The players are ranked according to their WAMS. Point guard from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States of America 3 Jason Kidd Point guard from California, United States of America 4 Walt Frazier Point guard from Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America 5 Dennis Johnson 6 Fat Lever Point guard and Shooting guard from Pine Bluff, Arkansas load more 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. Its like someone took a normal-sized person and stretched out the arms and hands to make 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. The problem is that sometimes players are so inept, they skew the stats of other players. There is no doubt that Stephen Curry inherited his incredible shooting ability from his father, Dell, who was a successful NBA marksman himself, but the younger Curry's game is more diverse than Dell's. Pass-first points of the past have given way to dynamic creators who can score as well as set up teammates. With the increased emphasis on the deep three, point guards account for a large portion of the league's top scorers. Even his athletic scores dont indicate greatness. 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. His 48.8 DWS is 48th all-time and the fourth most by a point guard. He simply doesnt have the same ability as the elite point guards to get up in the air, and that hinders his ability to defend the jump shot. There are few players on this list who can match his incredible scoring, rebounding, and playmaking prowess. Somehow, he seems to be able to get his hands in the way of a lot of shots and passes that should be out of reach. Parker has a hefty 1.05 points per play against defending the jumper, even though he typically gets there and challenges shots. Players Stats: 18.8 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 7.4 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.1 BPG, Honors: 6x All-Star, 5x All-NBA Selection, 1972-1973 Scoring Champion, Hall of Famer. In fact, its probably the most important thing. This is one of those cases where scouting helps. Its like hes chosen the worst of both worlds. Eventually, that learning has to become instinct, though. It is the same with his mental engagement in the game. When he gets it going, hes unstoppable. 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. His wingspan isnt much better at just 64. Sportbrief has published an article about James Harden's age: stats, contract, family, dating, net worth in 2022 and more. As a point guard, Tim Hardaway was one of the most popular and respected players in the NBA during his time with the Miami Heat. During each of his five NBA championship rings, he was one of the finest players in the league. Then again, the limited number of plays may be, in part, due to the fact that hes so hard to post up. His net defensive rating of 4.2 is an indication of both a lack of his helping and asking for help. With his limited speed, he is always in full throttle and getting himself around the court, pestering whoever has the ball. 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. Of course, sometimes his opponent scored, too. Williams needs to have a bit of a paradigm shift in the direction of team defense. There arent a lot of players that could lock down Michael Jordan, the greatest player of all time. While he does benefit from help defense, its not as often as you might think. Curry has developed into much more than a 3-point specialist. While Rose is slightly faster, Westbrook is slightly bigger. Players Stats: 20.3 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 6.0 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.2 BPG. He could create at an elite level while also scoring off the dribble from the midrange. Thats largely true. By combining them, we can get a better picture of the whole elephant of a players defense. 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. They have value when there arent such extremes like the difference between Boozer and Gibson. This is especially true when closing out on defenders. It looked like teams designed plays counting on him being lazy. In fact, no drafted guard has ever measured a worse sprint, vertical and agility test. Players like Rose, Russell Westbrook and Kyrie Irving consistently cross him over and get past him. Its because Griffin and Jordan were on the bench next to him. In fact, hes a bit of a bull on the court and tries to intimidate his counterpart. During the 1960-1961 season, the then-32-year-old Cousy racked up 6.3 DWS, the most in his career. He plays longer than he actually is. With Doc Rivers in charge, things should turn around shortly, and next year his WAM score will be among the best in the league. Overall, he is more of a gives-help defender than a needs-help defender. Even the fastest point guards tend to get bottled up. 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. Trail Blazers playoff failures have been a major blemish on both his game and his career so far. Nevertheless, its just as important. (Most defenders let the opponent by more than half the time. Like last time, these shooting guards are ranked based on the cumulative defensive win shares (DWS). While the Clippers were better when Paul was on the bench, it wasnt because he was on the bench. 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. When hes coming off screens, hes especially horrible, giving up 1.15 points per play. Mentally subtract them from the rankings if you feel they shouldn'tbe included. You dont get the sense in watching him that theres a point of pride in it. These combo point guards can surprise defenses. -- Adams, Honors Sometimes he wont give that much effort, and then the next moment hell be trying too hard. 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. If youre a fan of the TV show Suits, you might agree that Harvey Specter dresses well. He is suitable at keeping most players out on the perimeter, but against elite point guards he has more problems. Hell overshoot passing lanes, gambling for the steal. If you are a basketball freak, you might be interested in knowing about NBA and other Best Basketball Leagues in the World. But will he listen enough to a player he was just playing against to make that shift? Other individual metrics and team metrics thin out the impact of those factors. No question hell be inducted into the Hall of Fame, and hes one of the greatest rim-attacking players in NBA history. He also defends well against post-up plays, yielding just .54 points per play, although thats on an admittedly small 17-play sample size. Some players get caught out of place, but they know theyre out of place. He spent his entire NBA career (19842003) as a point guard for the Utah Jazz, and the team made the playoffs in each of his 19 seasons. 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. How hard do they fight through them? The NBA is a point guard's paradise these days, so let's start All-Time #NBArank with our pantheon points. As previously stated, he gets the help from Green and Leonard to guard the top point guards. Knight gets almost no help whatsoever from help defense. He was second among point guards in defensive rebounds per 36 minutes. Defensively, Stockton had 3,265 steals the most all time during his 19-year career, helping him get 64.9 DWS. Jed Jacobsohn/AP Images. Photos: Top 10 NBA Point Guards Of All Time. If Westbrook could channel his energy in a consistent way, he would be an elite defender, but for now, hes just a solid defender whos kind of spazzy. -- Doolittle, Cousy was an And-1 mix tape in black-and-white. Hes still learning to apply that tremendous athleticism on the defensive end of the court, though. That earned him the nickname Mr. 6 (1957, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963), Career stats 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 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 seems to get frustrated easily. 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. Thanks for signing up. 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. You're the worst defensive point guard in the NBA!!! 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. Despite making it to the Western Conference Finals last season, he is yet to make an appearance in the NBA Finals. By my count, about 70 percent of the time, the ball-handler will get past him and get a shot off. Players Stats: 14.3 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 8.5 APG, 0.7 SPG, 0.1 BPG, Honors: 2x MVP, 8x All-Stars, 7x All-NBA Selection, Hall of Famer. Bucks: Start time, where to watch, what's the latest, Rockets vs. Spurs: Start time, where to watch, what's the latest, Hawks vs. Heat: Start time, where to watch, what's the latest, Pistons vs. Cavaliers: Start time, where to watch, what's the latest, Raptors vs. Wizards: Start time, where to watch, what's the latest, Russell Westbrook still wants Sixth Man of Year award from time with Lakers, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. He doesnt just bring effort to every game; he brings it in all the right ways. Please check your email for a confirmation. Opponents dont have much success getting around him. He gets a higher score here than he technically deserves because he tries so hard. Is that because Chalmers is a better team defender or is it because Cole isnt on the court with James as much? He does a poor job of defending the spot-up, surrendering 1.07 points per play. 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. Archibald, who was just 61 tall, was able to consistently sink the ball despite his diminutive stature. 43 views, 0 likes, 0 loves, 0 comments, 0 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from BabyYo: NRG VS KOI Highlights. 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. Bill Russell 3. What color was his tie? Hes able to stay in front of all but the quickest point guards in the league. Lin is a mixed bag when it comes to help defense. He surpassed the achievements of every other guard in NBA history, except Russell Westbrooks achievements. That said, here are the NBAs five best defensive shooting guards of all-time, based on their DWS. It only looks at the data. You dont see him take plays off, and you dont see him give up on plays. He had unusual strength for his size, quick feet, elite hands, and timing to help him hold down opponents one-on-one and rack up steals. 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. All-Time #NBArank continues with a countdown of the best shooting guards in NBA history. Strictly speaking, he should have a score closer to 20, but because of all the help he is in the locker room and practice, he gets a little leeway. -- Adande, Teams Even when in position, he wont jump to challenge a shot. Kirk Hinrich wasnt the fastest player in the NBA when he came out of college. To create All-Time #NBArank, we put together a ballot with the 150 greatest players ever. With his record of successes and pioneering point guard talents, Magic is at the top of the list. Averaging 1.5 steals per game, Wade could block transition shots as well with the best of them. 8. Im cheating a little here. If he tends to be the helped, he gets a worse score. That would make sense, but there are two reasons to choose the unconventional scale. In terms of point guards, Magic is the finest there has ever been. If you dont want to consider them, then dont. Exploiting the fact that the opposing point guard is often an undersized player with limited strength, several modern point guards have developed games close to the basket that include being able to utilize the drop step, spin move, and fade away jump shot. His helter-skelter wizziness has him flying around the court, and sometimes its good. When hes not getting wrapped up, he plays the pick-and-roll well. Players Stats: 23.2 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 8.3 APG, 1.8 SPG, 0.3 BPG, Honors: 2016-2017 MVP, 9x All-Star, 8x All-NBA Selection, 2x Scoring Champion. Thats pretty much what you see with Conley. Does he know when to go over the pick, and when to go under it? For the purpose of this study, 82games was used because the net defensive rating was also easily available and it made for consistency. The most striking thing about Hinrich is just how often he is the initial defender on the play. Thats because they can spend all their energy quickly, while starters have to pace themselves. The NBA is flush with dominant point guards. He weighs in at only 175 pounds. He was a giant of a guard, but he had all the necessary talents, including the ability to dribble and pass. He doesnt help much, but he doesnt get a lot of help either, so its a bit of a wash. To his credit, he has the best WAM score of any point guard without a great defensive center to back him up. Does he know when to help and not to help? He picked up a complicated system almost immediately, and the Bulls were consistently a better defense with Hinrich on the court, in large part because of how well he understood the system. Some point guards are still given a great deal of leeway in the offense. Stockton was the. Damian Lillard's nuclear 71-point explosion Sunday night was jaw-dropping and somehow not all that surprising. WAM is purely objective. Young players who are relatively short are now developing the scoring aspects of their skill-sets, whereas previously these players would find it difficult to enter the NBA without true point guard skills. -- Haberstroh, Teams 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. If a player tends to be the helper, he gets a better score. Not Paul. 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. He almost always went under the pick. 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. Humility can often be a sign of intelligence at work, and it is with Hinrich. On the flip side, Westbrook's 4.13 turnovers per game average is the highest all-time, with Johnson (3. . Another major evaluation factor is the assist-to-turnover ratio, which reflects the decision-making skills of the player. Sometimes, thats just not enough, especially if hes left to guard in isolation, where hes horrid, giving up .92 points per play. For the time being, his lack of effectiveness and poor decision-making precludes him from being considered one of the top five point guards. #VCTLOCKIN #Valorant #valorantagents #valorantgaming. If Williams had more pride in his defense, he would actually ask for, and depend on, help more than he does. As a result of his hurling himself around the court with utter abandon, he was generally a positive when it came to help defense. That Paul was able to keep the Clippers on track through much of the season with the ever-changing defensive schemes the team had is pretty miraculous. -- 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. But what kind of suit was he wearing on the last episode? He also uses that length to be one of the best shot-blocking point guards in the league. Its no surprise that the best point guards in the NBA have more than just the ability to pass the basketball. 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. 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. Closing out on shooters, hell go sailing past them. You just dont see him make the wrong plays. When he does, he gets put off and his effort isnt there anymore. Whether this is a result of his reputation being undeserved or him not putting forth the effort isnt hard to determine. His Synergy numbers tell the story. It is a testament to Jarrett Jack that he makes this list. He doesnt try to make great plays, but he tries not to make mistakes, which is maybe what he should be concentrating on. 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. Triple Double and for good reason: hes fourth all-time in triple-doubles with 107. Why did you choose such a weird number scale? Despite his little size, he made up for it offensively by being lightning fast and had the whole attacking package. -- 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. Michael Jordan 10. This is also manifested in his spot-up defense. He wont even try and fight over a pick if he gets caught in one, but just quits on the play. On Detroits 2004 NBA championship squad, he led the likes of Rip Hamilton, Ben Wallace and Rasheed Wallace to victory over the LA Lakers superteam. Do players go under picks when they should go over them? With both, its the combination of their size and speed that makes them so phenomenal. The true driving force of his partnership with Karl Malone. Hall of Famer was an impressive defensive player in his own right, Latest Jonathan Isaac injury may signal end of his Magic career, Seven Cubs pitchers combine for spring no-hitter vs. Padres, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones comments on Tony Pollard rumor, Ben Simmons suffers back injury while rehabilitating, Insider: It's Packers, Jets 'or bust' for Aaron Rodgers, QB Anthony Richardson doesn't understand his 'project' label, Vikings HC reveals 'crazy' thoughts about star WR, XFL player released for giving another team plays from own playbook. When he was off the ball, it was spectacular. He gives up too much space and still gets beaten. Take, for example, Carlos Boozer in 2012. Some would look at Conleys frontcourt and assumenot entirely incorrectlythat having Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol to back him up pads his stats. He was an unstoppable offensive force who could score from anywhere on the court and in any way he wanted. One of the great conundrums in rating defense is that teammates factor into it. Sometimes his teammates bailed him out; sometimes the shot just didnt go in. You can look at why things happen and offset the misleading things. He manages to defend the pick-and-roll reasonably well by doing something I can only call bouncing over picks. He was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, on February 7, 1974, to a Welsh mother, Jean, and an English father, John. ESPN ranked the Top 10 PGs of all time & they have @iamisiahthomas ranked 5th. When defending the isolation play, he gives up a nauseating .94 points per play, a strong indication of that. 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. Gary Payton 12. The reason teams run so much pick-and-roll is that it works. He may be the finest defensive guard ever because of his awareness and abilities on the defensive end. DJ, standing 6'4, started playing point for Boston in the second half of his basketball career and was often tasked with shutting down . Jason Kidd 9. But thats why we do the research. 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. He was the league's third player to reach 25,000 points (after Wilt Chamberlain and Oscar Robertson). As a result, he rarely gets tangled up with the pick-setter. One aspect of Roses year-long absence that gets lost is how much the team suffered defensively without him. All rights reserved. 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. In addition to the traditional role of the point guard, modern teams have found new ways to utilize the position. Chris Paul is widely considered to be one of the best point guards of the 2010s. The Clippers were 10 points better with Lamar Odom on the court than DeAndre Jordan according to NBA.com/STATS. Additionally, the 10-time All-Star and Hall of Famer was an impressive defensive player in his own right. Eric Bledsoe has a reputation as being both quick and fast, even for a point guard, but he rarely shows it on defense. He is a natural playmaker with excellent point guard abilities, creating the ideal point guard prototype. And, there are also times when he does the bailing out. Magic Johnson. When he was at his peak, Rose was one of the greatest point guards of all time, and he merits a spot in the top 15. While his pick-and-roll stats, according to Synergy, are excellent, at .68 points per play, half the time he seems to get bailed out by his frontcourt. On the other hand, you cant deny what happened, regardless of how much you watch. 10-time All-Star, 11-time All-NBA selection, five-time All-D selection, Hall of Fame, Career stats The .72 points per play he gives up in isolation is elite-level defense. Players Stats: 23.5 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 6.6 APG, 1.7 SPG, 0.2 BPG, Honors: 2x MVP, 6x All-Star, 6x All-NBA Selection, 2015-2016 Scoring Champion. 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. Mario Chalmers lacks the speed and athleticism of most point guards in the league, and as a result, he usually gets the best seat in the arena to see various point guards blowing by on the way to the rim. The facts need to come first. That concludes the WAP portion of our programming schedule. Players Stats: 15.2 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 5.4 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.2 BPG, Honors: 2003-2004 Finals MVP, 5x All-Star, 3x All-NBA Selection, 2x All-Defensive Team Selection. Thats a difference of almost five points a game given up to point guards. 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. Bing, despite having one of his eyes injured, was an attacking force to be reckoned with. However, the other side of the ball cant be overlooked because as the saying goes: defense wins championships.. When you look at his on/off numbers, you expect that hed be a solid help defender, but you dont see much evidence of that. Defensive rebounds are generally undervalued, although its also true that all defensive rebounds arent the same. Defense is one of the more oft-overlooked aspects of basketball because it isnt as pretty as what happens on the offensive end. 25. In the last entry, we focused on the five best defensive NBA point guards of all time. "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. Paradoxically tough on the court and flashy off of it, Frazier epitomized the '70s-era backcourt style in which roles were less defined. It tracks the production of a players counterpart while he is on the court. Jack is one of those players that a lot of people dont know what he brings to a team in the locker room. Dont be surprised to see him as a head coach someday. Not to mention that he is an elite finisher around the rim, shooting 61.5 per cent on 5-foot attempts. Why not a normal scale of one to 10? Oscar Robertson was one of the NBA's greatest players in history. Is he an effective flopper? Its safe to say that Kidd is one of the greatest guards to ever play on the basketball floor. -- Adams, The fashion forerunner to Russell Westbrook. After ball-handling, the most important areas of the game for a point guard are passing and scoring. Hall of Famer was an impressive defensive player in his own right. Starter from the VCT lockin. Stockton embodied a true point guard - an extension of the coach that ran the team's offense seamlessly. Lets say a perimeter defender gets beaten and then his center blocks the shot. Despite the fact that he was unable to win an NBA championship, his charisma and dribbling prowess will never be forgotten. Isiah Thomas, born on April 30, 1961, and possibly the best player ever under 6-foot-1, combined talent with fierce competitiveness. 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 next three slides will tell how this particular sausage was made. 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. He was a master at leading the fastbreak, which led to Celtics titles. His length is better; he has a 65.75 wingspan. Emailed daily. From that, each player was scored in five different areas on a scale of 18 (best) to 22 (worst). Aware of his predilections, theyll pass the ball out to the perimeter, and simultaneous to the ball-handler catching it, theyll set a pick on Westbrook. Although Drexler never made an All-Defensive Team in his career, he did average two steals per game for his 15-year career. Although both Kidd and Paul were more accurate shooters, his passing range was broader than any of them. However, a good jump shot and the ability to score off a drive to the basket are still valuable skills. Conley is inconsistent in how he applies effort on the court. -- Micah Adams, No one was more dynamic, or magical, with the ball in the open court than Earvin Johnson.

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