The Cleveland Cavaliers 2016 championship run would not have been possible without Kyrie Irving, who is a two-time NBA champion. 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. Nevertheless, its just as important. He doesnt play on the ball physically, utilizing that advantage. Hes a learning player, and his extensive time sitting last year may have helped his grasp of defense as well as offense. 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. 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. When you look at his on/off numbers, you expect that hed be a solid help defender, but you dont see much evidence of that. 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. Overall, he is more of a gives-help defender than a needs-help defender. -- Micah Adams, No one was more dynamic, or magical, with the ball in the open court than Earvin Johnson. Los Angeles Lakers late legend Kobe Bryant is often considered the greatest Laker ever and with good reason: Bryant is first in many of the Lakers statistical categories. These were calculated using the raw stats available on any site carrying basic stats. However, a good jump shot and the ability to score off a drive to the basket are still valuable skills. 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. 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. His net defensive rating of 4.2 is an indication of both a lack of his helping and asking for help. Another major evaluation factor is the assist-to-turnover ratio, which reflects the decision-making skills of the player. Therefore, a lower score is superior. Cousy, in many respects, was the Celtics spirit at the moment. Boston Celtics (1950-1963), Cincinnati Royals (1969-70), Honors Theres nothing wrong with knowing when you need it. He benefits tremendously from help defense as previously mentioned, but that doesnt mean he doesnt also provide help defense. In his first season, he specialized in defense and could stop almost every point guard in the league on a regular basis. My guess is that it has something to do with that. He is entirely too aggressive. Who are the best defensive point guards in the NBA, and how are they determined? With both, its the combination of their size and speed that makes them so phenomenal. Above all, the point guard must understand and accept their coach's game plan; in this way, the position can be compared to a quarterback in American football. The next three slides will tell how this particular sausage was made. That said, here are the NBAs five best defensive shooting guards of all-time, based on their DWS. 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. 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. Other individual metrics and team metrics thin out the impact of those factors. Each fails to realize that they are all right, and that the real answer is in the combination of what they all experienced. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position. His length is better; he has a 65.75 wingspan. 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? The second-highest regulation scoring output of the 3-point era was the culmination . You dont see him take plays off, and you dont see him give up on plays. He can be stagnant when his man doesnt have the ball. This is especially true when closing out on defenders. Seriously, you should hear Mark Jackson rave about him. On those, there is no link available. It probably tells the accurate story here. The explosiveness and rim-running ability of Damian Lillard extend beyond his ability to shoot the ball from a distance. These combo point guards can surprise defenses. Hakeem Olajuwon 2. Getting paired with Tom Thibodeau has made it even better. Thats a difference of almost five points a game given up to point guards. You can almost rate Chalmers improving basketball intelligence by how many times per game he gets yelled at by his superstar teammates. All the other tools and effort can be rendered useless by a little stupidity. Russell is regarded as one of the best point guard finishers of all time. James Harden's age: stats, contract, family, dating, net worth in 2022 and more. It seems to be down to less than once a game. Alex Caruso. In the last entry, we focused on the five best defensive NBA point guards of all time. He doesnt have to race around to get in position because hes almost never out of position. It is really hard to say anything about Lowrys help defense. After all, as his name implies, Billups was known for taking and making huge shots in order to help his team win. 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. We compiled a list of the top 15 point guards of all time using wholly subjective metrics from the list of active players and a few other legends. The NBA is a point guard's paradise these days, so let's start All-Time #NBArank with our pantheon points. #VCTLOCKIN #Valorant #valorantagents #valorantgaming. One of the most recognisable players in NBA history, Walt Frazier is a deserving candidate for the Basketball Hall of Fame. Thats 20th all-time, with Kidd being the only other guard above him. Kirk Hinrich wasnt the fastest player in the NBA when he came out of college. He doesnt use the shortest angles when running under picks, but he takes path of least resistance instead. But what kind of suit was he wearing on the last episode? Even though hes been injured a lot, Paul is averaging over two steals a game for his career. Conley is inconsistent in how he applies effort on the court. He was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, on February 7, 1974, to a Welsh mother, Jean, and an English father, John. For many of these metrics, sample size becomes crucial. He has the speed to get there, but not the length to disrupt the shot once he does. Norris Coles individual numbers are all better than Chalmers, but he gets docked with lower team numbers. 10-time All-Star, 11-time All-NBA selection, five-time All-D selection, Hall of Fame, Career stats Additionally, Stockton was a fantastic shooter and defender, almost possessing no weaknesses on the floor at all. 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. He also knew when he needed to score, as evidenced by his 42-point performance in Game 6 of the 1980 NBA Finals for a Lakers team missing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He lifted the Lakers, and transition basketball, to ethereal levels. -- Pelton, So precise with his passes and timely with his shots. -- Adande, Nash is the only player in history to go 50-40-90 while averaging 10 assists per game. He weighs in at only 175 pounds. In his 20 seasons, Bryant averaged 2.5 DWS and 1.4 steals per year. The strength of this is that it shows what the other player does offensively. He doesnt help much, but he doesnt get a lot of help either, so its a bit of a wash. To his credit, he has the best WAM score of any point guard without a great defensive center to back him up. 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. 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. When the game is on the line, you like to see players find fifth, but Lin never does. His Synergy numbers compared to some of his team numbers validate that. Miami Heat and Dwyane Wade won the NBA championship in 2006 with him as a member of the Seattle SuperSonics. Rob Peterson is an NBA editor for ESPN.com. Its no surprise that the best point guards in the NBA have more than just the ability to pass the basketball. Robertson amassed 26,710 points and 9,887 assists during his 14-year NBA career with the Cincinnati Royals and Milwaukee Bucks. He also is tougher than most point guards to post up. 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. Occasionally hell chase the play after hes been beaten, but not always. That Paul was able to keep the Clippers on track through much of the season with the ever-changing defensive schemes the team had is pretty miraculous. Bledsoes defensive numbers would be far worse if he werent getting helped out by Odom all the time. It will be interesting to see how well he does with Larry Sanders behind him in Milwaukee. Hes able to use that size advantage by being physical, playing close and aggressive, often forcing shooters into shots they arent comfortable taking. If he had just a little more strength and could get through the screens just a tad bit quicker, then that ground could be eaten up ever so fractionally sooner, and he would be able to have that smidgen of success needed to effectively challenge those three-point shots. Normally this would be a list of FAQs, but no one has ever asked any questions (since no one has ever seen it). Thats just simply not true, and any amount of watching him play will verify that. Some players get caught out of place, but they know theyre out of place. 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. With his record of successes and pioneering point guard talents, Magic is at the top of the list. 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 led the NBA in scoring in only his second season, 1967-68, with 27.1 points per game. The greatest point guard in NBA history. -- Adams, He could hurt defenses in so many ways: Controlling tempo was one, and he was a hell of a defender, too. When we watch basketball, we get general impressions of defense, but the storyline is whats happening with the ball. Just telling your players to play harder and close out on threes isnt a real system. Even players like Derek Fisher will hang him up and then hit him with the step-back. Then, over 10,000 video clips were viewed and players were evaluated based on subjective criteria. Having said that, when hes playing off the ball, he knows where hes supposed to be, and hes usually there. Players like Deron Williams, Kyrie Irving and John Wall blew by him fairly consistently. Starter from the VCT lockin. People that just do their job dont usually pitch in and help their co-workers. When he does, he gets put off and his effort isnt there anymore. On the other, he so rarely allows his opponent to get past him that he doesnt need to rely on it either. Eventually, that learning has to become instinct, though. He could play any spot on the court as well. Photos: Top 10 NBA Point Guards Of All Time. Pun intended. David Robinson 6. The perimeter player gets rewarded statistically for what the center did, even though he actually played shoddy defense. Lillard, on the other hand, is generally able to get things going from the perimeter anytime he wants. But one in 20 is egregiously bad.). Do players go under picks when they should go over them? 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. 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. In the late 1980s, he was the face of the Bad Boys Pistons, who defeated Jordan's Bulls three times in a row in the playoffs. Defensive rebounds are generally undervalued, although its also true that all defensive rebounds arent the same. He doesnt have overwhelming effort that blows you away, but he has earnest effort. -- Adande, He led the NBA in assists nine straight seasons from 1987 to 1996. When hes not getting wrapped up, he plays the pick-and-roll well. Passing skills, ball handling, and court vision are crucial. He was a master at leading the fastbreak, which led to Celtics titles. -- Peterson, He's one of only a few players in history who has been deemed too good for the sport's own good. Though he had a relatively short career he only played 13 seasons his 50.4 DWS is 44th overall. He leaves talented shooters alone to go double-team bad shooters. -- Peterson. After the All-Star break, when Rose hardly played, that number fell to 17.8 and the Bulls dropped to ninth. Those are the questions I was looking to answer. Since the first time a professional basketball player dribbled a ball, weve seen some of the greatest point guards in history. One of basketballs most dynamic and versatile point guards in the modern era. By combining them, we can get a better picture of the whole elephant of a players defense. Conley is generously listed at 61 and 180 pounds. 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. Players like Rose, Russell Westbrook and Kyrie Irving consistently cross him over and get past him. Even when he gets switched up on opposing shooting guards trying to post him up, he does a solid job. Scottie Pippen 5. Even when picks are set behind his back, he instinctively knows they are there and just steps over them seamlessly. Either way he chases the ball until he catches it. Did they get pushed around easily? Johnson is widely recognized as one of the all-time great point guards, particularly for his defense. He lacks the strength to effectively go over screens consistently, so he has to go under them. Simply put, defensive win shares (DWS) are defined by how many wins a player produces based on his defensive ability. This mans achievements are indisputable, and the prospect of him winning a second NBA championship just adds to his greatness. When going against point guards who have a respectable jump shot, that becomes problematic. And when hes on the bench, Eric Bledsoe, who is a 15th on this list, was with Odom. Triple Double and for good reason: hes fourth all-time in triple-doubles with 107. We ranked the best point guards, determining the list with the help of B-R's position splits. He never stops moving. On the positive side, Rose does a decent job of understanding his role in a complex system. 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). 2. 3. If hes on the court, hes moving at full speed. Despite making it to the Western Conference Finals last season, he is yet to make an appearance in the NBA Finals. In the NBA, Isiah Thomas is an amazing leader and is truly the most competitive force on the court that we have seen from a tiny guy. 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. In fact, hes a bit of a bull on the court and tries to intimidate his counterpart. 19.2 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 9.3 APG, 1.9 SPG, The player He also uses that length to be one of the best shot-blocking point guards in the league. In terms of point guards, Magic is the finest there has ever been. Big Shot, is one of the finest point guard leaders in the NBA. While he does benefit from help defense, its not as often as you might think. A point guard will often use their ability to score in order to augment their effectiveness as a decision-maker and playmaker. If the team gives up more points while hes on the court, thats bad. 25. 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. Parker has a hefty 1.05 points per play against defending the jumper, even though he typically gets there and challenges shots. Teams 14.3 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 8.5 APG, .428 3P%, The player No one was a better passer than him. Hes like a runner trying to run a mile by alternating between walking and sprinting 100 yards at a time. Its frustrating watching Holiday play because when he gets out of position, it doesnt appear that its because hes caught out of position in the sense that he doesnt know where to be. At the very least, he could stab those quick hands of his at some more balls and disrupt the dribble from behind. Jordans inclusion as the best defensive shooting guard isnt surprising considering his relentless attitude to winning. His low foul rate of 4.5 percent is another indication that hes adept at getting into position quickly. Its like hes just punching the clock and collecting his wages. You can be the best shooter in the world, but you can't score if you don't get the ball. 5-on-5: Will Curry pass Magic as best PG ever? His shot-making and defense made him a top-tier point guard throughout his career. Paul was able to keep you at bay on one side of the court while dominating the other with his scoring and passing abilities. Later in his career, he even improved as an outside shooter, which contributed significantly to his longevity. 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 hes slightly built, and that raises some issues, especially when hes caught a fraction of a second behind a play. 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. 'Whatever seed we are, we're ready': Is there room for Cleveland among the East elite? As a point guard, Tim Hardaway was one of the most popular and respected players in the NBA during his time with the Miami Heat. At 64, hes big enough to guard shooting guards, as well as point guards. Walt Frazier 10. Jrue Holiday. 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. While that is by design, he shouldnt get the same credit as players who bring their full attention the entire time theyre on the court. He has the most assists and steals of any player in NBA history and is a master of the pick & roll. You can find him juggling the ball every Sunday on the field, with FIFA on his PlayStation as the night drill. The Glove was a nine-time All-Defensive Team selection, making the First Team all nine times. Instead of passing after bringing up the ball they quickly drive to the basket or step back for an outside shot. He just doesnt have the length to effectively guard against them. -- Doolittle, Cousy was an And-1 mix tape in black-and-white. Jason Kidd 9. On the other hand, no matter how solid the foundation is, you cant move into it. While Gregg Popovich and his brilliant system deserve a lot of the credit, Tony is a Finals MVP and is a multiple NBA champion who deserves to be recognised for his role in the legendary Spurs dynasty. By: HoopsHype. Lennys passing and leadership on the floor were solid, but he also had a few great scoring years on the court. Ultimately, Johnson's unselfishness earned him the title of greatest point guard of all time. . But he jogs when he should run, is lackadaisical closing out shooters and goes through the motions when running through his rotations. They were combined and adjusted to cover a range roughly between 18 and 22. Gary Payton. Magic Johnson won the National Basketball Association Most Valuable Player Award three times in his career. Some point guards are still given a great deal of leeway in the offense. Rondo may not be big, but he doesnt know that. 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. In his heyday, Parker could score 25 points a night and seldom made poor choices with the ball. 10-time All-Star, six-time All-NBA selection, nine-time All-D selection, co-Rookie of the Year (1994-95), Career stats One of the most famous point guards of all time, Jason Kidd, could make a dazzling pass or a simple play with the finest in the game while also adoring to hightail it in transition to wear opponents down. He may get beaten occasionally, and he might get outmuscled more frequently, but he never gets outhustled. Then, after a single down year, he had y straight years of 2 steals per . Also with both, theyve shown more success utilizing their physical attributes on the offensive end than the defensive end. 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. The facts need to come first. In fact, its probably the most important thing. He probably can even tell you where the hot dog vendor and mascot are. Here are the answers to some questions readers are likely to have. At 61 and 171 pounds, Rondo is pretty small by NBA standards, but he plays much tougher than his size. Two-time MVP (2004-05, 2005-06), eight-time All-Star, seven-time All-NBA selection, Career stats Perhaps the best word to describe his defense is lollygaggy.. Because they each feel a different thing, an argument arises as to who is right. -- Haberstroh, Honors To create All-Time #NBArank, we put together a ballot with the 150 greatest players ever. Players Stats: 14.1 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 5.0 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.6 BPG, Honors: 1978-1979 Finals MVP, 5x All-Star, 9x All-Defense Selection, 2x All-NBA Team Selection, Hall of Famer. He also uses his quick hands to steal the dribble, and he does so without taking risks. J.A. He was born on March 23, 1973. Sixth-greatest point guard in basketball history. 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. Although Drexler never made an All-Defensive Team in his career, he did average two steals per game for his 15-year career. It looked like teams designed plays counting on him being lazy. Broadly speaking, over 7,000 pieces of data on 226 players, in 16 different categories, were compiled into a database. Teams Hes able to stay in front of all but the quickest point guards in the league. 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 . His huge hands allowed him to pass as effectively with one hand as most could with two. Chris Paul 13. 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.