best defensive point guards of all time

Bledsoe runs through his rotations, but he rounds them off or overruns them. Parker has a hefty 1.05 points per play against defending the jumper, even though he typically gets there and challenges shots. -- Peterson, Teams 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. 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. Among the greatest point guards of all time, Tiny is among the finest ever. Parker is a seasoned point guard who plays the game like a pro. In recent years, the sport's shift from a fundamental style of play to a more athletic, scoring-oriented game resulted in the proliferation of so-called combo guards at the point guard position. 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. That can create an illusion of great defense where there is none. He merits a high score here. The scouting score was then combined with the WAM score to produce WAMS, with the scouting counting as one-third of the final score. Pauls been an All-Defensive Team selection nine times, being selected to the First Team seven times and the Second Team twice. But will he listen enough to a player he was just playing against to make that shift? 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. David Robinson 6. He fights through picks, going over them when he can and under them when he cant. He gets caught thinking, and while he makes the right decision, its a split second too late. It is a testament to Jarrett Jack that he makes this list. Players Stats: 15.5 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 5.6 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.1 BPG, Honors: 2006-2007 Finals MVP, 6x All-Star, 4x All-NBA Selection. He doesnt put a lot of effort into chasing his man through screens. As a result, hes 17th all-time with 1944 and had six seasons in the top-20 in steals. Of course having book smarts doesnt preclude you from knowing what youre doing on the court either. Lin plays with consistent effort on defense, but hes stuck in fourth gear. He gives up too much space and still gets beaten. He led the NBA in scoring in only his second season, 1967-68, with 27.1 points per game. The defensive stats arent a good way to determine the totality of defense, but they are a factor and shouldnt be ignored. Stockton embodied a true point guard: an extension of the coach that ran the teams offense seamlessly. 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. 18.7 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 9.9 APG, 2.3 SPG, The player Hopefully he can break it. James is well-known for his incredible skill and ability to score big points, which frequently help his team win crucial games. The only thing is that the Bulls actually gave up 8.6 more points while he was on the court. He wont even try and fight over a pick if he gets caught in one, but just quits on the play. 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). The classic definition of a point guard, orchestrating offense and shooting when necessary. Penny, a taller point guard, was an excellent dribbler and a great passer. Then, when players pull up and shoot, he doesnt use his length to close and get a hand in the face of the shooter. Perhaps it was the fact that the Philadelphia 76ers were having a disappointing season without their newly acquired star, Andrew Bynum. 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. For this reason, a point guard is usually, but not always, more skilled and focused on passing than shooting. The only time hell go under a pick is when hes supposed to. He is so athletic and so strong for his size that hes been able to get away without learning lessons he should have. -- Pelton. During each of his five NBA championship rings, he was one of the finest players in the league. Best Defenders in NBA History: Top 50 Best Defensive Players By Clark Boinis | Jul 12, 2021, 4:05pm 1. The Glove was a nine-time All-Defensive Team selection, making the First Team all nine times. -- Peterson, A menace on both ends of the court, Frazier was at his best in the 1970 NBA Finals when tallied 36 points, 19 assists, 7 rebounds in a title-clinching Game 7. Top 15 Greatest Point Guards In NBA History - TheSportster He joined the NBA in 1960 and quickly established himself, averaging 30.5 points per game and winning Rookie of the Year. You're the worst defensive point guard in the NBA!!! It will be interesting to see how well he does with Larry Sanders behind him in Milwaukee. Bob Cousey 8. That had the effect of distorting Pauls on/off numbers. -- Kevin Pelton, Teams Eventually, that learning has to become instinct, though. Williams needs to have a bit of a paradigm shift in the direction of team defense. The reason teams run so much pick-and-roll is that it works. 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. His net defensive rating of 4.2 is an indication of both a lack of his helping and asking for help. Then there was that kid who just read the assignment on the bus and got straight As. He has no All-Defensive team accolades, because those werent introduced until the 1968-1969 season. Lowry looks around like he just woke up from a nap in a foreign city, and hes trying to figure out where hes supposed to be. Some players get caught out of place, but they know theyre out of place. 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 had the second-best defensive rating in the NBA. Chasing down balls, hell reach from behind and disrupt the dribble. He benefits tremendously from help defense as previously mentioned, but that doesnt mean he doesnt also provide help defense. With both, its the combination of their size and speed that makes them so phenomenal. He seems to get frustrated easily. -- J.A. Point guard - Wikipedia In case you missed it, Jason Kidd was tops on the list with 75.1 DWS, good for 11th all-time. His 48.8 DWS is 48th all-time and the fourth most by a point guard. WAM is the foundation, and WAMS is the house. Alex Caruso. If he tends to be the helped, he gets a worse score. What color was his tie? Have a look! Magic had unparalleled vision; he could see players get open and deliver the ball before they even realized they were open. That concludes the WAP portion of our programming schedule. As a result, he rarely gets tangled up with the pick-setter. Gary Payton. If theres a weakness, though, its that when he comes up against the elite offensive point guards, he will get beaten in isolation. Players like Deron Williams, Kyrie Irving and John Wall blew by him fairly consistently. Kevin Durant, surprisingly, also bails out his co-star a lot. Who are the best defensive point guards in the NBA, and how are they determined? He could play any spot on the court as well. He was also an outstanding playmaker and a solid scorer with a strong mid-range game. 50 Greatest Point Guards In NBA History - msn.com One of the best -- and quickest -- lob passers the game has ever seen. An All-Star in every full season that he played for the Boston Celtics, six-time NBA champion Bob Cousy was an all-around player: he averaged 18.4 points, 7.5 assists and 5.2 rebounds per game. He owes his charitable demeanour to a group of elementary school parents. 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. Jack has good but not great effort. 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. 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. Bill Russell 3. Thats a pretty large difference, and it shows he is at his best when he can utilize his quickness, while at his worst when he has to use his strength. Second, having a five-point range on a 22-point scale prevents any one statistic from overly dominating the others. Eight-time All-Star, seven-time All-NBA selection, seven-time All-D selection, Rookie of the Year (2005-06), Career stats Only two other players besides Moncrief have won the NBAs defensive player of the year award twice. Williams tends to play defense, but he only seems to do the minimum. Players Stats: 25.7 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 9.5 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.1 BPG, Honors: 1963-1964 MVP, 12x All-Star, 11x All-NBA Selection, 1960-1961 Rookie of the Year, Hall of Famer. Although both Kidd and Paul were more accurate shooters, his passing range was broader than any of them. 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. 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. He and Chris Paul are the contenders for smartest defensive point guard in the game today. Adande, His Game 6 in the 1980 Finals, while jumping center as a 20-year-old rookie, has to be on the Mt. But one in 20 is egregiously bad.). 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. By: HoopsHype. Then again, the limited number of plays may be, in part, due to the fact that hes so hard to post up. He does those things; he just doesnt do them very hard. The greatest point guard in NBA history. On the other hand, hes not tremendously athletic. Most players will take a little on-court breather now and then. Even so, combo guards still require above-average passing skill, but not as much as possessed by "pure" point guards (which is what those in the traditional mold of a point guard are referred to). 8. Jason Kidd 9. On defense, the point guard is tasked with making the opposing point guard as ineffective as possible. The game has been graced by several incredible players whose names live on even after they retire. The Best NBA Point Guards Of All Time - The Delite With Doc Rivers in charge, things should turn around shortly, and next year his WAM score will be among the best in the league. Stats dont tell the whole story and our eyes often only confirm what we already know. He had absolutely no help backing him up, and that inflates his objective numbers. Defensively, Stockton had 3,265 steals the most all time during his 19-year. The point guard is positioned on the perimeter of the play, so as to have the best view of the action. He is not a guy you would single out as an NBA player in a crowded room. Kawhi Leonard 11. It looked like teams designed plays counting on him being lazy. 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. But hes slightly built, and that raises some issues, especially when hes caught a fraction of a second behind a play. He may be the finest defensive guard ever because of his awareness and abilities on the defensive end. Jordan also had two seasons (86-87 and 87-88) where he was in the top-20 in blocks per game and seven seasons in the top-20 in defensive rating. 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. 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. Big O is widely regarded as one of the best offensive point guards of all time. On and off the court, Dave Bing was an excellent high-scoring NBA point guard who achieved greatness. For a full game, Moncrief was capable of shutting down almost any guard in NBA history. People that just do their job dont usually pitch in and help their co-workers. He also uses his quick hands to steal the dribble, and he does so without taking risks. 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. 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. Lowry just seems to be lost on defense much of the time. (Note: Players chosen only if they have played as a shooting guard for most, if not all, of their career.). You just dont see him make the wrong plays. 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. On the other hand, he was frequently bailing out whoever was playing shooting guard on numerous occasions. -- Adams, An early ballhandling wizard, he was a point guard who was a focal point at a time when the game was dominated by big men. Many times, the point guard is referred to by announcers, as a "coach on the floor" or a "floor general". Jed Jacobsohn/AP Images. In essence, hes athletic enough to do a respectable job of what hes asked to do. His 47.4 DWS is 54th overall, good for an average of 2.963 DWS per season, slightly edging Wade. As a result, he has received numerous awards, including the 'NBA Most Valuable Player' (MVP) award and the "PAC Player of the Year." The five best defensive point guards of all time - Sportsnaut ALL-TIME #NBARANK, 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11-15 | 16-20 | 21-25, The player Hes always looking where hes supposed to go, and moving in that direction, but he just takes his time getting there. 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. You also can follow along @ESPNNBA and on Facebook. He is tremendous at using that muscle to his advantage, too. Closing out on jumpers is an issue, especially when coming off screens, where he yields a 46.7 shooting percentage from the three-point line. New Orleans Hornets (2005-11), Los Angeles Clippers, (2011-present), Honors He could launch it from 30 feet or more with ease. The Cleveland Cavaliers relied heavily on Kyrie Irving to take and hit huge shots, even when he was partnered with LeBron James. One of the most famous point guards of all time, Jason Kidd, could make a dazzling pass or a simple play with the finest in the game while also adoring to hightail it in transition to wear opponents down. You dont get the sense in watching him that theres a point of pride in it. Defense is one of the more oft-overlooked aspects of basketball because it isnt as pretty as what happens on the offensive end. You can find him juggling the ball every Sunday on the field, with FIFA on his PlayStation as the night drill. With the increased emphasis on the deep three, point guards account for a large portion of the league's top scorers. Eric Bledsoe has a reputation as being both quick and fast, even for a point guard, but he rarely shows it on defense. Hes the closest thing in the world to Kevin Garnetts Mini-Me. Del Negro just worried about the matchup without ever developing a true defensive system or identity with the Clippers. The Greatest Defensive PG's in NBA History! - ranker.com To recap, Jason Kidd was the best defensive point guard, Michael Jordan skied above other shooting guards, John Havlicek paced all small forwards - for the time being - and the "Mailman . Defensively, Stockton had 3,265 steals the most all time during his 19-year career, helping him get 64.9 DWS. Sometimes his teammates bailed him out; sometimes the shot just didnt go in. 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. They have value when there arent such extremes like the difference between Boozer and Gibson. If he didnt retire at 34, its interesting to see where Cousy could have landed all-time as he averaged 3.8 DWS per season. They are available for those who want to know where they fit, and it doesn'thurt anyone to include them. 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. In terms of point guards, Magic is the finest there has ever been. You cant build a house first, and then pour the foundation underneath it. He does such a good job of it while the ball is in front of him, theres no reason he couldnt do it after the ball-handler gets past him. Holiday wouldnt just go under the pick; he would go too far under the pick. Does he know when to help and not to help? Some contend its not his fault that hes short, but its not Jarrett Jacks fault that hes slow either. He has the most assists and steals of any player in NBA history and is a master of the pick & roll. Dennis Johnson. One of the greatest point guards ever, Jason Kidd could make the flashy pass or the simple play with the best of them while also loving to hightail it in transition to wear opponents down in. Johnson will go down as one of the top 25 all-time point guards because of his defensive presence. Paul, who was born on May 6, 1985, has long been regarded as one of the game's greatest point guards, a fact reinforced by his selection to the 75th Anniversary Team. 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. I doubt its much beyond his height. 'Whatever seed we are, we're ready': Is there room for Cleveland among the East elite? Apart from that, he seems to do what hes supposed to be doing when hes away from the ball. His Synergy numbers tell the story. Let's see who has made it to the top 10 best point guards of all time. He was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, on February 7, 1974, to a Welsh mother, Jean, and an English father, John. By combining them, we can get a better picture of the whole elephant of a players defense. For his career, Jordan averaged 2.3 steals (third all-time) and 4.2 DWS per year. Hes so undersized, youd think he was just some regular guy. From there, hes playing catch up. Thanks for signing up. Triple Double and for good reason: hes fourth all-time in triple-doubles with 107. -- Peterson, Teams So the problem isnt a lack of speed; its a lack of applying it. 19.5 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 11.2 APG, .520 FG%, The player ESPN ranked the Top 10 PGs of all time & they have @iamisiahthomas ranked 5th. Here he is. Instead of passing after bringing up the ball they quickly drive to the basket or step back for an outside shot. 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. They must also be able to adapt to what the defense is allowing and must control the pace of the game. 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 An All-Star in every full season that he played for the Boston Celtics, six-time NBA champion Bob Cousy was an all-around player. Thats good for 14th all-time in NBA history and he also had 10 seasons in the top 20 for steals per game. Humility can often be a sign of intelligence at work, and it is with Hinrich. He could be better than he is, but its hard to blame only him. As a rookie, Bill Russell relied on Cousy to lead the league in assists, and he won the MVP Award for his efforts. Ergo, a negative number is a positive thing, and a positive number is a negative thing. Exceptions were made for Derrick Rose, Danny Granger, Andrew Bynum and Kevin Love because they have all been All-Star players, and all are still, at least by age, in their prime. A defensive point guard will try to accomplish this with constant pressure on the ball, making it difficult to maintain possession. Is he an effective flopper? 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 . Sounds great, right? Generally speaking, the point guard is the player in possession of the ball for the most time during a game and is responsible for maintaining possession of the ball for their team in the face of any pressure from the opponents. For each of the following metrics, click on the subhead to be taken to the source website for more details. He just doesnt have the length to effectively guard against them. At 6-foot-1, he's the shortest NBA Finals MVP in league history, a reflection of his unique ability to dominate at the point guard position. Total Defensive Plays per 36 Minutes, or TDP/36 is simply the total number of defensive rebounds, steals and blocks a player accrues every 36 minutes. The explosiveness and rim-running ability of Damian Lillard extend beyond his ability to shoot the ball from a distance. READ ALSO: James Harden's age: stats, contract, family, dating, net worth in 2022 and more. Thats just simply not true, and any amount of watching him play will verify that. As a result, opponents shot 42.9 percent from deep against him in the pick-and-roll. He made everything go for those Lakers teams. Each of these has its own value, and those specifics will be discussed more on the next slide. Dennis Rodman 4. He stands third among the top 10 point guards of all time. Brandon Knight has exceptional speed and quickness. Since elite offensive players tend to have a higher usage rate, players that guard elite offensive players should also have more defensive plays. Marcus Smart. Finally, both are improving on the defensive side of the ball. His lateral quickness is below-average, and his straightaway speed isnt much either. Paradoxically tough on the court and flashy off of it, Frazier epitomized the '70s-era backcourt style in which roles were less defined. Nate Archibald 14. He was a giant of a guard, but he had all the necessary talents, including the ability to dribble and pass. 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. His on-court coaching and leadership is probably the biggest reason the Clippers had the eighth most-efficient defense in the NBA last year. It seems so much of Conley is either there or not there; you get it or you dont get it. For the time being, his lack of effectiveness and poor decision-making precludes him from being considered one of the top five point guards. Stockton is one of the greatest assist players in NBA history, if not the greatest. 10-time All-Star, 11-time All-NBA selection, five-time All-D selection, Hall of Fame, Career stats The official cause of death of Flashdance singer Irene Cara has been determined. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google. But mostly he plays smartly with an occasional brain fart. He sometimes gets tangled up and left hopelessly out of the play. The true driving force of his partnership with Karl Malone. 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 . What he offers goes beyond the court. Something was great about that play, but it was Knight showing the heart to challenge Jordan, not Jordan dunking on a man a foot shorter than himself. Thats helped him amass 47.3 DWS, 56th overall. 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. 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. All rights reserved. (As an aside, in the slides, you will only see the original metric value, not the weighted number to determine the WAM. He doesnt make stupid mistakes, but he doesnt anticipate plays either. 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. Knight gets almost no help whatsoever from help defense. Overall, he is more of a gives-help defender than a needs-help defender. That all-around game made Kidd one of the league's top point guards for nearly 20 years. A defensive point guard will also pressure opponents in passing lanes in an attempt to generate steals and scoring opportunities for their own team. This could be something that Monty Williams, a coach with outstanding player development skills, can work on in New Orleans now that Holiday is with the Pelicans. He has a high basketball IQ, and he has that veteran savvy thing going for him, too. He uses quickness to capably guard the perimeter, but thats in large part because hes not always defending the elite point guards. And his athleticism gives him a leg up, which helps him dominate. 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 might have Silly Putty for a father. Furthermore, he is a legend for the Phoenix Suns and one of the teams finest players. The Best NBA Point Guards Of All Time - The Delite His offensive style has been revamped to incorporate a powerful mid-range jumper along with some range as well. As previously discussed, it is true that purely objective analysis does not, and cannot, tell the whole story, especially when it comes to something as dynamic as defense. 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.

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