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. You just dont see him make the wrong plays. Sometimes, all that the on/off stats tell you is the difference between two players that play the same position. 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. Here are the answers to some questions readers are likely to have. Strictly speaking, he should have a score closer to 20, but because of all the help he is in the locker room and practice, he gets a little leeway. 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 . However, the other side of the ball cant be overlooked because as the saying goes: defense wins championships.. That said, hes 61st all-time in steals with 1392 and he had six seasons in the top-20 in steals. He surpassed the achievements of every other guard in NBA history, except Russell Westbrooks achievements. When he applies it, he does so effectively, especially in isolation and the pick-and-roll. Chalmers is 62 and 190 pounds, which is about average size for a point guard. 5-on-5: Will Curry pass Magic as best PG ever? It is a testament to Jarrett Jack that he makes this list. Rajon Rondo is probably the most athletic player in the league who plays most of his game below the rim. He has no All-Defensive team accolades, because those werent introduced until the 1968-1969 season. Perhaps he just grew weary of Doug Collins' act. Though he had a relatively short career he only played 13 seasons his 50.4 DWS is 44th overall. 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. Conley correctly identified the defender who was out of position, showing intelligence, but stupidly ignored that his man had the ball and an accurate jump shot. His shot-making and defense made him a top-tier point guard throughout his career. That makes him eligible for inclusion on this list of best point guards. Hes able to use that size advantage by being physical, playing close and aggressive, often forcing shooters into shots they arent comfortable taking. A point guard primarily defends on the perimeter, just as they primarily play on the perimeter on offense. Jack gets beat and bailed out frequently by his teammates. Bob Cousy Bettman/Getty Images. He arguably powers through picks better than any point guard in the league. -- Adande, Teams He normally makes the right play, even if he doesnt always do it well. He is so athletic and so strong for his size that hes been able to get away without learning lessons he should have. Does he rotate on time? Watching Parker play defense for a while, particularly zooming in on the pick-and-roll plays, his impressive court awareness stands out. The scouting score was then combined with the WAM score to produce WAMS, with the scouting counting as one-third of the final score. Other defenders deficiencies are hidden by being put on weaker offensive players. Apart from that, he seems to do what hes supposed to be doing when hes away from the ball. 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 He also has such superior court awareness that most picks dont catch him squarely, and he just glides over them. 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, The great Knicks ball-movement offense started with him. Teams 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. His huge hands allowed him to pass as effectively with one hand as most could with two. If youre not interested in that, feel free to skip ahead. Some players get caught out of place, but they know theyre out of place. There arent many point guards who can do it all, but Kidd is one of them. He was an All-Star every year of his career and led the Lakers to nine NBA Finals appearances. Chauncey Billups, or Mr. Please check your email for a confirmation. Its like someone took a normal-sized person and stretched out the arms and hands to make him. Top NBA point guards for 2022-23: Ranking all 30 starters | Sporting News TMGNNS LEBRON Sun, 4:30p DEN CLE 2/23, 4:00p BOS IND 2/23, 4:00p DET ORL 2/23, 4:00p MEM PHI 2/23, 4:30p NOP TOR. New Orleans Hornets (2005-11), Los Angeles Clippers, (2011-present), Honors Sportbrief has published an article about James Harden's age: stats, contract, family, dating, net worth in 2022 and more. You need to build something on it. By combining them, we can get a better picture of the whole elephant of a players defense. -- Adams, Honors Lennys passing and leadership on the floor were solid, but he also had a few great scoring years on the court. 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. Considering his challenges with speed, he did reasonably well with the pick-and-roll, again because of his size and strength to fight through picks. Starter from the VCT lockin. Sometimes hell even rush to defend the wrong guy while his man is draining a wide-open three. There are times where he makes a bone-headed gamble and loses, trying to get the extra steal, but thats about the only flaw there is with him mentally. 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. Sometimes his teammates bailed him out; sometimes the shot just didnt go in. I gave Paul the highest possible score here to offset the total ineptness of the coaching staff, and the frontcourt help he got last season, but he would have a high score regardless. In balance he was a plus, but his deficiencies cant be ignored. Jason Kidd was the definition of a jack-of-all-trades point guard: he could pass, score and grab rebounds. 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. All-Time #NBArank continues with a countdown of the best shooting guards in NBA history. On and off the court, Dave Bing was an excellent high-scoring NBA point guard who achieved greatness. The American former professional basketball player was born on August 9, 1928, and played point guard for the Boston Celtics from 1950 to 1963 and shortly for the Cincinnati Royals during the 196970 season. You can look at why things happen and offset the misleading things. Adapting your system to every opponent and knowing their nuances is understandable. Because they each feel a different thing, an argument arises as to who is right. James Harden's age: stats, contract, family, dating, net worth in 2022 and more. His Synergy numbers tell the story. He could play any spot on the court as well. 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. Their primary job is to facilitate scoring opportunities for their team, or sometimes for themselves. The Miami HEATs best player in franchise history, Dwyane Wade was an offensive maestro. But only once did he actually truly defend the play. MVP (1956-57), 13-time All-Star, 12-time All-NBA selection, Hall of Fame, Championships Although Drexler never made an All-Defensive Team in his career, he did average two steals per game for his 15-year career. 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 stands third among the top 10 point guards of all time. Perhaps it was the fact that the Philadelphia 76ers were having a disappointing season without their newly acquired star, Andrew Bynum. That deceptive length helps him nab 2.5 steals per 36 minutes and grab a ridiculous number of rebounds for a person his height. Passing skills, ball handling, and court vision are crucial. But his lack of any vertical leap kills him on the jump shot. He has become one of the hardest working point guards in the league on both ends. -- Pelton, Today's children will ask, "Who was the Steph Curry before Steph Curry?" The Clippers were 10 points better with Lamar Odom on the court than DeAndre Jordan according to NBA.com/STATS. His offensive style has been revamped to incorporate a powerful mid-range jumper along with some range as well. During the 1960-1961 season, the then-32-year-old Cousy racked up 6.3 DWS, the most in his career. 25.7 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 9.5 APG, .485 FG%, The player Hell overshoot passing lanes, gambling for the steal. Hes pouring out effort every minute hes on the court. He does those things; he just doesnt do them very hard. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google. DJ, standing 6'4, started playing point for Boston in the second half of his basketball career and was often tasked with shutting down . In his rookie year, he was already averaging 2 steals per game with 0.2 blocks. As a Golden State Warrior and Miami Heat legend, Tim Hardaway may have the best crossover in basketball history. He appears to communicate the wisdom hes accrued to his teammates. This is especially true when closing out on defenders. Players Stats: 14.1 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 5.0 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.6 BPG. Neither of those is really a criticism of Parker, but its a reality. He doesnt just bring effort to every game; he brings it in all the right ways. 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 might physically play below the rim, but few can touch how he plays above the neck. In addition, Cousy, dubbed "The Houdini of the Hardwood," led the NBA in assists for 8 straight seasons, creating a whole new blend of ball-handling and passing skills for the league. Sometimes even when hes being smart, he gets a little dumb. When he was off the ball, it was spectacular. Since I always get asked "Where's ___________?" Mentally subtract them from the rankings if you feel they shouldn'tbe included. The total numbers were then adjusted to arrive at a score ranging between 90 (best) and 110 (worst). He could launch it from 30 feet or more with ease. Derrick Rose 15. For that reason, subjective analysis was also included. All rights reserved. Though he had a relatively short career he only played 13 seasons his 50.4 DWS is 44th overall. Paradoxically tough on the court and flashy off of it, Frazier epitomized the '70s-era backcourt style in which roles were less defined. Brandon Knight has exceptional speed and quickness. Penny is deserving of a much better ranking just because he is such a gifted one. I doubt its much beyond his height. For eight consecutive seasons, Cousy was the leagues top assist producer, and he was also one of the finest scorers in the league. 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. Jrue Holiday is making . Taj Gibson, his backup, is a tremendous defensive player, which only amplified the effect of Boozers shortcomings. In fact, hes a bit of a bull on the court and tries to intimidate his counterpart. At 61 and 171 pounds, Rondo is pretty small by NBA standards, but he plays much tougher than his size. Players have a difficult time getting past him. Meanwhile, we are presenting the top 10 by position. James Harden's age: stats, contract, family, dating, net worth in 2022. Jason Kidd was the definition of a jack-of-all-trades point guard: he could pass, score and grab rebounds. Thats rarely going to be because of a mental error, though. But will he listen enough to a player he was just playing against to make that shift? Hes just unable able to get high enough to legitimately challenge the shot. An All-Star in every full season that he played for the Boston Celtics, six-time NBA champion Bob Cousy was an all-around player: he averaged 18.4 points, 7.5 assists and 5.2 rebounds per game. You're the worst defensive point guard in the NBA!!! 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. 21.6 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 6.9 APG, .441 3P%, We counted down the greatest players in NBA history. 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. Brandon Knight has work intelligence. OPER is the Opponents Player Efficiency Rating and has been tracked by 82games.com since 2008. At 64, hes big enough to guard shooting guards, as well as point guards. Hes one of the most prolific players in the game. Wilt Chamberlain 14. "The Logo" Jerry West was an NBA Champion, a 14 time All-Star, ten time All-NBA First team selection, four time All-Defensive team selection, NBA scoring champion and an NBA assist leader. How they moved laterally, closed out on shooters, and recovered after getting beaten were also taken into account. 5 (1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988), Career stats Bledsoes defensive numbers would be far worse if he werent getting helped out by Odom all the time. He gets caught thinking, and while he makes the right decision, its a split second too late. His most notable awards include five NBA championships, three Finals MVPs, three MVPs, nine All-NBA First Team selections, and 12 All-Star appearances. But thats why we do the research. When the game is on the line, you like to see players find fifth, but Lin never does. Im cheating a little here. Williams needs to do a better job of forcing opponents out of the middle and into the strong side of his defense, but he tends to fall straight back instead, letting them into the lane, which allows for easy scores. 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. He doesnt have overwhelming effort that blows you away, but he has earnest effort. He needs more of the former and less of the latter. -- Adams, He could hurt defenses in so many ways: Controlling tempo was one, and he was a hell of a defender, too. His length is better; he has a 65.75 wingspan. Golden State Warriors (2009-present), Honors Chris Paul 13. He gets a higher score here than he technically deserves because he tries so hard. He was transcendent. However, who are the all-time top point guards? This is one of those cases where scouting helps. Honors: 6x All-Star, 2x All-NBA Selection, 2011-2012 Rookie of the Year, Players Stats: 22.4 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 5.7 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.4 BPG. 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! Hes one of the slower point guards in the league now, but in spite of that, hes almost ubiquitous at times. For example, the Spurs absolutely ate him alive in the playoffs with Tony Parker, who averaged 24.5 points for the series. To recap, Jason Kidd was the best defensive point guard, Michael Jordan skied above other shooting guards, John Havlicek paced all small forwards - for the time being - and the "Mailman . He closed out on jump-shooters half-heartedly, which is bad enough, but when you combine that with the way he played pick-and-roll plays, it was even worse. The other thing thats surprising about Rondo with his size is how well he fights over picks. Isiah Thomas, born on April 30, 1961, and possibly the best player ever under 6-foot-1, combined talent with fierce competitiveness. The only thing is that the Bulls actually gave up 8.6 more points while he was on the court. You dont see him take plays off, and you dont see him give up on plays. In his 20 seasons, Bryant averaged 2.5 DWS and 1.4 steals per year. SHOCKING one of the best defensive point guards of all time played great defense on a 20 year project old player. There's no way Stockton & Curry are better than Isiah. The NBA is a point guard's paradise these days, so let's start All-Time #NBArank with our pantheon points. He was a giant of a guard, but he had all the necessary talents, including the ability to dribble and pass. When going against point guards who have a respectable jump shot, that becomes problematic. John Stockton 6. Hes still learning to apply that tremendous athleticism on the defensive end of the court, though. Thats 20th all-time, with Kidd being the only other guard above him. Lets say a perimeter defender gets beaten and then his center blocks the shot. (Most defenders let the opponent by more than half the time. Cincinnati Royals (1960-70), Milwaukee Bucks (1970-74), Honors You can be the best shooter in the world, but you can't score if you don't get the ball. The .72 points per play he gives up in isolation is elite-level defense. It probably tells the accurate story here. Oscar Robertson 3. As a result, hes been a member of the All-Defensive 1st Team four times and a member of the All-Defensive 2nd Team five times. 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. It only looks at the data. 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 might not be the fastest guy in the world, but that doesnt keep him from trying to be. Payton is one of two point guards to have ever won the Defensive Player of the Year, and his stats show it. The result is our all-time NBA Top 100. None of them qualified based on the 1,200 minutes, so their stats from 2012 were used instead.