Point Guard Rankings

[dukeswh]

I found this article on foxsports:




So without further adieu, here are the 2005-06 NBA point guard rankings.

1. Allen Iverson, 76ers



Ht./Wt. 6-0/165
Numbers: 30.7 pts., 7.9 ast., 2.4 stls
He is as fearless as he is talented, which is a dramatic combination considering he packages that with perhaps the most intense competitive spirit in the game today.



2. Steve Nash, Suns



Ht./Wt. 6-3, 195
Numbers: 15.5 pts., 11.5 ast., .99 stls
He became the prototype point guard last season, if he wasn't already. He's amazingly proficient at making the game-winning play, whether it is the assist or the shot that is required.

3. Jason Kidd, Nets



Ht./Wt. 6-4, 210
Numbers: 14.4 pts., 8.3 ast., 1.86 stls
The previous title-holder, Kidd has to prove he's all the way back from micro-fracture surgery on his knee. The Nets have a solid core to win the Atlantic Division and Kidd is behind the wheel to drive them there.

4. Chauncey Billups, Pistons



Ht./Wt. 6-3, 205
Numbers: 16.5 pts., 5.8 ast., 1.01 stls
As each season passes, he becomes more natural at point guard and he is the inexorable floor leader of the two-time defending Eastern Conference champs. He's the best at allowing the game to come to him and make clutch plays.

5. Baron Davis, Warriors



Ht./Wt. 6-3, 220
Numbers: 19.2 pts., 7.9 ast., 1.76 stls
B.D. turned around the woeful Warriors last season and there are those who believe he is capable of carrying them to the playoffs this season. It may not happen, but he's made them fun for the first time in more than a decade.

6. Mike Bibby, Kings



Ht./Wt. 6-1, 190
Numbers: 19.6 pts., 6.8 ast., 1.55 stls</B>
Each season he has grown more into a floor leader. His shooting has never been in question, but we'll find out this season how well he distributes the ball with the additions of Bonzi Wells and Shareef Abdur-Rahim.

7. Stephon Marbury, Knicks



Ht./Wt. 6-2, 200
Numbers: 21.7 pts., 8.1 ast., 1.49 stls
The self-proclaimed best point guard in the NBA isn't even close. In fact, his self-absorption has him dropping like a rock in the esteem of many insiders. We'll see if Larry Brown moves him to shooting guard as he did with Iverson.

8. Gilbert Arenas, Wizards



Ht./Wt. 6-3, 190
Numbers: 25.5 pts., 5.1 ast., 1.74 stls</B>
The league's most improved player in 2003 was finally healthy again last season and kicked it up another notch. He still hasn't proven to be consistent enough moving the ball, but he's a big play guy who will learn in time.

9. Tony Parker, Spurs



Ht./Wt. 6-2, 180
Numbers: 16.6 pts., 6.1 ast., 1.23 stls
He is so smooth with the ball it's almost as if he plays on roller skates. But every time Parker starts to break into All-Star form, he fades. Yes, they won another title, but his role diminished as the finals progressed.

10. Andre Miller, Nuggets



Ht./Wt. 6-2, 200
Numbers: 13.6 pts., 6.9 ast., 1.48 stls
Miller struggled like the rest of the Nuggets early last season but came on once George Karl became coach. It would be logical to assume he will have a much more complete season this time around. Also receiving consideration: Sam Cassell, Los Angeles Clippers; Kirk Hinrich, Chicago Bulls; Luke Ridnour, Seattle SuperSonics; Jason Terry, Dallas Mavericks; Jamaal Tinsley, Indiana Pacers; Jason Williams, Miami Heat.

_________________________________________________________
Bibby is ranked no. 6! Great! I'm glad that people are starting to recognize him as one of the best point guards in the NBA today.


For the whole article, here's the link:

http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/3900858

 

[quick dog]

I would place Iverson no higher than fourth. Some players make others look good. I am not sure that such is true for Iverson. I might vote him the toughest guy, pound for pound, in the NBA.

Jason Kidd, Steve Nash, and maybe Mike Bibby or Tony Parker ahead of Iverson. I don't care for Marbury either. Those guys are too "active". I prefer the John Stockton model.

 

[Mr. S£im Citrus]

But none of those guys that you named fit the "Stockton" model, either... even Nash shoots too much to draw a reasonable comparison to Stockton; and doesn't defend as well, either. Hell, just judging by last season's stats, I think that you could make a case for Brevin Knight being more "like Stockton" than Nash.

 

[Fillmoe]

billups is way too high on that list.......

 

[dukeswh]

I would place Iverson no higher than fourth. Some players make others look good. I am not sure that such is true for Iverson. I might vote him the toughest guy, pound for pound, in the NBA.

Totally agree. He's more of a shooting guard than a point guard IMO. He looks to score first and only passes if he gets triple or quadruple teamed.

 

[Padrino]

the "Stockton Model" is so difficult to match, tho. too high of a standard, if you ask me. the guy was white as hell...but as tough as nails, and he could flat out ball when it came to his position. and i agree that iverson is waaaaaaay to high up on that list. there are PG's out there who arent very good at making other players better, and then there's AI, who makes NO ONE on his team better. he doesnt even make himself better. he's tough as nails, but his basketball IQ sucks, outside of what he's learned from "the streets," or w/e you wanna call it.

 

[AriesMar27]

i agree that ai is too high but so is marbury, billups, parker and arenas..... why isnt kirl hinrich on that list? he was an honorable mention but damn, white boy got serious game....

but seriously, iverson has too much damn heart to drop him below someone like bibby or nash.... as good as they are if the roles were reversed iverson would make both the kings and suns better than they are.....

 

[Fillmoe]

thats true.... hinrich should be top 5....... the boy got game! hes prolly the only PG i would trade bibby for straight up......

 

[Kings113]

Hinrich's gonna be great, already is a good player.

 

[loopymitch]

Very nice to see Mike at #6. I wonder where BSPN would have put him, probably not even in the top 10.

 

[nbrans]

30 points, 8 assists per game and you're calling AI overrated?? There aren't very many players that have more or less single-handedly taken their teams to the NBA finals, and AI is one of them. He's also taken some very crappy supporting casts to the playoffs year after year. You may not like his game, but the guy's a winner, and there aren't very many players who give more for their team night in night out. Also, historically AI has been a SG but he embraced the PG role last year and established a career high in assists, while also raising his scoring. I'd take AI on my team in a heartbeat, and I think he's the best PG in the league.

 

[Fillmoe]

30 points, 8 assists per game and you're calling AI overrated?? There aren't very many players that have more or less single-handedly taken their teams to the NBA finals, and AI is one of them. He's also taken some very crappy supporting casts to the playoffs year after year. You may not like his game, but the guy's a winner, and there aren't very many players who give more for their team night in night out. Also, historically AI has been a SG but he embraced the PG role last year and established a career high in assists, while also raising his scoring. I'd take AI on my team in a heartbeat, and I think he's the best PG in the league.

exactly.........

 

[PixelPusher]

30 points, 8 assists per game and you're calling AI overrated?? There aren't very many players that have more or less single-handedly taken their teams to the NBA finals, and AI is one of them. He's also taken some very crappy supporting casts to the playoffs year after year. You may not like his game, but the guy's a winner, and there aren't very many players who give more for their team night in night out. Also, historically AI has been a SG but he embraced the PG role last year and established a career high in assists, while also raising his scoring. I'd take AI on my team in a heartbeat, and I think he's the best PG in the league.

So, if Bibby (or anyone else on this list) want to be ranked the #1 PG, all they have to do is blow off their teammates and take 40+ shots a game. Heck, Stephon Marbury is already trying to do this.

 

[nbrans]

So, if Bibby (or anyone else on this list) want to be ranked the #1 PG, all they have to do is blow off their teammates and take 40+ shots a game. Heck, Stephon Marbury is already trying to do this.

I'm not sure how you blow off your teammates and manage to rack up 8 assists per game, which is 1.2 more than Bibby. And AI's offense is more than taking a lot of shots, most of Iverson's shots come after he breaks down the defense, so even if he misses his bigs are often in place for offensive rebounds and putbacks. If Bibby or Stephon Marbury could average 30 points a game I'd like to see it. Something tells me they aren't conciouscly choosing NOT to score 30 points a game out of the goodness of their hearts.

 

[SoupIsGood]

Mel would have made this list, had he not been injured.

 

[Andriod_KiNg]

If we are talking about PG's then Mike Bibby would be number three behind Kidd and Nash...

 

[BonziFan]

30 points, 8 assists per game and you're calling AI overrated?? There aren't very many players that have more or less single-handedly taken their teams to the NBA finals, and AI is one of them. He's also taken some very crappy supporting casts to the playoffs year after year. You may not like his game, but the guy's a winner, and there aren't very many players who give more for their team night in night out. Also, historically AI has been a SG but he embraced the PG role last year and established a career high in assists, while also raising his scoring. I'd take AI on my team in a heartbeat, and I think he's the best PG in the league.

Yeah but 30 points on 35 shots is hardly impressive. He never shoots over 41% and never will.

 

[nbrans]

Yeah but 30 points on 35 shots is hardly impressive. He never shoots over 41% and never will.

Well, you're wrong on both counts, unless you're intentionally exaggerating. Last season he averaged 30 points on 42.4% shooting and 24 shots per game.

 

[BonziFan]

Well, you're wrong on both counts, unless you're intentionally exaggerating. Last season he averaged 30 points on 42.4% shooting and 24 shots per game.

I was exaggerating, but that still is not impressive numbers to me. He would be the best player in the league if he would just have a little trust in his teamates. He didn't even trust C-Webb when he got there. I think he is one of the best players in the league, but for one I think he is a 2 Guard, and 2nd if you consider him a point guard then he is not better than Bibby, Nash, and Kidd.

 

[FrenchCanadianKING]

Just ask Kenny, Brian and Corliss if it's fun to play with Iverson... I remember them saying how great it was to be in a system that puts emphasis on ball sharing and making the key extra pass that leads to a bucket, unlike some certain player dribbling around the court for 48 minutes.

The guy has a huge heart, plays his *** off all the time(except for practices) and is the toughest player in the NBA but he does hold on to the ball way too long than he should. Beating the Sixers is easy, shut down the other 4 players on the floor and let Iverson do his little show. Don't give me the he's got 8 assists per game argument, anybody that holds the rock 60% of the time his team has it.... should be getting 8 assists per game.

 

[Fillmoe]

AI = THE ANSWER! now stop hatin on the man.....

 

[VF21]

AI = THE ANSWER!

Yeah, he might be the answer. It's the question that's the tricky part.

now stop hatin on the man.....

Could we just agree to quit using the term "hatin" or "hater" whenever someone criticizes a player?

I do not "hate" Allen Iverson. I do think, for whatever reason, he has taken it upon himself way too many times to be the hero. Sometimes his actions work; all too frequently, however, they do not. He has gotten better as time has gone by, at least to some degree. He is, however, still a "me first" player and it's very hard for him to think about getting rid of the basketball.

That doesn't make me a "hater" - it makes me someone who feels it's fair to comment on something that is obvious about AI and his game.

Iverson is a tremendous player. He also has issues that have been around for years. You accept the whole package...

Bottom line, you cannot question his heart or desire to win. And that may be the single determining factor that helps diminish a lot of his flaws. He's good - very, very good - and he has the heart of a lion... and the ego of Narcissus.

 

[allrightythen]

Only problem with the list is that AI and Marbury are not PGs and I don't know how much of a PG Arenas is either. I don't really have a problem with the rest of the order.

As far as AI goes, you have to respect the guy when he's playing ball. He plays his heart out and he's nearly impossible to stop. that said he shoots too much which in turn means that he doesn't pass enough which makes it difficult to run any sort of efficient offense. This seems almost anti-PG to me. just my two cents

 

[loopymitch]

According to this, to be #1 you should be a ballhog. I don't think so.

 

[sono]

30 points, 8 assists per game and you're calling AI overrated?? There aren't very many players that have more or less single-handedly taken their teams to the NBA finals, and AI is one of them. He's also taken some very crappy supporting casts to the playoffs year after year. You may not like his game, but the guy's a winner, and there aren't very many players who give more for their team night in night out. Also, historically AI has been a SG but he embraced the PG role last year and established a career high in assists, while also raising his scoring. I'd take AI on my team in a heartbeat, and I think he's the best PG in the league.

As a team leader & SG he took his team to the finals. As a point guard he hasn't, his stats are impressive but not enough to make him to the top. PG's priority is to make his teammates better.

 

[nbrans]

There's no rule that says that point guards have to be distributors or that they HAVE to play like John Stockton in order to be a point guard. Before Kevin Garnett and Chris Webber and Dirk Nowitzki came along, people thought power forwards HAD to be in the post. People reinvent positions all the time. So just because Allen Iverson is a score-first point guard doesn't mean that he's somehow not a point guard.

And the fact is that he led the league in scoring while coming in 5th in assists and 2nd in steals while continuing to mature as a player and embracing a new role. The guy has a killer instinct, he's a fierce competitor and he's ten times as tough as the rest of the point guards on the list combined.

 

[hrdboild]

There is definately an ambiguity here though as to what constitutes a "great PG". Is the guy with 8 assists per game and 10 points a better point guard than the guy with 4 assists and 20 points per game? Being a good point guard isn't necessarily the same thing as being a good player. And that's what makes a list of the top point guards so difficult to compile. Guys like AI and Marbury and Steve Francis and Gilbert Arenas handle the ball as much as any other point guard in the league and they (sometimes) play the position, but they typically lead their team in scoring too. They look for their own shot at least as much as they look to set up their teammates. Regardless of whether you think teams are better off with point guards that play more of a distributing role or more of a scoring role, it's difficult to compare the two types and fit them into one list. For example, I don't argue that AI is one of the best players in the league. His ballhandling is unreal and he can shoot the ball well too. But is he better at the point guard role than say Jason Williams? I'm not so sure about that. And Tony Parker is overrated as a player I'd say, but he's pretty good as a point guard.

 

[sono]

I'm not saying he's not a PG. Actually it led him to one of his greatest seasons, not his team. As you said he's score-first PG. If he took his team to the finals with his score-first mentality as PG I'd have no objection.

 

[VF21]

hrdboild - Good point!

And I think the whole idea of "best point guard" is quixotic at best because different teams require different skills from their point guards for optimum efficiency.

If anything, I would think the ratings should be based on how well the team did with such and such person at the 1.

Steve Nash? Pretty blasted impressive. And it was clear without him just how much he meant to the Suns.

So, at the risk of being presumptuous, here's how I - VF21 the magnificent - would rank the top 10.

1. Steve Nash
2. Chauncey Billups
3. Mike Bibby
...

Everybody else.

 

[hrdboild]

If you're making a list of the best Point Guards, there's two ways to go. It could be..

Who are the best players that play the point guard position? or Who are the best players in the league at setting up their teammates?

If it's the former, than AI at #1 makes sense. If it's the latter, I'd put Steve Nash at #1. Lucky for us Kings fans, I think Bibby would fit in the top 5 in either list (certainly top 10). And that's all we really care about right?