There are few players on this list who can match his incredible scoring, rebounding, and playmaking prowess. By: HoopsHype. -- Pelton, Perhaps the most incredible part of the Big O's triple-double season is that he finished third in MVP voting (behind winner Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain, who averaged 50.4 PPG). When he was off the ball, it was spectacular. Congratulations, Brian Roberts! -- Rob Peterson, One can only imagine how impressive his career totals might have been if not for the HIV virus. Chalmers will fail at things, but not because he isnt trying. Penny is deserving of a much better ranking just because he is such a gifted one. His lateral quickness is exceptional, making it hard for people to get around him, and thats a big part of why he is tied with Derrick Rose for the fewest points per play among qualified point guards. The advantage of defensive rating is that it accounts for the things that dont show up in box scores. The disadvantage is that sometimes its not the player doing those things, and hes getting credit for someone elses great defense. 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? 18.7 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 9.9 APG, 2.3 SPG, The player He arguably powers through picks better than any point guard in the league. Although Wade had an accomplished resume, if he had played one more season, he wouldve easily overtaken the next player on the list. He had the second-best defensive rating in the NBA. He might not be the fastest guy in the world, but that doesnt keep him from trying to be. He gets crossed over pretty easily, and not just by the Associations elite point guards. When it comes to intangibles, Chris Paul is the elite point guard in the league. 21.6 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 6.9 APG, .441 3P%, We counted down the greatest players in NBA history. 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. -- Peterson, He was the forerunner of Magic Johnson and LeBron James, and it's telling that both of those stars revere the Big O. For this reason, a point guard is usually, but not always, more skilled and focused on passing than shooting. Players Stats: 13.1 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 10.5 APG, 2.2 SPG, 0.2 BPG, Honors: 10x All-Star, 11x All-NBA Selection, 5x All-Defensive Team Selection, Hall of Famer. Holiday knows what to do, but he doesnt always do it. Rob Peterson is an NBA editor for ESPN.com. Chris Paul 13. Think: Dennis Rodman. Triple Double and for good reason: hes fourth all-time in triple-doubles with 107. Additionally, Stockton was a fantastic shooter and defender, almost possessing no weaknesses on the floor at all. His net defensive rating is fairly close to even, and slightly above average for point guards. He was the league's third player to reach 25,000 points (after Wilt Chamberlain and Oscar Robertson). In fact, its probably the most important thing. Hes just unable able to get high enough to legitimately challenge the shot. 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. 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. Who's the best offensive point guard of all time? 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? The other thing thats surprising about Rondo with his size is how well he fights over picks. 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. 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. Meanwhile, another player has his numbers go up because he is capable. The problem is he doesnt use that height or strength as well as youd like to see. Broadly speaking, over 7,000 pieces of data on 226 players, in 16 different categories, were compiled into a database. Moncrief is well known for his defensive prowess. It tracks the production of a players counterpart while he is on the court. The .72 points per play he gives up in isolation is elite-level defense. There arent many point guards in the league who can match Roses pure size and strength. Kawhi Leonard 11. Two-time All-Defensive First Team Four-time All-Star Before having his career derailed by drug use, Micheal Ray Richardson was one of the league's most feared defensive point. 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. Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. He always seems to know exactly where everyone is. -- Adande, Teams When he gets it going, hes unstoppable. It doesnt help to be fast if you dont use it, so Bledsoes score here is lower than you might expect. 25.7 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 9.5 APG, .485 FG%, The player The average score by point guards was 16.1. 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. But only once did he actually truly defend the play. Ranking the best point guards of all time and selecting the top 10 point guards of all time are two of the most difficult things to do. Thats pretty much what you see with Conley. Born on July 15, 1990, Damian is an American professional basketball player for the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association. Thats when you see him start to do things like not close out on shooters, merely waving his hand in the air instead. He had the best peak for any point guard in NBA history, hands down. Its safe to say that Kidd is one of the greatest guards to ever play on the basketball floor. He doesnt play on the ball physically, utilizing that advantage. He was also an outstanding playmaker and a solid scorer with a strong mid-range game. Lillard would likely be at the top of this list if measured as an offensive package as a whole. 43 views, 0 likes, 0 loves, 0 comments, 0 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from BabyYo: NRG VS KOI Highlights. MVP (1956-57), 13-time All-Star, 12-time All-NBA selection, Hall of Fame, Championships It looked like teams designed plays counting on him being lazy. Oscar Robertson 3. If you just look at his measurables, Chris Paul is not impressive. His foot speed is as good as anyone's in the league, and you cant measure that. His offensive style has been revamped to incorporate a powerful mid-range jumper along with some range as well. He made everything go for those Lakers teams. When he does, he gets put off and his effort isnt there anymore. 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. These point guard rankings will be the first of five articles. You probably cant say right away, because you watched the storyline, not how Harvey dressed. Thats 20th all-time, with Kidd being the only other guard above him. Dont be surprised to see him as a head coach someday. NBA: Ranking top 10 shooting guards ever - ESPN.com He sometimes gets tangled up and left hopelessly out of the play. The problem is that sometimes players are so inept, they skew the stats of other players. To read more, go here! 1987 Lakers are often seen as one of the greatest teams ever. -- Adams, Honors When he needs to button down, he does, but he also tends to take off the middle of games, relying heavily on the help defense. Hes not looking at the ball-handler's chest, which makes him susceptible to fakes, so when his opponent breaks, Rose is momentarily frozen. Went from dominating games strictly with his passing to making the fifth-most 3-pointers in NBA history. Do players go under picks when they should go over them? Bledsoe is a bit of a freak. He surpassed the achievements of every other guard in NBA history, except Russell Westbrooks achievements. 20 greatest point guards ever: The HoopsHype list | HoopsHype 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. Damian Lillard's nuclear 71-point explosion Sunday night was jaw-dropping and somehow not all that surprising. He might have Silly Putty for a father. Johnson had a knack for scoring against everyone and racked up impressive numbers throughout the course of his career. In balance he was a plus, but his deficiencies cant be ignored. Bob Cousey 8. Greg Monroe has talent on the offensive side of the ball but not a whole lot on the defensive side. You just dont see him make the wrong plays. Something was great about that play, but it was Knight showing the heart to challenge Jordan, not Jordan dunking on a man a foot shorter than himself. In his single season with the Wizards, the former NBA MVP averaged a triple-double (again), and he was a big reason why Washington made the playoffs after a rough start to the season. Top 5 Defensive Point Guards in NBA History - Basketball Articles He led the NBA in scoring in only his second season, 1967-68, with 27.1 points per game. 10-time All-Star, six-time All-NBA selection, nine-time All-D selection, co-Rookie of the Year (1994-95), Career stats He could be better than he is, but its hard to blame only him. Stockton is one of the greatest assist players in NBA history, if not the greatest. Many remember Ginobili for his offense, but he was also a capable defender. Jack gets beat and bailed out frequently by his teammates. His on-court coaching and leadership is probably the biggest reason the Clippers had the eighth most-efficient defense in the NBA last year. 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. A point guard primarily defends on the perimeter, just as they primarily play on the perimeter on offense. Archibald, who was just 61 tall, was able to consistently sink the ball despite his diminutive stature. Over the next four weeks, well unveil the rankings for the other four positions. Cincinnati Royals (1960-70), Milwaukee Bucks (1970-74), Honors He has trouble compensating for his lack of size when challenging jump shots. So the problem isnt a lack of speed; its a lack of applying it. He has the most assists and steals of any player in NBA history and is a master of the pick & roll. In the NBA, point guards generally range from 6ft 1in (1.85m) to 6ft 4in (1.93m) whereas in the WNBA, point guards are usually 5ft 9in (1.75m) or shorter. 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. As a point guard, Frazier was one of the greatest in NBA history. The reason teams run so much pick-and-roll is that it works. Among the greatest point guards of all time, Tiny is among the finest ever. New Orleans Hornets (2005-11), Los Angeles Clippers, (2011-present), Honors There is no doubt about it: Steph Curry is the second-best in the top 10 point guards of all time. Seriously, you should hear Mark Jackson rave about him. If it tends to fall in the middle, he gets a 20. He uses his speed well, as long as hes engaged in the game. Since elite offensive players tend to have a higher usage rate, players that guard elite offensive players should also have more defensive plays. Greatest NBA point guards of all-time: Where Russell - Sportsnaut Best Defensive Rating Point Guards In NBA History | StatMuse Some would look at Conleys frontcourt and assumenot entirely incorrectlythat having Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol to back him up pads his stats. Below is a list of the 25 Best point guards of the NBA. While Rose is slightly faster, Westbrook is slightly bigger. There are some serious contenders in Steve Nash and Walter Frazier, so hell have to settle for fourth place in the race. In the past, this was particularly true, as several point guards such as Lenny Wilkens served their teams as player coaches. He thinks hes the biggest man on the court. He is so athletic and so strong for his size that hes been able to get away without learning lessons he should have. Players like Deron Williams, Kyrie Irving and John Wall blew by him fairly consistently. David Robinson 6. Each touches a different part of the elephant, one an ear, another the torso and so on. He is entirely too aggressive. Players Stats: 18.5 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 9.5 APG, 2.2 SPG, 0.1 BPG, Honors: 10x All-Stars, 8x All-NBA Selection, 2005-2006 Rookie of the Year, 9x All-Defensive Team Selection. Bob Cousy Bettman/Getty Images. He uses his length well when trying to close out on jumpers, utilizing all of his elevation and his full length. 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. Thats 20th all-time, with Kidd being the only other guard above him. 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. Hes so undersized, youd think he was just some regular guy. Point guards are expected to be vocal floor leaders. Even though he normally does, he shouldnt have to and wouldnt if he were playing smarter. If you want the perfect picture of what Hinrich brings to the defensive end of the court, think of him tackling the runaway freight train, otherwise known as LeBron James, in the game which stopped the Miami Heats streak. FOXSports.com - Best all-time point guards at the Wayback Machine (archived July 12, 2005), accessed 2008-02-09 This page was last edited on 1 March 2023, at 17:58 . Mentally subtract them from the rankings if you feel they shouldn'tbe included. -- 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. Thanks for signing up. To absolutely nobodys surprise, Michael Jordan is the best defensive shooting guard in NBA history. 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. If you dont want to consider them, then dont. This is to avoid confusion if you want to go to the original source.). In fact, Rondo gives more help than he getscontrary to my previous opinion. Its what separates him from being a valuable, slightly overrated defender, and an elite defender. Top 50 Point Guards of All-Time: Magic, The Big O and Curry top the List Most players will take a little on-court breather now and then. His quickness and slim frame allow him to slip through gaps in the defence and create more opportunities for himself. 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. When defending the isolation play, he gives up a nauseating .94 points per play, a strong indication of that. 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. Scoring point guards typically look to score first, thus preventing teammates from getting the ball. 76ers vs. READ ALSO: James Harden's age: stats, contract, family, dating, net worth in 2022 and more. And, there are also times when he does the bailing out. Lets say a perimeter defender gets beaten and then his center blocks the shot. 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. Bledsoe runs through his rotations, but he rounds them off or overruns them. 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. That earned him the nickname Mr. He also used his incredible basketball IQ to steal the ball and defend at a high level. 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. His low foul rate of 4.5 percent is another indication that hes adept at getting into position quickly. 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? Defensively, Stockton had 3,265 steals the most all time during his 19-year. The five best defensive point guards of all time | Yardbarker Knight doesnt always recognize the help situations, but when he does, he is usually effective. Allen Iverson 11. He yields a whopping 41.5 three-point percentage on the spot-up, which is just not good. They have value when there arent such extremes like the difference between Boozer and Gibson. He gets caught thinking, and while he makes the right decision, its a split second too late. His stellar pick-and-roll defensive score has more to do with being backed up by Omer Asik than it does his own play. As a result, hes been a member of the All-Defensive First Team four times and a member of the All-Defensive Second Team five times. To create All-Time #NBArank, we put together a ballot with the 150 greatest players ever. Interpreted as: best point guard defensive rating with a minimum of 2000 minutes played per 82 team games 2022 His contributions won him a spot on the NBA All-Time 50th Anniversary Team. DJ, standing 6'4, started playing point for Boston in the second half of his basketball career and was often tasked with shutting down . Hes able to stay in front of all but the quickest point guards in the league. 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. Top NBA point guards for 2022-23: Ranking all 30 starters Golden State Warriors (2009-present), Honors The official cause of death of Flashdance singer Irene Cara has been determined. Wilt Chamberlain 14. Does he know when to go over the pick, and when to go under it? The seven-time All-Star was one of the best two-way guards of his time, and his performance in Game 7 of the 1970 NBA FInals remains one for the ages. Instead of passing after bringing up the ball they quickly drive to the basket or step back for an outside shot. When the game is on the line, you like to see players find fifth, but Lin never does. While he recovers most of the time, its worth asking why he gets beaten. Coming over as a 25-year-old rookie, Ginobili only had two seasons where he had fewer than one steal per game and he averaged 1.3 steals for his career. Lin is a mixed bag when it comes to help defense. He wont even try and fight over a pick if he gets caught in one, but just quits on the play. These combo point guards can surprise defenses. Micah Adams is the lead NBA research specialist for ESPN Stats and Info. Hes fearless, and no matter how large the big setting the pick is, he wont back down. The Clippers were 10 points better with Lamar Odom on the court than DeAndre Jordan according to NBA.com/STATS. He compensates for his diminutive size by fighting hard and using that aforementioned quickness. Best Defenders in NBA History: Top 50 Best Defensive Players By Clark Boinis | Jul 12, 2021, 4:05pm 1. Even point guards who are not given this much freedom, however, are still extensions of their coach on the floor and must display good leadership skills. He joined the NBA in 1960 and quickly established himself, averaging 30.5 points per game and winning Rookie of the Year. For Rose, his biggest issues on both sides of the ball have to do with fundamentals and understanding. Curry has developed into much more than a 3-point specialist. He has a real grasp of the game, and he helps convey that to his teammates. You can be the best shooter in the world, but you can't score if you don't get the ball. The values for the various metrics which comprised the WAM score and scouting scores are also available on each slide. Parker is a seasoned point guard who plays the game like a pro. Similarly, while each of the advanced and/or traditional metrics has value, each also misses something.