Point guards are often valued more for their assist totals than for their scoring. Lets say a perimeter defender gets beaten and then his center blocks the shot. In the last entry, we focused on the five best defensive NBA point guards of all time, but now, we turn to the five best defensive shooting guards in NBA history. 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. He keeps track of his man when holding back in the lane to cut off passing lanes. The .72 points per play he gives up in isolation is elite-level defense. That has more to do with the second-string frontcourt, led by Lamar Odom, backing him up than it does his team defense. This is where everything focuses on Westbrook. 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. 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. He secures first place in the top 10 NBA point guards of all time. The 10 Best Tall Point Guards in NBA History - Plus 2 Clothing You just dont see him make the wrong plays. Thats good for 14th all-time in NBA history and he also had 10 seasons in the top 20 for steals per game. On those, there is no link available. Kyle Lowry has exceptional speed and athleticism. Players Stats: 14.1 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 5.0 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.6 BPG, Honors: 1978-1979 Finals MVP, 5x All-Star, 9x All-Defense Selection, 2x All-NBA Team Selection, Hall of Famer. -- Adams, Thomas was as tough as they come, could score with the best of them (such a sweet stroke) and, make no mistake, was the baddest of the Bad Boys. 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. He doesnt make stupid mistakes, but he doesnt anticipate plays either. All pre-draft measurements were obtained from the database hosted on Draft Express. Conley is inconsistent in how he applies effort on the court. But, there is one only shooting guard that leapfrogged over all others. Some contend its not his fault that hes short, but its not Jarrett Jacks fault that hes slow either. Even though hes been injured a lot, Paul is averaging over two steals a game for his career. Among the greatest point guards of all time, Tiny is among the finest ever. In his rookie year, he was already averaging 2 steals per game with 0.2 blocks. Jordans inclusion as the best defensive shooting guard isnt surprising considering his relentless attitude to winning. And, there are also times when he does the bailing out. DJ, standing 6'4, started playing point for Boston in the second half of his basketball career and was often tasked with shutting down . Archibald, who was just 61 tall, was able to consistently sink the ball despite his diminutive stature. While Rose is slightly faster, Westbrook is slightly bigger. Point guards are expected to be vocal floor leaders. With the increased emphasis on the deep three, point guards account for a large portion of the league's top scorers. Rondo consistently applies every bit of effort in him on the defensive end. Thats 20th all-time, with Kidd being the only other guard above him. He might not be the fastest guy in the world, but that doesnt keep him from trying to be. Thanks for signing up. Finally, both are improving on the defensive side of the ball. -- Kevin Pelton, NBA Insider, May be the strongest point guard ever and consistently made everyone around him better. He has become one of the hardest working point guards in the league on both ends. As a result, hes 17th all-time with 1944 and had six seasons in the top-20 in steals. Humility can often be a sign of intelligence at work, and it is with Hinrich. 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. Because of his combination of length, speed and jumping ability, Rose has become an excellent team defender against the jump shot. He joined the NBA in 1960 and quickly established himself, averaging 30.5 points per game and winning Rookie of the Year. He gets easily overpowered when bigger point guards post him up. Therefore, its a Theoretically Asked Questions, or TAQ. 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. Defensive rebounds are generally undervalued, although its also true that all defensive rebounds arent the same. If someone goes past him, hell usually just wave goodbye. Thats a pretty large difference, and it shows he is at his best when he can utilize his quickness, while at his worst when he has to use his strength. Not everything about a players value can be seen even through advanced stats, or even while hes on the court. The players listed below are our picks for the best point guards in NBA history. Despite his little size, he made up for it offensively by being lightning fast and had the whole attacking package. -- Peterson, Teams He was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, on February 7, 1974, to a Welsh mother, Jean, and an English father, John. In recent years, the sport's shift from a fundamental style of play to a more athletic, scoring-oriented game resulted in the proliferation of so-called combo guards at the point guard position. Top 5 Defensive Point Guards in NBA History - Basketball Articles Photos: Top 10 NBA Point Guards Of All Time. 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. 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. 76ers vs. 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. Perhaps the best word to describe his defense is lollygaggy.. He lacks the strength to effectively go over screens consistently, so he has to go under them. He had the second-best defensive rating in the NBA. Jrue Holiday. He sometimes gets tangled up and left hopelessly out of the play. Greatest NBA point guards of all-time: Where Russell - Sportsnaut Its possible for Nash to be the whole offense and to shoot 50-40-90 from the field on a continuous basis. If you dont want to consider them, then dont. Russ is already on the verge of breaking into the top five of all time, but its going to be a challenge. He gave up just .87 points defending the spot-up (making him one of the few players to defend the spot-up better than the iso). 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. Its interesting that when he plays against elite point guards, or when he plays angrily, he plays much more of a physical game. He doesnt just bring effort to every game; he brings it in all the right ways. Stockton was a member of two gold medal teams and twice reached the NBA finals during his remarkable career. Phoenix Suns (1996-98, 2004-12), Dallas Mavericks (1998-2004), Los Angeles Lakers (2012-15), Honors Watching him rotate was watching perfection. Since its neither, he gets an even score. He was an All-Star every year of his career and led the Lakers to nine NBA Finals appearances. Chasing down balls, hell reach from behind and disrupt the dribble. He doesnt use the shortest angles when running under picks, but he takes path of least resistance instead. Stockton is one of the greatest assist players in NBA history, if not the greatest. Damian Lillard (2013-Present) AP Images. Gary Payton. Miami Heat and Dwyane Wade won the NBA championship in 2006 with him as a member of the Seattle SuperSonics. The five best defensive centers of all time - Sportsnaut 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. 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. MVP (1963-64), 12-time All-Star, 11-time All-NBA selection, Rookie of the Year (1960-61), Hall of Fame, Career stats Thomas was ultra-quick with the ball and, at any moment, could pull up for a deadly jump shot. 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. He averaged 18.4 points, 7.5 assists and 5.2 rebounds per game. To say he gets pushed around would be generous. 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. 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. Is he an effective flopper? 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. It just feels like there should be another notch where pride kicks in, he gets passionateor even angryand he hits another level. Alex Caruso. Hell get to the corners to challenge threes; hell pick off passes; hell get rebounds; hell get some chase-down blocks. Johnsons style of play made him especially successful since he was noted for tip-ins and post play around the rim. 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. That said, here are the five best defensive NBA point guards of all time, based on their DWS. 13.1 PPG, 10.5 APG, 2.2 SPG, .384 3P%, The player He gets a ton of help from his teammates and isnt asked to give a lot back. Do players go under picks when they should go over them? The greater problem is how easily he gets disrupted on pick-and-roll defense. And when hes on the bench, Eric Bledsoe, who is a 15th on this list, was with Odom. Penny Hardaway was well recognized for his relationship with Shaquille ONeal when he was only a kid. Marcus Smart. Hes led the league in steals per game five times in the last six years. Don't get me wrong: Steph is still the league's best shooter. 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. However, a good jump shot and the ability to score off a drive to the basket are still valuable skills. But one in 20 is egregiously bad.). -- Peterson, A menace on both ends of the court, Frazier was at his best in the 1970 NBA Finals when tallied 36 points, 19 assists, 7 rebounds in a title-clinching Game 7. The more often he is the primary defender, the more likely he is to be responsible for guarding the player who is getting the most plays offensively. It is startling to see the regularity with which opponents blow past Deron Williams. Once he had the ball on the fastbreak, The Flash was gone. Stockton embodied a true point guard - an extension of the coach that ran the team's offense seamlessly. That helps him to dominate games defensively without having to leave the ground. He doesnt have to race around to get in position because hes almost never out of position. 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 primarily defends on the perimeter, just as they primarily play on the perimeter on offense. By: HoopsHype. Some point guards are still given a great deal of leeway in the offense. 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. Parker is a seasoned point guard who plays the game like a pro. Over the last decade, the best point guards such as Stephen Curry, Damian Lillard, Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook, and others have dominated the position. [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. On the other hand, you cant deny what happened, regardless of how much you watch. Both figures can be obtained by going to any players team page and then clicking on the appropriate name. He was a master at leading the fastbreak, which led to Celtics titles. Perhaps he just grew weary of Doug Collins' act. Pass-first points of the past have given way to dynamic creators who can score as well as set up teammates. He led the league in total steals this year and did so without playing a lot of gambling defense. It seems so much of Conley is either there or not there; you get it or you dont get it. Rajon Rondo is probably the most athletic player in the league who plays most of his game below the rim. 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. Bledsoe repeatedly got beatenmuch more frequently than Paulyet Odom consistently had his back, blocking or altering shots. Del Negro just worried about the matchup without ever developing a true defensive system or identity with the Clippers. When he applies it, he does so effectively, especially in isolation and the pick-and-roll. While he does benefit from help defense, its not as often as you might think.
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