Instead of passing after bringing up the ball they quickly drive to the basket or step back for an outside shot. 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. The game has been graced by several incredible players whose names live on even after they retire. Some would look at Conleys frontcourt and assumenot entirely incorrectlythat having Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol to back him up pads his stats. 3. With the increased emphasis on the deep three, point guards account for a large portion of the league's top scorers. -- Brad Doolittle, Robertson's averaging a triple-double in 1961-62 is probably overrated because it was a product of the fast-paced play in the 1960s, but his role in the Milwaukee Bucks' early '70s championship run is probably underrated. If he's not on the slide and he played 1,200 minutes, he should be on this list somewhere. 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. 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 other hand, he was frequently bailing out whoever was playing shooting guard on numerous occasions. For a player who lacks lateral quickness and a player that has been in the league as long as he has, you would think Williams would have learned to do a better job of steering opponents into the help defense. MVP (1956-57), 13-time All-Star, 12-time All-NBA selection, Hall of Fame, Championships 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. 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. Paul is just listed at just 60, and that might be generous. Paul was able to keep you at bay on one side of the court while dominating the other with his scoring and passing abilities. Sometimes even when hes being smart, he gets a little dumb. A point guard should know when and how to instigate a fast break and when and how to initiate the more deliberate sets. His ability to score and create plays made him an NBA superstar. Players Stats: 17.9 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 9.1 APG, 1.5 SPG, 0.2 BPG, Honors: 3x All-Star, 5x All-NBA Selection, 1988-1989 Most Improved Player. Stockton was a member of two gold medal teams and twice reached the NBA finals during his remarkable career. 21.6 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 6.9 APG, .441 3P%, We counted down the greatest players in NBA history. 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. Do players go under picks when they should go over them? He gets a higher score here than he technically deserves because he tries so hard. Kyle Lowry has exceptional speed and athleticism. Overall, he is more of a gives-help defender than a needs-help defender. Emailed daily. His low foul rate of 4.5 percent is another indication that hes adept at getting into position quickly. Cincinnati Royals (1960-70), Milwaukee Bucks (1970-74), Honors -- Pelton, No player his size, 6-foot-3, has ever bent defenses to his will as Curry does. 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. Like last time . He doesnt use his size exceptionally badly or incredibly well, though. In many cases, I looked at their combine results. Hes a learning player, and his extensive time sitting last year may have helped his grasp of defense as well as offense. #VCTLOCKIN #Valorant #valorantagents #valorantgaming. He never leaves his man to help a defender that doesnt need help, but he always seems to be there when help is needed. Parker applies himself defensively in bursts, and this appears to be by design. The Case For: Upper-tier defender (9x All Defensive Team, including 4 First Team selections). Over the next four weeks, well unveil the rankings for the other four positions. Gary Payton 12. Other defenders deficiencies are hidden by being put on weaker offensive players. Jrue Holiday. 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. His on-court coaching and leadership is probably the biggest reason the Clippers had the eighth most-efficient defense in the NBA last year. Getting paired with Tom Thibodeau has made it even better. He was born on March 23, 1973. As a Golden State Warrior and Miami Heat legend, Tim Hardaway may have the best crossover in basketball history. Our booby prize winner is pictured above. -- Adams, An early ballhandling wizard, he was a point guard who was a focal point at a time when the game was dominated by big men. Nash was never known as a strong defender, but he was capable of bothering opposing point guards to some extent. Boston Celtics (1950-1963), Cincinnati Royals (1969-70), Honors For a position that was highly valued at the time, he brought a lot of sparkle, style, scoring, and domination to the court. 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. 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. Hes the closest thing in the world to Kevin Garnetts Mini-Me. 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. With both, its the combination of their size and speed that makes them so phenomenal. On the other hand, hes not tremendously athletic. But only once did he actually truly defend the play. My guess is that it has something to do with that. On the flip side, Westbrook's 4.13 turnovers per game average is the highest all-time, with Johnson (3. . 25. He just cant do anything about it. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google. Walt Frazier 10. DJ, standing 6'4, started playing point for Boston in the second half of his basketball career and was often tasked with shutting down . His Synergy numbers tell the story. He has above-average size and strength, but he doesnt play like it. However, despite Chris Paul and Jason Kidds prominence, Steve Nash became a two-time MVP who had no weaknesses on the offensive end. Russ is already on the verge of breaking into the top five of all time, but its going to be a challenge. This year, without Rose, the Bulls were 23rd, at 21.0 points per game. From there, hes playing catch up. -- Peterson, He was the forerunner of Magic Johnson and LeBron James, and it's telling that both of those stars revere the Big O. He does such a good job of it while the ball is in front of him, theres no reason he couldnt do it after the ball-handler gets past him. Defensive Rating (DRtg) is the average number of points per 100 possessions a players team surrenders while he is on the court. Like last time, these shooting guards are ranked based on the cumulative defensive win shares (DWS). His Synergy numbers compared to some of his team numbers validate that. 7-time All-Star, 6-time All-NBA selection, 7-time All-D selection, Hall of Fame, Career stats His stellar pick-and-roll defensive score has more to do with being backed up by Omer Asik than it does his own play. Having said that, he does play team defense, too, and he is part of the team. Stephen Curry 4. It probably tells the accurate story here. And do they try and recover when they get beaten? Curry has won three NBA championships and cemented his status as the finest shooter in NBA history since becoming a superstar and two-time MVP. 10-time All-Star, six-time All-NBA selection, nine-time All-D selection, co-Rookie of the Year (1994-95), Career stats He has trouble compensating for his lack of size when challenging jump shots. When going against point guards who have a respectable jump shot, that becomes problematic. A point guard needs always to have in mind the times on the shot clock and the game clock, the score, the numbers of remaining timeouts for both teams, etc. He is so athletic and so strong for his size that hes been able to get away without learning lessons he should have. Even when he gets switched up on opposing shooting guards trying to post him up, he does a solid job. Did they get pushed around easily? Can they play bigger than they really are? Thats largely true. J.A. Jed Jacobsohn/AP Images. Widely known as one of the best, if not the best, point guards of all time, Chris Pauls offensive exploits are well-documented. Bucks: Start time, where to watch, what's the latest, Rockets vs. Spurs: Start time, where to watch, what's the latest, Hawks vs. Heat: Start time, where to watch, what's the latest, Pistons vs. Cavaliers: Start time, where to watch, what's the latest, Raptors vs. Wizards: Start time, where to watch, what's the latest, Russell Westbrook still wants Sixth Man of Year award from time with Lakers, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. (Note: Players chosen only if they have played as a shooting guard for most, if not all, of their career.). 24. In case you missed it, Jason Kidd was tops on the list with 75.1 DWS, good for 11th all-time. He leaves talented shooters alone to go double-team bad shooters. No question hell be inducted into the Hall of Fame, and hes one of the greatest rim-attacking players in NBA history. Honors: 1978-1979 Finals MVP, 5x All-Star, 9x All-Defense Selection, 2x All-NBA Team Selection, Hall of Famer. -- Adande, Teams Mar 6, 2020; New York, New York, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Chris Paul (3) reacts during the second half against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. 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? Magic had unparalleled vision; he could see players get open and deliver the ball before they even realized they were open. Even when picks are set behind his back, he instinctively knows they are there and just steps over them seamlessly. He routinely gets blistered in isolation (.93 points per play), fails to close out well on shooters and lags when coming off of screens. By combining them, we can get a better picture of the whole elephant of a players defense. His 48.8 DWS is 48th all-time and the fourth most by a point guard. Hes fearless, and no matter how large the big setting the pick is, he wont back down. Furthermore, he is a legend for the Phoenix Suns and one of the teams finest players. 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? Chris is also a leader on the defensive end of the court, having been named to nine All-Defensive Teams. Eventually, that learning has to become instinct, though. 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. Wilt Chamberlain 14. Golden State Warriors (2009-present), Honors Miami Heat and Dwyane Wade won the NBA championship in 2006 with him as a member of the Seattle SuperSonics. All you have to do is watch him on offense to know he has all kinds of speed. 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. Nash is the answer. Stockton embodied a true point guard: an extension of the coach that ran the teams offense seamlessly. The next three slides will tell how this particular sausage was made. It is startling to see the regularity with which opponents blow past Deron Williams. He is tremendous at using that muscle to his advantage, too. Having said that, when hes playing off the ball, he knows where hes supposed to be, and hes usually there. His net defensive rating is fairly close to even, and slightly above average for point guards. He does an air-tight job of keeping players out of the perimeter. He is going to get beaten, without question. In the past, this was particularly true, as several point guards such as Lenny Wilkens served their teams as player coaches. MVP (2014-15), two-time All-Star, two-time All-NBA selection, Career stats He keeps track of his man when holding back in the lane to cut off passing lanes. 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. As a result, the picks work extremely well. -- Doolittle, The great Knicks ball-movement offense started with him. Watching a thing, and watching for a thing, are different. But thats why we do the research. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position. He needs more of the former and less of the latter. All the other tools and effort can be rendered useless by a little stupidity. He is suitable at keeping most players out on the perimeter, but against elite point guards he has more problems. 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. You cant say that Westbrook doesnt try on defense, but you can say he doesnt show consistent effort on defense. The other thing thats surprising about Rondo with his size is how well he fights over picks. He does add a lot, but its not frenetic, its just frantic. Defensively, Stockton had 3,265 steals the most all time during his 19-year career, helping him get 64.9 DWS. He manages to defend the pick-and-roll reasonably well by doing something I can only call bouncing over picks. Taj Gibson, his backup, is a tremendous defensive player, which only amplified the effect of Boozers shortcomings. 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 Gary Payton was born on July 23, 1968, and is widely regarded as one of the best defensive point guards of all 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. Scroll below to see where Stephen Curry ranks among the best point guards in the NBA. 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. Because Derrick Rose was the NBAs youngest MVP in 2009, its unfortunate that the guy isnt higher on this list. In terms of point guards, Magic is the finest there has ever been. Though he had a relatively short career he only played 13 seasons his 50.4 DWS is 44th overall. Lin is a mixed bag when it comes to help defense. Jumping ability, body control and agility were all considered as well. 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. Starter from the VCT lockin. Then, over 10,000 video clips were viewed and players were evaluated based on subjective criteria. He gets easily overpowered when bigger point guards post him up. Players like Rose, Russell Westbrook and Kyrie Irving consistently cross him over and get past him. He applies himself and stays committed, but when hes beaten on a play, hell relax waiting for his bigs to pick up the slack. Coaches are responsible for developing young players, and it would have been fun to watch him grow under Doc Rivers. That can create an illusion of great defense where there is none. Gary Payton. His quick feet give him tremendous lateral movement. He has the most assists and steals of any player in NBA history and is a master of the pick & roll. As a result, he has received numerous awards, including the 'NBA Most Valuable Player' (MVP) award and the "PAC Player of the Year." Then, when players pull up and shoot, he doesnt use his length to close and get a hand in the face of the shooter. The best shooter ever not just in terms of accuracy but also in creatively getting looks with but a sliver's opening and with unlimited range. 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. All that was due to Bryant emulating Jordans relentless drive to win on both sides of the floor. 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. Aside from the centre, having the best point guard is critical to improving your game because every play starts with him. Players Stats: 15.2 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 5.4 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.2 BPG, Honors: 2003-2004 Finals MVP, 5x All-Star, 3x All-NBA Selection, 2x All-Defensive Team Selection. Others with less physical prowess can dominate defensively simply because they pour everything into it. Williams tends to play defense, but he only seems to do the minimum. Hes not as horrible as some people would make it sound. Curry has developed into much more than a 3-point specialist. A point guard will often use their ability to score in order to augment their effectiveness as a decision-maker and playmaker. The five-time All-Star and four-time All-NBA selection has averaged more than 24 points per game since being drafted by the Portland Trail Blazers in 2012. New York Knicks (1967-1977), Cleveland Cavaliers (1977-1980), Honors: Lets say a perimeter defender gets beaten and then his center blocks the shot. A point guard that has enough ball-handling skill and quickness to be able to drive to the basket in a half-court set is also very valuable and considered by some to be a must for a successful offense. 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. The strength of this is that it shows what the other player does offensively. We have listed down 25 of the finest point guards, so lets see who makes it to the top 10 point guards of all time. For the time being, his lack of effectiveness and poor decision-making precludes him from being considered one of the top five point guards. The following are the five categories and what was considered for each of them: How fast players are from end to end is only a part of speed. He wont even try and fight over a pick if he gets caught in one, but just quits on the play. 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. Jeremy Lin is not one of the faster point guards in the NBA, and hes not particularly quick either. The true driving force of his partnership with Karl Malone. Overall, hes ninth in steals with 2,207, and Drexlers 49.9 DWS is good for 45th all-time. Dennis Rodman 4. It is one thing to be able to recognize the player that is in a tactically advantageous position, but it is another thing entirely to be able to deliver the ball to that player. Hes led the league in steals per game five times in the last six years. Tony Parker is one of the fastest players in the league if youre going by pure speed. Doc Rivers has had a lot of input into how Rondo plays the game. You need to build something on it. 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. Brandon Knight has exceptional speed and quickness. Per Synergy, he forces turnovers 18.5 percent of the time, and he does so barely giving up any points. 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. His contributions won him a spot on the NBA All-Time 50th Anniversary Team. That all-around game made Kidd one of the league's top point guards for nearly 20 years. Perhaps he just grew weary of Doug Collins' act. Over 90 percent of the time, the ball-handler gets by him. Second, having a five-point range on a 22-point scale prevents any one statistic from overly dominating the others. 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. Even though hes been injured a lot, Paul is averaging over two steals a game for his career. Mamelodi Sundowns coach Rhulani Mokwena denies outrageous Egypt claims, Brooklyn Nets comeback from 28 down to stun Boston Celtics, Alex Iwobi: Nigerian star set for possible exit at English Premier League club Everton, Premier League player caught inhaling laughing gas after a night out, Real Madrid identify Premier League star as 'Plan B' if Bellingham deal fails, Top 15 most handsome football players in the world in 2023. 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. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 13. Payton is one of two point guards to have ever won the Defensive Player of the Year, and his stats show it. Chauncey Billups, or Mr. 18.4 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 7.5APG, .375 FG%, The player Finally, both are improving on the defensive side of the ball. Kevin Durant, surprisingly, also bails out his co-star a lot. On the positive side, Rose does a decent job of understanding his role in a complex system. Its possible for Nash to be the whole offense and to shoot 50-40-90 from the field on a continuous basis. Young players who are relatively short are now developing the scoring aspects of their skill-sets, whereas previously these players would find it difficult to enter the NBA without true point guard skills.
My Electric Fireplace Turns On By Itself,
Florida Beach Volleyball Tournaments 2021,
Billie Kay And Peyton Royce Married,
Articles B
