He has above-average size and strength, but he doesnt play like it. As one of the elite point guards in the NBA, you would expect him to have elite athleticism, but he actually doesnt. Born on July 15, 1990, Damian is an American professional basketball player for the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association. He was an All-Star every year of his career and led the Lakers to nine NBA Finals appearances. -- Adams, Honors Thats helped him amass 47.3 DWS, 56th overall. 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. There's no way Stockton & Curry are better than Isiah. Bledsoe is not a great help defender, in spite of boasting a -4.9 net defensive rating. For a position that was highly valued at the time, he brought a lot of sparkle, style, scoring, and domination to the court. If the team gives up more points while hes on the court, thats bad. 18.9 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 6.1 APG, .490 FG%, The player Congratulations, Brian Roberts! As a result, he has received numerous awards, including the 'NBA Most Valuable Player' (MVP) award and the "PAC Player of the Year." J.A. This is a necessity because of the point guard's many leadership obligations. Lin plays with consistent effort on defense, but hes stuck in fourth gear. Perhaps if hes in shoes and standing on a milk crate filled with milk, thats true. It will be interesting to see how well he does with Larry Sanders behind him in Milwaukee. He has been improving in that regard, but its taken a while, and there are still some maddening things. Second, having a five-point range on a 22-point scale prevents any one statistic from overly dominating the others. Wilt Chamberlain 14. Lowry is neither big nor strong, and he does little with what size he has. Aside from the centre, having the best point guard is critical to improving your game because every play starts with him. Probably no point guard in the league does a better job of recovering defensively than Rose does. 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. Players Stats: 14.1 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 5.0 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.6 BPG. 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. 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. Taj Gibson, his backup, is a tremendous defensive player, which only amplified the effect of Boozers shortcomings. That said, here are the NBAs five best defensive shooting guards of all-time, based on their DWS. 5 (1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988), Career stats What he offers goes beyond the court. He and Chris Paul are the contenders for smartest defensive point guard in the game today. His offensive style has been revamped to incorporate a powerful mid-range jumper along with some range as well. Additionally, the 10-time All-Star and Hall of Famer was an impressive defensive player in his own right. The most striking thing about Hinrich is just how often he is the initial defender on the play. 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. You need to build something on it. The game has been graced by several incredible players whose names live on even after they retire. Mentally subtract them from the rankings if you feel they shouldn'tbe included. Since its neither, he gets an even score. Despite making it to the Western Conference Finals last season, he is yet to make an appearance in the NBA Finals. He literally may be the least athletic guard in the Association. Miami Heat and Dwyane Wade won the NBA championship in 2006 with him as a member of the Seattle SuperSonics. When he tries, Lowry can be a solid defensive player, but that whole when he tries qualifier is pretty significant. Gary Payton 12. One way of offsetting the problems of defensive rating is looking at on/off stats, meaning how many points does the defense give up while a player is on the court versus when he is off the court? LeBron James, the best player in the NBA, is also the league's best point guard. 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. Many times, the point guard is referred to by announcers, as a "coach on the floor" or a "floor general". Now hes in Phoenix, and well see how both he and Jeff Hornacek develop in their new roles. Still, hes one of the best point guards of all time, and his stats show that hes a deserved All-Star. Other individual metrics and team metrics thin out the impact of those factors. When hes not getting wrapped up, he plays the pick-and-roll well. The result is our all-time NBA Top 100. Its why Williams gives up .92 points per play in isolation, one of the worst averages among point guards. And his athleticism gives him a leg up, which helps him dominate. -- Tom Haberstroh, NBA writer, No guard in NBA history pulled down more rebounds than Kidd, who finished with more career rebounds than Willis Reed and Alonzo Mourning, among others. Robertson's offensive ability transformed the point guard stereotype from a passer and floor general to a scorer and offensive weapon. Its hard to notice his effort, though, because of the consistency with which he gets destroyed. He doesnt put a lot of effort into chasing his man through screens. Dennis Johnson. 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. He falls into his rotations smoothly. Jrue Holiday. Jordan also had two seasons (86-87 and 87-88) where he was in the top-20 in blocks per game and seven seasons in the top-20 in defensive rating. Players Stats: 13.1 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 10.5 APG, 2.2 SPG, 0.2 BPG, Honors: 10x All-Star, 11x All-NBA Selection, 5x All-Defensive Team Selection, Hall of Famer. Copyright 2023 YB Media, LLC. 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. Several sites track this, each in its slightly unique way, depending on its formula to calculate possessions. It is akin to the blind men and the elephant in the Indian fable adapted to a poem by John Godfrey Saxe. Neither of those is really a criticism of Parker, but its a reality. To create All-Time #NBArank, we put together a ballot with the 150 greatest players ever. Isaiah Thomas 5. Adande, Brad Doolittle, Tom Haberstroh and Kevin Pelton are NBA writers for ESPN.com. Thanks for signing up. 7-time All-Star, 6-time All-NBA selection, 7-time All-D selection, Hall of Fame, Career stats 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. -- Adande, The only players in NBA history with more games with 20 points and 10 assists are Oscar Robertson and Magic Johnson. Averaging 1.5 steals per game, Wade could block transition shots as well with the best of them. Then our ESPN expert panel voted on thousands of head-to-head matchups, with voting based on both peak performance and career value. 3. Rondo likes to do this chest bump thing where he meets the opponent past the half-court line and just bumps his chest into him repeatedly. 10-time All-Star, 11-time All-NBA selection, five-time All-D selection, Hall of Fame, Career stats However, a good jump shot and the ability to score off a drive to the basket are still valuable skills. There are some disadvantages to this style of play. It might not seem like much, but for most players, this covered around 30-40 games' worth of defense. The most pure and one of the best point guards and playmakers in NBA History is John Stockton. When he does do it, he does it half-heartedly. At the point guard position, point guard Damian Lillard is one of the games most talented shooters and scorers. With his record of successes and pioneering point guard talents, Magic is at the top of the list. One of the best -- and quickest -- lob passers the game has ever seen. 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. Nash is a top-ten point guard without a question. 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. Follow Sports Brief on Twitter for more trending and breaking news! Once he had the ball on the fastbreak, The Flash was gone. Hakeem Olajuwon 2. 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. In order to answer that, we introduce Weighted Averaged Metrics (WAM) and WAM with Scouting (WAMS), a pair of advanced defensive metrics which combine other stats and metrics, weight them so that each represents an equal relative value, and then use them all to derive a final score. You also can follow along @ESPNNBA and on Facebook. He doesnt use the shortest angles when running under picks, but he takes path of least resistance instead. Gary Payton was born on July 23, 1968, and is widely regarded as one of the best defensive point guards of all time. 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. He doesnt try to make great plays, but he tries not to make mistakes, which is maybe what he should be concentrating on. Because of his combination of length, speed and jumping ability, Rose has become an excellent team defender against the jump shot. Watching him rotate was watching perfection. This is what I mean by ubiquity. Johnson is widely recognized as one of the all-time great point guards, particularly for his defense. In his 20 seasons, Bryant averaged 2.5 DWS and 1.4 steals per year. 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. 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. 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. His contributions won him a spot on the NBA All-Time 50th Anniversary Team. A point guard should know when and how to instigate a fast break and when and how to initiate the more deliberate sets. For his time with the Phoenix Suns, Johnson is most known for his role alongside Charles Barkley. This proves problematic, especially in isolation, where Williams usually just backs up. Lillard has been one of the NBA's most dangerous scorers, capable of striking shots from anywhere on the floor. Synergy tracks every play of every game of the season and, when possible (as it is not always possible), they assign an initial defender on a play. This mans achievements are indisputable, and the prospect of him winning a second NBA championship just adds to his greatness. 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. 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 . Each of these has its own value, and those specifics will be discussed more on the next slide. The Big O's best statistical season came in 1961-62, when he averaged a triple-double for the entire season, a feat that has never been duplicated. The undisputed first great point guard, Cousy remains the only guard in NBA history to be named First-Team All-NBA in 10 straight seasons. He never leaves his man to help a defender that doesnt need help, but he always seems to be there when help is needed. Allen Iverson 11. Parker applies himself defensively in bursts, and this appears to be by design. Its amazing he doesnt get punched sometimes. That all-around game made Kidd one of the league's top point guards for nearly 20 years. When he applies it, he does so effectively, especially in isolation and the pick-and-roll. 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. All-Time #NBArank continues with a countdown of the best shooting guards in NBA history. But Gary Payton did as a member of the Seattle Supersonics. These were calculated using the raw stats available on any site carrying basic stats. The problem is he doesnt use that height or strength as well as youd like to see. Defense is one of the more oft-overlooked aspects of basketball because it isnt as pretty as what happens on the offensive end. Widely known as one of the best, if not the best, point guards of all time, Chris Pauls offensive exploits are well-documented. In terms of career statistics and postseason accomplishments, he ranks as the NBAs fourth-best point guard of all time. Nevertheless, its just as important. He affected the paradigm for overseas guards trying to break into the NBA. As a result, hes been a member of the All-Defensive First Team four times and a member of the All-Defensive Second Team five times. When he lets it go, though, it seems calculated. On the other, he so rarely allows his opponent to get past him that he doesnt need to rely on it either. Isiah Thomas, born on April 30, 1961, and possibly the best player ever under 6-foot-1, combined talent with fierce competitiveness. Thats the difference between what I call work intelligence and natural intelligence. Some people just have to work to pick things up. The same applies to any decent basketball argument (or any other kind, for that matter). 6 (1957, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963), Career stats 18.4 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 7.5APG, .375 FG%, The player Hes one of the slower point guards in the league now, but in spite of that, hes almost ubiquitous at times. Rondo may not be big, but he doesnt know that. This is also manifested in his spot-up defense. Per Synergy, he forces turnovers 18.5 percent of the time, and he does so barely giving up any points. Conley is generously listed at 61 and 180 pounds. Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. When going against point guards who have a respectable jump shot, that becomes problematic. He is a natural playmaker with excellent point guard abilities, creating the ideal point guard prototype. 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. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position. Hell frequent the area at the top of the key, just above the free-throw line, and when a shooter starts to shoot, hell close out quickly to challenge the shot, regardless of where it is coming from. He also is tougher than most point guards to post up. 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! -- Peterson, Teams In his rookie year, he was already averaging 2 steals per game with 0.2 blocks. Even players like Derek Fisher will hang him up and then hit him with the step-back. Point guards are expected to be vocal floor leaders. His lateral quickness is below-average, and his straightaway speed isnt much either. -- Peterson, Thomas' willingness to share the spotlight helped make the Bad Boy Pistons incredible, and he had a consistent ability to step up his game in the postseason during Detroit's title runs (and near miss in 1988). When it comes to intangibles, Chris Paul is the elite point guard in the league. 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. In fact, Rondo gives more help than he getscontrary to my previous opinion. Thats because they can spend all their energy quickly, while starters have to pace themselves. That earned him the nickname Mr. -- Pelton. He plays way too far off the ball, supposedly so he wont get beaten, but since he perpetually gets beaten like a drum anyway, why not play closer up so he can at least do a better job of defending the jump shot? On the one hand, he doesnt seem cogent enough of his surroundings most of the time to really offer any. 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 finished the game with the most career postseason points and the highest average in a playoff series. He normally makes the right play, even if he doesnt always do it well. Rondos lack of a need for help defense allows Garnett to help more elsewhere. Chris Paul fell into the same kind of trap last season. Each fails to realize that they are all right, and that the real answer is in the combination of what they all experienced. Del Negro just worried about the matchup without ever developing a true defensive system or identity with the Clippers. Total Defensive Plays per 36 Minutes, or TDP/36 is simply the total number of defensive rebounds, steals and blocks a player accrues every 36 minutes. There arent a lot of players that could lock down Michael Jordan, the greatest player of all time. Despite the fact that hes just 35, he has a limited amount of time left. Hes always looking where hes supposed to go, and moving in that direction, but he just takes his time getting there. 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. Rob Peterson is an NBA editor for ESPN.com. Magic Johnson 2. James Harden's age: stats, contract, family, dating, net worth in 2022 and more. I considered both their actual measurables and how well they used them. For this reason, a small penalty was exacted for every minute under 30 minutes, and a small bonus was provided over 30 minutes. 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. -- Haberstroh, Honors Finals MVP, 12-time All-Star, five-time All-NBA selection, Hall of Fame, Career stats Moncrief is well known for his defensive prowess. Thats 20th all-time, with Kidd being the only other guard above him. Some players defined their positions. He doesnt have to race around to get in position because hes almost never out of position. Mr. Players Stats: 18.8 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 5.6 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.3 BPG, Honors: 2010-2011 MVP, 3x All-Star, 1x All-NBA Selection, 2008-2009 Rookie of the Year. He might have Silly Putty for a father. Perhaps he just grew weary of Doug Collins' act. Below is a list of the 25 Best point guards of the NBA. Hall of Famer was an impressive defensive player in his own right. 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. His 47.4 DWS is 54th overall, good for an average of 2.963 DWS per season, slightly edging Wade. At 64, hes big enough to guard shooting guards, as well as point guards. Despite the fact that he was unable to win an NBA championship, his charisma and dribbling prowess will never be forgotten. Kevin Durant, Jayson Tatum top NBA quotes of the week. You can be the best shooter in the world, but you can't score if you don't get the ball. Our booby prize winner is pictured above. The average score by point guards was 16.1. 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 . To read more, go here! It would be beneficial for Westbrook to even things out and play at a consistent level throughout the game. While it does keep the opponent in front of him, it defeats the purpose if the opponent is still getting to the basket. Sometimes it doesnt. By: HoopsHype. The Glove was a nine-time All-Defensive Team selection, making the 1st team all nine times. The total numbers were then adjusted to arrive at a score ranging between 90 (best) and 110 (worst). In his 20 seasons, Bryant. 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. His MVP season, he had the second-best block total by a point guard in history (although John Wall exceeded that total last year.). On the other hand, no matter how solid the foundation is, you cant move into it. He is in charge of getting the ball into the hands of the shooters. As a result of his hurling himself around the court with utter abandon, he was generally a positive when it came to help defense. In many cases, I looked at their combine results. He surpassed the achievements of every other guard in NBA history, except Russell Westbrooks achievements. -- Peterson, Teams That makes sense since Parker has assumed the primary responsibility on offense and theres no reason to wear himself out playing defense. However, he doesnt appear to have the same strength they do. Lennys passing and leadership on the floor were solid, but he also had a few great scoring years on the court. Having said that, he does play team defense, too, and he is part of the team. Kevin Durant, surprisingly, also bails out his co-star a lot. 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. WAM is the foundation, and WAMS is the house. He also defends well against post-up plays, yielding just .54 points per play, although thats on an admittedly small 17-play sample size. Brandon Knight has work intelligence. Chris is also a leader on the defensive end of the court, having been named to nine All-Defensive Teams. 25. Paradoxically tough on the court and flashy off of it, Frazier epitomized the '70s-era backcourt style in which roles were less defined. While he does benefit from help defense, its not as often as you might think. Eric Bledsoe has a reputation as being both quick and fast, even for a point guard, but he rarely shows it on defense. Smart people recognize their limitations. He appears to communicate the wisdom hes accrued to his teammates. 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. Conley looked away from Billups and was pointing vehemently to Paul, trying to tell Allen to get over there and cover him. His ability to score and create plays made him an NBA superstar.
Penalty For Driving Without Registration Nebraska,
Spectrum Virtual Job Tryout,
North Wales Police Wanted List,
Johnson High School Buda,
Articles B