Top Five Point Guards in the NBA

Posted on July 27, 2012 by mb149599

Who is the best point guard in the League right now?

What makes a great point guard is the ability to orchestrate an offense while making everyone on the team a better player. A great point guard requires a high level of intelligence combined with good court vision and leadership skills. Point guards need to play hard on both sides of the court and be able to perform in clutch situations. Perimeter defense and speed are also essential. And it is vital to have good shooting percentages, dish out a lot of assists, get to the basket, shoot the three, and carry the team at times by scoring.

Statistically, I look for points, assists, steals, rebounds, FG%, FT%, and 3P%. But remember, you cannot judge a player solely on paper. The small things and intangibles don’t show up in the box score, but the following five players do exhibit statistical excellence in these critical measurable areas well.

#1. Chris Paul has had an incredible career. He has been extremely consistent and is a dedicated hard worker. There is a reason that he is the co-captain of the United States Olympic team. He has never averaged less than 15 points and 8 assists in a season except in his rookie year in which he averaged 7.8 assists. CP3 can do it all. He is the perfect example of a point guard who can contribute in every single aspect. He has the best court vision of any professional player hands down and is exceptionally consistent in the clutch, when the game is on the line. Chris Paul surprisingly has the most game winning shots in the NBA over the past 5 years. Yes, more than Kobe Bryant. Now that Paul is teamed up with Blake Griffin in Lob City, Los Angeles, the West better look out. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Clippers win a championship within the next few years.

Career: 18.8 points, 9.8 assists, 2.4 steals, 4.4 rebounds, 47 FG%, 85 FT%, 36 3P%.

Last Year: 19.8 points, 9.1 assists, 2.5 steals. 3.6 rebounds, 48 FG%, 86 FT%, 37 3P%

#2. In my opinion, Deron Williams is the only other player that even competes with Paul for the #1 slot at the PG position. D-Will has progressed every season and right now he looks unstoppable at the offensive end. He was on the All-Rookie 1st Team in 2006 and was honored with a spot on the All-NBA 2nd Team in 2008 and 2010. He was the 3rd pick in the NBA draft 7 years ago and was chosen by Jerry Sloan and the Jazz BEFORE Chris Paul. Although he is not the fastest or most athletic, he has the most range on his shot and is a great competitor. He set the Nets franchise record last season by scoring 57 points in one game! Now that he has Joe Johnson in the back court with him, the Brooklyn Nets could be very dangerous.

Career: 17.6 points, 9.2 assists, 1.1 steals, 3.3 rebounds, 46 FG%, 81 FT%, 35 3P%

Last Year: 21 points, 8.7 assists, 1.2 steals, 3.3 rebounds, 41 FG%, 84 FT%, 34 3P%

Here is where it got tough to select further, and I went with the less traditional pick.

#3. Rajon Rondo is freakishly athletic and can do things with his body that I never knew were possible. He has a deep arsenal of moves and can distribute the ball to his teammates like no other point guard. His court vision makes him one of the smartest players in the league. He has incredibly long arms, and standing at 6’1”, he is a great on ball defender and as aggressive as a point guard can get. Last season, he had the most triple doubles out of all the point guards in the league. And Rondo is not afraid to get on the floor or wrestle for a rebound. So why is he not number one? His shot. He is awful from the free throw line, I mean absolutely dreadful. Unlike most other point guards, he rarely hits the three. Although his numbers improved in the playoffs last year, he is still a 62% free throw shooter and his jump shot is mediocre at best. If he works on his jumper, he could eventually become a superstar but right now I see him as only the third best point guard in the league.

Career: 10.8 points, 8.1 assists, 1.9 steals, 4.4 rebounds, 48 FG%, 62 FT%, 24 3P%

Last Year: 11.9 points, 11.7 assists, 1.8 steals, 4.9 rebounds, 45 FG%. 60 FT%, 24 3P%

#4. Derrick Rose is explosive and is the best scoring point guard in the League. He can beat you on the drive, and if you give him space, he will nail a jumper in your face. He is very strong for his size and can play great defense as well as offense. Assuming he will get healthy, I see Rose as the 4th best PG in the League. Rose just needs to mature a little bit more and learn how to involve his teammates more often on the offensive end of the floor. Once he improves his playmaking ability, Chicago could give Miami a run for their money.

Career: 21 points, 6.8 assists, .9 steals, 3.9 rebounds, 46 FG%, 82 FT%, 31 3P%

Last Year (only 39 games due to injury): 21.8 points, 7.9 assists, .9 steals, 44 FG%, 81 FT%, 31 3P%

#5. Lastly, we have the Canadian. You can’t have a conversation about point guards without including Steve Nash. Nash is 38 years old and has played in the League for 16 seasons. Somehow, he has maintained a great resume throughout it all. He is in the homestretch of his career as he seeks an NBA Title with his new teammate Kobe Bryant and the Lakers. Nash is a back to back League MVP and arguably has the highest basketball I.Q. in the world. Some say that he is the best shooter in the league too. To average 50% from the field, 40% from beyond the arc, and 90% at the foul line is incredibly rare and the staple for a great shooter. It is only a matter of time before Nash is inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Career: 14.5 points, 8.6 assists, .7 steals, 3 rebounds, 49 FG%, 90 FT%, 43 3P%

Last Year: 12.5 points, 10.7 assists, .6 steals, 3 rebounds, 53 FG%, 89 FT%, 39 3P%

Honorable mention goes to Tony Parker who is #6 on my list.

I didn’t even consider Russell Westbrook because I honestly don’t think he is point guard material. I think he is an undersized shooting guard. In my opinion, if you have a shoot first mentality with Kevin Durant on your team, you are not an elite point guard. He turns the ball over too often and needs to mature a lot to crack the top 5.

So there you have it! My top five Point Guards in the League! Who is in your top five?

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Under Pressure

Posted on July 25, 2012 by mb149599

Everyone knows that to be considered one of the greatest athletes, you have to win a championship. No matter what sport it is, you will never be a superstar if you have not won it all and proven that your team is the best in the world.

Prime example… LeBron James. LeBron James was/is the most scrutinized player in the history of sports. I used to make jokes about him only having 75 cents because he had no fourth quarter and that I put my phone on Lebron mode during class…Ringless. But all of LeBron’s haters (including myself) must now shut up and give credit where credit is due. He has finally won a ring. He is a champion. And he is one the greatest basketball players to ever play the game… still not as good as MJ though.

So now that the pressure is off of King James to win a championship, who has that pressure shifted to? Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Kevin Durant, Dwight Howard? Those are just a few names that come to mind. But I think the most pressure will be on Carmelo Anthony and the New York Knicks to win within the next two years.

Anthony can do it all on the offensive end of the court. He can drive, he can pass, he can pull up from the top of the key, and he can drain buckets from beyond the three point line. He has that attack mode instinct in him and he is extremely clutch. Yes, he has been criticized for his lackadaisical defense at times, but when he actually tries and with some coaching, he can be a great defender.

Carmelo is surrounded by talent and arguably has the best frontcourt in the league containing Tyson Chandler, Amare Stoudamire, and Melo himself. The Knicks have made a lot of off-season moves in order to make a title run NOW. They have brought back Raymond Felton to run the point and re-signed J.R. Smith to start at the 2 guard until Iman Shumpert returns from his injury. They have brought in three veterans who know how to win such as J Kidd, Marcus Camby, and Kurt Thomas. This team is built to win NOW.

No more excuses Melo! You have had enough time to get used to playing with Amare and Tyson. It might take a little bit to get on the same page with Felton, but this is it. This is your chance. You are 28 years old now and in the prime of your career. Win a championship or be just another under achiever in New York City. The pressure is on…

 

 

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2012 Vs. 1992

Posted on July 20, 2012 by mb149599

The United States basketball team is the heavy favorite to win the gold medal in the 2012 Olympics. Los Angeles Laker, Kobe Bryant, believes they would also be favored to defeat the “Dream Team” that dazzled the world in Barcelona twenty years ago. The debate has already started as to whether this group of American athletes is as good as the “Dream Team” that won the gold medal in 1992, the first year that active NBA players were permitted to participate in the games. While Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley have openly disagreed with LA’s superstar, Kobe says “… It’d be a tough one, but I think we’d pull it out.”

The world will never know who would win if the two squads were to match up but the current All-Star ballers put on a convincing clinic on Thursday afternoon. Great Britain’s team, led by Luol Deng of the Chicago Bulls, struggled all day in this international friendly contest and will have an almost insurmountable task of defeating the Americans in front of their home crowd in London should the two teams meet again. However, that match-up is unlikely to repeat itself. The British would have to defeat the more talented Spaniards to take on Team USA in the Olympic Finals.

If Thursday afternoon’s exhibition game gave any indication as to how the United States and Great Britain would fare in the Olympics, Kobe Bryant and Lebron James should feel quite confident in their chances of bringing home the gold. Carmelo Anthony and Deron Williams led the team with 19 points respectively; Russell Westbrook dished out 9 assists, and Lebron James chipped in with 16 points in an absolute route 118-78. Just a few minutes into the game, one could assume that the British were about to get humiliated in front of their own fans in Manchester.

The Americans have moved to 3-0 in exhibition play and have looked solid in two of three of those games. Some say that after the United States poor performance against Brazil earlier this week that the “Dream Team” is definitely better. The Americans struggled both defensively and offensively in the post when facing seasoned veterans who were just as big as them.

Luckily for Team USA, they will not have to go up against Jordan’s 1992 crew in the upcoming Olympic Games. Patrick Ewing of the 1992 Dream Team would most likely destroy whatever defense the current Olympic team could present him with. While Tyson Chandler is a great player, he is no Patrick Ewing or Hakeem Olajuwon. I would love to say that our 2012 team is just as good as the Dream Team but if I said that then I would just be lying. Each team is extremely talented but the Dream Team never even had a close game. They defeated their opponents by an average of 44 points. And while Lebron has finally been crowned as King James, he still has 5 more rings to win if he wants to be compared to MJ.

Coach K will continue to make adjustments as his team gets ready to take on a talented and disciplined Spain team featuring the Gasol brothers. Oklahoma City Thunder’s 23 year old Serge Ibaka, the power forward for Spain, openly said that the Spain team is just as good as the Americans. Expect a tremendous amount of explosiveness and electricity as the United States team tries to prove him wrong. Something tells me that they will do just that. The two teams face off on July 24th in a friendly exhibition. Final Score Prediction: USA: 96 SPAIN: 81

***The United States will play Argentina featuring Manu Ginobili of the San Antonio Spurs on July 22nd before taking on the Spaniards two days later.

 

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