best defensive point guards of all time

Lin is a mixed bag when it comes to help defense. Top 5 Defensive Point Guards in NBA History - Basketball Articles But he jogs when he should run, is lackadaisical closing out shooters and goes through the motions when running through his rotations. This is where everything focuses on Westbrook. The problem is that sometimes players are so inept, they skew the stats of other players. Stats dont tell the whole story and our eyes often only confirm what we already know. It seems so much of Conley is either there or not there; you get it or you dont get it. Jack is one of those players that a lot of people dont know what he brings to a team in the locker room. They have value when there arent such extremes like the difference between Boozer and Gibson. Chris Paul 13. Kawhi Leonard 11. Aside from the centre, having the best point guard is critical to improving your game because every play starts with him. Cousy, in many respects, was the Celtics spirit at the moment. 11. Defensive Rating (DRtg) is the average number of points per 100 possessions a players team surrenders while he is on the court. In many cases, I looked at their combine results. This is also from the various sources we have used. Being big and strong doesnt mean players automatically got higher scores, though. Interpreted as: best point guard defensive rating with a minimum of 2000 minutes played per 82 team games 2022 Triple Double and for good reason: hes fourth all-time in triple-doubles with 107. ALL-TIME #NBARANK, 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11-15 | 16-20 | 21-25, The player He was second among point guards in defensive rebounds per 36 minutes. Knight doesnt always recognize the help situations, but when he does, he is usually effective. Meanwhile, we are presenting the top 10 by position. His helter-skelter wizziness has him flying around the court, and sometimes its good. Even the fastest point guards tend to get bottled up. Even though injuries caught up with him toward the end of his illustrious career, Bryant still battled as a defender when needed. Although Stockton accumulated numerous All-NBA nods, he only made the All-Defensive Second Team five times. Widely known as one of the best, if not the best, point guards of all time, Chris Pauls offensive exploits are well-documented. He has all the tools to be one: great reflexes and speed, and those long arms with big mitts on the end. Top 15 Greatest Point Guards In NBA History - TheSportster 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. His score would be much worse if it werent for help defense from Chris Bosh, LeBron James and Chris Andersen frequently coming to his aid. When hes not getting wrapped up, he plays the pick-and-roll well. A point guard needs always to have in mind the times on the shot clock and the game clock, the score, the numbers of remaining timeouts for both teams, etc. And do they try and recover when they get beaten? When the pick gets set, he just hurls into it and uses the momentum of the bounce to send him in the right direction. That makes him eligible for inclusion on this list of best point guards. None of them qualified based on the 1,200 minutes, so their stats from 2012 were used instead. 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. Additionally, the 10-time All-Star and Hall of Famer was an impressive defensive player in his own right. 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. The defensive stats arent a good way to determine the totality of defense, but they are a factor and shouldnt be ignored. 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 . 25. Chris Paul fell into the same kind of trap last season. He does those things; he just doesnt do them very hard. While the Clippers were better when Paul was on the bench, it wasnt because he was on the bench. I counted off over 20 plays, specifically watching to see if Chalmers would stop the ball-handler, and he only did once. On the positive side, Rose does a decent job of understanding his role in a complex system. Point guards are expected to be vocal floor leaders. Gary Payton was born on July 23, 1968, and is widely regarded as one of the best defensive point guards of all time. Even though hes been injured a lot, Paul is averaging over two steals a game for his career. People that just do their job dont usually pitch in and help their co-workers. 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. Marcus Smart. Hes 63 with a 68 wingspan and an 83 standing reach. He had the second-best defensive rating in the NBA. The Best NBA Point Guards Of All Time - The Delite Eventually, you need to form an opinion about why not just know what. Having said that, he does play team defense, too, and he is part of the team. Nowadays, the point guard is expected to do more than simply run plays; he or she must also be the teams offensive leader by putting up big numbers every night! Gary Payton, widely regarded as one of the best defensive point guards in NBA history, saw a similar decline in his defensive abilities after the age of 35. Brandon Knight has work intelligence. There are a number of different types of metrics available from various websites. -- Doolittle, Cousy was an And-1 mix tape in black-and-white. Just telling your players to play harder and close out on threes isnt a real system. 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. Nevertheless, its just as important. -- Adande, Possessed incredible court vision and creativity, all while orchestrating the frenetic game pace of his era. Perhaps the most unstoppable offensive player in NBA history, Jordan decimated and demoralized his foes on the defensive end. It tracks the production of a players counterpart while he is on the court. Thats helped him amass 47.3 DWS, 56th overall. This is what I mean by ubiquity. 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. Curry has won three NBA championships and cemented his status as the finest shooter in NBA history since becoming a superstar and two-time MVP. The most pure and one of the best point guards and playmakers in NBA History is John Stockton. It is akin to the blind men and the elephant in the Indian fable adapted to a poem by John Godfrey Saxe. 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. The number in the parentheses indicates where they ranked in that category. Its no surprise that the best point guards in the NBA have more than just the ability to pass the basketball. He falls into his rotations smoothly. Teams Some players with tremendous athleticism just dont apply it on both ends of the court. We have listed down 25 of the finest point guards, so lets see who makes it to the top 10 point guards of all time. He only gave up .66 points per play in isolation, but he yielded .86 to the ball-handler on the pick-and-roll. Occasionally hell chase the play after hes been beaten, but not always. Johnsons style of play made him especially successful since he was noted for tip-ins and post play around the rim. But it seems like Paul is nutmeggingand breaking opposing defenders ankles every game. -- Peterson. He never leaves his man to help a defender that doesnt need help, but he always seems to be there when help is needed. This is especially true when closing out on defenders. By: HoopsHype. Getting paired with Tom Thibodeau has made it even better. 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. 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. The five best defensive centers of all time - Sportsnaut Rose is arguably the most athletic point guard in the league, though Russell Westbrook could present a challenge. OPER is the Opponents Player Efficiency Rating and has been tracked by 82games.com since 2008. As a result, hes been a member of the All-Defensive 1st Team four times and a member of the All-Defensive 2nd Team five times. Since its neither, he gets an even score. Thats because they can spend all their energy quickly, while starters have to pace themselves. Defensive Points per Play Synergy tracks every play of every game of the season and, when possible (as it is not always possible), they assign an. After the All-Star break, when Rose hardly played, that number fell to 17.8 and the Bulls dropped to ninth. On and off the court, Dave Bing was an excellent high-scoring NBA point guard who achieved greatness. Dennis Johnson. The following are the five categories and what was considered for each of them: How fast players are from end to end is only a part of speed. Stockton embodied a true point guard - an extension of the coach that ran the team's offense seamlessly. Even though Payton only played a little part in 2006, the Heats success would not have been possible without his defensive presence and leadership. Then, over 10,000 video clips were viewed and players were evaluated based on subjective criteria. Thats pretty much what you see with Conley. Magic Johnson. Dont be surprised to see him as a head coach someday. Meanwhile, another player has his numbers go up because he is capable. Chris Paul had the awkward situation this year of being smarter than his head coach, Vinny Del Negro. Kyrie Irving is unquestionably one of the greatest point guards of all time. If youre a fan of the TV show Suits, you might agree that Harvey Specter dresses well. The explosiveness and rim-running ability of Damian Lillard extend beyond his ability to shoot the ball from a distance. (I know, but it is a part of defense these days.) For this reason, a small penalty was exacted for every minute under 30 minutes, and a small bonus was provided over 30 minutes. There arent a lot of players that could lock down Michael Jordan, the greatest player of all time. 6 (1957, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963), Career stats Penny Hardaway was well recognized for his relationship with Shaquille ONeal when he was only a kid. Other defenders deficiencies are hidden by being put on weaker offensive players. Mike Conley is exceptionally quick, virtually teleporting himself from one part of the court to another at times. He was the league's Rookie of the Year in 1966-67 and was named to the All-NBA First Team twice and the Second Team once, and he appeared in seven NBA All-Star Games. Some would look at Conleys frontcourt and assumenot entirely incorrectlythat having Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol to back him up pads his stats. Best Defensive Rating Point Guards In NBA History | StatMuse 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. 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 when in position, he wont jump to challenge a shot. He was the league's third player to reach 25,000 points (after Wilt Chamberlain and Oscar Robertson). He probably can even tell you where the hot dog vendor and mascot are. Taj Gibson, his backup, is a tremendous defensive player, which only amplified the effect of Boozers shortcomings. There is no doubt about it: Steph Curry is the second-best in the top 10 point guards of all time. It will be interesting to see if his new coach, Jason Kidd, can help him to work on this, as Kidd was a terrific help defender. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position. 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). Bledsoes defensive numbers would be far worse if he werent getting helped out by Odom all the time. At the point guard position, point guard Damian Lillard is one of the games most talented shooters and scorers. Nash is a top-ten point guard without a question. On the other, he so rarely allows his opponent to get past him that he doesnt need to rely on it either. That makes sense since Parker has assumed the primary responsibility on offense and theres no reason to wear himself out playing defense. Like last time . He gets crossed over pretty easily, and not just by the Associations elite point guards. The American former professional basketball player was born on August 9, 1928, and played point guard for the Boston Celtics from 1950 to 1963 and shortly for the Cincinnati Royals during the 196970 season. He also has such superior court awareness that most picks dont catch him squarely, and he just glides over them. He manages to defend the pick-and-roll reasonably well by doing something I can only call bouncing over picks. Hed also be more willing to provide it. Above all, the point guard must understand and accept their coach's game plan; in this way, the position can be compared to a quarterback in American football. Honors: 1978-1979 Finals MVP, 5x All-Star, 9x All-Defense Selection, 2x All-NBA Team Selection, Hall of Famer. He was born on March 23, 1973. 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. 24. Its like hes chosen the worst of both worlds. Rondos lack of a need for help defense allows Garnett to help more elsewhere. Like last time, these shooting guards are ranked based on the cumulative defensive win shares (DWS). In his book The Winner Within, Pat Riley described Magic as a club DJ. There are few players on this list who can match his incredible scoring, rebounding, and playmaking prowess. Players Stats: 18.8 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 5.6 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.3 BPG, Honors: 2010-2011 MVP, 3x All-Star, 1x All-NBA Selection, 2008-2009 Rookie of the Year. Best Defenders in NBA History: Top 50 Best Defensive Players By Clark Boinis | Jul 12, 2021, 4:05pm 1. This article first appeared on Sportsnaut and was syndicated with permission. However, the other side of the ball cant be overlooked because as the saying goes: defense wins championships.. Then, after a single down year, he had y straight years of 2 steals per . Hes like a runner trying to run a mile by alternating between walking and sprinting 100 yards at a time. A 12-time All-Defensive Team selection, a nine-time 1st team All-Defense and three-time 2nd team All-Defense, Bryant's 50.6 DWS ranks him 43rd overall. If he's not on the slide and he played 1,200 minutes, he should be on this list somewhere. -- Pelton, Perhaps the most incredible part of the Big O's triple-double season is that he finished third in MVP voting (behind winner Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain, who averaged 50.4 PPG). 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. 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. His Synergy numbers compared to some of his team numbers validate that. WAM is purely objective. Watts Van Lier Frazier Price Ward Bing White Buckner Walker Kidd Hollins Williams Cleamons Bibby Porter Buse Snow McMillan Tinsley Armstrong Knight Carter 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 97.4 97.6 98.1 99.6 99.9 100.4 100.9 101.1 101.5 101 . Each touches a different part of the elephant, one an ear, another the torso and so on. Scroll below to see where Stephen Curry ranks among the best point guards in the NBA. Bledsoe is a bit of a freak. The Cleveland Cavaliers relied heavily on Kyrie Irving to take and hit huge shots, even when he was partnered with LeBron James. 19.2 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 9.3 APG, 1.9 SPG, The player The players listed below are our picks for the best point guards in NBA history. Even when he has to go under the pick, which is most of the time, hes so fast that hes able to close the distance before the ball-handler has time to do something with it. Hes the closest thing in the world to Kevin Garnetts Mini-Me. Still, hes one of the best point guards of all time, and his stats show that hes a deserved All-Star. He doesnt make stupid mistakes, but he doesnt anticipate plays either. He secures first place in the top 10 NBA point guards of all time. When he gets it going, hes unstoppable. Watching a thing, and watching for a thing, are different. And I never saw him go in the wrong direction, not once. That has more to do with the second-string frontcourt, led by Lamar Odom, backing him up than it does his team defense. Most players will take a little on-court breather now and then. Broadly speaking, over 7,000 pieces of data on 226 players, in 16 different categories, were compiled into a database. He presses hard as long as the opponent is in front of him, but will frequently give up on the play once the defender is past him. Stockton embodied a true point guard - an extension of the coach that ran the teams offense seamlessly. Exciting feature: Check out news exactly for YOU find "Recommended for you" block and enjoy! You can be the best shooter in the world, but you can't score if you don't get the ball. Williams needs to have a bit of a paradigm shift in the direction of team defense. Kirk Hinrich wasnt the fastest player in the NBA when he came out of college. Despite his little size, he made up for it offensively by being lightning fast and had the whole attacking package. In his rookie year, he was already averaging 2 steals per game with 0.2 blocks. In fact, a player may have great individual numbers precisely because he is actually detrimental to his team. Conley correctly identified the defender who was out of position, showing intelligence, but stupidly ignored that his man had the ball and an accurate jump shot. In the last entry, we focused on the five best defensive NBA point guards of all time. Moncrief is well known for his defensive prowess. A defensive point guard will also pressure opponents in passing lanes in an attempt to generate steals and scoring opportunities for their own team. For each player, I watched between one and two hours of footage of defense, taking account of specific things and grading them in five different areas. Average players struggled, though. Jason Kidd was the definition of a jack-of-all-trades point guard: he could pass, score and grab rebounds. He led the NBA in scoring in only his second season, 1967-68, with 27.1 points per game. Despite the fact that he was unable to win an NBA championship, his charisma and dribbling prowess will never be forgotten. 'Whatever seed we are, we're ready': Is there room for Cleveland among the East elite? Jerry West, one of the greatest point guards in NBA history, combines a lethal jump shot, tenacious defence, obsessive perfectionism, unwavering confidence, and an unwavering will to win. Sometimes he wont give that much effort, and then the next moment hell be trying too hard. It just feels like there should be another notch where pride kicks in, he gets passionateor even angryand he hits another level. On Wednesday, we will have the top 10 shooting guards of all time, followed by small forwards, power forwards and centers. Dikembe Mutombo 7. Copyright 2023 YB Media, LLC. He has the most assists and steals of any player in NBA history and is a master of the pick & roll. 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. -- Doolittle, The great Knicks ball-movement offense started with him. 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. Penny, a taller point guard, was an excellent dribbler and a great passer. Rondo may not be big, but he doesnt know that. 50 Greatest NBA Point Guards of All Time - Bleacher Report When he gets set for a defensive play, he does a respectable job. 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 had the best peak for any point guard in NBA history, hands down. 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. Top 50 Point Guards of All-Time: Magic, The Big O and Curry top the List While he was doing that, Billups, who actually had the ball the whole time, just stepped back behind the three-point line and drained the three. Players like Rose, Russell Westbrook and Kyrie Irving consistently cross him over and get past him. You think, He cant be trying hard enough, but then you realize he is. Perhaps he just grew weary of Doug Collins' act. DJ, standing 6'4, started playing point for Boston in the second half of his basketball career and was often tasked with shutting down . A point guard should always look out for teammates and be able to pass well. 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. There arent many point guards in the league who can match Roses pure size and strength. Thats 20th all-time, with Kidd being the only other guard above him. He could play any spot on the court as well. On defense, the point guard is tasked with making the opposing point guard as ineffective as possible. 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. Doc Rivers has had a lot of input into how Rondo plays the game. He also knew when he needed to score, as evidenced by his 42-point performance in Game 6 of the 1980 NBA Finals for a Lakers team missing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. There was always that kid in high school or college who tried so hard to get decent grades. The game has been graced by several incredible players whose names live on even after they retire. West became synonymous with brilliant basketball during his 14-year playing career with the Los Angeles Lakers. Only two other players besides Moncrief have won the NBAs defensive player of the year award twice. Its more than that. Those are the questions I was looking to answer. Top 16 Point Guards Of All-Time: Where Steph Curry Ranks? - ClutchPoints -- Adams, The fashion forerunner to Russell Westbrook. NBA top 15 point guard rankings for 2021-22: Stephen Curry sits at No Hes incredibly focused while on the court, but hes always working things out in his head; they dont come automatically, and that costs him time. Jason Kidd was the definition of a jack-of-all-trades point guard: he could pass, score and grab rebounds. MVP (2014-15), two-time All-Star, two-time All-NBA selection, Career stats Normally this would be a list of FAQs, but no one has ever asked any questions (since no one has ever seen it). Don't get me wrong: Steph is still the league's best shooter. Sixth-greatest point guard in basketball history. The five best defensive NBA shooting guards of all time 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. But will he listen enough to a player he was just playing against to make that shift? Since elite offensive players tend to have a higher usage rate, players that guard elite offensive players should also have more defensive plays. Once he had the ball on the fastbreak, The Flash was gone. Allen Iverson 11. He uses quickness to capably guard the perimeter, but thats in large part because hes not always defending the elite point guards. Whenever anyone imagines a point guard, chances are theyre thinking of Utah Jazz legend John Stockton. But Gary Payton did as a member of the Seattle Supersonics. 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. Adande, His Game 6 in the 1980 Finals, while jumping center as a 20-year-old rookie, has to be on the Mt. You can look at why things happen and offset the misleading things. Starter from the VCT lockin. 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. That had the effect of distorting Pauls on/off numbers. In essence, hes athletic enough to do a respectable job of what hes asked to do.

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