His shot-making and defense made him a top-tier point guard throughout his career. Since elite offensive players tend to have a higher usage rate, players that guard elite offensive players should also have more defensive plays. DJ, standing 6'4, started playing point for Boston in the second half of his basketball career and was often tasked with shutting down . 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. A point guard primarily defends on the perimeter, just as they primarily play on the perimeter on offense. Even though hes been injured a lot, Paul is averaging over two steals a game for his career. When people think of NBA point guards, he set the mold. It is easy to have the numbers skewed by a smaller sample size. Lillard, on the other hand, is generally able to get things going from the perimeter anytime he wants. NBA All-Time Player Rankings: Top 10 Point Guards 21.6 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 6.9 APG, .441 3P%, We counted down the greatest players in NBA history. Per NBA.com/STATS, the Clippers were almost 10 points per 100 possessions better defensively while Lamar Odom was on the court instead of DeAndre Jordan, yet Paul was on the court three times as much with Jordan as Odom. Rose had it all, including speed, explosiveness, and the ability to score when it mattered most. 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. He doesnt play on the ball physically, utilizing that advantage. Most of those come for one of two reasons: Either he bites on the fake and is too slow to recover, or the shooter shoots over him and he doesnt have the ups to challenge it. Jason Kidd was the definition of a jack-of-all-trades point guard: he could pass, score and grab rebounds. Two-time MVP (2004-05, 2005-06), eight-time All-Star, seven-time All-NBA selection, Career stats -- 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. The "Big O" was capable of doing it all. Players like Rose, Russell Westbrook and Kyrie Irving consistently cross him over and get past him. Its why Williams gives up .92 points per play in isolation, one of the worst averages among point guards. He has 12 All-Star selections, 10 All-NBA selections, nine All-Defensive Team selections, and a second-place MVP finish in his third season at 22. 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. And when hes on the bench, Eric Bledsoe, who is a 15th on this list, was with Odom. Fairly straightforward, this takes into account height, length and strength. Just because someone gets past him doesnt mean theyre going to score. Although Drexler never made an All-Defensive Team in his career, he did average two steals per game for his 15-year career. Does he make stupid fouls or smart fouls? If it tends to fall in the middle, he gets a 20. For this reason, a point guard is usually, but not always, more skilled and focused on passing than shooting. The effect was that the Bulls' starters all looked inferior to their backups. With the increased emphasis on the deep three, point guards account for a large portion of the league's top scorers. -- Adams, The fashion forerunner to Russell Westbrook. He does all those little things that dont show up in box scores. 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. When he does, he gets put off and his effort isnt there anymore. So I saddled up my workhorse, Synergy, and watched an hour or two of each of the top 15 WAM scores playing defense. -- Doolittle, The great Knicks ball-movement offense started with him. Because of his combination of length, speed and jumping ability, Rose has become an excellent team defender against the jump shot. Dr. A's weekly risers and fallers: Jeremy Sochan, Christian Wood make the list, NBA Power Rankings: Kevin Durant's return could rock the West, What NBA Finals runs from LeBron, Giannis can teach Jayson Tatum, They said it! Rose is arguably the most athletic point guard in the league, though Russell Westbrook could present a challenge. NRG VS KOI Highlights. Starter from the VCT lockin. #VCTLOCKIN # -- Adande, Teams 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. When defending the isolation play, he gives up a nauseating .94 points per play, a strong indication of that. That said, here are the five best defensive NBA point guards of all time, based on their DWS. Jrue Holiday is not fast so much as he is quick. His lateral movement and reaction time are exceptional, and thats indicated by his isolation defense. There is no doubt that Stephen Curry inherited his incredible shooting ability from his father, Dell, who was a successful NBA marksman himself, but the younger Curry's game is more diverse than Dell's. You can be the best shooter in the world, but you can't score if you don't get the ball. If you dont want to consider them, then dont. Coaches are responsible for developing young players, and it would have been fun to watch him grow under Doc Rivers. As previously stated, he gets the help from Green and Leonard to guard the top point guards. With both, its the combination of their size and speed that makes them so phenomenal. Even though Payton only played a little part in 2006, the Heats success would not have been possible without his defensive presence and leadership. The five best defensive NBA shooting guards of all time He gave up 1.01 points per play on the spot-up last year. In his first season, he specialized in defense and could stop almost every point guard in the league on a regular basis. He never leaves his man to help a defender that doesnt need help, but he always seems to be there when help is needed. He yields a whopping 41.5 three-point percentage on the spot-up, which is just not good. Even players like Derek Fisher will hang him up and then hit him with the step-back. 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. Archibald, who was just 61 tall, was able to consistently sink the ball despite his diminutive stature. He has the speed to get there, but not the length to disrupt the shot once he does. He had the best peak for any point guard in NBA history, hands down. 24. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 13. This can cause other players to become disinvolved in the offense. Even though he was 38 years old when he won his first NBA championship with the Mavericks, he had two trips to the NBA Finals with the Nets. Whether this is a result of his reputation being undeserved or him not putting forth the effort isnt hard to determine. Best Defensive Rating Point Guards In NBA History | StatMuse 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. Copyright 2023 YB Media, LLC. Then again, the limited number of plays may be, in part, due to the fact that hes so hard to post up. 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. -- Doolittle, Cousy was an And-1 mix tape in black-and-white. He almost always went under the pick. 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. His huge hands allowed him to pass as effectively with one hand as most could with two. Knight gets almost no help whatsoever from help defense. NBA History: Ranking the Greatest Guards Ever - Bleacher Report It only looks at the data. Though he had a relatively short career he only played 13 seasons his 50.4 DWS is 44th overall. 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. Blake Griffin was 21st out of 47 power forwards, and Jordan was 23rd out of 38 centers. Chalmers will fail at things, but not because he isnt trying. You probably cant say right away, because you watched the storyline, not how Harvey dressed. For example, the Spurs absolutely ate him alive in the playoffs with Tony Parker, who averaged 24.5 points for the series. How much a player understands his role in the defense is measured here. Sometimes his teammates bailed him out; sometimes the shot just didnt go in. Then, when players pull up and shoot, he doesnt use his length to close and get a hand in the face of the shooter. Defensive rebounds are generally undervalued, although its also true that all defensive rebounds arent the same. In systems like the Grizzlies play, the point guard is the first line of defense. That concludes the WAP portion of our programming schedule. He simply doesnt have the same ability as the elite point guards to get up in the air, and that hinders his ability to defend the jump shot. -- Peterson, He's one of only a few players in history who has been deemed too good for the sport's own good. Paul gets caught in a trap that WAM cant entirely avoid because it can only look at what happens, not why it happens. Why John Stockton is the greatest NBA point guard of all-time - The Roar He also uses that length to be one of the best shot-blocking point guards in the league. Smart people recognize their limitations. Danny Green and Kawhi Leonard, two of the better perimeter defenders in the league, often take up the responsibility for guarding the best point guards. He leaves talented shooters alone to go double-team bad shooters. Instead of passing after bringing up the ball they quickly drive to the basket or step back for an outside shot. Its amusing that some people say Rose doesnt apply himself on defense. On Wednesday, we will have the top 10 shooting guards of all time, followed by small forwards, power forwards and centers. Thats a strong indication that Rose was not relying on help defense because that same help was there for C.J. Adande, His Game 6 in the 1980 Finals, while jumping center as a 20-year-old rookie, has to be on the Mt. Its not uncommon to see him challenge shots with both feet on the floor. The NBA is a point guard's paradise these days, so let's start All-Time #NBArank with our pantheon points. He had the second-best defensive rating in the NBA. 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. Williams tends to play defense, but he only seems to do the minimum. 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. Penny is deserving of a much better ranking just because he is such a gifted one. He doesnt put a lot of effort into chasing his man through screens. Stats dont make a good argument, they make a good foundation for a good argument. 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. He may be the finest defensive guard ever because of his awareness and abilities on the defensive end. All-Time #NBArank: Top 10 point guards ever, 'Not going out this way': Nets, down 28, stun C's, Kerr touts 5-0 homestand: Dubs 'turned a corner', KD: Mavs tilt, Kyrie meeting 'just another game', Owner: Snyder, Fields will bring Hawks success, Isaac has surgery on adductor, done for season, Clips' Powell out at least a week to treat shoulder, LeBron to have tendon injury checked in 3 weeks. Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Isaiah Thomas 5. 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. His career averages of 27 PPG, 6.0 RPG, and 7.0 APG were arguably the best ever put up by a point guard when he retired in 1974. As one of the elite point guards in the NBA, you would expect him to have elite athleticism, but he actually doesnt. The biggest reason appears to be a fundamental one. The Top 100 will begin to roll out next week. 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. 8. Chris Paul is widely considered to be one of the best point guards of the 2010s. 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. Chris Paul had the awkward situation this year of being smarter than his head coach, Vinny Del Negro. Hes listed at 62 which seems about right, and hes broad-shouldered and strong for his height, but he also seems to have shorter limbs, although I cant find his wingspan listed on Draft Express. Greg Monroe has talent on the offensive side of the ball but not a whole lot on the defensive side. Even when in position, he wont jump to challenge a shot. Offense is so much more than just scoring. The NBA is a point guard's paradise these days, so let's start All-Time #NBArank with our pantheon points. Kawhi Leonard 11. He tends to do the right thing, but then hell do something kind of stupid that makes you wonder what hes thinkingeven if what hes thinking is right. 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. Sometimes hell even rush to defend the wrong guy while his man is draining a wide-open three. Players Stats: 16.3 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 6.7 APG, 1.8 SPG, 0.2 BPG, Honors: 9x All-Stars, 9x All-NBA Selection, 1990-1991 Rookie of the Year, 9x All-Defensive Team Selection, 1995-1996 Defensive Player of the Year, Hall of Famer. He just cant do anything about it. Hes just unable able to get high enough to legitimately challenge the shot. 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. He does a capable job of knowing when to help and when to stay. 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). Westbrooks Synergy numbers on the pick-and-roll (.75) and isolation (.7) suggest hes better than he actually is. Top 5 Defensive Point Guards in NBA History - Basketball Articles Mike Conley is exceptionally quick, virtually teleporting himself from one part of the court to another at times. . Who's the best offensive point guard of all time? Still, Nash's greatest historical legacy will be paving the way for Stephen Curry and a new generation of point guards in a league that embraced point guards making plays with a wide-open court. After all, as his name implies, Billups was known for taking and making huge shots in order to help his team win. Despite the fact that he was unable to win an NBA championship, his charisma and dribbling prowess will never be forgotten. Some of this is hard to know whether to ascribe to Bledsoe or to his former coach, Vinny Del Negro, who hones his X's and O's skills by playing tic-tac-toe online. Only two NBA championships would make him the second-best player in NBA history. He also uses his quick hands to steal the dribble, and he does so without taking risks. They must also be able to adapt to what the defense is allowing and must control the pace of the game. Chris Paul fell into the same kind of trap last season. 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. He gives up too much space and still gets beaten. Dont be surprised to see him as a head coach someday. Perhaps if hes in shoes and standing on a milk crate filled with milk, thats true. 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. In addition to the traditional role of the point guard, modern teams have found new ways to utilize the position.
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