His lateral quickness is below-average, and his straightaway speed isnt much either. 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. Thats helped him amass 47.3 DWS, 56th overall. 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. But it seems like Paul is nutmegging and breaking opposing defenders ankles every game. Neither of those is really a criticism of Parker, but its a reality. Synergy tracks every play of every game of the season and, when possible (as it is not always possible), they assign an initial defender on a play. Jason Kidd was the definition of a jack-of-all-trades point guard: he could pass, score and grab rebounds. Many remember Ginobili for his offense, but he was also a capable defender. This mans achievements are indisputable, and the prospect of him winning a second NBA championship just adds to his greatness. He bulls through picks well and is not afraid to go over them. He did it not once, not twice, but three times. This is also manifested in his spot-up defense. Whatever it was, Holiday was just not bringing effort on the defensive end last year. Golden State Warriors (2009-present), Honors Thats where we naturally focus our attention, so when it comes to things like help defense, we only notice if were looking for it, or if its extreme. His Synergy numbers compared to some of his team numbers validate that. If you are a basketball freak, you might be interested in knowing about NBA and other Best Basketball Leagues in the World. Another major evaluation factor is the assist-to-turnover ratio, which reflects the decision-making skills of the player. He works well within a system where there are no real defensive weaknesses. 5-on-5: Will Curry pass Magic as best PG ever? He could be better than he is, but its hard to blame only him. He has above-average size and strength, but he doesnt play like it. Two-time MVP (2004-05, 2005-06), eight-time All-Star, seven-time All-NBA selection, Career stats Sometimes hell even rush to defend the wrong guy while his man is draining a wide-open three. 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. On the flip side, Westbrook's 4.13 turnovers per game average is the highest all-time, with Johnson (3. . Theres nothing wrong with knowing when you need it. He was second among point guards in defensive rebounds per 36 minutes. (I know, but it is a part of defense these days.) He does a capable job of knowing when to help and when to stay. Dubs' Curry (leg) could return as soon as Sun. Hell overshoot passing lanes, gambling for the steal. Bledsoe just doesnt bring much energy to the defensive side of the court, which is a shame, because if he did, hed be a ball hawk. He does those things; he just doesnt do them very hard. But mostly he plays smartly with an occasional brain fart. At 63, with a wingspan of almost 68, he has decent size. This can cause other players to become disinvolved in the offense. But it seems like Paul is nutmeggingand breaking opposing defenders ankles every game. For the purpose of this study, 82games was used because the net defensive rating was also easily available and it made for consistency. He also has such superior court awareness that most picks dont catch him squarely, and he just glides over them. -- Tom Haberstroh, NBA writer, No guard in NBA history pulled down more rebounds than Kidd, who finished with more career rebounds than Willis Reed and Alonzo Mourning, among others. 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 might have Silly Putty for a father. He doesnt put a lot of effort into chasing his man through screens. In his book The Winner Within, Pat Riley described Magic as a club DJ. 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. A point guard specializes in certain skills, like other player positions in basketball. Even though Payton only played a little part in 2006, the Heats success would not have been possible without his defensive presence and leadership. As a result, he rarely gets tangled up with the pick-setter. At 5ft 3in (1.60m) the shortest player in NBA history, Muggsy Bogues enjoyed 889 games in a 14-year career as a point guard. 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. So the problem isnt a lack of speed; its a lack of applying it. He gets a higher score here than he technically deserves because he tries so hard. Nash is the answer. Smart people recognize their limitations. Occasionally hell chase the play after hes been beaten, but not always. Jrue Holiday is making . -- Adams, Honors He never leaves his man to help a defender that doesnt need help, but he always seems to be there when help is needed. But only once did he actually truly defend the play. 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. Two-time All-Defensive First Team Four-time All-Star Before having his career derailed by drug use, Micheal Ray Richardson was one of the league's most feared defensive point. 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. The point guard was always capable of scoring the ball at the . His 48.8 DWS is 48th all-time and the fourth most by a point guard. But will he listen enough to a player he was just playing against to make that shift? 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. The former professional basketball player was born on March 26, 1962, and is regarded as one of the best passing point guards. Sportbrief has published an article about James Harden's age: stats, contract, family, dating, net worth in 2022 and more. For eight consecutive seasons, Cousy was the leagues top assist producer, and he was also one of the finest scorers in the league. Conley is generously listed at 61 and 180 pounds. Defensive Rating (DRtg) is the average number of points per 100 possessions a players team surrenders while he is on the court. Sometimes, thats just not enough, especially if hes left to guard in isolation, where hes horrid, giving up .92 points per play. Hes so undersized, youd think he was just some regular guy. Most players will take a little on-court breather now and then. Isaiah Thomas 5. Chris Paul had the awkward situation this year of being smarter than his head coach, Vinny Del Negro. These point guard rankings will be the first of five articles. 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. He is easily one of the physically weaker players in the league, even for his position. Since elite offensive players tend to have a higher usage rate, players that guard elite offensive players should also have more defensive plays. If hes on the court, hes moving at full speed. Although Drexler never made an All-Defensive Team in his career, he did average two steals per game for his 15-year career. In fact, a player may have great individual numbers precisely because he is actually detrimental to his team. In balance he was a plus, but his deficiencies cant be ignored.
The Greatest Defensive PG's in NBA History! - ranker.com All pre-draft measurements were obtained from the database hosted on Draft Express. On the positive side, Rose does a decent job of understanding his role in a complex system. Thats just simply not true, and any amount of watching him play will verify that. The problem is he doesnt use that height or strength as well as youd like to see. On the other hand, you cant deny what happened, regardless of how much you watch. 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. Kawhi Leonard 11. After years of being sidelined by ailments, the grandeur that should have been his was snatched from him. Watching a thing, and watching for a thing, are different. Therefore, with a few exceptions, players were only considered if they played at least 1,200 minutes last season (which comes out to around 30 percent of possible minutes). Born on July 15, 1990, Damian is an American professional basketball player for the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association. 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. Adapting your system to every opponent and knowing their nuances is understandable. Williams needs to do a better job of forcing opponents out of the middle and into the strong side of his defense, but he tends to fall straight back instead, letting them into the lane, which allows for easy scores. Let me remind everyone, young and old, I played against @iamisiahthomas when he was hurt & hobbling on one leg and @iamisiahthomas still scored 25 points in one quarter in the NBA Finals! He uses quickness to capably guard the perimeter, but thats in large part because hes not always defending the elite point guards. All you have to do is watch him on offense to know he has all kinds of speed. 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. Either way he chases the ball until he catches it. 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. They work harder, and they get things eventually, but not quite as well. We ranked the best point guards, determining the list with the help of B-R's position splits. Having said that, he does play team defense, too, and he is part of the team. In terms of career statistics and postseason accomplishments, he ranks as the NBAs fourth-best point guard of all time. 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. To create All-Time #NBArank, we put together a ballot with the 150 greatest players ever.