WAMS includes scouting. Injuries robbed Rose of the opportunity to become one of the games top five point guards. That said, here are the NBAs five best defensive shooting guards of all-time, based on their DWS. 5 (1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988), Career stats You cant build a house first, and then pour the foundation underneath it. He also defends well against post-up plays, yielding just .54 points per play, although thats on an admittedly small 17-play sample size. He seems to get frustrated easily. Does he rotate on time? The NBA's best European guard, Tony Parker, monopolised opposing backcourt players with speed and agility, a tight crossover, and a gorgeous tear-drop floater in the lane. Greg Monroe has talent on the offensive side of the ball but not a whole lot on the defensive side. Its probably no coincidence that Stephen Currys defense took a giant step forward this season playing alongside Jack, and you might see a similar progression from Kyrie Irving next year. He and Chris Paul are the contenders for smartest defensive point guard in the game today. Even the fastest point guards tend to get bottled up. Since its neither, he gets an even score. He still struggles against the spot-up, though, because of issues that will be addressed later. Pauls been an All-Defensive Team selection nine times, being selected to the First Team seven times and the Second Team twice. However his brilliant and consistent team defense team keeps passing lanes secure and helps prevent a lot of plays from developing the way they normally would. 19.5 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 11.2 APG, .520 FG%, The player Although Stockton accumulated numerous All-NBA nods, he only made the All-Defensive Second Team five times. Even when in position, he wont jump to challenge a shot. He averaged 3.9 win shares per season, totaling 75.1 DWS at the end of his 19-year career - good for 11th all-time. Six blind men all go to see an elephant which they'venever encountered before. He gambles too much, and that often gets him caught out of the play. Thats helped him amass 47.3 DWS, 56th overall. This is not so common anymore, as most coaches are now solely specialized in coaching and are non-players. Even though hes been injured a lot, Paul is averaging over two steals a game for his career. He was second among point guards in defensive rebounds per 36 minutes. Second, having a five-point range on a 22-point scale prevents any one statistic from overly dominating the others. Most players will take a little on-court breather now and then. Adande, His Game 6 in the 1980 Finals, while jumping center as a 20-year-old rookie, has to be on the Mt. 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. 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. With the increased emphasis on the deep three, point guards account for a large portion of the league's top scorers. That earned him the nickname Mr. The best way to track how effective a player is on the defensive end is by looking at their cumulative defensive win shares. Were shooters able to shoot over them? He has been improving in that regard, but its taken a while, and there are still some maddening things. This is where everything focuses on Westbrook. Players Stats: 20.3 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 6.0 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.2 BPG. Even point guards who are not given this much freedom, however, are still extensions of their coach on the floor and must display good leadership skills. I actually looked for him to do it and couldnt find it. 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. Robertson's offensive ability transformed the point guard stereotype from a passer and floor general to a scorer and offensive weapon. Dennis Johnson. He gets a ton of help from his teammates and isnt asked to give a lot back. Let's see who has made it to the top 10 best point guards of all time. James is well-known for his incredible skill and ability to score big points, which frequently help his team win crucial games. Kyrie Irving is unquestionably one of the greatest point guards of all time. Sometimes that works, such as his quick darts under picks. Hell go flying outside the play, right as his man catches the ball, and then hell not only have to make up that ground, but hell also have to fight through the pick. While he does benefit from help defense, its not as often as you might think. Players Stats: 14.1 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 5.0 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.6 BPG. He doesnt put a lot of effort into chasing his man through screens. -- Doolittle, Cousy was an And-1 mix tape in black-and-white. 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. Scouting isnt the same as just watching games. Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. In fact, its probably the most important thing. For the purpose of this study, 82games was used because the net defensive rating was also easily available and it made for consistency. Thats the difference between what I call work intelligence and natural intelligence. Some people just have to work to pick things up. He defends pick-and-rolls exceptionally well because hes able to shake off picks without much trouble, even pushing around stronger players like Carlos Boozer or Robin Lopez at times. Whatever it was, Holiday was just not bringing effort on the defensive end last year. He was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, on February 7, 1974, to a Welsh mother, Jean, and an English father, John. Players Stats: 19.2 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 9.3 APG, 1.9 SPG, 0.3 BPG, Honors: 1989-1990 Finals MVP, 12x All-Star, 5x All-NBA Selection, Hall of Famer. There are some serious contenders in Steve Nash and Walter Frazier, so hell have to settle for fourth place in the race. Some would look at Conleys frontcourt and assumenot entirely incorrectlythat having Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol to back him up pads his stats. But it seems like Paul is nutmegging and breaking opposing defenders ankles every game. Its hard to notice his effort, though, because of the consistency with which he gets destroyed. 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. One of basketballs most dynamic and versatile point guards in the modern era. So the problem isnt a lack of speed; its a lack of applying it. His ability to score and create plays made him an NBA superstar. 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. He applies himself and stays committed, but when hes beaten on a play, hell relax waiting for his bigs to pick up the slack. Perhaps next year the Raptors will see better times, and well see less of that kind of behavior, but its a harmful habit to have picked up. -- Adams, Honors He works well within a system where there are no real defensive weaknesses. They say that defense is mostly about effort. Players Stats: 13.1 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 10.5 APG, 2.2 SPG, 0.2 BPG, Honors: 10x All-Star, 11x All-NBA Selection, 5x All-Defensive Team Selection, Hall of Famer. On defense, the point guard is tasked with making the opposing point guard as ineffective as possible. He made everything go for those Lakers teams. You can look at why things happen and offset the misleading things. 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. Does he know when to go over the pick, and when to go under it? If he had just a little more strength and could get through the screens just a tad bit quicker, then that ground could be eaten up ever so fractionally sooner, and he would be able to have that smidgen of success needed to effectively challenge those three-point shots. You're the worst defensive point guard in the NBA!!! How they moved laterally, closed out on shooters, and recovered after getting beaten were also taken into account. The result is our all-time NBA Top 100. This mans achievements are indisputable, and the prospect of him winning a second NBA championship just adds to his greatness. He is so athletic and so strong for his size that hes been able to get away without learning lessons he should have. Finally, both are improving on the defensive side of the ball. The same applies to any decent basketball argument (or any other kind, for that matter). Stats dont tell the whole story and our eyes often only confirm what we already know. He is not a guy you would single out as an NBA player in a crowded room. 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. Instead of passing after bringing up the ball they quickly drive to the basket or step back for an outside shot. Now hes in Phoenix, and well see how both he and Jeff Hornacek develop in their new roles. Since the first time a professional basketball player dribbled a ball, weve seen some of the greatest point guards in history. Players Stats: 16.5 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 6.7 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.2 BPG. 18.7 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 9.9 APG, 2.3 SPG, The player 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. If you dont want to consider them, then dont. Honors: 1978-1979 Finals MVP, 5x All-Star, 9x All-Defense Selection, 2x All-NBA Team Selection, Hall of Famer. Who are the best defensive point guards in the NBA, and how are they determined? He could create at an elite level while also scoring off the dribble from the midrange. Overall, hes ninth in steals with 2,207, and Drexlers 49.9 DWS is good for 45th all-time. West became synonymous with brilliant basketball during his 14-year playing career with the Los Angeles Lakers. With his athleticism and speed, there is no way that Rose should get beaten off the dribble as often as he does. He does an air-tight job of keeping players out of the perimeter. 10-time All-Star, 11-time All-NBA selection, five-time All-D selection, Hall of Fame, Career stats Point guards must be able to maintain possession of the ball in crowded spaces and in traffic and be able to advance the ball quickly. 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. However, he doesnt appear to have the same strength they do. The Miami HEATs best player in franchise history, Dwyane Wade was an offensive maestro. He uses his length well when trying to close out on jumpers, utilizing all of his elevation and his full length. It will be interesting to see how well he does with Larry Sanders behind him in Milwaukee. Conley is generously listed at 61 and 180 pounds. He averaged 18.4 points, 7.5 assists and 5.2 rebounds per game. When he does, he gets put off and his effort isnt there anymore. Refusing to back down because youre afraid of being put on a poster is a good thing, not a bad thing. Point guards are often valued more for their assist totals than for their scoring. Sixth-greatest point guard in basketball history. Derrick Rose 15. I gave Paul the highest possible score here to offset the total ineptness of the coaching staff, and the frontcourt help he got last season, but he would have a high score regardless. He averaged 3.9 win shares per season, totaling 75.1 DWS at the end of his 19-year career, good for 11th all-time. First, a range of 18 to 22 makes it easier to arrive at the eventual score of 100the baseline everything was weighted to. He always picks up on the switch. Average players struggled, though. Along with leadership and a general basketball acumen, ball-handling is a skill of great importance to a point guard. Jason Kidd was the definition of a jack-of-all-trades point guard: he could pass, score and grab rebounds. He has 12 All-Star selections, 10 All-NBA selections, nine All-Defensive Team selections, and a second-place MVP finish in his third season at 22. -- Adande, Teams A point guard will often use their ability to score in order to augment their effectiveness as a decision-maker and playmaker. It is startling to see the regularity with which opponents blow past Deron Williams. Bing, despite having one of his eyes injured, was an attacking force to be reckoned with. Hinrich has a bit more going for him in terms of size. He almost always went under the pick. As previously stated, he gets the help from Green and Leonard to guard the top point guards. But mostly he plays smartly with an occasional brain fart. If he tends to be the helped, he gets a worse score. Exciting feature: Check out news exactly for YOU find "Recommended for you" block and enjoy! Lets see who has made it to the top 10 best point guards of all time. Widely known as one of the best, if not the best, point guards of all time, Chris Pauls offensive exploits are well-documented. Thats because they can spend all their energy quickly, while starters have to pace themselves. He did it not once, not twice, but three times. Mr. 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. Some players with tremendous athleticism just dont apply it on both ends of the court. He fights through picks, going over them when he can and under them when he cant. Gary Payton was born on July 23, 1968, and is widely regarded as one of the best defensive point guards of all time. 'Whatever seed we are, we're ready': Is there room for Cleveland among the East elite? They are available for those who want to know where they fit, and it doesn'thurt anyone to include them. His Synergy scores are worse than expected, but that appears to be from players just shooting over him more than getting past him. Lillard, on the other hand, is generally able to get things going from the perimeter anytime he wants. He weighs in at only 175 pounds. 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. The true driving force of his partnership with Karl Malone. 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. Penny Hardaway was well recognized for his relationship with Shaquille ONeal when he was only a kid. Oscar Robertson 3. 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. In his first season, he specialized in defense and could stop almost every point guard in the league on a regular basis. -- 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. For a player who lacks lateral quickness and a player that has been in the league as long as he has, you would think Williams would have learned to do a better job of steering opponents into the help defense. By combining them, we can get a better picture of the whole elephant of a players defense. And I never saw him go in the wrong direction, not once. Thats 20th all-time, with Kidd being the only other guard above him. Defense is one of the more oft-overlooked aspects of basketball because it isnt as pretty as what happens on the offensive end. Jordans inclusion as the best defensive shooting guard isnt surprising considering his relentless attitude to winning. Teams Coaches are responsible for developing young players, and it would have been fun to watch him grow under Doc Rivers. However, a good jump shot and the ability to score off a drive to the basket are still valuable skills. It tracks the production of a players counterpart while he is on the court. 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. He doesnt disrupt team defense with unnecessary gambles. He manages to defend the pick-and-roll reasonably well by doing something I can only call bouncing over picks. Thats the advantage of the scouting portion. -- Haberstroh, Honors Three-time MVP (1986-87, 1988-89, 1989-90), three-time Finals MVP, 12-time All-Star, 10-time All-NBA selection, Hall of Fame, Championships When he needs to button down, he does, but he also tends to take off the middle of games, relying heavily on the help defense. All rights reserved. At the very least, he could stab those quick hands of his at some more balls and disrupt the dribble from behind. There arent many point guards in the league who can match Roses pure size and strength. He secures first place in the top 10 NBA point guards of all time. The players are ranked according to their WAMS. Each of these has its own value, and those specifics will be discussed more on the next slide. Lee Rose has described a point guard as a coach on the floor, who can handle and distribute the ball to teammates. Doc Rivers has had a lot of input into how Rondo plays the game. In addition, Cousy, dubbed "The Houdini of the Hardwood," led the NBA in assists for 8 straight seasons, creating a whole new blend of ball-handling and passing skills for the league. Chalmers is 62 and 190 pounds, which is about average size for a point guard. -- Pelton, If he had played with The Mailman or a defense as stout as the Pistons, he might have made a couple of Finals by now. Payton is one of two point guards to have ever won the Defensive Player of the Year, and his stats show it. Several sites track this, each in its slightly unique way, depending on its formula to calculate possessions. Its safe to say that Kidd is one of the greatest guards to ever play on the basketball floor. In the late 1980s, he was the face of the Bad Boys Pistons, who defeated Jordan's Bulls three times in a row in the playoffs. How much a player understands his role in the defense is measured here. Hopefully he can break it. He was also an outstanding playmaker and a solid scorer with a strong mid-range game. Widely known as one of the best, if not the best, point guards of all time, Chris Pauls offensive exploits are well-documented. 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. Its like hes chosen the worst of both worlds. At the point guard position, point guard Damian Lillard is one of the games most talented shooters and scorers. He can be stagnant when his man doesnt have the ball. 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. After watching Paul play defense for a while, what stands out over everything else is that he just never stops movingliterally. On the flip side, Westbrook's 4.13 turnovers per game average is the highest all-time, with Johnson (3. . Conley looked away from Billups and was pointing vehemently to Paul, trying to tell Allen to get over there and cover him. The NBA is flush with dominant point guards. 1987 Lakers are often seen as one of the greatest teams ever. Then, over 10,000 video clips were viewed and players were evaluated based on subjective criteria. But hes slightly built, and that raises some issues, especially when hes caught a fraction of a second behind a play. 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. David Robinson 6. His MVP season, he had the second-best block total by a point guard in history (although John Wall exceeded that total last year.). Sometimes hell even rush to defend the wrong guy while his man is draining a wide-open three. Hes just over 60" without shoes but has a wingspan of 67.5. Only four players in the history of the combine are as short or shorter and have at least that kind of reach. When hes coming off screens, hes especially horrible, giving up 1.15 points per play. The point guard is positioned on the perimeter of the play, so as to have the best view of the action. Jumping ability, body control and agility were all considered as well. Probably no point guard in the league does a better job of recovering defensively than Rose does. 3. Its amazing he doesnt get punched sometimes. Damian Lillard (2013-Present) AP Images. Does he pick up his man when switched? Players Stats: 18.5 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 9.5 APG, 2.2 SPG, 0.1 BPG, Honors: 10x All-Stars, 8x All-NBA Selection, 2005-2006 Rookie of the Year, 9x All-Defensive Team Selection. The total numbers were then adjusted to arrive at a score ranging between 90 (best) and 110 (worst). He doesnt try to make great plays, but he tries not to make mistakes, which is maybe what he should be concentrating on. While he recovers most of the time, its worth asking why he gets beaten. 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. -- 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. Take, for example, Carlos Boozer in 2012. If theres a weakness, though, its that when he comes up against the elite offensive point guards, he will get beaten in isolation. Jason Kidd 9. He arguably powers through picks better than any point guard in the league. He could be better than he is, but its hard to blame only him. He averages 1.8 steals per game. It seems so much of Conley is either there or not there; you get it or you dont get it. 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. Teams The Cleveland Cavaliers 2016 championship run would not have been possible without Kyrie Irving, who is a two-time NBA champion. Rondo may not be big, but he doesnt know that. Curry has developed into much more than a 3-point specialist. For this reason, a small penalty was exacted for every minute under 30 minutes, and a small bonus was provided over 30 minutes. Its also a big part of why he has the most defensive plays per 36 minutes, using his quickness to get to those long rebounds. Each touches a different part of the elephant, one an ear, another the torso and so on. It is easy to have the numbers skewed by a smaller sample size. Los Angeles Lakers (1979-91, 1995-96), Honors With both, its the combination of their size and speed that makes them so phenomenal. Players like Rose, Russell Westbrook and Kyrie Irving consistently cross him over and get past him. It doesnt help to be fast if you dont use it, so Bledsoes score here is lower than you might expect. He needs more of the former and less of the latter. 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! Triple Double and for good reason: hes fourth all-time in triple-doubles with 107. Although both Kidd and Paul were more accurate shooters, his passing range was broader than any of them. You dont get the sense in watching him that theres a point of pride in it. From there, hes playing catch up. Isaiah Thomas 5. For Rose, his biggest issues on both sides of the ball have to do with fundamentals and understanding. 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. Apart from that, he seems to do what hes supposed to be doing when hes away from the ball. Our booby prize winner is pictured above. Taj Gibson, his backup, is a tremendous defensive player, which only amplified the effect of Boozers shortcomings. The more often he is the primary defender, the more likely he is to be responsible for guarding the player who is getting the most plays offensively. Lennys passing and leadership on the floor were solid, but he also had a few great scoring years on the court. Championships: 3. Rose is arguably the most athletic point guard in the league, though Russell Westbrook could present a challenge. That concludes the WAP portion of our programming schedule. Interpreted as: best defensive rating with a minimum of 10000 minutes played point guards in NBA history. Watching him rotate was watching perfection. -- Pelton, So precise with his passes and timely with his shots. Only two NBA championships would make him the second-best player in NBA history. If he's not on the slide and he played 1,200 minutes, he should be on this list somewhere. And, there are also times when he does the bailing out. Walt Frazier 10. He led the league in total steals this year and did so without playing a lot of gambling defense. 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. In addition to the traditional role of the point guard, modern teams have found new ways to utilize the position. No question hell be inducted into the Hall of Fame, and hes one of the greatest rim-attacking players in NBA history. 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. Wilt Chamberlain 14. And his athleticism gives him a leg up, which helps him dominate. On those, there is no link available. -- Adams, Combined savvy with underrated strength. As a result of his hurling himself around the court with utter abandon, he was generally a positive when it came to help defense. The average score by point guards was 16.1. Russell Westbrook and Derrick Rose are the two most physically gifted point guards of their generation, and, as a result, are constantly going to be compared to one another. 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. Eventually, that learning has to become instinct, though. Kevin Garnett 8. He is in charge of getting the ball into the hands of the shooters. Miami Heat and Dwyane Wade won the NBA championship in 2006 with him as a member of the Seattle SuperSonics. That helps him to dominate games defensively without having to leave the ground. Players Stats: 16.3 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 6.7 APG, 1.8 SPG, 0.2 BPG, Honors: 9x All-Stars, 9x All-NBA Selection, 1990-1991 Rookie of the Year, 9x All-Defensive Team Selection, 1995-1996 Defensive Player of the Year, Hall of Famer. A point guard primarily defends on the perimeter, just as they primarily play on the perimeter on offense. Defensive Rating (DRtg) is the average number of points per 100 possessions a players team surrenders while he is on the court.