Phoenix Suns (1996-98, 2004-12), Dallas Mavericks (1998-2004), Los Angeles Lakers (2012-15), Honors The five best defensive point guards of all time Jarrod Castillo Dec 16, 2019; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Chris Paul (3) directs his team during a play against the. Ben Wallace 12. But, there is one only shooting guard that leapfrogged over all others. Only two NBA championships would make him the second-best player in NBA history. Along with leadership and a general basketball acumen, ball-handling is a skill of great importance to a point guard. Each touches a different part of the elephant, one an ear, another the torso and so on. He and Chris Paul are the contenders for smartest defensive point guard in the game today. Russell Westbrook and Derrick Rose are the two most physically gifted point guards of their generation, and, as a result, are constantly going to be compared to one another. That would make sense, but there are two reasons to choose the unconventional scale. Its no surprise that the best point guards in the NBA have more than just the ability to pass the basketball. The other thing thats surprising about Rondo with his size is how well he fights over picks. On the other, he so rarely allows his opponent to get past him that he doesnt need to rely on it either. Jrue Holiday is making . 2. As a result, hes 17th all-time with 1944 and had six seasons in the top-20 in steals. In many cases, I looked at their combine results. When he was off the ball, it was spectacular. A defensive point guard will also pressure opponents in passing lanes in an attempt to generate steals and scoring opportunities for their own team. Can they play bigger than they really are? Best Point Guard Defensive Rating 2022 | StatMuse And I never saw him go in the wrong direction, not once. 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. 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. 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. For his time with the Phoenix Suns, Johnson is most known for his role alongside Charles Barkley. Defensively, Stockton had 3,265 steals the most all time during his 19-year. Players Stats: 24.0 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 6.5 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.3 BPG, Honors: 5x All-Stars, 4x All-NBA Selection, 2012-2013 Rookie of the Year. The Glove was a nine-time All-Defensive Team selection, making the First Team all nine times. -- 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. The debate over whether it should have been a flagrant is mootclearly that got into James head because he was talking about it after the game. James Harden's age: stats, contract, family, dating, net worth in 2022 and more. This is also manifested in his spot-up defense. His helter-skelter wizziness has him flying around the court, and sometimes its good. 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. -- Haberstroh, Teams However, when the game is on the line, he makes the right decision. He led the NBA in scoring in only his second season, 1967-68, with 27.1 points per game. It was just his second season when he led the league in scoring with an average of 27.1 points per game, despite some serious injury setbacks. Hes not looking at the ball-handler's chest, which makes him susceptible to fakes, so when his opponent breaks, Rose is momentarily frozen. 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 manages to defend the pick-and-roll reasonably well by doing something I can only call bouncing over picks. Players like Rose, Russell Westbrook and Kyrie Irving consistently cross him over and get past him. Even though injuries caught up with him toward the end of his illustrious career, Bryant still battled as a defender when needed. -- Adams, Combined savvy with underrated strength. Its what separates him from being a valuable, slightly overrated defender, and an elite defender. Honors: 1978-1979 Finals MVP, 5x All-Star, 9x All-Defense Selection, 2x All-NBA Team Selection, Hall of Famer. Rondo may not be big, but he doesnt know that. 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. READ ALSO: James Harden's age: stats, contract, family, dating, net worth in 2022 and more. Hes still learning to apply that tremendous athleticism on the defensive end of the court, though. DJ, standing 6'4, started playing point for Boston in the second half of his basketball career and was often tasked with shutting down . Here are the answers to some questions readers are likely to have. NBA History: Ranking the Greatest Guards Ever - Bleacher Report 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. Its hard to notice his effort, though, because of the consistency with which he gets destroyed. On the other hand, no matter how solid the foundation is, you cant move into it. The reason teams run so much pick-and-roll is that it works. Also with both, theyve shown more success utilizing their physical attributes on the offensive end than the defensive end. 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. The best way to track how effective a player is on the defensive end is by looking at their cumulative defensive win shares. While that is by design, he shouldnt get the same credit as players who bring their full attention the entire time theyre on the court. Lillard would likely be at the top of this list if measured as an offensive package as a whole. Rondo consistently applies every bit of effort in him on the defensive end. He is tremendous at using that muscle to his advantage, too. He has above-average size and strength, but he doesnt play like it. On defense, the point guard is tasked with making the opposing point guard as ineffective as possible. Parker has a hefty 1.05 points per play against defending the jumper, even though he typically gets there and challenges shots. He was born on March 23, 1973. The Greatest Defensive PG's in NBA History! - ranker.com Who's the best defensive point guard of all time? - Quora 6 (1957, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963), Career stats 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. Dont be surprised to see him as a head coach someday. Honors: 6x All-Star, 2x All-NBA Selection, 2011-2012 Rookie of the Year, Players Stats: 22.4 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 5.7 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.4 BPG. What color was his tie? It is the same with his mental engagement in the game. Top NBA point guards for 2022-23: Ranking all 30 starters On the flip side, Westbrook's 4.13 turnovers per game average is the highest all-time, with Johnson (3. . The best way to track how effective a player is on the defensive end is by looking at their cumulative defensive win shares. He does so by using positioning, skillful footwork and what lateral quickness he does have (which is a liberal use of the word "quickness") to minimize the damage. Here he is. Mr. Paul is just listed at just 60, and that might be generous. 50 Greatest NBA Point Guards of All Time - Bleacher Report Its difficult to have a perfect rating system thats entirely objective, and even more difficult to have a realistic one that is purely subjective. "The Logo" Jerry West was an NBA Champion, a 14 time All-Star, ten time All-NBA First team selection, four time All-Defensive team selection, NBA scoring champion and an NBA assist leader. Additionally, Stockton was a fantastic shooter and defender, almost possessing no weaknesses on the floor at all. He would find a way to beat his opponents, mentally and physically, and without his defensive tenacity, he wouldnt be considered the greatest of all-time. He bulls through picks well and is not afraid to go over them. 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. There are a number of different types of metrics available from various websites. 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. In essence, hes athletic enough to do a respectable job of what hes asked to do. When they do, he gets tangled up pretty badly; it happens so rarely, though, youd think he had eyes in the back of his head. Gary Payton 9. -- J.A. -- Kevin Pelton, Teams Jumping ability, body control and agility were all considered as well. 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. Its frustrating watching Holiday play because when he gets out of position, it doesnt appear that its because hes caught out of position in the sense that he doesnt know where to be. When he does, he gets put off and his effort isnt there anymore. Stockton embodied a true point guard - an extension of the coach that ran the teams offense seamlessly. Hes not just ordinary quick, either; hes pesky-quick, with fast hands that dart in and take the ball out of the ball-handler's dribble with alarming frequency. For that reason, subjective analysis was also included. Interpreted as: best defensive rating with a minimum of 10000 minutes played point guards in NBA history. He could play any spot on the court as well. He did it not once, not twice, but three times. In his 20 seasons, Bryant averaged 2.5 DWS and 1.4 steals per year. He cant be faulted for not being taller or longer, but he could use the length he has better. While it does keep the opponent in front of him, it defeats the purpose if the opponent is still getting to the basket. Interpreted as: best point guard defensive rating with a minimum of 2000 minutes played per 82 team games 2022 When hes not getting wrapped up, he plays the pick-and-roll well. Adapting your system to every opponent and knowing their nuances is understandable. He led the league in total steals this year and did so without playing a lot of gambling defense. 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. Thats rarely going to be because of a mental error, though. His contributions won him a spot on the NBA All-Time 50th Anniversary Team. Ultimately, Johnson's unselfishness earned him the title of greatest point guard of all time. Some players defined their positions. It looked like teams designed plays counting on him being lazy. When the pick gets set, he just hurls into it and uses the momentum of the bounce to send him in the right direction. Closing out on shooters, hell go sailing past them. Being big and strong doesnt mean players automatically got higher scores, though. His net defensive rating of 4.2 is an indication of both a lack of his helping and asking for help. The effect was that the Bulls' starters all looked inferior to their backups. But it seems like Paul is nutmeggingand breaking opposing defenders ankles every game. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 13. They must also be able to adapt to what the defense is allowing and must control the pace of the game. In all, Jordans 64.1 DWS rank him 21st all-time. Rondos lack of a need for help defense allows Garnett to help more elsewhere. Teams Defensively, Stockton had 3,265 steals the most all time during his 19-year career, helping him get 64.9 DWS. 43 views, 0 likes, 0 loves, 0 comments, 0 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from BabyYo: NRG VS KOI Highlights. 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. The Cleveland Cavaliers relied heavily on Kyrie Irving to take and hit huge shots, even when he was partnered with LeBron James. He doesnt have overwhelming effort that blows you away, but he has earnest effort. New York Knicks (1967-1977), Cleveland Cavaliers (1977-1980), Honors: 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? But Gary Payton did as a member of the Seattle Supersonics. He has the most assists and steals of any player in NBA history and is a master of the pick & roll. This implies that the point guard serves as an extension of their coach on the court, and he or she is accountable for making the right plays every night. I suspect that some of this might be by design, as Holiday bore a leading part of the burden on both ends of the court for his team, so its understandable to a point, but not to the extent I saw. Its not uncommon to see him challenge shots with both feet on the floor. 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. He doesnt use his size exceptionally badly or incredibly well, though. That said, here are the five best defensive NBA point guards of all time, based on their DWS. There is no doubt about it: Steph Curry is the second-best in the top 10 point guards of all time. 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. Many times, the point guard is referred to by announcers, as a "coach on the floor" or a "floor general". Finals MVP, 12-time All-Star, five-time All-NBA selection, Hall of Fame, Career stats Then, when players pull up and shoot, he doesnt use his length to close and get a hand in the face of the shooter. Then again, the limited number of plays may be, in part, due to the fact that hes so hard to post up. At the point guard position, point guard Damian Lillard is one of the games most talented shooters and scorers. Jason Kidd 9. Some will just hang around waiting for the play to end, but Jack keeps track of his man and also helps if its needed. Most players will take a little on-court breather now and then. Is he an effective flopper? Players Stats: 16.5 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 6.7 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.2 BPG. However, the other side of the ball cant be overlooked because as the saying goes: defense wins championships.. Only two other players besides Moncrief have won the NBAs defensive player of the year award twice. 13.1 PPG, 10.5 APG, 2.2 SPG, .384 3P%, The player Michael Jordan 10. DWS are how many wins a player produces based on his defensive ability. MVP (2014-15), two-time All-Star, two-time All-NBA selection, Career stats With Doc Rivers in charge, things should turn around shortly, and next year his WAM score will be among the best in the league. Players like Deron Williams, Kyrie Irving and John Wall blew by him fairly consistently. The scouting score was then combined with the WAM score to produce WAMS, with the scouting counting as one-third of the final score. Theres a running debate over the relative importance of stats versus watching. Stats tell you what happened, but you cant know why it happened unless you watch. Not everything about a players value can be seen even through advanced stats, or even while hes on the court. 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. There are times where he makes a bone-headed gamble and loses, trying to get the extra steal, but thats about the only flaw there is with him mentally. Jed Jacobsohn/AP Images. Its more than that. If you dont want to consider them, then dont. If the team gives up more points while hes on the court, thats bad. 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. ESPN ranked the Top 10 PGs of all time & they have @iamisiahthomas ranked 5th. -- Doolittle, Over the past season and a half, Curry has played point guard as well as anyone else in NBA history. -- Peterson, Thomas' willingness to share the spotlight helped make the Bad Boy Pistons incredible, and he had a consistent ability to step up his game in the postseason during Detroit's title runs (and near miss in 1988). 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. Gary Payton. To absolutely nobodys surprise, Michael Jordan is the best defensive shooting guard in NBA history. The next three slides will tell how this particular sausage was made. The average score by point guards was 16.1. Point guards are often valued more for their assist totals than for their scoring. Teams Russ is already on the verge of breaking into the top five of all time, but its going to be a challenge. While he does benefit from help defense, its not as often as you might think. How hard do they fight through them? For a player who lacks lateral quickness and a player that has been in the league as long as he has, you would think Williams would have learned to do a better job of steering opponents into the help defense. When the game is on the line, you like to see players find fifth, but Lin never does. He averaged 18.4 points, 7.5 assists and 5.2 rebounds per game. Eric Bledsoe has a reputation as being both quick and fast, even for a point guard, but he rarely shows it on defense. Thats pretty much what you see with Conley. Jack has good but not great effort. He gets a higher score here than he technically deserves because he tries so hard. -- Adams, For nine consecutive years, Nash's teams led the NBA in offensive rating. Hes led the league in steals per game five times in the last six years. 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. And his athleticism gives him a leg up, which helps him dominate. And, there are also times when he does the bailing out. The more often he is the primary defender, the more likely he is to be responsible for guarding the player who is getting the most plays offensively. Kyle Lowry has exceptional speed and athleticism. Meanwhile, another player has his numbers go up because he is capable. The list of the best defensive NBA point guards for 2022-23 starts off with two of the elite perimeter defenders overall. After all, as his name implies, Billups was known for taking and making huge shots in order to help his team win. If Williams had more pride in his defense, he would actually ask for, and depend on, help more than he does. New Orleans Hornets (2005-11), Los Angeles Clippers, (2011-present), Honors 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. They tried just as hard as the valedictorian, but all they got were Bs. This is to avoid confusion if you want to go to the original source.). Penny is deserving of a much better ranking just because he is such a gifted one. Bledsoe repeatedly got beatenmuch more frequently than Paulyet Odom consistently had his back, blocking or altering shots. Holiday knows what to do, but he doesnt always do it. 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. Simply put, defensive win shares (DWS) are defined by how many wins a player produces based on his defensive ability. Widely known as one of the best, if not the best, point guards of all time, Chris Pauls offensive exploits are well-documented. 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? To create All-Time #NBArank, we put together a ballot with the 150 greatest players ever. That concludes the WAP portion of our programming schedule. Hes pouring out effort every minute hes on the court. Sometimes even when hes being smart, he gets a little dumb. -- Adams, The fashion forerunner to Russell Westbrook. Steve Nash 7. That makes sense since Parker has assumed the primary responsibility on offense and theres no reason to wear himself out playing defense. Damian Lillard (2013-Present) AP Images. He has decent size for a point guard, at 63 but he doesnt have much of a vertical: 28.5.. Why John Stockton is the greatest NBA point guard of all-time - The Roar The Case For: Upper-tier defender (9x All Defensive Team, including 4 First Team selections). He owes his charitable demeanour to a group of elementary school parents. Players Stats: 14.1 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 5.0 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.6 BPG, Honors: 1978-1979 Finals MVP, 5x All-Star, 9x All-Defense Selection, 2x All-NBA Team Selection, Hall of Famer. Second, having a five-point range on a 22-point scale prevents any one statistic from overly dominating the others. 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. When he gets it going, hes unstoppable. Miami Heat and Dwyane Wade won the NBA championship in 2006 with him as a member of the Seattle SuperSonics. Defensive rebounds are generally undervalued, although its also true that all defensive rebounds arent the same. 12.6 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 8.7 APG, 1.9 SPG, The player For his career, Jordan averaged 2.3 steals (third all-time) and 4.2 DWS per year. 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. Triple Double was so far ahead of his time in terms of size, speed, strength and stats. 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. 7-time All-Star, 6-time All-NBA selection, 7-time All-D selection, Hall of Fame, Career stats (As an aside, in the slides, you will only see the original metric value, not the weighted number to determine the WAM. Why not a normal scale of one to 10? Top 5 Defensive Point Guards in NBA History - Basketball Articles He may be the finest defensive guard ever because of his awareness and abilities on the defensive end. Speed is important; a speedy point guard is better able to create separation and space off the dribble, giving themselves room to work. This is a necessity because of the point guard's many leadership obligations. Several sites track this, each in its slightly unique way, depending on its formula to calculate possessions. A point guard will often use their ability to score in order to augment their effectiveness as a decision-maker and playmaker. Whether you like him or not (and I personally dont), you have to respect that he plays the game as hard as it can be played. Jack gets beat and bailed out frequently by his teammates. Top 50 Point Guards of All-Time: Magic, The Big O and Curry top the List By Jeff McDaniel | Jul 16, 2020, 5:35pm 1. He was the primary defender on 1,127 plays last year in all, surpassed only by Stephen Curry among point guards. There arent a lot of players that could lock down Michael Jordan, the greatest player of all time. 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. This is what I mean by ubiquity. After the All-Star break, when Rose hardly played, that number fell to 17.8 and the Bulls dropped to ninth. He just doesnt have the length to effectively guard against them. Michael Cooper was a great defensive guard, evident when he won the Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY) award in 1987, and James Worthy is a top-ten Small Forward of all-time and was one of the . Later in his career, he even improved as an outside shooter, which contributed significantly to his longevity. Bob Cousey 8. When he tries, Lowry can be a solid defensive player, but that whole when he tries qualifier is pretty significant. It also helps him to have the second-most defensive plays per 36 minutes of any of the point guards on this list. Watching a thing, and watching for a thing, are different. He could be better than he is, but its hard to blame only him. Fairly straightforward, this takes into account height, length and strength. His ability to score and create plays made him an NBA superstar. He surpassed the achievements of every other guard in NBA history, except Russell Westbrooks achievements. NBA: Ranking top 10 point guards ever - ESPN.com The Best NBA Point Guards Of All Time - The Delite Thats the advantage of the scouting portion. Many consider Bob Cousy to be a passionate athlete who was the first All-Star and dominating player for the Boston Celtics squad that included legends like Bill Russell and Kevin Collier. He uses quickness to capably guard the perimeter, but thats in large part because hes not always defending the elite point guards. He weighs in at only 175 pounds. He uses his speed well, as long as hes engaged in the game. 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. 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. However, he doesnt appear to have the same strength they do. Hell overshoot passing lanes, gambling for the steal. While blocks and steals can be misleading when taken to exclusively represent defense, they are an aspect of it, so they shouldnt be discounted entirely. Probably the most versatile point guard in NBA history, and perhaps a tad underrated given that the focus on his assists overshadowed how valuable his defense was. In the past, this was particularly true, as several point guards such as Lenny Wilkens served their teams as player coaches. However, despite Chris Paul and Jason Kidds prominence, Steve Nash became a two-time MVP who had no weaknesses on the offensive end. He doesnt make stupid mistakes, but he doesnt anticipate plays either. All the other tools and effort can be rendered useless by a little stupidity. As a Golden State Warrior and Miami Heat legend, Tim Hardaway may have the best crossover in basketball history. Stockton was the. -- 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. His length is better; he has a 65.75 wingspan. Its like hes chosen the worst of both worlds. That can create an illusion of great defense where there is none. 1. 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. Stats dont make a good argument, they make a good foundation for a good argument.