Golden State Warriors (2009-present), Honors Let me remind everyone, young and old, I played against @iamisiahthomas when he was hurt & hobbling on one leg and @iamisiahthomas still scored 25 points in one quarter in the NBA Finals! In terms of career statistics and postseason accomplishments, he ranks as the NBAs fourth-best point guard of all time. He was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, on February 7, 1974, to a Welsh mother, Jean, and an English father, John. But hes slightly built, and that raises some issues, especially when hes caught a fraction of a second behind a play. Conley also has crazy hops, measuring a 40.5-inch vertical at the combine, and he is one of the quickest point guards in the league. In his 20 seasons, Bryant. If you just look at his measurables, Chris Paul is not impressive. The Glove was a nine-time All-Defensive Team selection, making the First Team all nine times. When he was off the ball, it was spectacular. Only two other players besides Moncrief have won the NBAs defensive player of the year award twice. Thats a difference of almost five points a game given up to point guards. 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. Because they each feel a different thing, an argument arises as to who is right. Although Stockton accumulated numerous All-NBA nods, he only made the All-Defensive 2nd Team five times. To create All-Time #NBArank, we put together a ballot with the 150 greatest players ever. 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 Jrue Holiday is not fast so much as he is quick. His lateral movement and reaction time are exceptional, and thats indicated by his isolation defense. Lets see who has made it to the top 10 best point guards of all time. 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 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. Back in the 80s and 90s as a member of the Portland Trail Blazers and Houston Rockets, Clyde The Glide Drexler and Michael Jordan constantly battled for the title of best shooting guard. In order to claim that title, both players had to play defense as well. What are you crying about lmfao 03 Mar 2023 00:55:09 Steph's ball-handling abilities make him a lethal ball-handler, as he can shake a defender at any time. His net defensive rating of 4.2 is an indication of both a lack of his helping and asking for help. 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. However, the other side of the ball cant be overlooked because as the saying goes: defense wins championships.. If you are a basketball freak, you might be interested in knowing about NBA and other Best Basketball Leagues in the World. He has a real grasp of the game, and he helps convey that to his teammates. He simply doesnt have the same ability as the elite point guards to get up in the air, and that hinders his ability to defend the jump shot. And his athleticism gives him a leg up, which helps him dominate. Bill Russell 3. That concludes the WAP portion of our programming schedule. A 12-time All-Defensive Team selection, a nine-time 1st team All-Defense and three-time 2nd team All-Defense, Bryant's 50.6 DWS ranks him 43rd overall. This is to avoid confusion if you want to go to the original source.). Sixth-greatest point guard in basketball history. 18.4 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 7.5APG, .375 FG%, The player Gary Payton, widely regarded as one of the best defensive point guards in NBA history, saw a similar decline in his defensive abilities after the age of 35. Gary Payton 12. At 5ft 3in (1.60m) the shortest player in NBA history, Muggsy Bogues enjoyed 889 games in a 14-year career as a point guard. Theres a running debate over the relative importance of stats versus watching. Stats tell you what happened, but you cant know why it happened unless you watch. Ranked: Top 25 male fitness influencers to follow in 2023, Howe dodges row over Newcastle's Saudi ownership, Former Chelsea boss spotted in Munich with his new lover, Bam Adebayo makes bold claim about the last two DPOY awards, Gary Neville ignites debate after stating ideal price for holding midfielder, Huge Ballon dOr scandal as player claims his votes were changed to Lionel Messi. Point guard from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States of America 3 Jason Kidd Point guard from California, United States of America 4 Walt Frazier Point guard from Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America 5 Dennis Johnson 6 Fat Lever Point guard and Shooting guard from Pine Bluff, Arkansas load more He and Chris Paul are the contenders for smartest defensive point guard in the game today. While blocks and steals can be misleading when taken to exclusively represent defense, they are an aspect of it, so they shouldnt be discounted entirely. -- Doolittle, Cousy was an And-1 mix tape in black-and-white. Hes not as horrible as some people would make it sound. He didnt have an eye-popping number, but he was in the top 25 percent of players there. Humility can often be a sign of intelligence at work, and it is with Hinrich. It only looks at the data. What color was his tie? Johnsons style of play made him especially successful since he was noted for tip-ins and post play around the rim. 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. His most notable awards include five NBA championships, three Finals MVPs, three MVPs, nine All-NBA First Team selections, and 12 All-Star appearances. You never have to question his effort or commitment. Per NBA.com/STATS, the Clippers were almost 10 points per 100 possessions better defensively while Lamar Odom was on the court instead of DeAndre Jordan, yet Paul was on the court three times as much with Jordan as Odom. Russ is already on the verge of breaking into the top five of all time, but its going to be a challenge. Smart people recognize their limitations. Its because Griffin and Jordan were on the bench next to him. Ranking 50 Greatest Point Guards in NBA History Photo Gallery | NBA.com Teams G League WNBA BAL NBA 2K NBA Store NBA League Pass Tickets Schedule Team News Gameday Youth Basketball Shop. Hes not going to get beaten back, and he doesnt give up in transition. His wingspan isnt much better at just 64. Perhaps the best word to describe his defense is lollygaggy.. He is in charge of getting the ball into the hands of the shooters. You probably cant say right away, because you watched the storyline, not how Harvey dressed. Please check your email for a confirmation. Simply put, defensive win shares (DWS) are defined by how many wins a player produces based on his defensive ability. He surpassed the achievements of every other guard in NBA history, except Russell Westbrooks achievements. Even though hes been injured a lot, Paul is averaging over two steals a game for his career. But what kind of suit was he wearing on the last episode? 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. He fights through picks, going over them when he can and under them when he cant. When he applies it, he does so effectively, especially in isolation and the pick-and-roll. Conley looked away from Billups and was pointing vehemently to Paul, trying to tell Allen to get over there and cover him. An adamant multi-disciplinary journalist, Brian possesses the instincts that are comfortably intrigued by covering and writing the details as minor as the size of Kawhi Leonards hands and as significant as the Trends to watch out for in 2022. For each of the following metrics, click on the subhead to be taken to the source website for more details. In nine seasons with the Detroit Pistons, plus two with the Washington Bullets and one with the Boston Celtics, Bing gathered 18,327 points in 901 competitions (20.3 ppg). Thats good for 14th all-time in NBA history and he also had 10 seasons in the top 20 for steals per game. Hinrich has a bit more going for him in terms of size. If hes on the court, hes moving at full speed. 10-time All-Star, 11-time All-NBA selection, five-time All-D selection, Hall of Fame, Career stats The average score by point guards was 16.1. Chauncey Billups, or Mr. Marcus Smart. On Wednesday, we will have the top 10 shooting guards of all time, followed by small forwards, power forwards and centers. Doc Rivers has had a lot of input into how Rondo plays the game. The Clippers were 10 points better with Lamar Odom on the court than DeAndre Jordan according to NBA.com/STATS. Fairly straightforward, this takes into account height, length and strength. His lateral quickness is below-average, and his straightaway speed isnt much either. As one of the elite point guards in the NBA, you would expect him to have elite athleticism, but he actually doesnt. He gets easily overpowered when bigger point guards post him up. Its more than that. Tim Duncan There arent a lot of players that could lock down Michael Jordan, the greatest player of all time. Great size made him impossible for most. Hes so undersized, youd think he was just some regular guy. One conundrum has always been how to account for who is guarding the best player on the other team. Among the greatest point guards of all time, Tiny is among the finest ever. 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. 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. West became synonymous with brilliant basketball during his 14-year playing career with the Los Angeles Lakers. Players Stats: 18.9 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 6.1 APG, 1.9 SPG, 0.2 BPG, Honors: 7x All-Stars, 6x All-NBA Selection, 7x All-Defensive Team Selection, Hall of Famer. On the other hand, you cant deny what happened, regardless of how much you watch. Some of this is hard to know whether to ascribe to Bledsoe or to his former coach, Vinny Del Negro, who hones his X's and O's skills by playing tic-tac-toe online. He could launch it from 30 feet or more with ease. 14.3 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 8.5 APG, .428 3P%, The player Magic Johnson 2. During each of his five NBA championship rings, he was one of the finest players in the league. As a rookie, Bill Russell relied on Cousy to lead the league in assists, and he won the MVP Award for his efforts. There was always that kid in high school or college who tried so hard to get decent grades. Gary Payton is one of the best ever. 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. Mike Conley is exceptionally quick, virtually teleporting himself from one part of the court to another at times. He also is tougher than most point guards to post up. Players have a difficult time getting past him. 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. Gary Payton. These combo point guards can surprise defenses. He literally may be the least athletic guard in the Association. He averages 1.8 steals per game. (I know, but it is a part of defense these days.) Right now, Westbrook's 11.2 assists and 47.5% assist rate leads the league this season. The "Big O" was capable of doing it all. That helps him to dominate games defensively without having to leave the ground. Whenever anyone imagines a point guard, chances are theyre thinking of Utah Jazz legend John Stockton. Since its neither, he gets an even score. Adande, His Game 6 in the 1980 Finals, while jumping center as a 20-year-old rookie, has to be on the Mt. In his book The Winner Within, Pat Riley described Magic as a club DJ. Stockton was the. He appears to communicate the wisdom hes accrued to his teammates. He has above-average size and strength, but he doesnt play like it. Does he know when to go over the pick, and when to go under it? The ripple effect of that was that every single Bull had a worse defensive rating with Boozer than when playing with Gibson. 13.1 PPG, 10.5 APG, 2.2 SPG, .384 3P%, The player Since elite offensive players tend to have a higher usage rate, players that guard elite offensive players should also have more defensive plays. He tends to do the right thing, but then hell do something kind of stupid that makes you wonder what hes thinkingeven if what hes thinking is right. For a position that was highly valued at the time, he brought a lot of sparkle, style, scoring, and domination to the court. In fact, its probably the most important thing. Let's see who has made it to the top 10 best point guards of all time. Players Stats: 19.5 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 11.2 APG, 1.9 SPG, 0.4 BPG, Honors: 3x MVP, 3x Finals MVP, 12x All-Star, 10x All-NBA Selection, Hall of Famer. While hes able to keep himself from getting pushed around when point guards, or even shooting guards, try and post up on him, hes not able to dig through picks the way the other three are. Hell overshoot passing lanes, gambling for the steal. He still struggles against the spot-up, though, because of issues that will be addressed later. This is especially true when closing out on defenders. He may get beaten occasionally, and he might get outmuscled more frequently, but he never gets outhustled. He does add a lot, but its not frenetic, its just frantic. When he does, he gets put off and his effort isnt there anymore. Finally, both are improving on the defensive side of the ball. Because he is the one who touches the basketball first on every possession, the NBAs point guard has long been considered its most vital position. You cant build a house first, and then pour the foundation underneath it. He had the best peak for any point guard in NBA history, hands down. This can cause other players to become disinvolved in the offense. Nash was never known as a strong defender, but he was capable of bothering opposing point guards to some extent. 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. Its interesting that when he plays against elite point guards, or when he plays angrily, he plays much more of a physical game. Chris Paul fell into the same kind of trap last season. -- Peterson, Teams The biggest reason appears to be a fundamental one. Then again, the limited number of plays may be, in part, due to the fact that hes so hard to post up. The point guard was always capable of scoring the ball at the . He applies himself and stays committed, but when hes beaten on a play, hell relax waiting for his bigs to pick up the slack. James is well-known for his incredible skill and ability to score big points, which frequently help his team win crucial games. Getting paired with Tom Thibodeau has made it even better. A decade of playing and a plethora of injuries havent helped him get any faster. He stands third among the top 10 point guards of all time. Both figures can be obtained by going to any players team page and then clicking on the appropriate name. If it gives up fewer points, thats good. He has become one of the hardest working point guards in the league on both ends. Lillard, on the other hand, is generally able to get things going from the perimeter anytime he wants. The Clippers never quite seemed to have a true defensive identity, even if they were improved. 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. Jason Kidd was the definition of a jack-of-all-trades point guard: he could pass, score and grab rebounds. As a Golden State Warrior and Miami Heat legend, Tim Hardaway may have the best crossover in basketball history. To create All-Time #NBArank, we put together a ballot with the 150 greatest players ever. Its got to be annoying, but its also disruptive, and being disruptive is positive on defense. -- 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). Even though he normally does, he shouldnt have to and wouldnt if he were playing smarter. Starter from the VCT lockin. He arguably powers through picks better than any point guard in the league. Kawhi Leonard 11. His 48.8 DWS is 48th all-time and the fourth most by a point guard. They were combined and adjusted to cover a range roughly between 18 and 22. For the purpose of this study, 82games was used because the net defensive rating was also easily available and it made for consistency. The list of the best defensive NBA point guards for 2022-23 starts off with two of the elite perimeter defenders overall. Does he rotate on time? A lot has been made of how an explosive offense is the way to captivate fans. But he jogs when he should run, is lackadaisical closing out shooters and goes through the motions when running through his rotations. He doesnt use his size exceptionally badly or incredibly well, though. The game has been graced by several incredible players whose names live on even after they retire. For eight consecutive seasons, Cousy was the leagues top assist producer, and he was also one of the finest scorers in the league. Hes not looking at the ball-handler's chest, which makes him susceptible to fakes, so when his opponent breaks, Rose is momentarily frozen. Nevertheless, its just as important. 43 views, 0 likes, 0 loves, 0 comments, 0 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from BabyYo: NRG VS KOI Highlights. Having above-average size (height, muscle) is considered advantageous, although size is secondary to situational awareness, speed, quickness, and ball handling skills. His shot-making and defense made him a top-tier point guard throughout his career. The explosiveness and rim-running ability of Damian Lillard extend beyond his ability to shoot the ball from a distance. None of them qualified based on the 1,200 minutes, so their stats from 2012 were used instead. 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. Many remember Ginobili for his offense, but he was also a capable defender. For a full game, Moncrief was capable of shutting down almost any guard in NBA history. He also uses his quick hands to steal the dribble, and he does so without taking risks. 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. 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. Robertson's offensive ability transformed the point guard stereotype from a passer and floor general to a scorer and offensive weapon. Scouting isnt the same as just watching games. Bledsoe just doesnt bring much energy to the defensive side of the court, which is a shame, because if he did, hed be a ball hawk. His record and effect on the game, particularly offensively, are legendary, and its easy to see why. -- Doolittle, Over the past season and a half, Curry has played point guard as well as anyone else in NBA history. That makes him eligible for inclusion on this list of best point guards. Previously, Id had the impression that Rondo was beaten more often than he actually is and that Kevin Garnett just constantly bailed him out, which made his numbers look better than they are. Michael Jordan 10. 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. In 2021, Paul became the first player in NBA history to score over 20,000 points and dish out over 10,000 assists before LeBron James followed suit later in 2022. After the opponent scores, it is typically the point guard who brings the ball down the court to begin an offensive play. He keeps track of his man when holding back in the lane to cut off passing lanes. 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. In essence, hes athletic enough to do a respectable job of what hes asked to do. His helter-skelter wizziness has him flying around the court, and sometimes its good. Some would look at Conleys frontcourt and assumenot entirely incorrectlythat having Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol to back him up pads his stats. He actually plays his best games against his best opponents. Additionally, Stockton was a fantastic shooter and defender, almost possessing no weaknesses on the floor at all. This is also from the various sources we have used. But mostly he plays smartly with an occasional brain fart. You can look at why things happen and offset the misleading things. Hes 63 with a 68 wingspan and an 83 standing reach. Two NBA titles and a Finals MVP award make him one of the all-time great point guards because of his ability to score from mid-range and his propensity to attack and finish at the rim. By NBA standards, he jumps like an elephant and runs like a turtle (and not one of those fast turtles youve heard tell of eithera slow turtle). 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. 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. 8. Triple Double and for good reason: hes fourth all-time in triple-doubles with 107. Johnson had a knack for scoring against everyone and racked up impressive numbers throughout the course of his career. Dikembe Mutombo 7. Hes able to stay in front of all but the quickest point guards in the league. 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. Jack is one of those players that a lot of people dont know what he brings to a team in the locker room. He is a natural playmaker with excellent point guard abilities, creating the ideal point guard prototype. Their primary job is to facilitate scoring opportunities for their team, or sometimes for themselves. -- Pelton. 7-time All-Star, 6-time All-NBA selection, 7-time All-D selection, Hall of Fame, Career stats 1. A point guard will often use their ability to score in order to augment their effectiveness as a decision-maker and playmaker. Parker has a hefty 1.05 points per play against defending the jumper, even though he typically gets there and challenges shots. Even players like Derek Fisher will hang him up and then hit him with the step-back. 11. There arent many point guards in the league who can match Roses pure size and strength. How hard do they fight through them? He leaves talented shooters alone to go double-team bad shooters. Most of those come for one of two reasons: Either he bites on the fake and is too slow to recover, or the shooter shoots over him and he doesnt have the ups to challenge it. -- Peterson, Teams Those are the questions I was looking to answer. Watching a thing, and watching for a thing, are different. But, there is one only shooting guard that leapfrogged over all others. While it does keep the opponent in front of him, it defeats the purpose if the opponent is still getting to the basket. Its amazing he doesnt get punched sometimes. When Gibson played with the starters, the Bulls gave up 10 fewer points per 100 possessions. While no one always guards the best player, some players are much more likely to be guarding the other teams elite players, which makes them appear weaker defensively. When the game is on the line, you like to see players find fifth, but Lin never does. His MVP season, he had the second-best block total by a point guard in history (although John Wall exceeded that total last year.). Even the fastest point guards tend to get bottled up. A defensive point guard will try to accomplish this with constant pressure on the ball, making it difficult to maintain possession. (Most defenders let the opponent by more than half the time. WAMS includes scouting. 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. It is easy to have the numbers skewed by a smaller sample size. Some players with tremendous athleticism just dont apply it on both ends of the court. 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. By my count, about 70 percent of the time, the ball-handler will get past him and get a shot off. Over the last decade, the best point guards such as Stephen Curry, Damian Lillard, Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook, and others have dominated the position. 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. The NBA's best European guard, Tony Parker, monopolised opposing backcourt players with speed and agility, a tight crossover, and a gorgeous tear-drop floater in the lane. 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. Defense is one of the more oft-overlooked aspects of basketball because it isnt as pretty as what happens on the offensive end. In case you missed it, Jason Kidd was tops on the list with 75.1 DWS, good for 11th all-time. ALL-TIME #NBARANK, 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11-15 | 16-20 | 21-25, The player When he does do it, he does it half-heartedly. -- Adande, Teams Despite the fact that hes just 35, he has a limited amount of time left. Top 20 best defensive midfielders in the world today: who are they? He was an All-Star every year of his career and led the Lakers to nine NBA Finals appearances. That said, here are the five best defensive NBA point guards of all time, based on their DWS. Interpreted as: best defensive rating with a minimum of 10000 minutes played point guards in NBA history. Chris Paul is widely considered to be one of the best point guards of the 2010s. Exploiting the fact that the opposing point guard is often an undersized player with limited strength, several modern point guards have developed games close to the basket that include being able to utilize the drop step, spin move, and fade away jump shot. He might physically play below the rim, but few can touch how he plays above the neck. Even though he was 38 years old when he won his first NBA championship with the Mavericks, he had two trips to the NBA Finals with the Nets. 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.