This score is to help alleviate that. 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. 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. Hell overshoot passing lanes, gambling for the steal. Jason Kidd was the definition of a jack-of-all-trades point guard: he could pass, score and grab rebounds. He is not a guy you would single out as an NBA player in a crowded room. After the opponent scores, it is typically the point guard who brings the ball down the court to begin an offensive play. He averages 1.8 steals per game. But Gary Payton did as a member of the Seattle Supersonics. Parker is a seasoned point guard who plays the game like a pro. Honors: 7x All-Star, 3x All-NBA Selection, 1966-1967 Rookie of the Year, 1967-1968 Scoring Champion, Hall of Famer. Golden State Warriors (2009-present), Honors On those, there is no link available. But only once did he actually truly defend the play. 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. Even when he gets switched up on opposing shooting guards trying to post him up, he does a solid job. A point guard should know when and how to instigate a fast break and when and how to initiate the more deliberate sets. But one in 20 is egregiously bad.). This could be something that Monty Williams, a coach with outstanding player development skills, can work on in New Orleans now that Holiday is with the Pelicans. He was an All-Star every year of his career and led the Lakers to nine NBA Finals appearances. 25. He averaged 18.4 points, 7.5 assists and 5.2 rebounds per game. For this reason, a point guard is usually, but not always, more skilled and focused on passing than shooting. Getting paired with Tom Thibodeau has made it even better. He spends too much time getting back into the defensive play because he ran himself out of it. 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. Big O is widely regarded as one of the best offensive point guards of all time. Steph's ball-handling abilities make him a lethal ball-handler, as he can shake a defender at any time. As Kyrie Irving showed in the decisive Game 7 versus the Warriors when he beat Stephen Curry to the game-winning jumper, Kyrie Irving is also one of the finest guards in NBA history, and he possesses some of the best hands of all time. It also helps him to have the second-most defensive plays per 36 minutes of any of the point guards on this list. 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. The perimeter player gets rewarded statistically for what the center did, even though he actually played shoddy defense. When he needs to button down, he does, but he also tends to take off the middle of games, relying heavily on the help defense. His score would be much worse if it werent for help defense from Chris Bosh, LeBron James and Chris Andersen frequently coming to his aid. Similarly, while each of the advanced and/or traditional metrics has value, each also misses something. What color was his tie? Triple Double and for good reason: hes fourth all-time in triple-doubles with 107. Sometimes he wont give that much effort, and then the next moment hell be trying too hard. 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. Curry has developed into much more than a 3-point specialist. It is really hard to say anything about Lowrys help defense. Magic Johnson 2. That can create an illusion of great defense where there is none. Rondo may not be big, but he doesnt know that. Thats the difference between what I call work intelligence and natural intelligence. Some people just have to work to pick things up. He plays longer than he actually is. You also can follow along @ESPNNBA and on Facebook. How much a player understands his role in the defense is measured here. Most players will take a little on-court breather now and then. A point guard primarily defends on the perimeter, just as they primarily play on the perimeter on offense. Watching him rotate was watching perfection. Its why Williams gives up .92 points per play in isolation, one of the worst averages among point guards. -- Peterson, He's one of only a few players in history who has been deemed too good for the sport's own good. Broadly speaking, over 7,000 pieces of data on 226 players, in 16 different categories, were compiled into a database. As a result, he has received numerous awards, including the 'NBA Most Valuable Player' (MVP) award and the "PAC Player of the Year." [2], Learn how and when to remove this template message, National Basketball Association Most Valuable Player Award, "The Olympic history of UConn's Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi", "Top 10 point guards in the NBA right now", FOXSports.com - Best all-time point guards, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Point_guard&oldid=1142307492, This page was last edited on 1 March 2023, at 17:58. He has all the tools to be one: great reflexes and speed, and those long arms with big mitts on the end. Championships: 3. For a position that was highly valued at the time, he brought a lot of sparkle, style, scoring, and domination to the court. Lets see who has made it to the top 10 best point guards of all time. Its also a big part of why he has the most defensive plays per 36 minutes, using his quickness to get to those long rebounds. Hes the closest thing in the world to Kevin Garnetts Mini-Me. Neither of those is really a criticism of Parker, but its a reality. Kevin Durant, Jayson Tatum top NBA quotes of the week. This is what I mean by ubiquity. Oscar is the first triple-double king and is one of the greatest NBA players of all time, no matter what position he is playing. 11. Hall of Famer was an impressive defensive player in his own right. Whatever else you want to say about Brandon Knight, just dont say he never tries. Miami Heat and Dwyane Wade won the NBA championship in 2006 with him as a member of the Seattle SuperSonics. Despite the fact that hes just 35, he has a limited amount of time left. 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? He is entirely too aggressive. But it seems like Paul is nutmegging and breaking opposing defenders ankles every game. He compensates for his diminutive size by fighting hard and using that aforementioned quickness. But, there is one only shooting guard that leapfrogged over all others. Just because someone gets past him doesnt mean theyre going to score. He still struggles against the spot-up, though, because of issues that will be addressed later. He had unusual strength for his size, quick feet, elite hands, and timing to help him hold down opponents one-on-one and rack up steals. I counted off over 20 plays, specifically watching to see if Chalmers would stop the ball-handler, and he only did once. One of the great conundrums in rating defense is that teammates factor into it. They must also be able to adapt to what the defense is allowing and must control the pace of the game. 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. There are few players on this list who can match his incredible scoring, rebounding, and playmaking prowess. 7-time All-Star, 6-time All-NBA selection, 7-time All-D selection, Hall of Fame, Career stats He tends to be beaten off the dribble more often than he should be, considering his physical advantages, but he also uses his physical ability to recover when he is beaten. Right now, Westbrook's 11.2 assists and 47.5% assist rate leads the league this season. First, a range of 18 to 22 makes it easier to arrive at the eventual score of 100the baseline everything was weighted to. The players listed below are our picks for the best point guards in NBA history. Marcus Smart. His contributions won him a spot on the NBA All-Time 50th Anniversary Team. Players Stats: 16.5 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 6.7 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.2 BPG. By taking the total number of plays and the total number of minutes (regular and postseason combined, because Synergy just throws it all together) we can determine how many times per 36 minutes a player was the initial defender on the play. Lennys passing and leadership on the floor were solid, but he also had a few great scoring years on the court. Instead of passing after bringing up the ball they quickly drive to the basket or step back for an outside shot. If the team gives up more points while hes on the court, thats bad. He had the best peak for any point guard in NBA history, hands down. Each of these has its own value, and those specifics will be discussed more on the next slide. For each player, I watched between one and two hours of footage of defense, taking account of specific things and grading them in five different areas. 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. His defensive usage was the highest of any player with at least 1,200 minutes. Chalmers is 62 and 190 pounds, which is about average size for a point guard. Humility can often be a sign of intelligence at work, and it is with Hinrich. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 13. He bulls through picks well and is not afraid to go over them. Therefore, a lower score is superior. Danny Green and Kawhi Leonard, two of the better perimeter defenders in the league, often take up the responsibility for guarding the best point guards. Others with less physical prowess can dominate defensively simply because they pour everything into it. In his rookie year, he was already averaging 2 steals per game with 0.2 blocks. (Most defenders let the opponent by more than half the time. Between his height, lack of real effort on closing out and taking too long to figure out where hes supposed to be (if he ever figures it out all), he becomes the perfect storm for easy pickins. When he was at his peak, Rose was one of the greatest point guards of all time, and he merits a spot in the top 15. 5 (1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988), Career stats Do they get their hands up and use their length? Archibald, who was just 61 tall, was able to consistently sink the ball despite his diminutive stature. It is startling to see the regularity with which opponents blow past Deron Williams. 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. In his first season, he specialized in defense and could stop almost every point guard in the league on a regular basis. Paul is just listed at just 60, and that might be generous. The reason teams run so much pick-and-roll is that it works. We ranked the best point guards, determining the list with the help of B-R's position splits. Hes just over 60" without shoes but has a wingspan of 67.5. Only four players in the history of the combine are as short or shorter and have at least that kind of reach. 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. Since I always get asked "Where's ___________?" They were combined and adjusted to cover a range roughly between 18 and 22. Of course, sometimes his opponent scored, too. -- Peterson, Teams His shot-making and defense made him a top-tier point guard throughout his career. Hakeem Olajuwon 2. The true driving force of his partnership with Karl Malone. 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. With his limited speed, he is always in full throttle and getting himself around the court, pestering whoever has the ball. He doesnt play on the ball physically, utilizing that advantage. Stockton was the. Jason Kidd 9. Have a look! He could be better than he is, but its hard to blame only him. Hes always looking where hes supposed to go, and moving in that direction, but he just takes his time getting there. I like to compare it to the relationship between a foundation and a house. 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. 18.7 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 9.9 APG, 2.3 SPG, The player He also defends well against post-up plays, yielding just .54 points per play, although thats on an admittedly small 17-play sample size. The Glove is hands down the best defender a the point guard position. 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. He thinks hes the biggest man on the court. Point guards are expected to be vocal floor leaders. Their primary job is to facilitate scoring opportunities for their team, or sometimes for themselves. Having above-average size (height, muscle) is considered advantageous, although size is secondary to situational awareness, speed, quickness, and ball handling skills. His wingspan isnt much better at just 64. Several sites track this, each in its slightly unique way, depending on its formula to calculate possessions. 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. Scottie Pippen 5. Additionally, the 10-time All-Star and Hall of Famer was an impressive defensive player in his own right. That deceptive length helps him nab 2.5 steals per 36 minutes and grab a ridiculous number of rebounds for a person his height. Hes not going to get beaten back, and he doesnt give up in transition. A point guard should always look out for teammates and be able to pass well. Penny is deserving of a much better ranking just because he is such a gifted one. In balance he was a plus, but his deficiencies cant be ignored. You cant say that Westbrook doesnt try on defense, but you can say he doesnt show consistent effort on defense. Sometimes hell even rush to defend the wrong guy while his man is draining a wide-open three. Dikembe Mutombo 7. 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. Watching video on Lin gave me one impression that stood out above everything else: his awareness of where he was on the court and where he needed to be. All-Time #NBArank continues with a countdown of the best shooting guards in NBA history. He lifted the Lakers, and transition basketball, to ethereal levels. Don't get me wrong: Steph is still the league's best shooter. 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. In other words, giving up 15 points to Russell Westbrook is much more impressive than giving up 14 to Derek Fisher, but the raw stats dont tell you who was guarding whom. 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. These combo point guards can surprise defenses. 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. Scouting isnt the same as just watching games. It seems so much of Conley is either there or not there; you get it or you dont get it. One of the best -- and quickest -- lob passers the game has ever seen. 14.3 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 8.5 APG, .428 3P%, 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 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. Even when he has to go under the pick, which is most of the time, hes so fast that hes able to close the distance before the ball-handler has time to do something with it. The list of the best defensive NBA point guards for 2022-23 starts off with two of the elite perimeter defenders overall. Hes not as horrible as some people would make it sound. That makes sense since Parker has assumed the primary responsibility on offense and theres no reason to wear himself out playing defense. The NBA is flush with dominant point guards. He lacks the strength to effectively go over screens consistently, so he has to go under them. Sometimes, all that the on/off stats tell you is the difference between two players that play the same position. Players Stats: 15.6 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 3.6 APG, 1.2 SPG, 0.3 BPG, Honors: 5x All-Star, 5x All-NBA Selection, 2x Defensive Player of the Year, 5x All-Defensive Selection, Hall of Famer. When he applies it, he does so effectively, especially in isolation and the pick-and-roll. Lowry just seems to be lost on defense much of the time. All rights reserved. You just dont see him make the wrong plays. -- Adande, Teams Either way he chases the ball until he catches it. A lot has been made of how an explosive offense is the way to captivate fans. The only time hell go under a pick is when hes supposed to. Pass-first points of the past have given way to dynamic creators who can score as well as set up teammates. Other point guards who have been named NBA MVP include Bob Cousy, Oscar Robertson, Allen Iverson, Derrick Rose, and Russell Westbrook, and two-time winners Steve Nash and Stephen Curry. Nowadays, the point guard is expected to do more than simply run plays; he or she must also be the teams offensive leader by putting up big numbers every night! Nash was never known as a strong defender, but he was capable of bothering opposing point guards to some extent. 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. This is especially true when closing out on defenders. Hes led the league in steals per game five times in the last six years. 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. 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. That concludes the WAP portion of our programming schedule. He also is tougher than most point guards to post up. 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. He was the league's Rookie of the Year in 1966-67 and was named to the All-NBA First Team twice and the Second Team once, and he appeared in seven NBA All-Star Games. You probably cant say right away, because you watched the storyline, not how Harvey dressed. 24. But thats why we do the research. The official cause of death of Flashdance singer Irene Cara has been determined. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google. 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.