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| Chris Paul of the Los Angeles Clippers leads a talented crop of NBA point guards |
The Elites
Chris Paul
CP3 has made five consecutive All-Star teams and been the game's top point guard for nearly a decade. His basketball IQ is unparalleled, and is there anything more breathtaking than watching him toss alley-oops to Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan?
Rajon Rondo
His middling scoring numbers prevent this elite distributor from claiming the title as best point guard in the game. As it is, he'll have to settle for best passing PG as he continues to set up Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Jason Terry and co.
Russell Westbrook
An incredibly frustrating player on so many levels (he knows he plays on the same team as Kevin Durant, right?), but also one of the sport's top talents. He's also a tank; the guy hasn't missed a game yet in his four-plus seasons in the Association.
Deron Williams
His efficiency has suffered with the Nets as he's became more of a volume shooter, but he should be able to pick and choose his spots more wisely with an upgraded supporting cast (hello Gerald Wallace and Joe Johnson)
The Second Tier
Brandon Jennings
Sharing the backcourt with Monta Ellis has cut into his production, but still putting up great all-around numbers (minus field goal percentage).
Stephen Curry
One of the best pure shooters in the game. If he stays healthy he might make a run at Ray Allen's career three-point record. That's a pretty big "if" though. Weak ankles have dogged Curry and could eventually derail his promising career the way knee injuries have ruined Brandon Roy and Greg Oden.
Tony Parker
A model of consistency, Parker has flourished even with Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili getting up there in age. San Antonio's point guard is arguably the best in the league when it comes to finishing at the rim.
Ty Lawson
Denver's speedy point guard has struggled a bit in the early going, his monster 32-point performance two nights ago notwithstanding. Hopefully that explosion against the Hawks is a harbinger of good things to come.
The Breakouts
George Hill
Has taken over as Indiana's starting point guard and is rising to the occasion.
Jrue Holiday
With Andre Iguodala and Elton Brand gone and Andrew Bynum hurt, Holiday has picked up the slack by averaging 18.2 points and 9.3 assists per game. He's for real, but expect his numbers to normalize a bit when Bynum returns.
Jeff Teague
Atlanta's point guard has bumped his assist rate by two dimes per game while canning 43.2 percent of his treys and sinking 86.7 percent of his freebies.
Greivis Vasquez
The third-year guard has assumed control of the Hornets offense and is averaging nearly nine assists per game. It will be interesting to see how he adjusts to the return of Eric Gordon, who hopes to be back by the end of the month.
Kemba Walker
Following a disappointing rookie campaign in which he backed up D.J. Augustin for most of the year, Walker has taken the leap in his sophomore season. His numbers are up across the board and have helped propel Charlotte to a surprisingly respectful 7-10 start.
The Rookie
Damian Lillard
There was a lot of hype surrounding Lillard in the preseason, but it looks like he earned it. The 22 year-old is averaging 19.3 points and 6.3 assists while maintaining strong 44-38-83 percentages--essentially Kyrie Irving production.
The Underappreciated
Jameer Nelson
JaMiracle's numbers don't leap off the page, but they should only get better once he rounds into form after an injury-plagued start to the season. With Dwight Howard out of the picture, he could post numbers reminiscent of his career year in 2008-'09.
Goran Dragic
Blocked by Steve Nash in Phoenix, then Aaron Brooks and Kyle Lowry in Houston, Dragic finally got his chance to shine when Lowry got hurt last season. In his 28 starts Dragic averaged 18 points and 8.4 assists while shooting just under 50 percent from the floor. This success has carried over into his second go-round with the Suns.
Mike Conley Jr.
It's easy to be forgotten when you play with Marc Gasol, Zach Randolph and Rudy Gay.
Jose Calderon
Has taken a backseat to Kyle Lowry in Toronto, but made the most of his seven starts by averaging 12.9 points and 11.9 assists per game. Doesn't score much but is a great facilitator.
The Comebacks
Raymond Felton
Crashed and burned with Portland last year, but has returned to form in his second stint with the Knicks (just as I predicted). Could be even better when Amare Stoudemire, one of his top offensive weapons, returns.
Mo Williams
Lebron James' former sidekick was relegated to a reserve role with the Clips last year, but a trade to Utah has him starting again and churning out his typically solid numbers.
Kyle Lowry
Was well on his way to a breakout season last year (16-7-5) before missing a month of action and losing his starting gig to Goran Dragic. Now north of the border, Lowry's scoring more than 18 points per game while staking his claim as the best rebounder at the position.
Solid, but Unspectacular
Brandon Knight
Move over, Rodney Stuckey; there's a new point guard in Motown.
Jeremy Lin
His sluggish start with Houston leads me to believe that Linsanity was probably a flash in the pan.
Darren Collison
Never replicated the success he flashed as a rookie in early 2010 when Chris Paul needed surgery for his torn meniscus. Collison has settled down as a capable starter but is already on his third team in four seasons.
Luke Ridnour
Holding down the fort until Ricky Rubio returns.
Ramon Sessions
Kemba Walker's backup has averaged north of 15 points per game in the early going but needs nearly 13 shots per game to do so.
The Injured
Steve Nash
A leg fracture has limited him to just one game so far. The question remains; how will he mesh with Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol?
John Wall
A stress fracture in his right knee has kept Wall from playing this season. In related news, the Wizards are 2-13.
Ricky Rubio
The Spanish sensation could play in his first game this year as soon as next week.
Kyrie Irving
A broken finger has put his torrid start (22.9 points per game) on hold.
Derrick Rose
The 2011 MVP is still recovering from the torn ACL he suffered in the first game of last spring's playoffs.
Despite the huge amount of talent in the point position you have to wonder how many of these guys will actually make a contention to greatest facilitators of all time.
ReplyDeleteRight now you have Steve Nash very close to joinning an elite group with 10000 assists, but who could be the other guys?
Right now the PG position is filled with too many SG's adapted to PG presenting inconsistent numbers, too much focus on scoring rather than passing and generating some big TO numbers.
Chris Paul, Rondo, Deron Williams are true established PG's, and i see them making a contention for that 10000 number. As for the rest maybe Vasquez who is turning out to be quite the good player, Rubio, Lillard and Holliday if they continue to have some sort of support consistently throughout their careers.
But this is just the way i see it, since i view the best PG as more of a passer and a general.
I'm a Warriors fan, so this is obviously biased. But soon you might consider moving Curry up a notch. He's becoming that good.
ReplyDeleteYeah Curry borderline elite; his health issues are the only thing holding him back. The talent is unquestioned.
ReplyDeleteIf Rose is healthy, just one injury so far, but a major injury, and he plays recklessly, he's the best PG in the game.
ReplyDeleteWestbrook was the best PG in the league last year, and still is this year. OKC looks better than ever, even though they lost Harden. Westbrook is the more athletic PG in the league, and he's becoming an elite defensive PG as well. Rondo is good, but he's still quite far before Westbrook, Paul, and Rose, at the very least. He could be arguably 4th best, but I'm taking Williams and Parker over him for sure.