He also plays through to the end of the play when his man doesnt have the ball, which is not something you see all point guards do. Defensive rebounds are generally undervalued, although its also true that all defensive rebounds arent the same. -- Pelton, No player his size, 6-foot-3, has ever bent defenses to his will as Curry does. 43 views, 0 likes, 0 loves, 0 comments, 0 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from BabyYo: NRG VS KOI Highlights. For example, there was a play in which he was switched up against the Clippers, and he was put on Chauncey Billups, while Tony Allen was on Chris Paul. Point guards must be able to maintain possession of the ball in crowded spaces and in traffic and be able to advance the ball quickly. Its safe to say that Kidd is one of the greatest guards to ever play on the basketball floor. Along with leadership and a general basketball acumen, ball-handling is a skill of great importance to a point guard. 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. He seems to get frustrated easily. Overall, he is more of a gives-help defender than a needs-help defender. 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. It is easy to have the numbers skewed by a smaller sample size. Parker is a seasoned point guard who plays the game like a pro. Michael Jordan 10. Bill Russell 3. 5 (1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988), Career stats After watching Paul play defense for a while, what stands out over everything else is that he just never stops movingliterally. Dikembe Mutombo 7. 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. He has two ways of guarding the isopray for help or flop. He had the second-best defensive rating in the NBA. For example, the Spurs absolutely ate him alive in the playoffs with Tony Parker, who averaged 24.5 points for the series. He routinely gets blistered in isolation (.93 points per play), fails to close out well on shooters and lags when coming off of screens. To absolutely nobodys surprise, Michael Jordan is the best defensive shooting guard in NBA history. The perimeter player gets rewarded statistically for what the center did, even though he actually played shoddy defense. Then again, the limited number of plays may be, in part, due to the fact that hes so hard to post up. He just doesnt have the length to effectively guard against them. 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! Having above-average size (height, muscle) is considered advantageous, although size is secondary to situational awareness, speed, quickness, and ball handling skills. Think: Dennis Rodman. Rondos lack of a need for help defense allows Garnett to help more elsewhere. When it comes to intangibles, Chris Paul is the elite point guard in the league. He manages to defend the pick-and-roll reasonably well by doing something I can only call bouncing over picks. For that reason, subjective analysis was also included. The facts need to come first. Stephen Curry 4. The Glove was a nine-time All-Defensive Team selection, making the 1st team all nine times. What is the difference between WAM and WAMS? Hes so undersized, youd think he was just some regular guy. Get to know about the top 15 all time best point guards in the NBA in One of basketballs most dynamic and versatile point guards in the modern era. While Rose is slightly faster, Westbrook is slightly bigger. The problem is he doesnt use that height or strength as well as youd like to see. Ranking 50 Greatest Point Guards in NBA History When hes coming off screens, hes especially horrible, giving up 1.15 points per play. Not only is Damian Lillard one of the most exciting players in the game today, he makes a strong case as one of the best point guards in NBA history. 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. Each fails to realize that they are all right, and that the real answer is in the combination of what they all experienced. But hes just not very strong. As a result, the picks work extremely well. Yet somehow he manages to compensate and do a reasonably fair job of defending, even in isolation. Lillard, on the other hand, is generally able to get things going from the perimeter anytime he wants. Went from dominating games strictly with his passing to making the fifth-most 3-pointers in NBA history. But he never does. Speaking about hard-nosed defense-first converted shooting guards, here is one more name to the list: Dennis Johnson, one of the all-time great Celtics and at the same time one of the most underrated players in the history of the NBA. That said, here are the five best defensive NBA point guards of all time, based on their DWS. When he gets it going, hes unstoppable. Even his athletic scores dont indicate greatness. The result is our all-time NBA Top 100. Whatever else you want to say about Brandon Knight, just dont say he never tries. If he wins an NBA championship, Chris Paul, the current number one point guard, will rise even higher on this ranking. However, when the game is on the line, he makes the right decision. Not everything about a players value can be seen even through advanced stats, or even while hes on the court. So I saddled up my workhorse, Synergy, and watched an hour or two of each of the top 15 WAM scores playing defense. 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. That helps him to dominate games defensively without having to leave the ground. Johnson will go down as one of the top 25 all-time point guards because of his defensive presence. After the opponent scores, it is typically the point guard who brings the ball down the court to begin an offensive play. Miami Heat and Dwyane Wade won the NBA championship in 2006 with him as a member of the Seattle SuperSonics. He always seems to know exactly where everyone is. Parker applies himself defensively in bursts, and this appears to be by design. An indication of this is the fact that hes had only nine dunks in his career, the last of which was over seven years ago. You can almost rate Chalmers improving basketball intelligence by how many times per game he gets yelled at by his superstar teammates. He didnt have an eye-popping number, but he was in the top 25 percent of players there. Even though hes been injured a lot, Paul is averaging over two steals a game for his career. Average players struggled, though. Hes one of the slower point guards in the league now, but in spite of that, hes almost ubiquitous at times. On Wednesday, we will have the top 10 shooting guards of all time, followed by small forwards, power forwards and centers. 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. Honors: 7x All-Star, 3x All-NBA Selection, 1966-1967 Rookie of the Year, 1967-1968 Scoring Champion, Hall of Famer. He lacks the strength to effectively go over screens consistently, so he has to go under them. 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. Kyle Lowry has exceptional speed and athleticism. He works well within a system where there are no real defensive weaknesses. With Doc Rivers in charge, things should turn around shortly, and next year his WAM score will be among the best in the league. Occasionally hell chase the play after hes been beaten, but not always. Isaiah Thomas 5. 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. By: HoopsHype. Smart people recognize their limitations. -- 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). He averaged 18.4 points, 7.5 assists and 5.2 rebounds per game. For example, in the clutch, with the Rockets engaged in a playoff run, the team locked up in a tight battle with the San Antonio Spurs and the score close with less than five minutes remaining, Lin consistently showed the same 90 percent effort he always shows. 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. John Stockton 6. Rob Peterson is an NBA editor for ESPN.com. Jacks presence on a team is one of those things. Copyright 2023 YB Media, LLC. The problem is that sometimes players are so inept, they skew the stats of other players. His high rebound rate, while partly indicative of his speed is also a result of positioning, which relates to his IQ. Point guard - Wikipedia That would make sense, but there are two reasons to choose the unconventional scale. You also can follow along @ESPNNBA and on Facebook. That makes sense since Parker has assumed the primary responsibility on offense and theres no reason to wear himself out playing defense. Because Derrick Rose was the NBAs youngest MVP in 2009, its unfortunate that the guy isnt higher on this list. The next three slides will tell how this particular sausage was made. Surely the most underappreciated great player in NBA history because he was quietly dependable rather than flashy and never broke through on the biggest stage. The point guard is positioned on the perimeter of the play, so as to have the best view of the action. You can find him juggling the ball every Sunday on the field, with FIFA on his PlayStation as the night drill. They work harder, and they get things eventually, but not quite as well. 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. The NBA is flush with dominant point guards. LeBron James, the best player in the NBA, is also the league's best point guard. Is he an effective flopper? The other metrics help alleviate the extremes because they also indicate what a players personal defense does. Sometimes, all that the on/off stats tell you is the difference between two players that play the same position. Oscar Robertson 3. The five best defensive point guards of all time | Yardbarker A defensive point guard will also pressure opponents in passing lanes in an attempt to generate steals and scoring opportunities for their own team. He does an air-tight job of keeping players out of the perimeter. 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. Jack has good but not great effort. Coaches are responsible for developing young players, and it would have been fun to watch him grow under Doc Rivers. Then, when players pull up and shoot, he doesnt use his length to close and get a hand in the face of the shooter. He falls into his rotations smoothly. James Harden's age: stats, contract, family, dating, net worth in 2022 and more. With the increased emphasis on the deep three, point guards account for a large portion of the league's top scorers. If the team gives up more points while hes on the court, thats bad. Dennis Johnson. He gets a ton of help from his teammates and isnt asked to give a lot back. When he tries, Lowry can be a solid defensive player, but that whole when he tries qualifier is pretty significant. 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. 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. DJ, standing 6'4, started playing point for Boston in the second half of his basketball career and was often tasked with shutting down . -- Pelton, If he had played with The Mailman or a defense as stout as the Pistons, he might have made a couple of Finals by now. 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. These combo point guards can surprise defenses. 50 Greatest Point Guards In NBA History - msn.com 10-time All-Star, 11-time All-NBA selection, five-time All-D selection, Hall of Fame, Career stats 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. Watching him rotate was watching perfection. He is suitable at keeping most players out on the perimeter, but against elite point guards he has more problems. He does a poor job of defending the spot-up, surrendering 1.07 points per play. 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. But his lack of any vertical leap kills him on the jump shot. (I know, but it is a part of defense these days.) During the 1960-1961 season, the then-32-year-old Cousy racked up 6.3 DWS, the most in his career. 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. 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. J.A. The only point guard to win Defensive Player of the Year, Payton was a defensive nightmare and he never had a DWS lower than 1.2 during his 17-year career. Injuries robbed Rose of the opportunity to become one of the games top five point guards. Being big and strong doesnt mean players automatically got higher scores, though. Still, a first-rate point guard should also have a reasonably effective jump shot. Williams needs to have a bit of a paradigm shift in the direction of team defense. Thats the difference between what I call work intelligence and natural intelligence. Some people just have to work to pick things up. Hes 63 with a 68 wingspan and an 83 standing reach. This is also from the various sources we have used. (As an aside, in the slides, you will only see the original metric value, not the weighted number to determine the WAM. 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. -- Adams, He could hurt defenses in so many ways: Controlling tempo was one, and he was a hell of a defender, too. However, despite Chris Paul and Jason Kidds prominence, Steve Nash became a two-time MVP who had no weaknesses on the offensive end. 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. Hes always looking where hes supposed to go, and moving in that direction, but he just takes his time getting there. Thats the advantage of the scouting portion. Thanks for signing up. NBA: Ranking top 10 point guards ever - ESPN.com Rondo consistently applies every bit of effort in him on the defensive end. Although Jordan won that battle, theres nothing wrong with being named the third-best defensive player at his position and one of the best shooting guards of all time. Curry has developed into much more than a 3-point specialist. Adapting your system to every opponent and knowing their nuances is understandable. He was a giant of a guard, but he had all the necessary talents, including the ability to dribble and pass. Bob Cousey 8. He uses his speed well, as long as hes engaged in the game. He doesnt make stupid mistakes, but he doesnt anticipate plays either. NBA History: Ranking the Greatest Guards Ever - Bleacher Report While his pick-and-roll stats, according to Synergy, are excellent, at .68 points per play, half the time he seems to get bailed out by his frontcourt. 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. He doesnt put a lot of effort into chasing his man through screens. -- Rob Peterson, One can only imagine how impressive his career totals might have been if not for the HIV virus. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google. After the All-Star break, when Rose hardly played, that number fell to 17.8 and the Bulls dropped to ninth. He has been improving in that regard, but its taken a while, and there are still some maddening things. There arent many point guards who can do it all, but Kidd is one of them. For each of the following metrics, click on the subhead to be taken to the source website for more details. The Glove was a nine-time All-Defensive Team selection, making the First Team all nine times. The Best NBA Point Guards Of All Time - The Delite Hes not as horrible as some people would make it sound. He does all those little things that dont show up in box scores. He made everything go for those Lakers teams. Each of these has its own value, and those specifics will be discussed more on the next slide. By the time he was done, he had racked up 10 All-Star appearances, nine All-Defense selections, six All-NBA . You cant say that Westbrook doesnt try on defense, but you can say he doesnt show consistent effort on defense. His ability to score and create plays made him an NBA superstar. Does he pick up his man when switched? Frequently, teams would set the screen, and the point guard would just step behind the three-point line while Holiday was still underneath it (often all the way into the center of the lane) and drain wide-open treys. Sometimes that works, such as his quick darts under picks. 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. Our booby prize winner is pictured above. However, when he gets beaten,Serge Ibaka is a huge asset in help defense, altering the shots of many a shooter who has just blown past Westbrook. We ranked the best point guards, determining the list with the help of B-R's position splits. Six blind men all go to see an elephant which they'venever encountered before. 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. That had the effect of distorting Pauls on/off numbers. Hell overshoot passing lanes, gambling for the steal. He also defends well against post-up plays, yielding just .54 points per play, although thats on an admittedly small 17-play sample size. Bob Cousy Bettman/Getty Images. Pass-first points of the past have given way to dynamic creators who can score as well as set up teammates. Damian Lillard's nuclear 71-point explosion Sunday night was jaw-dropping and somehow not all that surprising. The five best defensive NBA shooting guards of all time - Sportsnaut ESPN ranked the Top 10 PGs of all time & they have @iamisiahthomas ranked 5th. -- Adande, The best two-way small player in league history, Paul embodies the era in which he plays by running the pick-and-roll as well as anyone has ever run it. Ranking the Best Defensive Point Guards in the NBA Gary Payton is one of the best ever. He may get beaten occasionally, and he might get outmuscled more frequently, but he never gets outhustled. To create All-Time #NBArank, we put together a ballot with the 150 greatest players ever. But mostly he plays smartly with an occasional brain fart. For a position that was highly valued at the time, he brought a lot of sparkle, style, scoring, and domination to the court. Dennis Rodman 4. The number in the parentheses indicates where they ranked in that category. Then there was that kid who just read the assignment on the bus and got straight As. As one of the elite point guards in the NBA, you would expect him to have elite athleticism, but he actually doesnt. Stockton was a member of two gold medal teams and twice reached the NBA finals during his remarkable career. Best Defensive Rating Point Guards In NBA History | StatMuse His Synergy numbers tell the story. Thomas was ultra-quick with the ball and, at any moment, could pull up for a deadly jump shot. -- Doolittle, Perhaps someday Paul will reach the conference finals and we can focus more on his incredible accomplishments as a scorer, distributor and defender and less on his teams' inability to turn them into deep playoff runs. Knight gets almost no help whatsoever from help defense.