Holiday has ample size for a point guard, standing a shade over 64 in shoes, and weighing in at 205 pounds. Their primary job is to facilitate scoring opportunities for their team, or sometimes for themselves. Paul is just listed at just 60, and that might be generous. Needless to say, you dont see a lot of LeBron-Jamesian-chase-down blocks from Conley. Holiday wouldnt just go under the pick; he would go too far under the pick. Teams -- 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. Its like hes just punching the clock and collecting his wages. Getting paired with Tom Thibodeau has made it even better. He arguably makes more plays on his feet, both offensively and defensively, than anyone else. 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 However, a good jump shot and the ability to score off a drive to the basket are still valuable skills. In the NBA, point guards generally range from 6ft 1in (1.85m) to 6ft 4in (1.93m) whereas in the WNBA, point guards are usually 5ft 9in (1.75m) or shorter. Why not a normal scale of one to 10? Whatever it was, Holiday was just not bringing effort on the defensive end last year. 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. Two NBA titles and a Finals MVP award make him one of the all-time great point guards because of his ability to score from mid-range and his propensity to attack and finish at the rim. One of the greatest rebounding guards of all time. 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. Because they each feel a different thing, an argument arises as to who is right. Each touches a different part of the elephant, one an ear, another the torso and so on. 1987 Lakers are often seen as one of the greatest teams ever. He gambles too much, and that often gets him caught out of the play. -- 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 still struggles against the spot-up, though, because of issues that will be addressed later. Taj Gibson, his backup, is a tremendous defensive player, which only amplified the effect of Boozers shortcomings. As a result, opponents shot 42.9 percent from deep against him in the pick-and-roll. When the team is winning or the game is close, he puts in real effort, but if they are down, he shows noticeably less energy. He just cant do anything about it. 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. Furthermore, he is a legend for the Phoenix Suns and one of the teams finest players. Hes not looking at the ball-handler's chest, which makes him susceptible to fakes, so when his opponent breaks, Rose is momentarily frozen. He may get beaten occasionally, and he might get outmuscled more frequently, but he never gets outhustled. For each of the following metrics, click on the subhead to be taken to the source website for more details. For this reason, a small penalty was exacted for every minute under 30 minutes, and a small bonus was provided over 30 minutes. Its what separates him from being a valuable, slightly overrated defender, and an elite defender. The best shooter ever not just in terms of accuracy but also in creatively getting looks with but a sliver's opening and with unlimited range. Dubs' Curry (leg) could return as soon as Sun. He falls into his rotations smoothly. Cousy, in many respects, was the Celtics spirit at the moment. He is not a guy you would single out as an NBA player in a crowded room. His lateral quickness is exceptional, making it hard for people to get around him, and thats a big part of why he is tied with Derrick Rose for the fewest points per play among qualified point guards. 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. He has above-average size and strength, but he doesnt play like it. For example, in the clutch, with the Rockets engaged in a playoff run, the team locked up in a tight battle with the San Antonio Spurs and the score close with less than five minutes remaining, Lin consistently showed the same 90 percent effort he always shows. Even though hes been injured a lot, Paul is averaging over two steals a game for his career. Johnsons style of play made him especially successful since he was noted for tip-ins and post play around the rim. 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. Its difficult to have a perfect rating system thats entirely objective, and even more difficult to have a realistic one that is purely subjective. Then our ESPN expert panel voted on thousands of head-to-head matchups, with voting based on both peak performance and career value. Lowry is neither big nor strong, and he does little with what size he has. First, a range of 18 to 22 makes it easier to arrive at the eventual score of 100the baseline everything was weighted to. Players Stats: 15.6 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 3.6 APG, 1.2 SPG, 0.3 BPG, Honors: 5x All-Star, 5x All-NBA Selection, 2x Defensive Player of the Year, 5x All-Defensive Selection, Hall of Famer. Lee Rose has described a point guard as a coach on the floor, who can handle and distribute the ball to teammates. 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 averaged 18.4 points, 7.5 assists and 5.2 rebounds per game. The biggest reason appears to be a fundamental one. Hes fearless, and no matter how large the big setting the pick is, he wont back down. Michael Jordan 10. He might not be the fastest guy in the world, but that doesnt keep him from trying to be. In his book The Winner Within, Pat Riley described Magic as a club DJ. If you want the perfect picture of what Hinrich brings to the defensive end of the court, think of him tackling the runaway freight train, otherwise known as LeBron James, in the game which stopped the Miami Heats streak. Do the likes of Magic Johnson and Stephen Curry rise to the top of the point guard rankings, or is it possible for someone with undeniable natural skill like Penny Hardaway to crack the elite group? Its like hes chosen the worst of both worlds. Hes able to use that size advantage by being physical, playing close and aggressive, often forcing shooters into shots they arent comfortable taking. 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. 43 views, 0 likes, 0 loves, 0 comments, 0 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from BabyYo: NRG VS KOI Highlights. There's no way Stockton & Curry are better than Isiah. It also helps him to have the second-most defensive plays per 36 minutes of any of the point guards on this list. Thats a strong indication that Rose was not relying on help defense because that same help was there for C.J. 5-on-5: Will Curry pass Magic as best PG ever? Defense is one of the more oft-overlooked aspects of basketball because it isnt as pretty as what happens on the offensive end. He could launch it from 30 feet or more with ease. Hell get to the corners to challenge threes; hell pick off passes; hell get rebounds; hell get some chase-down blocks. Players like Deron Williams, Kyrie Irving and John Wall blew by him fairly consistently. James is well-known for his incredible skill and ability to score big points, which frequently help his team win crucial games. For the purpose of this study, 82games was used because the net defensive rating was also easily available and it made for consistency. Triple Double and for good reason: hes fourth all-time in triple-doubles with 107. Pun intended. MVP (1963-64), 12-time All-Star, 11-time All-NBA selection, Rookie of the Year (1960-61), Hall of Fame, Career stats Isiah Thomas, born on April 30, 1961, and possibly the best player ever under 6-foot-1, combined talent with fierce competitiveness. You also can follow along @ESPNNBA and on Facebook. All the other tools and effort can be rendered useless by a little stupidity. A point guard specializes in certain skills, like other player positions in basketball. -- Peterson. This is what I mean by ubiquity. Although Drexler never made an All-Defensive Team in his career, he did average two steals per game for his 15-year career. 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. He does all those little things that dont show up in box scores. Instead of passing after bringing up the ball they quickly drive to the basket or step back for an outside shot. There are some serious contenders in Steve Nash and Walter Frazier, so hell have to settle for fourth place in the race. One way of offsetting the problems of defensive rating is looking at on/off stats, meaning how many points does the defense give up while a player is on the court versus when he is off the court? He lacks the strength to effectively go over screens consistently, so he has to go under them. 10-time All-Star, six-time All-NBA selection, nine-time All-D selection, co-Rookie of the Year (1994-95), Career stats Hes still learning to apply that tremendous athleticism on the defensive end of the court, though. (Note: Players chosen only if they have played as a shooting guard for most, if not all, of their career.). 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! Robertson amassed 26,710 points and 9,887 assists during his 14-year NBA career with the Cincinnati Royals and Milwaukee Bucks. Top 20 best defensive midfielders in the world today: who are they? However, the other side of the ball cant be overlooked because as the saying goes: defense wins championships.. As a result, he rarely gets tangled up with the pick-setter. Some would argue that just because he went to Harvard, it doesnt mean he has a high basketball IQ, or that book intelligence isnt the same thing. 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. Players Stats: 12.6 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 8.7 APG, 1.9 SPG, 0.3 BPG, Honors: 10x All-Star, 6x All-NBA Selection, 1994-1995 Rookie of the Year, 9x All-Defensive Team Selection, Hall of Famer. Yet somehow he manages to compensate and do a reasonably fair job of defending, even in isolation. Eventually, you need to form an opinion about why not just know what. He also uses his quick hands to steal the dribble, and he does so without taking risks. This is especially true when closing out on defenders. 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. 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. Dennis Johnson. The facts need to come first. But hes slightly built, and that raises some issues, especially when hes caught a fraction of a second behind a play. He had absolutely no help backing him up, and that inflates his objective numbers. Thats the difference between what I call work intelligence and natural intelligence. Some people just have to work to pick things up. Probably no point guard in the league does a better job of recovering defensively than Rose does. 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. Lowry just seems to be lost on defense much of the time. He made everything go for those Lakers teams. 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 . Sounds great, right? No question hell be inducted into the Hall of Fame, and hes one of the greatest rim-attacking players in NBA history. However, he tends to play soft at times against the pick-and-roll, tending to rely on his quickness when he could muscle through a pick quicker.