To read more, go here! With his limited speed, he is always in full throttle and getting himself around the court, pestering whoever has the ball. 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. 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. At 6-foot-1, he's the shortest NBA Finals MVP in league history, a reflection of his unique ability to dominate at the point guard position. The ripple effect of that was that every single Bull had a worse defensive rating with Boozer than when playing with Gibson. 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. After years of being sidelined by ailments, the grandeur that should have been his was snatched from him. Each touches a different part of the elephant, one an ear, another the torso and so on. Bledsoe is a bit of a freak. He normally makes the right play, even if he doesnt always do it well. Lillard has been one of the NBA's most dangerous scorers, capable of striking shots from anywhere on the floor. He led the NBA in scoring in only his second season, 1967-68, with 27.1 points per game. By the time he was done, he had racked up 10 All-Star appearances, nine All-Defense selections, six All-NBA . His huge hands allowed him to pass as effectively with one hand as most could with two. -- 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). 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. In the NBA, Isiah Thomas is an amazing leader and is truly the most competitive force on the court that we have seen from a tiny guy. During his career, he was selected to nine All-NBA Defensive Teams and five All-Star teams. He gets crossed over pretty easily, and not just by the Associations elite point guards. 2. Lillard would likely be at the top of this list if measured as an offensive package as a whole. He is in charge of getting the ball into the hands of the shooters. 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. There are few players on this list who can match his incredible scoring, rebounding, and playmaking prowess. 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. Its more than that. In case you missed it, Jason Kidd was tops on our point guard list with 75.1 defensive win shares, good for 11th all-time. Stockton embodied a true point guard: an extension of the coach that ran the teams offense seamlessly. Its safe to say that Kidd is one of the greatest guards to ever play on the basketball floor. He also is tougher than most point guards to post up. In all, Jordans 64.1 DWS rank him 21st all-time. One of the most recognisable players in NBA history, Walt Frazier is a deserving candidate for the Basketball Hall of Fame. Hes able to use that size advantage by being physical, playing close and aggressive, often forcing shooters into shots they arent comfortable taking. DWS are how many wins a player produces based on his defensive ability. There are some serious contenders in Steve Nash and Walter Frazier, so hell have to settle for fourth place in the race. Other stats were determined by using my trusty sidekick, MS Excel, loaded up with standard stats available on most websites. Micah Adams is the lead NBA research specialist for ESPN Stats and Info. He affected the paradigm for overseas guards trying to break into the NBA. If he wins an NBA championship, Chris Paul, the current number one point guard, will rise even higher on this ranking. From that, each player was scored in five different areas on a scale of 18 (best) to 22 (worst). Ben Wallace 12. On the other hand, no matter how solid the foundation is, you cant move into it. WAMS includes scouting. 1987 Lakers are often seen as one of the greatest teams ever. The only thing keeping Thomas off this list is his brief career by star standards. He might have Silly Putty for a father. Big Shot, is one of the finest point guard leaders in the NBA. You can almost rate Chalmers improving basketball intelligence by how many times per game he gets yelled at by his superstar teammates. -- Brad Doolittle, Robertson's averaging a triple-double in 1961-62 is probably overrated because it was a product of the fast-paced play in the 1960s, but his role in the Milwaukee Bucks' early '70s championship run is probably underrated. There are a number of different types of metrics available from various websites. Damian Lillard's nuclear 71-point explosion Sunday night was jaw-dropping and somehow not all that surprising. David Robinson 6. (I know, but it is a part of defense these days.) One of the great conundrums in rating defense is that teammates factor into it. At the point guard position, point guard Damian Lillard is one of the games most talented shooters and scorers. 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. His Synergy numbers compared to some of his team numbers validate that. In fact, no drafted guard has ever measured a worse sprint, vertical and agility test. Players Stats: 20.3 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 6.0 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.2 BPG. But it seems like Paul is nutmeggingand breaking opposing defenders ankles every game. What color was his tie? 6 (1957, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963), Career stats When the game is on the line, you like to see players find fifth, but Lin never does. -- Adande, Teams More explosive and athletic point guards focus on scoring as opposed to play-making, forgoing assists and ball-movement, and often defense, for higher scoring numbers. Each fails to realize that they are all right, and that the real answer is in the combination of what they all experienced. In his 16-year career, Wade averaged 2.961 DWS per year and his 47.38 DWS is good for 55th overall. Normally this would be a list of FAQs, but no one has ever asked any questions (since no one has ever seen it). -- Pelton, So precise with his passes and timely with his shots. -- Haberstroh, Teams Thats 20th all-time, with Kidd being the only other guard above him. If he tends to be the helped, he gets a worse score. However, who are the all-time top point guards? It just feels like there should be another notch where pride kicks in, he gets passionateor even angryand he hits another level. Even though hes been injured a lot, Paul is averaging over two steals a game for his career. 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. 76ers vs. Hinrich always had a high basketball IQ. -- Adams, For nine consecutive years, Nash's teams led the NBA in offensive rating. Does he know when to help and not to help? -- Adams, Combined savvy with underrated strength. The "Big O" was capable of doing it all. He averaged 18.4 points, 7.5 assists and 5.2 rebounds per game. But he jogs when he should run, is lackadaisical closing out shooters and goes through the motions when running through his rotations. 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. 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. Championships: 3. 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. One aspect of Roses year-long absence that gets lost is how much the team suffered defensively without him. He is easily one of the physically weaker players in the league, even for his position. Sometimes that works, such as his quick darts under picks. The classic definition of a point guard, orchestrating offense and shooting when necessary. The point guard (PG), also called the one or the point, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball game. The .72 points per play he gives up in isolation is elite-level defense. Johnson had a knack for scoring against everyone and racked up impressive numbers throughout the course of his career. That has more to do with the second-string frontcourt, led by Lamar Odom, backing him up than it does his team defense. Over the last decade, the best point guards such as Stephen Curry, Damian Lillard, Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook, and others have dominated the position. You can look at why things happen and offset the misleading things. By NBA standards, he jumps like an elephant and runs like a turtle (and not one of those fast turtles youve heard tell of eithera slow turtle). Lennys passing and leadership on the floor were solid, but he also had a few great scoring years on the court. Kevin Durant, surprisingly, also bails out his co-star a lot. 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. At 63, with a wingspan of almost 68, he has decent size. He tends to rely on his speed to compensate for his lack of mass. He stands third among the top 10 point guards of all time. His shot-making and defense made him a top-tier point guard throughout his career. Nevertheless, its just as important. He might physically play below the rim, but few can touch how he plays above the neck. Some point guards are still given a great deal of leeway in the offense. My guess is that it has something to do with that. Even when picks are set behind his back, he instinctively knows they are there and just steps over them seamlessly. He could launch it from 30 feet or more with ease. He also uses that length to be one of the best shot-blocking point guards in the league. He benefits tremendously from help defense as previously mentioned, but that doesnt mean he doesnt also provide help defense. 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? 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. 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. 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. 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. You also can follow along @ESPNNBA and on Facebook. He was transcendent. Players Stats: 19.2 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 9.3 APG, 1.9 SPG, 0.3 BPG, Honors: 1989-1990 Finals MVP, 12x All-Star, 5x All-NBA Selection, Hall of Famer. Bledsoe is not a great help defender, in spite of boasting a -4.9 net defensive rating.
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