He led the NBA in scoring in only his second season, 1967-68, with 27.1 points per game. For that reason, subjective analysis was also included. 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. Even so, combo guards still require above-average passing skill, but not as much as possessed by "pure" point guards (which is what those in the traditional mold of a point guard are referred to). Hakeem Olajuwon 2. The official cause of death of Flashdance singer Irene Cara has been determined. Is that because Chalmers is a better team defender or is it because Cole isnt on the court with James as much? 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. In fact, hes probably as adept as anyone at this, and his Synergy numbers, .68 points per play against the pick-and-roll, certainly back it up. If the team gives up more points while hes on the court, thats bad. Right now, Westbrook's 11.2 assists and 47.5% assist rate leads the league this season. While he does benefit from help defense, its not as often as you might think. It seems so much of Conley is either there or not there; you get it or you dont get it. When he lets it go, though, it seems calculated. It is akin to the blind men and the elephant in the Indian fable adapted to a poem by John Godfrey Saxe. He joined the NBA in 1960 and quickly established himself, averaging 30.5 points per game and winning Rookie of the Year. 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. Nate Archibald 14. 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. Stockton embodied a true point guard - an extension of the coach that ran the team's offense seamlessly. In terms of career statistics and postseason accomplishments, he ranks as the NBAs fourth-best point guard of all time. Chris Paul had the awkward situation this year of being smarter than his head coach, Vinny Del Negro. At 61 and 171 pounds, Rondo is pretty small by NBA standards, but he plays much tougher than his size. Best Point Guard Defensive Rating 2022 | StatMuse Luka Doncic had the lowest defensive rating by a point guard in 2021-22, with a 106.5 rating. James is well-known for his incredible skill and ability to score big points, which frequently help his team win crucial games. The list of the best defensive NBA point guards for 2022-23 starts off with two of the elite perimeter defenders overall. Still, hes one of the best point guards of all time, and his stats show that hes a deserved All-Star. However, he doesnt appear to have the same strength they do. He tends to rely on his speed to compensate for his lack of mass. He presses hard as long as the opponent is in front of him, but will frequently give up on the play once the defender is past him. It might not seem like much, but for most players, this covered around 30-40 games' worth of defense. Let's see who has made it to the top 10 best point guards of all time. Gary Payton was born on July 23, 1968, and is widely regarded as one of the best defensive point guards of all time. The Cleveland Cavaliers 2016 championship run would not have been possible without Kyrie Irving, who is a two-time NBA champion. Even though injuries caught up with him toward the end of his illustrious career, Bryant still battled as a defender when needed. When the team is winning or the game is close, he puts in real effort, but if they are down, he shows noticeably less energy. He has trouble compensating for his lack of size when challenging jump shots. 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. It is the same with his mental engagement in the game. On defense, the point guard is tasked with making the opposing point guard as ineffective as possible. If he had just a little more strength and could get through the screens just a tad bit quicker, then that ground could be eaten up ever so fractionally sooner, and he would be able to have that smidgen of success needed to effectively challenge those three-point shots. -- 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. 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. 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. The weakness is that it also includes some of what the other player does defensively, (e.g.. blocks, steals, and defensive rebounds). Most players will take a little on-court breather now and then. 18.4 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 7.5APG, .375 FG%, The player Phoenix Suns (1996-98, 2004-12), Dallas Mavericks (1998-2004), Los Angeles Lakers (2012-15), Honors New York Knicks (1967-1977), Cleveland Cavaliers (1977-1980), Honors: Mario Chalmers lacks the speed and athleticism of most point guards in the league, and as a result, he usually gets the best seat in the arena to see various point guards blowing by on the way to the rim. Who's the best defensive point guard of all time? - Quora Damian Lillard (2013-Present) AP Images. 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. His stellar pick-and-roll defensive score has more to do with being backed up by Omer Asik than it does his own play. But it seems like Paul is nutmeggingand breaking opposing defenders ankles every game. Only two NBA championships would make him the second-best player in NBA history. Players Stats: 23.2 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 8.3 APG, 1.8 SPG, 0.3 BPG, Honors: 2016-2017 MVP, 9x All-Star, 8x All-NBA Selection, 2x Scoring Champion. For his time with the Phoenix Suns, Johnson is most known for his role alongside Charles Barkley. He has been improving in that regard, but its taken a while, and there are still some maddening things. Seriously, you should hear Mark Jackson rave about him. Payton is one of two point guards to have ever won the Defensive Player of the Year, and his stats show it. That Paul was able to keep the Clippers on track through much of the season with the ever-changing defensive schemes the team had is pretty miraculous. 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. Hell frequent the area at the top of the key, just above the free-throw line, and when a shooter starts to shoot, hell close out quickly to challenge the shot, regardless of where it is coming from. ALL-TIME #NBARANK, 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11-15 | 16-20 | 21-25, The player 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. As a result, hes 17th all-time with 1944 and had six seasons in the top-20 in steals. He applies himself and stays committed, but when hes beaten on a play, hell relax waiting for his bigs to pick up the slack. A 12-time All-Defensive Team selection, a nine-time 1st team All-Defense and three-time 2nd team All-Defense, Bryant's 50.6 DWS ranks him 43rd overall. His defensive usage was the highest of any player with at least 1,200 minutes. -- 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. On Wednesday, we will have the top 10 shooting guards of all time, followed by small forwards, power forwards and centers. 13.1 PPG, 10.5 APG, 2.2 SPG, .384 3P%, The player When he tries, Lowry can be a solid defensive player, but that whole when he tries qualifier is pretty significant. Oscar Robertson 3. Conley looked away from Billups and was pointing vehemently to Paul, trying to tell Allen to get over there and cover him. 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. A point guard specializes in certain skills, like other player positions in basketball. One of the most innovative offensive players, San Antonio Spurs legend Manu Ginobili was a very unique player. 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. As a point guard, Tim Hardaway was one of the most popular and respected players in the NBA during his time with the Miami Heat. Additionally, Stockton was a fantastic shooter and defender, almost possessing no weaknesses on the floor at all. His quick feet give him tremendous lateral movement. 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. Its got to be annoying, but its also disruptive, and being disruptive is positive on defense. Lowry just seems to be lost on defense much of the time. The defensive stats arent a good way to determine the totality of defense, but they are a factor and shouldnt be ignored. Dubs' Curry (leg) could return as soon as Sun. For his career, Jordan averaged 2.3 steals (third all-time) and 4.2 DWS per year. What color was his tie? 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. Magic Johnson 2. Despite the fact that he was unable to win an NBA championship, his charisma and dribbling prowess will never be forgotten. As a result of his hurling himself around the court with utter abandon, he was generally a positive when it came to help defense. He was the league's third player to reach 25,000 points (after Wilt Chamberlain and Oscar Robertson). He doesnt help much, but he doesnt get a lot of help either, so its a bit of a wash. To his credit, he has the best WAM score of any point guard without a great defensive center to back him up. 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. He has decent size for a point guard, at 63 but he doesnt have much of a vertical: 28.5.. -- 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. Players like Rose, Russell Westbrook and Kyrie Irving consistently cross him over and get past him. Hed also be more willing to provide it. Hopefully he can break it. If youre a fan of the TV show Suits, you might agree that Harvey Specter dresses well. 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. In his rookie year, he was already averaging 2 steals per game with 0.2 blocks. In the 13 seasons in which he played more than 60 games, mostly with the Chicago Bulls, the 1988 Defensive Player of the Year was a nine-time All-Defensive Team selection all first-team honors and a three-time steals champion. -- Haberstroh, Teams If you want to get involved in the discussion or just follow along, #NBArank is the Twitter hashtag to use. Rondos lack of a need for help defense allows Garnett to help more elsewhere. 25.7 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 9.5 APG, .485 FG%, The player He arguably powers through picks better than any point guard in the league. I like to compare it to the relationship between a foundation and a house. Its like someone took a normal-sized person and stretched out the arms and hands to make him. Boston Celtics (1950-1963), Cincinnati Royals (1969-70), Honors With his athleticism and speed, there is no way that Rose should get beaten off the dribble as often as he does. It seems to be down to less than once a game. -- Peterson. With his record of successes and pioneering point guard talents, Magic is at the top of the list. Dennis Johnson. These combo point guards can surprise defenses. They were combined and adjusted to cover a range roughly between 18 and 22. Two-time MVP (2004-05, 2005-06), eight-time All-Star, seven-time All-NBA selection, Career stats It is a testament to Jarrett Jack that he makes this list. When people think of NBA point guards, he set the mold. Top 16 Point Guards Of All-Time: Where Steph Curry Ranks? - ClutchPoints 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. 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. He is easily one of the physically weaker players in the league, even for his position. 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. Players Stats: 18.4 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 7.5 APG, 0.0 SPG, 0.0 BPG, Honors: 1956-1957 MVP, 13x All-Star, 12x All-NBA Selection, Hall of Famer. He applies every bit of failing athleticism he has all the time. His net defensive rating is fairly close to even, and slightly above average for point guards. They average the number of points a player gives up when he is the initial defender, and this is represented by defensive points per play. He had the best peak for any point guard in NBA history, hands down. 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. The facts need to come first. Bledsoe is a bit of a freak. Even players like Derek Fisher will hang him up and then hit him with the step-back. He is a natural playmaker with excellent point guard abilities, creating the ideal point guard prototype. However his brilliant and consistent team defense team keeps passing lanes secure and helps prevent a lot of plays from developing the way they normally would. What he gives up at the point of attack, he makes up for with his team defense. Derrick Rose 15. That said, here are the five best defensive NBA point guards of all time, based on their DWS. Gary Payton is one of the best ever. There are some serious contenders in Steve Nash and Walter Frazier, so hell have to settle for fourth place in the race. Whenever anyone imagines a point guard, chances are theyre thinking of Utah Jazz legend John Stockton. In fact, Rondo gives more help than he getscontrary to my previous opinion. Meanwhile, another player has his numbers go up because he is capable. Lin is 63 and 200 pounds, which is decent size for a point guard, in the neighborhood of Derrick Rose, Deron Williams and Russell Westbrook. But what kind of suit was he wearing on the last episode? He always seems to know exactly where everyone is. Best Defensive Rating Point Guards In NBA History | StatMuse Thats pretty much what you see with Conley. 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. Jeremy Lin is not one of the faster point guards in the NBA, and hes not particularly quick either. But hes slightly built, and that raises some issues, especially when hes caught a fraction of a second behind a play. The Best NBA Point Guards Of All Time - The Delite Penny, a taller point guard, was an excellent dribbler and a great passer. The biggest reason appears to be a fundamental one. Lee Rose has described a point guard as a coach on the floor, who can handle and distribute the ball to teammates. Seemingly overhauling your system for every opponent is not. He was an All-Star every year of his career and led the Lakers to nine NBA Finals appearances. He uses his speed well, as long as hes engaged in the game. Opponents dont have much success getting around him. Some players defined their positions. Widely known as one of the best, if not the best, point guards of all time, Chris Pauls offensive exploits are well-documented. Because of his combination of length, speed and jumping ability, Rose has become an excellent team defender against the jump shot. Jed Jacobsohn/AP Images. DJ, standing 6'4, started playing point for Boston in the second half of his basketball career and was often tasked with shutting down . Second, having a five-point range on a 22-point scale prevents any one statistic from overly dominating the others. Paul was able to keep you at bay on one side of the court while dominating the other with his scoring and passing abilities. Im cheating a little here. The classic definition of a point guard, orchestrating offense and shooting when necessary. Sometimes he wont give that much effort, and then the next moment hell be trying too hard. Perhaps if hes in shoes and standing on a milk crate filled with milk, thats true. Teams The Case For: Upper-tier defender (9x All Defensive Team, including 4 First Team selections). An adamant multi-disciplinary journalist, Brian possesses the instincts that are comfortably intrigued by covering and writing the details as minor as the size of Kawhi Leonards hands and as significant as the Trends to watch out for in 2022. In fact, no drafted guard has ever measured a worse sprint, vertical and agility test. Big O is widely regarded as one of the best offensive point guards of all time. Although Stockton accumulated numerous All-NBA nods, he only made the All-Defensive Second Team five times. On the flip side, Westbrook's 4.13 turnovers per game average is the highest all-time, with Johnson (3. . He doesnt disrupt team defense with unnecessary gambles. Then, over 10,000 video clips were viewed and players were evaluated based on subjective criteria. While he recovers most of the time, its worth asking why he gets beaten. The ripple effect of that was that every single Bull had a worse defensive rating with Boozer than when playing with Gibson. His net defensive rating of 4.2 is an indication of both a lack of his helping and asking for help. Furthermore, he is a legend for the Phoenix Suns and one of the teams finest players. I suspect that some of this might be by design, as Holiday bore a leading part of the burden on both ends of the court for his team, so its understandable to a point, but not to the extent I saw. He doesnt use his size exceptionally badly or incredibly well, though. When he went up and challenged DeAndre Jordan, and then got blown up, the entire basketball world acted like theyd just seen the greatest basketball play ever. 1987 Lakers are often seen as one of the greatest teams ever. Penny is deserving of a much better ranking just because he is such a gifted one. It probably tells the accurate story here. Over the last decade, the best point guards such as Stephen Curry, Damian Lillard, Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook, and others have dominated the position. Chalmers is 62 and 190 pounds, which is about average size for a point guard. That said, here are the NBAs five best defensive shooting guards of all-time, based on their DWS. NBA top 15 point guard rankings for 2021-22: Stephen Curry sits at No Jerry West, one of the greatest point guards in NBA history, combines a lethal jump shot, tenacious defence, obsessive perfectionism, unwavering confidence, and an unwavering will to win. 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. Simply put, defensive win shares (DWS) are defined by how many wins a player produces based on his defensive ability. The house would collapse. But it seems like Paul is nutmegging and breaking opposing defenders ankles every game. 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 . Sounds great, right? If he wins an NBA championship, Chris Paul, the current number one point guard, will rise even higher on this ranking. While he is frequently noted for his ability to see the court and make the right play on offense, he doesnt get the same recognition on the defensive end. That being said, Joakim Noah was frequently required to bail him out of trouble. 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. Pun intended. 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. Gary Payton 12. 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. Dikembe Mutombo 7. It was just his second season when he led the league in scoring with an average of 27.1 points per game, despite some serious injury setbacks. Starter from the VCT lockin. Perhaps it was the fact that the Philadelphia 76ers were having a disappointing season without their newly acquired star, Andrew Bynum. Although Stockton accumulated numerous All-NBA nods, he only made the All-Defensive 2nd Team five times. Best Defenders in NBA History: Top 50 Best Defensive Players After the opponent scores, it is typically the point guard who brings the ball down the court to begin an offensive play. Rondo may not be big, but he doesnt know that. This is a necessity because of the point guard's many leadership obligations. To create All-Time #NBArank, we put together a ballot with the 150 greatest players ever. All-Time #NBArank continues with a countdown of the best shooting guards in NBA history. Bledsoe is not a great help defender, in spite of boasting a -4.9 net defensive rating. When you combine that with his 40-inch vertical, you have a player that gets higher (139 inches) than any point guard in the leagueeven Russell Westbrook. For each of the following metrics, click on the subhead to be taken to the source website for more details. To say he gets pushed around would be generous. Other stats were determined by using my trusty sidekick, MS Excel, loaded up with standard stats available on most websites. To create All-Time #NBArank, we put together a ballot with the 150 greatest players ever. In the history of the combine, only nine players have recorded better sprint and agility scores, and of those, only three had a better vertical than his 37.5 inches. You probably cant say right away, because you watched the storyline, not how Harvey dressed. The scouting score was then combined with the WAM score to produce WAMS, with the scouting counting as one-third of the final score. -- Pelton, Today's children will ask, "Who was the Steph Curry before Steph Curry?" Both figures can be obtained by going to any players team page and then clicking on the appropriate name. 21.6 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 6.9 APG, .441 3P%, We counted down the greatest players in NBA history. As a result, the picks work extremely well. When going against point guards who have a respectable jump shot, that becomes problematic. 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. What he offers goes beyond the court. 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. Hes not as horrible as some people would make it sound. Hes not going to get beaten back, and he doesnt give up in transition. He cant be faulted for not being taller or longer, but he could use the length he has better. He gets a ton of help from his teammates and isnt asked to give a lot back.
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