Hes a learning player, and his extensive time sitting last year may have helped his grasp of defense as well as offense. If he didnt retire at 34, its interesting to see where Cousy could have landed all-time as he averaged 3.8 DWS per season. Big O is widely regarded as one of the best offensive point guards of all time. Of course having book smarts doesnt preclude you from knowing what youre doing on the court either. Watching him rotate was watching perfection. He might physically play below the rim, but few can touch how he plays above the neck. In his first season, he specialized in defense and could stop almost every point guard in the league on a regular basis. Rondos lack of a need for help defense allows Garnett to help more elsewhere. Hes controlled in how he plays hard. In his 20 seasons, Bryant. Thats the advantage of the scouting portion. Kyrie Irving is unquestionably one of the greatest point guards of all time. Its why Williams gives up .92 points per play in isolation, one of the worst averages among point guards. What he offers goes beyond the court. Isiah Thomas, born on April 30, 1961, and possibly the best player ever under 6-foot-1, combined talent with fierce competitiveness. We ranked the best point guards, determining the list with the help of B-R's position splits. Defensive Rating (DRtg) is the average number of points per 100 possessions a players team surrenders while he is on the court. It also helps him to have the second-most defensive plays per 36 minutes of any of the point guards on this list. If he's not on the slide and he played 1,200 minutes, he should be on this list somewhere. See the criteria for scouting on the next slide. You're the worst defensive point guard in the NBA!!! At 61 and 171 pounds, Rondo is pretty small by NBA standards, but he plays much tougher than his size. -- 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). Pass-first points of the past have given way to dynamic creators who can score as well as set up teammates. His length is better; he has a 65.75 wingspan. This is especially true when closing out on defenders. Allen Iverson 11. -- J.A. Then our ESPN expert panel voted on thousands of head-to-head matchups, with voting based on both peak performance and career value. What are you crying about lmfao 03 Mar 2023 00:55:09 Del Negro just worried about the matchup without ever developing a true defensive system or identity with the Clippers. -- 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. With his athleticism and speed, there is no way that Rose should get beaten off the dribble as often as he does. 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. SHOCKING one of the best defensive point guards of all time played great defense on a 20 year project old player. Instead of passing after bringing up the ball they quickly drive to the basket or step back for an outside shot. Triple Double and for good reason: hes fourth all-time in triple-doubles with 107. Sometimes he wont give that much effort, and then the next moment hell be trying too hard. Then, after a single down year, he had y straight years of 2 steals per . Therefore, its a Theoretically Asked Questions, or TAQ. 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. Magic Johnson won the National Basketball Association Most Valuable Player Award three times in his career. Do players go under picks when they should go over them? While the Clippers were better when Paul was on the bench, it wasnt because he was on the bench. When Gibson played with the starters, the Bulls gave up 10 fewer points per 100 possessions. The only time hell go under a pick is when hes supposed to. The "Big O" was capable of doing it all. Ultimately, Johnson's unselfishness earned him the title of greatest point guard of all time. He merits a high score here. Marcus Smart. But, there is one only shooting guard that leapfrogged over all others. He only gave up .66 points per play in isolation, but he yielded .86 to the ball-handler on the pick-and-roll. Hes one of the most prolific players in the game. He did it not once, not twice, but three times. Although Wilkens is best known as a head coach, he was once an outstanding athlete. While Rose is slightly faster, Westbrook is slightly bigger. 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 former professional basketball player was born on March 26, 1962, and is regarded as one of the best passing point guards. You dont get the sense in watching him that theres a point of pride in it. 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. A point guard primarily defends on the perimeter, just as they primarily play on the perimeter on offense. In his 16-year career, Wade averaged 2.961 DWS per year and his 47.38 DWS is good for 55th overall. Kyle Lowry has exceptional speed and athleticism. And his athleticism gives him a leg up, which helps him dominate. Dubs' Curry (leg) could return as soon as Sun. Even when in position, he wont jump to challenge a shot. 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. 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. Holiday has ample size for a point guard, standing a shade over 64 in shoes, and weighing in at 205 pounds. -- Adande, Teams On pick-and-rolls when hes not set, teams have learned to expect this. But he jogs when he should run, is lackadaisical closing out shooters and goes through the motions when running through his rotations. If theres a weakness, though, its that when he comes up against the elite offensive point guards, he will get beaten in isolation. Aside from the centre, having the best point guard is critical to improving your game because every play starts with him. 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. The Case For: Upper-tier defender (9x All Defensive Team, including 4 First Team selections). -- Pelton. Kevin Durant, surprisingly, also bails out his co-star a lot. The undisputed first great point guard, Cousy remains the only guard in NBA history to be named First-Team All-NBA in 10 straight seasons. That deceptive length helps him nab 2.5 steals per 36 minutes and grab a ridiculous number of rebounds for a person his height. Even when picks are set behind his back, he instinctively knows they are there and just steps over them seamlessly. Bob Cousy Bettman/Getty Images. Sportbrief has published an article about James Harden's age: stats, contract, family, dating, net worth in 2022 and more. If he didnt retire at 34, its interesting to see where Cousy could have landed all-time as he averaged 3.8 DWS per season. 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. It will be interesting to see if his new coach, Jason Kidd, can help him to work on this, as Kidd was a terrific help defender. 5-on-5: Will Curry pass Magic as best PG ever? I considered both their actual measurables and how well they used them. For the time being, his lack of effectiveness and poor decision-making precludes him from being considered one of the top five point guards. They must also be able to adapt to what the defense is allowing and must control the pace of the game. -- 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. He has all the tools to be one: great reflexes and speed, and those long arms with big mitts on the end. Parker has a hefty 1.05 points per play against defending the jumper, even though he typically gets there and challenges shots. That makes sense since Parker has assumed the primary responsibility on offense and theres no reason to wear himself out playing defense. He applies his energy smartly. (As an aside, in the slides, you will only see the original metric value, not the weighted number to determine the WAM. Honors: 7x All-Star, 3x All-NBA Selection, 1966-1967 Rookie of the Year, 1967-1968 Scoring Champion, Hall of Famer. He averaged 18.4 points, 7.5 assists and 5.2 rebounds per game. Hinrich has a bit more going for him in terms of size. These point guard rankings will be the first of five articles. Seemingly overhauling your system for every opponent is not. Two-time MVP (2004-05, 2005-06), eight-time All-Star, seven-time All-NBA selection, Career stats Jason Kidd was the definition of a jack-of-all-trades point guard: he could pass, score and grab rebounds. Occasionally hell chase the play after hes been beaten, but not always. Widely known as one of the best, if not the best, point guards of all time, Chris Pauls offensive exploits are well-documented. Theres nothing wrong with knowing when you need it. Bing, despite having one of his eyes injured, was an attacking force to be reckoned with. When he gets set for a defensive play, he does a respectable job. 1. He gambles too much, and that often gets him caught out of the play. For all the hammering Im doing on Chalmers, it remains true that the Heat are better with him on the court than off of it, but its questionable if thats because hes on it. 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. His contributions won him a spot on the NBA All-Time 50th Anniversary Team. Hakeem Olajuwon 2. Best Defenders in NBA History: Top 50 Best Defensive Players By Clark Boinis | Jul 12, 2021, 4:05pm 1. He is not a guy you would single out as an NBA player in a crowded room. In case you missed it, Jason Kidd was tops on the list with 75.1 DWS, good for 11th all-time. His most notable awards include five NBA championships, three Finals MVPs, three MVPs, nine All-NBA First Team selections, and 12 All-Star appearances. Magic had unparalleled vision; he could see players get open and deliver the ball before they even realized they were open. Speed is important; a speedy point guard is better able to create separation and space off the dribble, giving themselves room to work. Hes like a runner trying to run a mile by alternating between walking and sprinting 100 yards at a time. While he recovers most of the time, its worth asking why he gets beaten. Jeremy Lin is not one of the faster point guards in the NBA, and hes not particularly quick either. Below is a list of the 25 Best point guards of the NBA. Hes a key component in Tom Thibodeaus defense, and frankly, with Thibs, you just dont stay on the court if youre not putting in the effort on the defensive end. Always free! He also only has a 65 wingspan, which is short of the other bigger point guards, but what he has, he uses well. The scouting score was then combined with the WAM score to produce WAMS, with the scouting counting as one-third of the final score. Players Stats: 23.5 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 6.6 APG, 1.7 SPG, 0.2 BPG, Honors: 2x MVP, 6x All-Star, 6x All-NBA Selection, 2015-2016 Scoring Champion. The point guard is positioned on the perimeter of the play, so as to have the best view of the action. 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. 3. Hopefully he can break it. Nash was never known as a strong defender, but he was capable of bothering opposing point guards to some extent. The corresponding WAM or WAMS scores indicate how many points a group of like-skilled players on the court would theoretically give up in 100 possessions. 19.5 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 11.2 APG, .520 FG%, The player It is startling to see the regularity with which opponents blow past Deron Williams. One of the great conundrums in rating defense is that teammates factor into it. 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. It will be interesting to see how well he does with Larry Sanders behind him in Milwaukee. 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. Being big and strong doesnt mean players automatically got higher scores, though. 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. He has the most assists and steals of any player in NBA history and is a master of the pick & roll. MVP (2014-15), two-time All-Star, two-time All-NBA selection, Career stats The only thing keeping Thomas off this list is his brief career by star standards. -- Pelton, So precise with his passes and timely with his shots. Defensively, Stockton had 3,265 steals the most all time during his 19-year career, helping him get 64.9 DWS. 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 Anyways, we hope you enjoyed going through the rankings with Magic Johnson securing first place in the Top 10 NBA point guards of all time. Meanwhile, another player has his numbers go up because he is capable. Just telling your players to play harder and close out on threes isnt a real system. First, a range of 18 to 22 makes it easier to arrive at the eventual score of 100the baseline everything was weighted to. Let me remind everyone, young and old, I played against @iamisiahthomas when he was hurt & hobbling on one leg and @iamisiahthomas still scored 25 points in one quarter in the NBA Finals! He seems to get frustrated easily. Other individual metrics and team metrics thin out the impact of those factors. 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? They work harder, and they get things eventually, but not quite as well. For a full game, Moncrief was capable of shutting down almost any guard in NBA history. But mostly he plays smartly with an occasional brain fart. 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. While he does benefit from help defense, its not as often as you might think. Many remember Ginobili for his offense, but he was also a capable defender. Even players like Derek Fisher will hang him up and then hit him with the step-back. Thats rarely going to be because of a mental error, though. 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. Of course, sometimes his opponent scored, too. Gary Payton is one of the best ever. Interpreted as: best defensive rating with a minimum of 10000 minutes played point guards in NBA history.