head; they dont come automatically, and that costs him time. We ranked the best point guards, determining the list with the help of B-R's position splits. He routinely gets blistered in isolation (.93 points per play), fails to close out well on shooters and lags when coming off of screens. Players Stats: 23.2 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 8.3 APG, 1.8 SPG, 0.3 BPG, Honors: 2016-2017 MVP, 9x All-Star, 8x All-NBA Selection, 2x Scoring Champion. Miami Heat and Dwyane Wade won the NBA championship in 2006 with him as a member of the Seattle SuperSonics. He wont even try and fight over a pick if he gets caught in one, but just quits on the play. Watching a thing, and watching for a thing, are different. NBA All-Time Player Rankings: Top 10 Point Guards Whenever anyone imagines a point guard, chances are theyre thinking of Utah Jazz legend John Stockton. Doc Rivers has had a lot of input into how Rondo plays the game. Parker applies himself defensively in bursts, and this appears to be by design. Jack has good but not great effort. -- Pelton, If he had played with The Mailman or a defense as stout as the Pistons, he might have made a couple of Finals by now. But thats why we do the research. The Top 100 will begin to roll out next week. Three-time MVP (1986-87, 1988-89, 1989-90), three-time Finals MVP, 12-time All-Star, 10-time All-NBA selection, Hall of Fame, Championships Kevin Garnett 8. Tony Parker is one of the fastest players in the league if youre going by pure speed. Pass-first points of the past have given way to dynamic creators who can score as well as set up teammates. Although Stockton accumulated numerous All-NBA nods, he only made the All-Defensive Second Team five times. He doesnt have overwhelming effort that blows you away, but he has earnest effort. Lillard has been one of the NBA's most dangerous scorers, capable of striking shots from anywhere on the floor. Therefore, a lower score is superior. His record and effect on the game, particularly offensively, are legendary, and its easy to see why. This is where everything focuses on Westbrook. He doesnt use his size exceptionally badly or incredibly well, though. 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. So I saddled up my workhorse, Synergy, and watched an hour or two of each of the top 15 WAM scores playing defense. Top 5 Defensive Point Guards in NBA History - Basketball Articles I counted off over 20 plays, specifically watching to see if Chalmers would stop the ball-handler, and he only did once. It is startling to see the regularity with which opponents blow past Deron Williams. Second, having a five-point range on a 22-point scale prevents any one statistic from overly dominating the others. -- Adams, Combined savvy with underrated strength. 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. West became synonymous with brilliant basketball during his 14-year playing career with the Los Angeles Lakers. He has no All-Defensive team accolades, because those werent introduced until the 1968-1969 season. 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? 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. 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. Hes like a runner trying to run a mile by alternating between walking and sprinting 100 yards at a time. Thomas was ultra-quick with the ball and, at any moment, could pull up for a deadly jump shot. 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. There was always that kid in high school or college who tried so hard to get decent grades. He was transcendent. Championships: 3. The NBA is a point guard's paradise these days, so let's start All-Time #NBArank with our pantheon points. He may get beaten occasionally, and he might get outmuscled more frequently, but he never gets outhustled. He could create at an elite level while also scoring off the dribble from the midrange. Sportbrief has published an article about James Harden's age: stats, contract, family, dating, net worth in 2022 and more. Cousy, in many respects, was the Celtics spirit at the moment. Fairly straightforward, this takes into account height, length and strength. Nevertheless, its just as important. For the purpose of this study, 82games was used because the net defensive rating was also easily available and it made for consistency. He gave up 1.01 points per play on the spot-up last year. The average score by point guards was 16.1. 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. 19.5 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 11.2 APG, .520 FG%, The player Once he had the ball on the fastbreak, The Flash was gone. He uses his feet and body well, steering his man into the help defense when he knows hes not able to keep up. The biggest reason appears to be a fundamental one. 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. Its difficult to have a perfect rating system thats entirely objective, and even more difficult to have a realistic one that is purely subjective. 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. Its why Williams gives up .92 points per play in isolation, one of the worst averages among point guards. In balance he was a plus, but his deficiencies cant be ignored. Sometimes, thats just not enough, especially if hes left to guard in isolation, where hes horrid, giving up .92 points per play. Have a look! He almost always went under the pick. Chris is also a leader on the defensive end of the court, having been named to nine All-Defensive Teams. Gary Payton 12. It is easy to have the numbers skewed by a smaller sample size. The 3 Best NBA Defenders At Every Position For The 2022-23 Season 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. The five best defensive NBA shooting guards of all time - Sportsnaut Interpreted as: best defensive rating with a minimum of 10000 minutes played point guards in NBA history. The classic definition of a point guard, orchestrating offense and shooting when necessary. The Best NBA Point Guards Of All Time - The Delite All-Time #NBArank continues with a countdown of the best shooting guards in NBA history. James is well-known for his incredible skill and ability to score big points, which frequently help his team win crucial games. One of the best -- and quickest -- lob passers the game has ever seen. Whenever anyone imagines a point guard, chances are theyre thinking of Utah Jazz legend John Stockton. He doesnt try to make great plays, but he tries not to make mistakes, which is maybe what he should be concentrating on. 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. His ability to score and create plays made him an NBA superstar. Who are the best defensive point guards in the NBA, and how are they determined? 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. Simply put, defensive win shares (DWS) are defined by how many wins a player produces based on his defensive ability. At 64, hes big enough to guard shooting guards, as well as point guards. The explosiveness and rim-running ability of Damian Lillard extend beyond his ability to shoot the ball from a distance. Because Derrick Rose was the NBAs youngest MVP in 2009, its unfortunate that the guy isnt higher on this list. Rondo may not be big, but he doesnt know that. Stats dont make a good argument, they make a good foundation for a good argument. Hes still learning to apply that tremendous athleticism on the defensive end of the court, though. At the point guard position, point guard Damian Lillard is one of the games most talented shooters and scorers. 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. Although Drexler never made an All-Defensive Team in his career, he did average two steals per game for his 15-year career. But one in 20 is egregiously bad.). 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. Chris Paul 13. Other stats were determined by using my trusty sidekick, MS Excel, loaded up with standard stats available on most websites. He doesnt put a lot of effort into chasing his man through screens. He also is tougher than most point guards to post up. 1. Broadly speaking, over 7,000 pieces of data on 226 players, in 16 different categories, were compiled into a database. The scouting score was then combined with the WAM score to produce WAMS, with the scouting counting as one-third of the final score. Although both Kidd and Paul were more accurate shooters, his passing range was broader than any of them. Its got to be annoying, but its also disruptive, and being disruptive is positive on defense. What color was his tie? He appears to communicate the wisdom hes accrued to his teammates. Curry has developed into much more than a 3-point specialist. Jack gets beat and bailed out frequently by his teammates. His contributions won him a spot on the NBA All-Time 50th Anniversary Team. Thats a strong indication that Rose was not relying on help defense because that same help was there for C.J. Sometimes his teammates bailed him out; sometimes the shot just didnt go in. However, he doesnt appear to have the same strength they do. The players are ranked according to their WAMS. Defensively, Stockton had 3,265 steals the most all time during his 19-year. Bledsoe is a bit of a freak. ALL-TIME #NBARANK, 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11-15 | 16-20 | 21-25, The player While hes not going to get a lot of those at his size, regardless of what he does, he could probably do more to try and recover. In the last entry, we focused on the five best defensive NBA point guards of all time, but now, we turn to the five best defensive shooting guards in NBA history. But what kind of suit was he wearing on the last episode? Other defenders deficiencies are hidden by being put on weaker offensive players. He does add a lot, but its not frenetic, its just frantic. Defensive Rating (DRtg) is the average number of points per 100 possessions a players team surrenders while he is on the court. Los Angeles Lakers (1979-91, 1995-96), Honors He was an unstoppable offensive force who could score from anywhere on the court and in any way he wanted. I actually looked for him to do it and couldnt find it. Speed is important; a speedy point guard is better able to create separation and space off the dribble, giving themselves room to work. Stockton embodied a true point guard - an extension of the coach that ran the teams offense seamlessly. He always seems to know exactly where everyone is. For example, the Spurs absolutely ate him alive in the playoffs with Tony Parker, who averaged 24.5 points for the series. They say that defense is mostly about effort. Over the last decade, the best point guards such as Stephen Curry, Damian Lillard, Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook, and others have dominated the position. In his rookie year, he was already averaging 2 steals per game with 0.2 blocks. Hes able to use that size advantage by being physical, playing close and aggressive, often forcing shooters into shots they arent comfortable taking. Even when in position, he wont jump to challenge a shot. 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. He does those things; he just doesnt do them very hard. What he offers goes beyond the court. It just feels like there should be another notch where pride kicks in, he gets passionateor even angryand he hits another level. He is going to get beaten, without question. 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. 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. He keeps track of his man when holding back in the lane to cut off passing lanes. Even though injuries caught up with him toward the end of his illustrious career, Bryant still battled as a defender when needed. Robertson's offensive ability transformed the point guard stereotype from a passer and floor general to a scorer and offensive weapon. The players listed below are our picks for the best point guards in NBA history. Players like Deron Williams, Kyrie Irving and John Wall blew by him fairly consistently. He can be stagnant when his man doesnt have the ball. You can find him juggling the ball every Sunday on the field, with FIFA on his PlayStation as the night drill. Williams tends to play defense, but he only seems to do the minimum. -- Adande, He led the NBA in assists nine straight seasons from 1987 to 1996. Along with leadership and a general basketball acumen, ball-handling is a skill of great importance to a point guard. Although Wilkens is best known as a head coach, he was once an outstanding athlete. He is entirely too aggressive. Though he had a relatively short career he only played 13 seasons his 50.4 DWS is 44th overall. John Stockton 6. Whats remarkable is how quickly he gets to the shooter and gets a hand in his face, even if its all the way to the corner three and the shooter is setting when Rose takes off. Defensively, Stockton had 3,265 steals the most all time during his 19-year career, helping him get 64.9 DWS. Bledsoe is not a great help defender, in spite of boasting a -4.9 net defensive rating. Jed Jacobsohn/AP Images. Stockton embodied a true point guard: an extension of the coach that ran the teams offense seamlessly. People that just do their job dont usually pitch in and help their co-workers. In his heyday, Parker could score 25 points a night and seldom made poor choices with the ball.