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. When he does do it, he does it half-heartedly. 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. Were shooters able to shoot over them? The official cause of death of Flashdance singer Irene Cara has been determined. Point guards are expected to run the team's offense by controlling the ball and making sure that it gets to the right player at the right time. Williams needs to have a bit of a paradigm shift in the direction of team defense. For eight consecutive seasons, Cousy was the leagues top assist producer, and he was also one of the finest scorers in the league. Does he pick up his man when switched? Hes like a runner trying to run a mile by alternating between walking and sprinting 100 yards at a time. Now hes in Phoenix, and well see how both he and Jeff Hornacek develop in their new roles. -- Pelton, So precise with his passes and timely with his shots. 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. Though he had a relatively short career he only played 13 seasons his 50.4 DWS is 44th overall. 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. Conley is generously listed at 61 and 180 pounds. Other stats were determined by using my trusty sidekick, MS Excel, loaded up with standard stats available on most websites. Some contend its not his fault that hes short, but its not Jarrett Jacks fault that hes slow either. The house would collapse. The point guard (PG), also called the one or the point, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball game. This is to avoid confusion if you want to go to the original source.). In fact, its probably the most important thing. Players Stats: 12.6 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 8.7 APG, 1.9 SPG, 0.3 BPG, Honors: 10x All-Star, 6x All-NBA Selection, 1994-1995 Rookie of the Year, 9x All-Defensive Team Selection, Hall of Famer. Thats when you see him start to do things like not close out on shooters, merely waving his hand in the air instead. Hes so undersized, youd think he was just some regular guy. He tends to be beaten off the dribble more often than he should be, considering his physical advantages, but he also uses his physical ability to recover when he is beaten. Thats largely true. Isaiah Thomas 5. Chris is also a leader on the defensive end of the court, having been named to nine All-Defensive Teams. Sometimes that works, such as his quick darts under picks. 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. As a result, he has received numerous awards, including the 'NBA Most Valuable Player' (MVP) award and the "PAC Player of the Year." The defensive stats arent a good way to determine the totality of defense, but they are a factor and shouldnt be ignored. As a result of his hurling himself around the court with utter abandon, he was generally a positive when it came to help defense. -- 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. If it tends to fall in the middle, he gets a 20. 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. 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. Rondos lack of a need for help defense allows Garnett to help more elsewhere. There arent many point guards in the league who can match Roses pure size and strength. I like to compare it to the relationship between a foundation and a house. He could create at an elite level while also scoring off the dribble from the midrange. SHOCKING one of the best defensive point guards of all time played great defense on a 20 year project old player. Coaches are responsible for developing young players, and it would have been fun to watch him grow under Doc Rivers. He keeps track of his man when holding back in the lane to cut off passing lanes. He gets a ton of help from his teammates and isnt asked to give a lot back. Hes one of the slower point guards in the league now, but in spite of that, hes almost ubiquitous at times. Hall of Famer was an impressive defensive player in his own right. His Synergy scores are worse than expected, but that appears to be from players just shooting over him more than getting past him. Bledsoe spent the majority of his time with Odom, while Chris Paul spent the majority of his time with Jordan, which confuses the on/off ratings. Therefore, a lower score is superior. Teams One aspect of Roses year-long absence that gets lost is how much the team suffered defensively without him. 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. Lets see who has made it to the top 10 best point guards of all time. 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. Among the greatest point guards of all time, Tiny is among the finest ever. 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. You just dont see him make the wrong plays. The greater problem is how easily he gets disrupted on pick-and-roll defense. Only two NBA championships would make him the second-best player in NBA history. He secures first place in the top 10 NBA point guards of all time. Broadly speaking, over 7,000 pieces of data on 226 players, in 16 different categories, were compiled into a database. He made everything go for those Lakers teams. Kevin Durant, surprisingly, also bails out his co-star a lot. But, there is one only shooting guard that leapfrogged over all others. Hes able to use that size advantage by being physical, playing close and aggressive, often forcing shooters into shots they arent comfortable taking. He is a natural playmaker with excellent point guard abilities, creating the ideal point guard prototype. He defends pick-and-rolls exceptionally well because hes able to shake off picks without much trouble, even pushing around stronger players like Carlos Boozer or Robin Lopez at times. When he gets it going, hes unstoppable. Wilt Chamberlain 14. But one in 20 is egregiously bad.). New York Knicks (1967-1977), Cleveland Cavaliers (1977-1980), Honors: But Gary Payton did as a member of the Seattle Supersonics. The .72 points per play he gives up in isolation is elite-level defense. Im cheating a little here. Kyle Lowry has exceptional speed and athleticism. Meanwhile, another player has his numbers go up because he is capable. He was an unstoppable offensive force who could score from anywhere on the court and in any way he wanted. -- Kevin Pelton, NBA Insider, May be the strongest point guard ever and consistently made everyone around him better. Parker has a hefty 1.05 points per play against defending the jumper, even though he typically gets there and challenges shots. WAMS includes scouting. A 12-time All-Defensive Team selection, a nine-time 1st team All-Defense and three-time 2nd team All-Defense, Bryants 50.6 DWS ranks him 43rd overall. The best way to track how effective a player is on the defensive end is by looking at their cumulative defensive win shares. This is where everything focuses on Westbrook. His quickness and slim frame allow him to slip through gaps in the defence and create more opportunities for himself. The best way to track how effective a player is on the defensive end is by looking at their cumulative defensive win shares. In the past, this was particularly true, as several point guards such as Lenny Wilkens served their teams as player coaches. Johnson had a knack for scoring against everyone and racked up impressive numbers throughout the course of his career. That said, here are the five best defensive NBA point guards of all time, based on their DWS. Del Negro just worried about the matchup without ever developing a true defensive system or identity with the Clippers. He doesnt use his size exceptionally badly or incredibly well, though. After ball-handling, the most important areas of the game for a point guard are passing and scoring. 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. He also defends well against post-up plays, yielding just .54 points per play, although thats on an admittedly small 17-play sample size. Trail Blazers playoff failures have been a major blemish on both his game and his career so far. He was the primary defender on 1,127 plays last year in all, surpassed only by Stephen Curry among point guards. Ultimately, Johnson's unselfishness earned him the title of greatest point guard of all time. For a full game, Moncrief was capable of shutting down almost any guard in NBA history. Six blind men all go to see an elephant which they'venever encountered before. Take, for example, Carlos Boozer in 2012. 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. After watching Paul play defense for a while, what stands out over everything else is that he just never stops movingliterally. -- 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. Players like Deron Williams, Kyrie Irving and John Wall blew by him fairly consistently. For each of the following metrics, click on the subhead to be taken to the source website for more details. Derrick Rose 15. Kevin Durant, Jayson Tatum top NBA quotes of the week. 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. Does he make stupid fouls or smart fouls? -- Pelton, Today's children will ask, "Who was the Steph Curry before Steph Curry?" When hes coming off screens, hes especially horrible, giving up 1.15 points per play. Does he rotate on time? He was the league's third player to reach 25,000 points (after Wilt Chamberlain and Oscar Robertson). Then, when players pull up and shoot, he doesnt use his length to close and get a hand in the face of the shooter. This year, without Rose, the Bulls were 23rd, at 21.0 points per game. Average players struggled, though. When we watch basketball, we get general impressions of defense, but the storyline is whats happening with the ball. Widely known as one of the best, if not the best, point guards of all time, Chris Pauls offensive exploits are well-documented. Dikembe Mutombo 7. Lin is a mixed bag when it comes to help defense. Dubs' Curry (leg) could return as soon as Sun. At 63, with a wingspan of almost 68, he has decent size. Exceptions were made for Derrick Rose, Danny Granger, Andrew Bynum and Kevin Love because they have all been All-Star players, and all are still, at least by age, in their prime. He just doesnt have the length to effectively guard against them. It is startling to see the regularity with which opponents blow past Deron Williams. In his 20 seasons, Bryant. Sometimes hell even rush to defend the wrong guy while his man is draining a wide-open three. Hes always looking where hes supposed to go, and moving in that direction, but he just takes his time getting there. -- Peterson, Teams Follow Sports Brief on Twitter for more trending and breaking news! A point guard often controls the offense and they also control who gets the ball and who doesn't, as this type of controlling style of play is necessary to control the tempo of a game. However, a good jump shot and the ability to score off a drive to the basket are still valuable skills. Nixon played 6 seasons with the Lakers, making the All-Star Teams in 1982 and 1982 when he posted 17.6 PPG and 17.2 PPG respectively. This is also from the various sources we have used. Jason Kidd was the definition of a jack-of-all-trades point guard: he could pass, score and grab rebounds. If someone goes past him, hell usually just wave goodbye. 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. 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. Gary Payton 12. A point guard should know when and how to instigate a fast break and when and how to initiate the more deliberate sets. (I know, but it is a part of defense these days.) 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 . The former professional basketball player was born on March 26, 1962, and is regarded as one of the best passing point guards. Phoenix Suns (1996-98, 2004-12), Dallas Mavericks (1998-2004), Los Angeles Lakers (2012-15), Honors He doesnt cheat in either direction, though. That said, here are the five best defensive NBA point guards of all time, based on their DWS. Whats remarkable is how quickly he gets to the shooter and gets a hand in his face, even if its all the way to the corner three and the shooter is setting when Rose takes off. Triple Double and for good reason: hes fourth all-time in triple-doubles with 107. In his first season, he specialized in defense and could stop almost every point guard in the league on a regular basis. That earned him the nickname Mr. In all, Jordans 64.1 DWS rank him 21st all-time. West became synonymous with brilliant basketball during his 14-year playing career with the Los Angeles Lakers. Watching a thing, and watching for a thing, are different. -- Pelton, If he had played with The Mailman or a defense as stout as the Pistons, he might have made a couple of Finals by now. Hell go flying outside the play, right as his man catches the ball, and then hell not only have to make up that ground, but hell also have to fight through the pick. He has no All-Defensive team accolades, because those werent introduced until the 1968-1969 season. The total numbers were then adjusted to arrive at a score ranging between 90 (best) and 110 (worst). 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? In fact, Rondo gives more help than he getscontrary to my previous opinion. His 47.4 DWS is 54th overall, good for an average of 2.963 DWS per season, slightly edging Wade. Pauls been an All-Defensive Team selection nine times, being selected to the 1st team seven times and the 2nd team twice. All the other tools and effort can be rendered useless by a little stupidity. 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. Great size made him impossible for most. The Cleveland Cavaliers 2016 championship run would not have been possible without Kyrie Irving, who is a two-time NBA champion. Ranking 50 Greatest Point Guards in NBA History Photo Gallery | NBA.com Teams G League WNBA BAL NBA 2K NBA Store NBA League Pass Tickets Schedule Team News Gameday Youth Basketball Shop. 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. But he never does. Los Angeles Lakers (1979-91, 1995-96), 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. While the Clippers were better when Paul was on the bench, it wasnt because he was on the bench. These combo point guards can surprise defenses. -- Micah Adams, No one was more dynamic, or magical, with the ball in the open court than Earvin Johnson. He doesnt disrupt team defense with unnecessary gambles. Being big and strong doesnt mean players automatically got higher scores, though. He is in charge of getting the ball into the hands of the shooters. Hes just unable able to get high enough to legitimately challenge the shot. He averages 1.8 steals per game. Stockton was the. My guess is that it has something to do with that. In case you missed it, Jason Kidd was tops on the list with 75.1 DWS, good for 11th all-time. He doesnt play on the ball physically, utilizing that advantage. But Gary Payton did as a member of the Seattle Supersonics. Steve Nash 7. Here are the answers to some questions readers are likely to have. James is well-known for his incredible skill and ability to score big points, which frequently help his team win crucial games. Interpreted as: best defensive rating with a minimum of 10000 minutes played point guards in NBA history. He has the speed to get there, but not the length to disrupt the shot once he does. Mar 6, 2020; New York, New York, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Chris Paul (3) reacts during the second half against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. At the very least, he could stab those quick hands of his at some more balls and disrupt the dribble from behind. Since I always get asked "Where's ___________?" A lot has been made of how an explosive offense is the way to captivate fans. Back in the 80s and 90s as a member of the Portland Trail Blazers and Houston Rockets, Clyde The Glide Drexler and Michael Jordan constantly battled for the title of best shooting guard. In order to claim that title, both players had to play defense as well. Notable point guards of the WNBA include five-time champion Sue Bird, her Olympic teammate Diana Taurasi (the only two basketball players of either gender to earn five Olympic gold medals for basketball[1]) and Courtney Vandersloot. Thats the advantage of the scouting portion. Stockton was a member of two gold medal teams and twice reached the NBA finals during his remarkable career. Did they get pushed around easily? The facts need to come first. Hinrich always had a high basketball IQ. 43 views, 0 likes, 0 loves, 0 comments, 0 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from BabyYo: NRG VS KOI Highlights. Magic Johnson won the National Basketball Association Most Valuable Player Award three times in his career. The true driving force of his partnership with Karl Malone. 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. A decade of playing and a plethora of injuries havent helped him get any faster. 13.1 PPG, 10.5 APG, 2.2 SPG, .384 3P%, The player To create All-Time #NBArank, we put together a ballot with the 150 greatest players ever. He yields a whopping 41.5 three-point percentage on the spot-up, which is just not good. On the other hand, you cant deny what happened, regardless of how much you watch. Los Angeles Lakers late legend Kobe Bryant is often considered the greatest Laker ever and with good reason: Bryant is first in many of the Lakers statistical categories. There are some serious contenders in Steve Nash and Walter Frazier, so hell have to settle for fourth place in the race.
Police Incident Mechanicsburg, Pa, Bird That Sounds Like A Whistle At Night, Grey Gardens Mental Illness Diagnosis, Lieber Correctional Institution News, Articles B