If theres a weakness, though, its that when he comes up against the elite offensive point guards, he will get beaten in isolation. 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 also uses his quick hands to steal the dribble, and he does so without taking risks. He didnt have an eye-popping number, but he was in the top 25 percent of players there. He doesnt play on the ball physically, utilizing that advantage. The facts need to come first. This typically involves setting up plays on the court, getting the ball to the teammate in the best position to score, and controlling the tempo of the game. -- Kevin Pelton, NBA Insider, May be the strongest point guard ever and consistently made everyone around him better. While most of these stats are adjusted for minutes, the problem surfaces that bench players, playing fewer minutes, can appear to be better than they are. It looked like teams designed plays counting on him being lazy. The result is our all-time NBA Top 100. The point guard was always capable of scoring the ball at the . In the last entry, we focused on the five best defensive NBA point guards of all time, but now, we turn to the five best defensive shooting guards in NBA history. Other defenders deficiencies are hidden by being put on weaker offensive players. In terms of point guards, Magic is the finest there has ever been. When you combine that with his 40-inch vertical, you have a player that gets higher (139 inches) than any point guard in the leagueeven Russell Westbrook. Lin plays with consistent effort on defense, but hes stuck in fourth gear. 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. Smart people recognize their limitations. As the primary decision-maker for a team, a point guard's passing ability determines how well a point guard is able to put their decision into play. He doesnt just bring effort to every game; he brings it in all the right ways. Eventually, that learning has to become instinct, though. Although Stockton accumulated numerous All-NBA nods, he only made the All-Defensive Second Team five times. The effect was that the Bulls' starters all looked inferior to their backups. Bledsoe is not a great help defender, in spite of boasting a -4.9 net defensive rating. Kawhi Leonard 11. He doesnt have to race around to get in position because hes almost never out of position. MVP (1963-64), 12-time All-Star, 11-time All-NBA selection, Rookie of the Year (1960-61), 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. Eric Bledsoe has a reputation as being both quick and fast, even for a point guard, but he rarely shows it on defense. 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. How they moved laterally, closed out on shooters, and recovered after getting beaten were also taken into account. For this reason, a point guard is usually, but not always, more skilled and focused on passing than shooting. Chauncey Billups, or Mr. The scouting score was then combined with the WAM score to produce WAMS, with the scouting counting as one-third of the final score. First, a range of 18 to 22 makes it easier to arrive at the eventual score of 100the baseline everything was weighted to. He affected the paradigm for overseas guards trying to break into the NBA. Ranked: Top 25 male fitness influencers to follow in 2023, Howe dodges row over Newcastle's Saudi ownership, Former Chelsea boss spotted in Munich with his new lover, Bam Adebayo makes bold claim about the last two DPOY awards, Gary Neville ignites debate after stating ideal price for holding midfielder, Huge Ballon dOr scandal as player claims his votes were changed to Lionel Messi. Hes one of the most prolific players in the game. In many cases, I looked at their combine results. We ranked the best point guards, determining the list with the help of B-R's position splits. Even when picks are set behind his back, he instinctively knows they are there and just steps over them seamlessly. 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. The Clippers never quite seemed to have a true defensive identity, even if they were improved. Conley is inconsistent in how he applies effort on the court. Top 10 Point Guards of All Time Best NBA Point Guards, NBA and other Best Basketball Leagues in the World, Facebook and Twitter takedown hackers targeting Ukraine political figures and military officials via fake accounts, Britney Spears called out Fans that She felt Sick to her stomach after Family plans Intervention, Stephen tWitch Boss passed away intestate, wife Allison Holker has filed Estate Control. 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. Its no surprise that the best point guards in the NBA have more than just the ability to pass the basketball. Mamelodi Sundowns coach Rhulani Mokwena denies outrageous Egypt claims, Brooklyn Nets comeback from 28 down to stun Boston Celtics, Alex Iwobi: Nigerian star set for possible exit at English Premier League club Everton, Premier League player caught inhaling laughing gas after a night out, Real Madrid identify Premier League star as 'Plan B' if Bellingham deal fails, Top 15 most handsome football players in the world in 2023. Who are the best defensive point guards in the NBA, and how are they determined? Each touches a different part of the elephant, one an ear, another the torso and so on. The average score by point guards was 16.1. Despite the fact that hes just 35, he has a limited amount of time left. The greatest point guard in NBA history. The Glove was a nine-time All-Defensive Team selection, making the 1st team all nine times. Teams 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. Players like Rose, Russell Westbrook and Kyrie Irving consistently cross him over and get past him. With his record of successes and pioneering point guard talents, Magic is at the top of the list. He also only has a 65 wingspan, which is short of the other bigger point guards, but what he has, he uses well. Mr. His low foul rate of 4.5 percent is another indication that hes adept at getting into position quickly. When people think of NBA point guards, he set the mold. Yet somehow he manages to compensate and do a reasonably fair job of defending, even in isolation. -- Adande, Teams Perhaps the best word to describe his defense is lollygaggy.. 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. Johnson had a knack for scoring against everyone and racked up impressive numbers throughout the course of his career. For many of these metrics, sample size becomes crucial. The explosiveness and rim-running ability of Damian Lillard extend beyond his ability to shoot the ball from a distance. Blake Griffin was 21st out of 47 power forwards, and Jordan was 23rd out of 38 centers. Penny Hardaway was well recognized for his relationship with Shaquille ONeal when he was only a kid. If youre not interested in that, feel free to skip ahead. Players Stats: 17.7 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 8.2 APG, 1.6 SPG, 0.1 BPG, Honors: 5x All-Star, 5x All-NBA Selection. Just telling your players to play harder and close out on threes isnt a real system. 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. Defensive rebounds are generally undervalued, although its also true that all defensive rebounds arent the same. NBA History: Ranking the Greatest Guards Ever - Bleacher Report For the time being, his lack of effectiveness and poor decision-making precludes him from being considered one of the top five point guards. From there, hes playing catch up. This year, without Rose, the Bulls were 23rd, at 21.0 points per game. 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. The best way to track how effective a player is on the defensive end is by looking at their cumulative defensive win shares. The point guard (PG), also called the one or the point, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball game. Nevertheless, its just as important. -- Pelton, No player his size, 6-foot-3, has ever bent defenses to his will as Curry does. Opponents dont have much success getting around him. Widely known as one of the best, if not the best, point guards of all time, Chris Pauls offensive exploits are well-documented. He works well within a system where there are no real defensive weaknesses. 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. Johnson will go down as one of the top 25 all-time point guards because of his defensive presence. To say he gets pushed around would be generous. Coming over as a 25-year-old rookie, Ginobili only had two seasons where he had fewer than one steal per game and he averaged 1.3 steals for his career. Over the next four weeks, well unveil the rankings for the other four positions. 19.2 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 9.3 APG, 1.9 SPG, The player He has a real grasp of the game, and he helps convey that to his teammates. How hard do they fight through them? When he tries, Lowry can be a solid defensive player, but that whole when he tries qualifier is pretty significant. Since elite offensive players tend to have a higher usage rate, players that guard elite offensive players should also have more defensive plays. Del Negro just worried about the matchup without ever developing a true defensive system or identity with the Clippers. I like to compare it to the relationship between a foundation and a house. The reason teams run so much pick-and-roll is that it works. Greatest NBA point guards of all-time: Where Russell - Sportsnaut To absolutely nobodys surprise, Michael Jordan is the best defensive shooting guard in NBA history. After all, as his name implies, Billups was known for taking and making huge shots in order to help his team win. Therefore, its a Theoretically Asked Questions, or TAQ. He compensates for his diminutive size by fighting hard and using that aforementioned quickness. That said, here are the five best defensive NBA point guards of all time, based on their DWS. Simply put, defensive win shares (DWS) are defined by how many wins a player produces based on his defensive ability. These point guard rankings will be the first of five articles. He was born on March 23, 1973. Whenever anyone imagines a point guard, chances are theyre thinking of Utah Jazz legend John Stockton. The advantage of defensive rating is that it accounts for the things that dont show up in box scores. The disadvantage is that sometimes its not the player doing those things, and hes getting credit for someone elses great defense. 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. As a result, he rarely gets tangled up with the pick-setter. But one in 20 is egregiously bad.). His 47.4 DWS is 54th overall, good for an average of 2.963 DWS per season, slightly edging Wade. Phoenix Suns (1996-98, 2004-12), Dallas Mavericks (1998-2004), Los Angeles Lakers (2012-15), Honors Then there was that kid who just read the assignment on the bus and got straight As. 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. Finals MVP, 12-time All-Star, five-time All-NBA selection, Hall of Fame, Career stats However, despite Chris Paul and Jason Kidds prominence, Steve Nash became a two-time MVP who had no weaknesses on the offensive end. Great size made him impossible for most. On top of that, when Parkers man slips past him, he has one of the best defenders in the history of the universe, Tim Duncan, to help him out. The players listed below are our picks for the best point guards in NBA history. Players Stats: 14.1 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 5.0 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.6 BPG. As a Golden State Warrior and Miami Heat legend, Tim Hardaway may have the best crossover in basketball history. The greater problem is how easily he gets disrupted on pick-and-roll defense. The five best defensive point guards of all time - Sportsnaut Additionally, the 10-time All-Star and Hall of Famer was an impressive defensive player in his own right. The Top 100 will begin to roll out next week. Second, having a five-point range on a 22-point scale prevents any one statistic from overly dominating the others. -- Haberstroh, Teams 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 . However, hes not the slowest point guard in the league either, and when hes not biting on the crossovers, hes able to do a decent job of staying in front of most average point guards. One of the great conundrums in rating defense is that teammates factor into it. Im cheating a little here. The house would collapse. Nash was never known as a strong defender, but he was capable of bothering opposing point guards to some extent. He keeps track of his man when holding back in the lane to cut off passing lanes. It might not seem like much, but for most players, this covered around 30-40 games' worth of defense. He seemed to keep ahead of the play, moving to the next rotation a fraction of a second before the play even developed in that direction. That had the effect of distorting Pauls on/off numbers. For example, there was a play in which he was switched up against the Clippers, and he was put on Chauncey Billups, while Tony Allen was on Chris Paul. Aside from the centre, having the best point guard is critical to improving your game because every play starts with him. 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. For eight consecutive seasons, Cousy was the leagues top assist producer, and he was also one of the finest scorers in the league. The NBA is a point guard's paradise these days, so let's start All-Time #NBArank with our pantheon points. Westbrooks Synergy numbers on the pick-and-roll (.75) and isolation (.7) suggest hes better than he actually is. Born on July 15, 1990, Damian is an American professional basketball player for the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association. He lacks the strength to effectively go over screens consistently, so he has to go under them. That can create an illusion of great defense where there is none. Chalmers will fail at things, but not because he isnt trying. Thats pretty much what you see with Conley. The only thing is that the Bulls actually gave up 8.6 more points while he was on the court. Players Stats: 18.9 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 6.1 APG, 1.9 SPG, 0.2 BPG, Honors: 7x All-Stars, 6x All-NBA Selection, 7x All-Defensive Team Selection, Hall of Famer. He has trouble compensating for his lack of size when challenging jump shots. When he does do it, he does it half-heartedly. Rondos lack of a need for help defense allows Garnett to help more elsewhere. His huge hands allowed him to pass as effectively with one hand as most could with two. Always free! He was the primary defender on 1,127 plays last year in all, surpassed only by Stephen Curry among point guards. Coming off one of the best offensive seasons in NBA history, Curry takes the top spot on our list of the league's best point guards, followed closely by 22-year-old wunderkind Luka Doncic, who may . 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. Does he pick up his man when switched? Trail Blazers playoff failures have been a major blemish on both his game and his career so far. 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. 14.3 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 8.5 APG, .428 3P%, The player Hell overshoot passing lanes, gambling for the steal. You're the worst defensive point guard in the NBA!!! 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. By taking the total number of plays and the total number of minutes (regular and postseason combined, because Synergy just throws it all together) we can determine how many times per 36 minutes a player was the initial defender on the play. -- Adams, Thomas was as tough as they come, could score with the best of them (such a sweet stroke) and, make no mistake, was the baddest of the Bad Boys. Kyrie Irving is unquestionably one of the greatest point guards of all time. The "Big O" was capable of doing it all. Having above-average size (height, muscle) is considered advantageous, although size is secondary to situational awareness, speed, quickness, and ball handling skills. At 64, hes big enough to guard shooting guards, as well as point guards. Point guards are expected to be vocal floor leaders. Later in his career, he even improved as an outside shooter, which contributed significantly to his longevity. After ball-handling, the most important areas of the game for a point guard are passing and scoring. Rondo likes to do this chest bump thing where he meets the opponent past the half-court line and just bumps his chest into him repeatedly. According to Hoops Stats, in his MVP season, the Bulls gave up the fewest points to opposing point guards. On the flip side, Westbrook's 4.13 turnovers per game average is the highest all-time, with Johnson (3. .